12 Week Franco Columbu Workout Routine with PDF

If you’re a fan of old-school bodybuilding and especially inspired by Franco Columbu, this post is for you.

In this article, I’ll share the ultimate training program of two-time Mr. Olympia and one of the world’s strongest powerlifters, Franco Columbu (1941-2019).

Franco Columbu used to follow a high-volume training program that involved training every muscle group four to times in a two-week period.

If you’re looking for a challenging workout program that can help you put on mass, improve your aesthetics, and increase your strength, you can try his program.

Note: I’ve collected Franco Columbu’s workout from various sources, including his one of the books, and made a workout program. So, it may or may not match the actual training program of Sardinian Samson (Franco’s nickname). I’ve also included a few different exercises that I think are suitable.

Franco Columbu Workout Split/Schedule

Franco Columbu used to follow a unique workout split that involves a 14-week cycle. He trained twice daily, one session in the morning and the other in the evening.

Day	Morning	Evening
Day 1	Chest & Delts	Arms and Abs
Day 2	Back	Legs
Day 3	Abs	Chest & Delts
Day 4	OFF	Arms
Day 5	Legs and Abs	Back
Day 6	Abs and Oblique	Chest & Delts
Day 7	Rest	Rest
Day 8	Arms	Legs
Day 9	Abs and Oblique	Back
Day 10	Chest & Delts	Biceps & Triceps
Day 11	Back and Abs	Legs
Day 12	Abs	Chest & Shoulders
Day 13	OFF	Arms
Day 14	Rest	Rest

This Franco Columbu’s routine involves training the shoulder, pecs, and arms five times, abs seven times, and back and legs four times in a 2-week cycle.

Franco dedicated an entire session to his back and leg day to hit them hard.

His routine also comprises supersets. Superset involves performing one or multiple sets of two exercises with no rest between them. It will be challenging and require decent muscular endurance.

Follow this schedule for at least twelve months to see the results. You can also increase the duration if you see noticeable changes.

Franco Columbu Training Program for Muscle Building

Before you move on to Franco Columbu’s workout schedule, read the following instructions:

• Perform one warm-up set of 20 reps before each exercise to prepare your muscles for intense and heavy training.
• Increase weight when you decrease the number of repetitions.
• Decrease the number of repetitions or skip any exercises depending on your need.

Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders, Arms, and Abs

Morning – Chest and Delts

Superset Chest Workout	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3
Bench Press and Cable Crossover	15 and 20	10 and 20	4 and 20
Dumbbell Fly and Cable Crossover	20 each	15 and 20	6 and 20
Incline Bench Press and Pullover	15 and 25	15 and 25	15 and 25
Dips and Cable Crossover	20 each	15 each	10 each

Shoulder Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	4	10
Bent-Over Lateral Raise	6	10
Behind-the-Neck Press	4	10
Alternating DB Front Raises	3	8/arm
Cable Lateral Raise	3	10

Evening – Arms and Abs

Superset	Sets	Reps
Cable Pushdowns + Dumbbell Curl	4	8
Skull Crusher + Preacher Curl	4	8
Barbell OH Extension + Incline Curl	4	8
Roman Chair Sit-up	4	20
Crunches	4	15
Hanging Leg Raises	4	10

Day 2 – Back and Legs

Morning – Back

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Wide-Grip Pull-ups	5	10
Seated Cable Rows	5	8
T-Bar Rows	5	8
Bent-over Barbell Row	5	8
Conventional Deadlifts	5	6-4

Evening – Legs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Back Squat	5	10
Leg Press	5	8
Leg Extension	5	8
Barbell Lunge	5	8
Romanian Deadlift	5	6-4

Day 3 – Abs, Chest, and Shoulders

Morning – Abs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Roman Chair Sit-up	5	20-30
Decline Crunches	5	10-20
Hanging Knee Raises	5	10-20
Unilateral Side Bend	5	10/side
Reverse Crunches	5	20-30

Evening – Pecs and Delts

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Bench Press	5-6	4-6
Incline DB Press	4	10-6
Dumbbell Fly	3	10-12
Bar Dip	3	10-15
Seated Overhead Press	4	6-8
DB Lateral Raise	4	8-12
Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly	4	8-12
Shrug	4	8-10

Day 4 – Arms

Morning – OFF

You can also train your biceps and triceps in the AM instead of the PM.

Evening – Arms

Superset	Sets	Reps
Incline Curl + Pressdown	5	8
Semi Cheat Curls + Skull Crusher	5	6
Preacher Curl + Close Grip Bench	5	10
Dips + Chin-ups	–	100/50

Day 5 – Legs, Abs, and Back

Morning – Legs and Abs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Leg Extension	2	20
Machine Leg Curl	3	15
Back Squat	5	10
Front Squat	2	10
Hack Squat	3	10
Calf Raises	8	20

Evening – Back

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Wide-Grip Pull-ups	6	10
T-Bar Rows	4	10
Seated Cable Row	4	10
One-arm Row + Hammer Pull-up	3	10

Day 6 – Abs, Chest, and Shoulders

Morning – Abs and Oblique

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Roman Chair Sit-up	5	20-30
Crunches	5	10-20
Hanging Leg Raises	5	8-12
Lying Side Leg Raises	5	10/side
Seated Knee Tucks	5	20-30

Evening – Chest and Shoulders

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bar Dips	4	15-20
Barbell Pullover	4	15
Dumbbell Pullover	3	20
Incline Barbell Press	5	8
Flat Dumbbell Flyes	4	10
Flat Bench Press	3	6, 4, 2
Front Overhead Press	4	8-12
Lateral Delt Raises	4	8-12
Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly	4	8-12
Barbell Shrug	4	8-12

Day 8 – Arms and Legs

Morning – Biceps and Triceps

Superset	Sets	Reps
Incline Curl + Pressdown	5	8
Barbell Curls + Skull Crusher	5	6
Preacher Curl + Close Grip Bench	5	10
1-arm OH Extension + Hammer Curl	3	10/arm

Evening – Legs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Back Squat	5	10
Leg Press	5	8
Barbell Lunge	5	8
Romanian Deadlift	5	6-4
Donkey Calf Raises	5	20
Good Morning	3	15

Day 9 – Abs and Back

Morning – Core

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Roman Chair Sit-up	5	20-30
Decline Crunches	5	10-20
Hanging Knee Raises	5	8-12
Lying Leg Raises	5	10-20
Side Bend	5	10/side

Evening – Back

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Behind The Neck Pull-ups	6	10
Bent-over Barbell Row	4	10
Seated Cable Row	4	10
T-Bar Row	4	10
One-arm Dumbbell Row	3	10

Day 10 – Chest, Shoulders, and Arms

Morning – Chest and Shoulders

Superset Chest Workout	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3
Bench Press and Cable Crossover	15 and 20	10 and 20	4 and 20
Dumbbell Fly and Cable Crossover	20 each	15 and 20	6 and 20
Incline Bench Press and Pullover	15 and 25	15 and 25	15 and 25
Dips and Cable Crossover	20 each	15 each	10 each

Shoulder Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	4	10
Bent-Over Lateral Raise	6	10
Behind-the-Neck Press	4	10
Alternating DB Front Raises	3	8/arm
Cable Lateral Raise	3	10

Evening – Arms

Superset	Sets	Reps
Incline Curl + Pressdown	5	8
Semi Cheat Curls + Skull Crusher	5	6
Preacher Curl + Close Grip Bench	5	10
Dips + Chin-ups	–	100/50

Day 11 – Back, Abs, and Legs

Morning – Back and Abs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bent-Over Barbell Row	6	10
Conventional Deadlift	6	8-4
Seated Cable Row	6	10
One-arm Row	3	10
Hammer Pull-up	4	Failure

Evening – Legs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Back Squat	5	10
Leg Press	5	8
Leg Extension	5	8
Barbell Lunge	5	8
Romanian Deadlift	5	6-4

Day 12 – Abs, Chest, and Shoulders

Morning – Abs

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Roman Chair Sit-up	5	20-30
Crunches	5	10-20
Hanging Leg Raises	5	8-12
Lying Side Leg Raises	5	10/side
Seated Knee Tucks	5	20-30

Evening – Chest and Shoulders

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bar Dips	4	15-20
Barbell Pullover	4	15
Dumbbell Pullover	3	20
Incline Barbell Press	5	8
Flat Dumbbell Flyes	4	10
Flat Bench Press	3	6, 4, 2
Front Overhead Press	4	8-12
Lateral Delt Raises	4	8-12
Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly	4	8-12
Barbell Shrug	4	8-12

Day 13 – Arms

Morning – OFF

Evening – Arms

Superset	Sets	Reps
Incline Curl + Pressdown	5	8
Barbell Curls + Skull Crusher	5	6
Preacher Curl + Close Grip Bench	5	10
1-arm OH Extension + Hammer Curl	3	10/arm

Who Can Follow Franco Columbu Workout Plan?

Anyone who wants to build a jacked, solid, and defined physique can follow Franco Columbu’s training program.

However, his routine involves performing various exercises and multiple reps-sets that require decent muscular strength and endurance.

You also need to have knowledge about exercise science and nutrition so you can use Franco’s workout routine effectively and achieve your desired physique without hurting yourself.

His program isn’t for normal gym-goers, beginners, or people with health issues.

Note: You can adjust this program based on your fitness level and goal. For example, reduce the number of exercises, reps, or sets or replace those exercises which are difficult to perform.

Franco Columbu Workout Routine PDF

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