Sylvester Stallone underwent extreme physical transformation for the third installment of his celebrated franchise Rocky. With the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s close friend Franco Columbu, Stallone got into the perfect shape required for the movie.
In Rocky III, Stallone flashed the astounding abs and muscles of a real fighter but the intense training and diet nearly killed him. But the actor survived the extreme routine and managed to play his iconic character in the movie.
Sylvester Stallone Ripped Physique in Rocky III
Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise is one of the most popular and celebrated movie series of the actor’s career. But the movies were never easy, the actor had to shed sweat and tears to prepare for his role. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s close friend and late bodybuilder Franco Columbu took the job of transforming Stallone into the ripped physique shown in the movie. In 2017, Stallone was nostalgic when she shared his intense training on Instagram.
“I was on a very high protein diet which did not provide much physical or mental energy. During the period I only ate very small portions of oatmeal cookies made with brown rice and up to 25 cups of coffee a day with honey and a couple of scoops of tuna fish. Sounds incredible right? At the time my body fat got down to 2.9 which is a really dangerous level. I may have looked pretty good on the outside but inside it was (a) very dangerous thing to do.”
The actor went on to explain that he will always believe “the adaptation is the key to survival and that’s what this story was all about.” Stallone continued to be the action star pumping iron for the roles he played but they were never as extreme as his Rocky III training.
Franco Columbu Trained Sylvester Stallone Like A Mr. Olympia Contestant
Rocky III was not the end of the hardest training schedule for Stallone. The actor got further help from Columbu for Rocky IV and Rambo 2. Stallone wanted a similar physique in the later movies with the desire to look like Tarzan—sleek. Former Mr. Olympia, Columbu once revealed how he trained Stallone.
“I had to charge Sly a good amount for the training because he wanted to train full out, just as if he were preparing for the Mr. Olympia contest. That meant two workouts a day, six days a week. I had to drop almost everything else in order to concentrate on getting him in the best shape of his life,” Columbu told Pop Workouts (via, Fitness Volt).
Stallone is still in the game maintaining his physique at the age of 77. The actor is appearing in movies and shows and spending time in the gym.
