3:26 Franco's feet barely on the ground and he's easily doing 450+ lbs with no leg drive. But this goes to show that these guys were some super strong ass body builders!
Franco is an absolute monster, in an age of mass monsters now this guy really needs to be put on a pedestal for traversing the line between strength, size and aesthetics that would hold weight to today’s contenders and in my opinion is the complete package.
Nice Nick! I'm also 5'5" but 165lbs, my lifting partner is 6'1" 220lbs and I have him beat in squat/deadlift but he's got me in bench press, and we've been lifting partners for the better part of 20yrs.
Even Arnold himself has said that in terms of all time best poundages lifted, Franco is clearly ahead of him. Franco was also a good 50 lbs. lighter. Now you have to understand as well that Franco's much more compact frame was more ideal for powerlifting. How much of an advantage is difficult to say. But Franco was certainly more accomplished as a lifter and all around athlete.
Columbo was a chiropractor by trade...he had far far superior knowledge of the kind of physiology needed to crunch those kind of numbers... his form was insane
Russell Lomando actually a human can only produce 1 to 3 psi, because if we were to produce more than 1 to 3 psi blood vessels would over pressurize and pop
While he was an extremely strong guy, and I'll never say otherwise, he used a ring with a sharpened spike on the inside to prick the water bottle when he had blown enough air into it. Still cool to watch though
Apparently the hot water bottle was burst with some sharp object and not lung power alone. I think it was inflated and then 'popped', with the hidden sharp concealed 'popper' . In short it was just an illusion .....
I know this video is about Arnold and Franco, but the photo from WSM with Bruce Wilhelm, Ken Patera, and Lou Ferrigno is the best part of it. Lou looks like a Roman God compared to the other two. Damn!!
Hey man, great video, big thumbs up! Franco is an amazing athlete and was always incredibly humble and respectful. I love seeing golden age footage of him in action. Youve mentioned in many previous vids that Franco outlifted Arnold so the outcome of this wasnt a surprise, but it was a great watch. Thanks!
Franco stated in his 1978 autobiography his best bench press was 485 lbs. he stated the last 60 lbs was extremely difficult to achieve. Now there is a claim of 40 lbs on top of that ?!?! where can I find the source of this 525 lb bench press. What was the date and where was it done?? A 40 lb improvement on a 485 lb lift performed by a 190 lb man after a major skeletal injury is almost unbelievable
Franco did way more training than Arnold you could say , boxers train very hard and you need explosive power, strength with functional muscles and he went into powerlifting and strongman which was a support for Franco feats
I dont know how long you been doing it. but I want to say a really big thank you for throwing in euro measurements =) Love that, and I hope you get more subs because of that gesture! Happy Christmas from Sweden Nick =)
Arnold was never 6-2 and there is no video where he benched 500 I found a video here on UA-cam where he’s is repping out 315lbs that’s the heaviest I can find him lifting
Both are legendary as is their bromance. Fascinating fact - in the original Terminator, Franco plays the Terminator that sneaks into the resistance shelter during one of Kyle Reese's flashbacks then starts mowing people down. Arnold insisted his friend got the part.
Knew it he was the stronger between the 2. Interesting facts about the dynamic duo there. Ok now do a video on Franco and Lou Ferrigno since they actually went toe to toe in the 1977 World Strongest Man competition.
Question. A lot of people say the reason I'm so strong is due to leverages. I'm 5'6 (5'7" in Adipowers) and weigh 210. Raw numbers are 470 bench, 525 squat, and 615 deadlift. If my strength is due to leverages how do you explain Hafthor, Shaw, Kirill, Konstantin... all the 6'6" and up giants moving stupid weight? Wouldn't that discredit the argument that short guys like myself are stronger due to leverages? Kirill is the strongest presser on the planet and has a wingspan like a Pterodactly!? Thoughts?
For that extra height, they need to weight twice as you in real muscle. That is, 1 extra Dominic DNO in body mass, as the cost for additional 30cm of height. Do you even fathom how absurd that trade off is? This is what it takes to reach such numbers when you are tall. So leverages ABSOLUTELY play a massive role, it's not even up for debate.
Franco is my favorite. My sister got me two posters signed by him for Christmas. Apparently she ordered one online, and in a message said he was a big motivation to me, and if he could write me a cool message one it. He went ahead and sent two posters signed by him. They're hung right next to my desk. Haha.
Arnold started doing powerlifting quite a lot as he enjoyed getting stronger and the challenge of big weights but noticed his body shape and look changing as a result. He reminded himself what he had set out to do so reduced the powerlifting considerably. Franco never really stopped which is why his physique looks constantly flexed and hard. Arnold liked to look smooth with the ability to change the appearance from pose to pose as he thought it had left a bigger impression on the judges as he could shock them. I don’t think anyone trained harder than Arnold but Franco continued with a lot of strength training. Arnold’s work ethic and intensity were unseen by the Americans when he arrived.
Well we know that Short bone structure is more stronger than longer bone structure. It's hard to do squats and deadlifts when you are tall guy like Arnold.
+Nick Chase that's not true when Arnold is almost a hundred lbs heavier than Franco. It is FAAAAAR easier for a 200 lb guy to bench 2 plates than a 150 lb guy to bench 2 plates since the 200 lb guy is alot heavier. Height also doesn't do much for your lifts. It's the leverages that matters the most.
One interesting point about Franco which is rarely mentioned is that why he is so strong is possibly because of his joint strength, look at his elbows when he flexes his arms.. completely rounded elbow with no calcification which almost all bodybuilders get even Arnie had.
one of the judges for that worlds strongest man named Bob Hise helped train we in Olympic lifting, I was a power lifter, but we mixed it up for more explosiveness in throwing the shot put, hammer and discus. Lots of knowledge these competitors have. I myself was lucky to have many great trainer's. I knew Franco was stronger from his background. awesome video though!
Nick, I'm 5'5" aswell and I end up being stronger than taller people most of the time, you should make a video of this. Like why are short and stocky people usually stronger than taller people even though taller people have greater muscle sizes, this would be a great idea. I mean think about it, I wrestled in high school and the best wrestlers werent tall and lanky, they were short and stocky.
The taller guys always look the best but are less stronger, and the shorter guys don’t stand out that much but are definitely the strongest. The shorties have incredible overall strength
They have a high center of gravity that doesn’t serve them well in the big lifts compared to the shorter guys...doesn’t mean they’re weaker though...Franco was definitely stronger than Arnold though
Really interesting video mate. If it's possible could you do a video of who was stronger between Arnold and Sergio Olivia. I think Sergio challenged Arnold to a lifting contest. Thank you. Subscribed
Franco being smaller and out lifting a much larger Arnold is one thing but to do it as a smaller bodybuilder and place 5th at a world's strongest man competition as a body builder is even more impressive as sheer strength is not the overall goal of a bodybuilder. They almost always get beat by strongman and power lifters since that's their game. Franco being able to hang at his height and weight is impressive as hell.
Arnold never hid this fact but Franco was a power lifter before body building. Arnold noticed that doing too much power lifting/strength training started to change his physique and ensured he stayed true to his goal of becoming the top body builder. Whether or not he could have become stronger is up for debate but he never trained to be the strongest so we’ll never truly know. However, Arnold being Arnold I’m sure had he applied himself to it, would have become incredibly strong as his mental strength, drive & self belief are second to none.
I think at some point between Franco and Arnold, size stops being an asset and starts being a liability for lifting but then again aren't most strongmen competitors like 6'2" or taller? Their numbers would put any body builder to shame
Good vid. Should it also be mentioned that because Franco is smaller he had a shorter rom which helps on big lifts? Not taking anything away from Franco. Im a manlet myself but its worth mentioning
Arnold a few years ago said that Franco was doing lateral raises with more than 90lbs,he was doing shoulders presses behind the neck with 300lbs for 8 reps.He was able to bench with 500 lbs 3 reps,also in his encyclopedia of bodybuilding says that Franco was doing squats with 500 lbs for 10 reps!And also said that he lifted at 179 lbs bodyweight 735 lbs in the deadlift...The guy was strong as nobody back in those days pound for pound.We do not see athletes with such a strength pound for pound today and I think that's because they use too many machines..All these guys back then,Franco ,Platz,Arnold etc they were doing free weights and strength training since they were teenagers.....Today its totally another style,another approach of training an another mentality...
If you’re talking about relative strength no one can touch Franco. The dude was under 200 and almost put up Ronnie Coleman numbers
Coleman is a fucking joke...he’s nowhere near Franco’s level
Rampage Clover lol Coleman squatted 800 pounds and repped 800 pounds on deadlift 💀
Nick never runs out of ideas
Arnold told everybody that Franco was Pound for Pound Stronger then him! Both Great Guys... Legends
Seems overall... not only ppp
RIP Franco.
We lost a true legend 😢
Damn I didn't know he died until your post.
3:26 Franco's feet barely on the ground and he's easily doing 450+ lbs with no leg drive. But this goes to show that these guys were some super strong ass body builders!
M. Thunder they relied more on hard training than just pumping loads of steroids. Guys today train like shit.
Looks like 453 to me. I can't tell from a photo how "easy"it was.
I meant 435 not 453!!!
Franco is an absolute monster, in an age of mass monsters now this guy really needs to be put on a pedestal for traversing the line between strength, size and aesthetics that would hold weight to today’s contenders and in my opinion is the complete package.
Nice Nick! I'm also 5'5" but 165lbs, my lifting partner is 6'1" 220lbs and I have him beat in squat/deadlift but he's got me in bench press, and we've been lifting partners for the better part of 20yrs.
Two of the greatest legends of all time!
Infinite Athletics hahahaha you comment everywhere 😂
Subhaan Khalid I know wtf
dr roj it's called SPAM
He comments to get subs... comments everywhere.
yes but Franco is little stronger more
Franco overall was stronger 👊
BeastAesthetics everyone knows this
Captain obvious over here
Satan Idiot. Think harder
yes arnold could curl more though and do calf raises with higher weights. franco win on bench squat and deadlift
Pic at 3:16 is legendary! That photo was my screen saver and background photo for my MySpace back when I was 17!
BeastAesthetics it was my background photo on my phone when I was about that age too - I used it for motivation!
The Sardinian Superman was a way better power lifter overcoming the huge weight difference.Dr Franco the worlds strongest Chiropractor!
Richard Young I didn't know he was/is a chiropractor
Even Arnold himself has said that in terms of all time best poundages lifted, Franco is clearly ahead of him. Franco was also a good 50 lbs. lighter. Now you have to understand as well that Franco's much more compact frame was more ideal for powerlifting. How much of an advantage is difficult to say. But Franco was certainly more accomplished as a lifter and all around athlete.
Italian Stallion.....
Nick, can you make a video on Franco? You haven't made a specific video on his life and careers as a bodybuilder and powerlifter
Castleberry is obviously stronger
Lander u mean dingleberry
He probobly is stronger but still uses fake plates
I would probobly put him as
450-500 max bench
650 dl
500-515 squat judging by his size
Columbu in his prime would eat dingleberry for breakfast
Columbo was a chiropractor by trade...he had far far superior knowledge of the kind of physiology needed to crunch those kind of numbers... his form was insane
That's incredible! Both were impressive! Props to Franco Columbu, "The Sardinian Samson".
3:35 Dog checking the form on each lift
Where’s Vince
Imagine the numbers if Franco was 50 lbs heavier. He also blew-up to explosion, a hot water bottle; that's 170 psi of lung power. HE was the best.
Russell Lomando actually a human can only produce 1 to 3 psi, because if we were to produce more than 1 to 3 psi blood vessels would over pressurize and pop
While he was an extremely strong guy, and I'll never say otherwise, he used a ring with a sharpened spike on the inside to prick the water bottle when he had blown enough air into it. Still cool to watch though
Apparently the hot water bottle was burst with some sharp object and not lung power alone. I think it was inflated and then 'popped', with the hidden sharp concealed 'popper' . In short it was just an illusion .....
Franco was something else cut from a different cloth
Yeah, he would've been what Larry Wheels is nowadays: 400 kg squat, 400 kg deadlift, 280 kg bench
When i saw the title i thought that Arnold was gonna be stronger. Props to Franco.
Old news.Everyone and their mother knows that Franco was the strongest guy of the Golden Era.His feats of strengh are well known.
I’m here to watch this go viral
3:33 the great dane is even in awe at what the little guy can do
I know this video is about Arnold and Franco, but the photo from WSM with Bruce Wilhelm, Ken Patera, and Lou Ferrigno is the best part of it. Lou looks like a Roman God compared to the other two. Damn!!
Bob Young, not ken patera I think.
always knew that Franco was stronger. MAXIMUM RESPECT to them both
Ferrigno actually did very well in World's Strongest man. Was cool to watch him compete in that.
3:28 this is random but god it's gotta be scary racking that much weight on something like that lmao
Interesting foot placement...
I never thought of Arnold as a heavy lifter like Franco so I'm most surprised at his 710 deadlift. Good vid Nick!
Arnold was powerlifter at 16. He held the strongest lifts in his weight category at the time.
He has a good frame for deadlifts so it’s not that unsurprising
Hey man, great video, big thumbs up! Franco is an amazing athlete and was always incredibly humble and respectful. I love seeing golden age footage of him in action. Youve mentioned in many previous vids that Franco outlifted
Arnold so the outcome of this wasnt a surprise, but it was a great watch. Thanks!
Franco stated in his 1978 autobiography his best bench press was 485 lbs. he stated the last 60 lbs was extremely difficult to achieve. Now there is a claim of 40 lbs on top of that ?!?! where can I find the source of this 525 lb bench press. What was the date and where was it done?? A 40 lb improvement on a 485 lb lift performed by a 190 lb man after a major skeletal injury is almost unbelievable
What about Lou Ferrigno? He is seen here in the Worlds Strongst Man competition too...
Franco did way more training than Arnold you could say , boxers train very hard and you need explosive power, strength with functional muscles and he went into powerlifting and strongman which was a support for Franco feats
Sardegna isn't a town, it's an island. Franco's hometown is Ollolai
I dont know how long you been doing it. but I want to say a really big thank you for throwing in euro measurements =) Love that, and I hope you get more subs because of that gesture! Happy Christmas from Sweden Nick =)
Also Franco was a boxer so he'd kick Arnolds butt in a fight!
Franco's body was so compacted with muscle that he looked almost as big as Arnold in some shots
Is that Ken Petera with the blonde hair on the right @ 3:00?
Thank you for yet another educational and entertaining video.
Congratulations on the great work.
Cheers from Paris France.
Nice vid man !
Franco was by far stronger
is that ferrigno in the red stringer on the photos of the world strongest man? seems like he came 3rd on next pic
Arnold was never 6-2 and there is no video where he benched 500 I found a video here on UA-cam where he’s is repping out 315lbs that’s the heaviest I can find him lifting
Please do a video on Jack Lalanne!
Excellent video and comparison on two legendary athletes.
Great video Nick
In sum, Franco was a BEAST!
Pound for pound- Franco was stronger. No question about it.
Two best friends to this day. When Arnold says he couldn't have made it without some good friends in his life, Franco is at the top of that list.
Rip to giant killer himself! Huge inspiration to a lot of people. Keep lifting in heaven for me.
Great vid man
Make a video on Lou Ferrigno powerlifting or if he would've been a great power lifter
Great video, one of your more interesting ones
Both are legendary as is their bromance.
Fascinating fact - in the original Terminator, Franco plays the Terminator that sneaks into the resistance shelter during one of Kyle Reese's flashbacks then starts mowing people down. Arnold insisted his friend got the part.
Franco was much stronger than Arnold ever was. I'm surprised this is even a topic!
arnold was the best at curls and calf work
I agree with you Gary.
Knew it he was the stronger between the 2. Interesting facts about the dynamic duo there. Ok now do a video on Franco and Lou Ferrigno since they actually went toe to toe in the 1977 World Strongest Man competition.
Question. A lot of people say the reason I'm so strong is due to leverages. I'm 5'6 (5'7" in Adipowers) and weigh 210. Raw numbers are 470 bench, 525 squat, and 615 deadlift. If my strength is due to leverages how do you explain Hafthor, Shaw, Kirill, Konstantin... all the 6'6" and up giants moving stupid weight? Wouldn't that discredit the argument that short guys like myself are stronger due to leverages? Kirill is the strongest presser on the planet and has a wingspan like a Pterodactly!? Thoughts?
For that extra height, they need to weight twice as you in real muscle. That is, 1 extra Dominic DNO in body mass, as the cost for additional 30cm of height. Do you even fathom how absurd that trade off is? This is what it takes to reach such numbers when you are tall. So leverages ABSOLUTELY play a massive role, it's not even up for debate.
Franco is my favorite.
My sister got me two posters signed by him for Christmas.
Apparently she ordered one online, and in a message said he was a big motivation to me, and if he could write me a cool message one it.
He went ahead and sent two posters signed by him. They're hung right next to my desk. Haha.
You should do a video on that dog in the last picture.
R.I.P legend one of the strongest Bodybuilder in the history of bodybuilding
Nick's smegma and toe jam
ASS EETER i think smegma is the super-accumilation of dick cheese, yes; lets not forget; none the less.
What the fuck dude, and why the fuck did he give you a heart lmfao
Nick lives in a bodybuilding archives library
Castleberry.
lucas birmingham He is on another level because he is natural.
Yes
Cool and informative video :)
Arnold started doing powerlifting quite a lot as he enjoyed getting stronger and the challenge of big weights but noticed his body shape and look changing as a result. He reminded himself what he had set out to do so reduced the powerlifting considerably. Franco never really stopped which is why his physique looks constantly flexed and hard. Arnold liked to look smooth with the ability to change the appearance from pose to pose as he thought it had left a bigger impression on the judges as he could shock them. I don’t think anyone trained harder than Arnold but Franco continued with a lot of strength training. Arnold’s work ethic and intensity were unseen by the Americans when he arrived.
Almost 2.7-2.8x bw bench. Franco is a fuckin animal
There was tv coverage of some of the early 70's Olympia and Universe competitions. Is there any way get those tapes Nick?
They were both beasts of the old, legends today!!!
Well we know that Short bone structure is more stronger than longer bone structure. It's hard to do squats and deadlifts when you are tall guy like Arnold.
Nick Chase Most of the best dead lifters in the world are over 6 foot....
+Nick Chase that's not true when Arnold is almost a hundred lbs heavier than Franco. It is FAAAAAR easier for a 200 lb guy to bench 2 plates than a 150 lb guy to bench 2 plates since the 200 lb guy is alot heavier.
Height also doesn't do much for your lifts. It's the leverages that matters the most.
Then how do you explain guys in the WSM being 6'8 and 6'9
Nick Chase if that where true then why are the world record deadlifts and squats all held by 6ft+ behemoths.
But the strongest men in the world are all 6 foot 3 and up
Thank you for the comparison. I've always been impressed by the accomplishments of Franco, its great that you show them here against Arnold.
One interesting point about Franco which is rarely mentioned is that why he is so strong is possibly because of his joint strength, look at his elbows when he flexes his arms.. completely rounded elbow with no calcification which almost all bodybuilders get even Arnie had.
Who's the strongest pound for pound all time?? Thanks for your contributions.
Franco is my favorite bodybuilder ever.
I got bunch franco columbo books
Franco is stronger even entered in the world's strongest man
They say shorter people are relatively stronger because of their shorter range of motion.
Great video Nick.
Hey can you do one on Alan Thrall?
one of the judges for that worlds strongest man named Bob Hise helped train we in Olympic lifting, I was a power lifter, but we mixed it up for more explosiveness in throwing the shot put, hammer and discus. Lots of knowledge these competitors have. I myself was lucky to have many great trainer's. I knew Franco was stronger from his background. awesome video though!
Franco was shorter yeah, but looked way better, on all fields, simmetry, proportions, definition.. A real masterpiece
Francos Olympia titles are only because he was Arnold´s guy
Please make this a series with other fitness figures.
What about Lou Ferrigno
Nick, I'm 5'5" aswell and I end up being stronger than taller people most of the time, you should make a video of this. Like why are short and stocky people usually stronger than taller people even though taller people have greater muscle sizes, this would be a great idea. I mean think about it, I wrestled in high school and the best wrestlers werent tall and lanky, they were short and stocky.
If I remember right Franco was winning the worlds strongest man before he got injured.
Loved this vid
Pin me if hedge is stronger than both
Blake Adamson rip
Love your videos
The taller guys always look the best but are less stronger, and the shorter guys don’t stand out that much but are definitely the strongest. The shorties have incredible overall strength
They have a high center of gravity that doesn’t serve them well in the big lifts compared to the shorter guys...doesn’t mean they’re weaker though...Franco was definitely stronger than Arnold though
franco was in the strongman...nuff said. Franco all day every day
Really interesting video mate. If it's possible could you do a video of who was stronger between Arnold and Sergio Olivia. I think Sergio challenged Arnold to a lifting contest. Thank you. Subscribed
Nick, why don't you make a video about Arnold's hormone cycle? I guess a lot of people are curious about that. Greetings form Brazil
Never forget Australian and Italian dual body building training guys
Franco's numbers at 185 lbs are very impressive.
Franco being smaller and out lifting a much larger Arnold is one thing but to do it as a smaller bodybuilder and place 5th at a world's strongest man competition as a body builder is even more impressive as sheer strength is not the overall goal of a bodybuilder. They almost always get beat by strongman and power lifters since that's their game. Franco being able to hang at his height and weight is impressive as hell.
Arnold never hid this fact but Franco was a power lifter before body building. Arnold noticed that doing too much power lifting/strength training started to change his physique and ensured he stayed true to his goal of becoming the top body builder. Whether or not he could have become stronger is up for debate but he never trained to be the strongest so we’ll never truly know. However, Arnold being Arnold I’m sure had he applied himself to it, would have become incredibly strong as his mental strength, drive & self belief are second to none.
I think at some point between Franco and Arnold, size stops being an asset and starts being a liability for lifting but then again aren't most strongmen competitors like 6'2" or taller? Their numbers would put any body builder to shame
They make a great Duo. Franko was a beast! He could blow up a hot water bottle ffs.
Do you know at what bodyweight Franco did these lifts?
What a great time :)
Good vid. Should it also be mentioned that because Franco is smaller he had a shorter rom which helps on big lifts? Not taking anything away from Franco. Im a manlet myself but its worth mentioning
Franco competed in power lifting. Arnold has always said that Franco was stronger.
Arnold a few years ago said that Franco was doing lateral raises with more than 90lbs,he was doing shoulders presses behind the neck with 300lbs for 8 reps.He was able to bench with 500 lbs 3 reps,also in his encyclopedia of bodybuilding says that Franco was doing squats with 500 lbs for 10 reps!And also said that he lifted at 179 lbs bodyweight 735 lbs in the deadlift...The guy was strong as nobody back in those days pound for pound.We do not see athletes with such a strength pound for pound today and I think that's because they use too many machines..All these guys back then,Franco ,Platz,Arnold etc they were doing free weights and strength training since they were teenagers.....Today its totally another style,another approach of training an another mentality...