The Joe Rogan Experience - Joe Rogan Experience #1416 - Rob Kearney

00:00:00.000 Two.

00:00:01.000 You are the first ever person with a mohawk on this podcast.

00:00:05.000 Oh, yeah.

00:00:06.000 Congratulations.

00:00:07.000 I think, right?

00:00:07.000 Is that accurate?

00:00:10.000 Yeah.

00:00:10.000 Just say yes.

00:00:11.000 Make me feel good.

00:00:13.000 Definitely the first with a purple and blue mohawk.

00:00:16.000 Oh, it's a full rainbow, man.

00:00:17.000 Oh, yeah, that's right.

00:00:18.000 All the way down the back.

00:00:19.000 Very, very nice.

00:00:20.000 Absolutely.

00:00:21.000 Very nice. 0.99

00:00:22.000 Now, first of all, I love your fucking handle. 1.00

00:00:25.000 World's Strongest Gay. 1.00

00:00:27.000 That's me, yeah.

00:00:27.000 That's hilarious.

00:00:28.000 Is there, in that community, is there acceptance? 0.99

00:00:31.000 Is there open, is it just about, like, they don't give a fuck just as long as you're a real powerlifter? 0.99

00:00:36.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:00:37.000 Oh, yeah, yeah.

00:00:38.000 No, it's, yeah, when I came out, it was super cool. 0.98

00:00:41.000 Nobody really gave me any shit. 0.98

00:00:43.000 That's the best part about Strongman. 0.99

00:00:44.000 You know, I know you had Rob Oberst in here not too long ago.

00:00:48.000 He's awesome.

00:00:49.000 Yeah, he's something, but I love him.

00:00:52.000 You know, he mentioned just, like, the community of strongmen is awesome because, like, we all realize what we have to do to get to this level of sport, and we all have to be a little bit sick and twisted in the head to look at a truck and get excited to pull it. 0.98

00:01:06.000 So, yeah, when I came out, like, nobody really gave a shit. 0.96

00:01:08.000 They were just like, all right, as long as you can still lift weights, we don't care. 0.89

00:01:11.000 Yeah, it mirrors the comedy community in that way.

00:01:14.000 For sure. 0.99

00:01:15.000 Like, stand-up comedy community, nobody gives a shit. 0.99

00:01:18.000 No. 0.96

00:01:18.000 As long as you're funny and you're doing your job, that's all that really matters. 0.96

00:01:22.000 And we know some that are in the closet and we're like, come on, man.

00:01:26.000 No one cares.

00:01:27.000 Come out. 0.99

00:01:28.000 No one gives a shit. 0.98

00:01:29.000 It'll probably be funnier. 0.99

00:01:31.000 Right.

00:01:31.000 More subject matter for sure.

00:01:33.000 Not holding on to as much.

00:01:35.000 It's easier to talk.

00:01:36.000 When I came out, just like...

00:01:39.000 The weight off my shoulders was unbelievable.

00:01:43.000 How long ago was this?

00:01:44.000 That was 2014. So I was 22 years old.

00:01:47.000 So I was a late bloomer in the gay world.

00:01:50.000 Was it like when you were in high school?

00:01:54.000 First of all, when do you know?

00:01:57.000 You know, I don't know that I have, like, I don't remember, like, I never had, like, an aha moment, per se.

00:02:03.000 For me, it was going through high school, like, I was involved in a bunch of stuff.

00:02:07.000 You know, I was a cheerleader, actually, also played football, was doing the weightlifting thing, like, was class president, so I had my hands in a bunch of different pots.

00:02:16.000 College, super into everything as well, and really just focused on school, and actually dated a girl.

00:02:23.000 For like a year and a half.

00:02:25.000 In college?

00:02:26.000 In college, yeah.

00:02:27.000 Did you ever date a boy?

00:02:28.000 No. 0.99

00:02:30.000 But did you like, oh damn, I wish she was a boy. 0.99

00:02:33.000 She's cool, but... 0.98

00:02:34.000 It was, yeah, pretty much.

00:02:37.000 You know, it was more like a friendship than a relationship, I guess is the way to put it.

00:02:42.000 You know, like, we were cool and everything, and everything was going well, but like...

00:02:47.000 Nothing else was really going on.

00:02:48.000 When you came out, was she like, aha! 1.00

00:02:51.000 That was the reason I broke up with her.

00:02:54.000 Oh, you came out. 0.99

00:02:55.000 Because, you know, meanwhile, you know, I'm dating this girl, but I'm watching gay porn when she's not around. 0.98

00:02:59.000 I'm like, ah, this isn't right. 0.97

00:03:00.000 There's something else going on here. 0.99

00:03:02.000 So, did you, like, was it gay porn, like, finding gay porn? 0.99

00:03:06.000 You're like, that's what I like. 0.99

00:03:08.000 Pretty much.

00:03:09.000 Really?

00:03:09.000 Yeah.

00:03:12.000 Gay porn is thought of very differently than straight porn. 0.99

00:03:15.000 Because, like, straight porn, here's the rub in the straight community. 1.00

00:03:20.000 You look at straight porn, you're like, ah, especially someone like me who has daughters, you go, fuck, somebody probably did something awful to those girls when they were young. 0.99

00:03:30.000 Like, that's like nine out of ten times. 0.99

00:03:32.000 And that's why they turned to porn. 1.00

00:03:34.000 But when you see gay porn, it's like, ah, a couple dudes would like to fuck. 1.00

00:03:38.000 Pretty much. 1.00

00:03:39.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:03:40.000 Even, like, I've had Dan Savage on, and, you know, we were talking about gay porn. 0.99

00:03:44.000 It's like, they don't think of it the same way. 0.90

00:03:47.000 No, not at all. 0.99

00:03:49.000 Yeah, so I ended up breaking up with that girl, and I told her, I was like, yeah, like, I think I'm gay, and I need to, like, figure this shit out. 0.96

00:03:56.000 You know, I'm 22. I want to at least enjoy my 20s, you know, trying to figure out if I like dudes or not. 0.88

00:04:03.000 Was she like, damn, I turned Rob gay? 0.99

00:04:06.000 She was not very nice about it. 0.99

00:04:08.000 Oh, would she freak out?

00:04:09.000 Yeah, it didn't.

00:04:11.000 It went downhill pretty quickly.

00:04:13.000 Oh, really?

00:04:14.000 Oh, yeah.

00:04:14.000 Like, we were living together at the time.

00:04:16.000 Because we were in college, so, like, kind of living together.

00:04:20.000 And then, like, I got kicked out and was, like, living in my car for a little while. 0.99

00:04:26.000 So, it was, yeah, kind of a shit show. 1.00

00:04:29.000 Wow. 1.00

00:04:30.000 She kicked you out?

00:04:31.000 Yeah.

00:04:31.000 Wow.

00:04:32.000 Bitch. 1.00

00:04:32.000 She didn't even... 1.00

00:04:35.000 Did you stay in contact with her?

00:04:37.000 No, not even a little bit.

00:04:38.000 Wow.

00:04:39.000 Yeah, then like, you know, like six months later, she's like blowing up my phone saying I gave her chlamydia.

00:04:43.000 I was like, no, it's not on me.

00:04:47.000 It's been longer than that, too, since we weren't doing anything.

00:04:52.000 Oh, that's hilarious.

00:04:53.000 Yeah.

00:04:54.000 I don't think you keep chlamydia in your system dormant, right?

00:04:58.000 I wouldn't know.

00:04:58.000 When you get it, you get it.

00:04:59.000 I think so.

00:05:00.000 I've dodged that bullet, luckily.

00:05:02.000 But that seems like one that I think you just get it and then it's bad.

00:05:07.000 Yeah.

00:05:08.000 It doesn't seem too pleasant.

00:05:09.000 I mean, I don't think it...

00:05:11.000 And that was awkward, too, because all those calls and everything were coming through when I was with my now husband.

00:05:18.000 Joey.

00:05:18.000 So we were dating at that time, and now my ex-girlfriend is blowing up my phone saying I gave her the clap.

00:05:24.000 Was he laughing? 0.99

00:05:26.000 At first, he was like, what the fuck is going on? 0.98

00:05:28.000 Because we literally had been dating for two months. 0.99

00:05:31.000 So it was super new. 0.99

00:05:32.000 So he's like, what the fuck did I get myself into? 1.00

00:05:35.000 Right, because you were a noob to the whole gay world. 1.00

00:05:38.000 Totally, yeah. 0.99

00:05:38.000 So that's crazy. 0.99

00:05:39.000 So you become, you decide, okay, I gotta deal with reality. 0.94

00:05:43.000 I'm gay.

00:05:44.000 You meet that one guy.

00:05:46.000 Yeah.

00:05:47.000 And then you're still with him.

00:05:48.000 Still married, yeah, with him.

00:05:49.000 We just got married this past March.

00:05:50.000 Almost been a year.

00:05:51.000 That's kind of crazy.

00:05:52.000 Yeah.

00:05:53.000 Like, you didn't even play the field.

00:05:54.000 No, no.

00:05:55.000 I got real, you know, it's funny.

00:05:57.000 Like, I joke about this all the time, because, like, we met in, like, the typical millennial gay way on Grindr. 1.00

00:06:02.000 Yeah.

00:06:04.000 And, you know, I wasn't even out, actually, before we met.

00:06:08.000 So, like, on Grindr, I was like that shirtless torso pick, because I was still, you know...

00:06:13.000 Good move.

00:06:13.000 Yeah, yeah, obviously.

00:06:15.000 Show the goods.

00:06:17.000 No, they're not that good, but he thought they were, so... 0.98

00:06:21.000 So he saw me pop up in the area and was like, oh, who's this bitch? 1.00

00:06:25.000 Messaged me. 0.99

00:06:26.000 And I thought he was catfishing me because I thought he was way too hot for me.

00:06:29.000 I thought he was out of my league.

00:06:31.000 So I kind of just got really lucky with the first guy that came my way.

00:06:37.000 That's kind of be weird for her, right?

00:06:41.000 Yeah.

00:06:41.000 Like, imagine being a girl, and you're with a guy, and you're like, man, something is wrong with our relationship.

00:06:50.000 I mean, it's literally like the most, like, there's no more other, like, it's me, it's you.

00:06:55.000 Or no, it's not you, it's me.

00:06:57.000 Right.

00:06:58.000 No, that is the, it's not you, it's me.

00:07:01.000 I don't think there's anywhere to go, you know, higher than that. 0.99

00:07:04.000 Well, unless you want to go pray the gay away. 1.00

00:07:07.000 Yeah, that doesn't work, no. 0.94

00:07:09.000 But that is like a way that some people try to fix it.

00:07:13.000 Yeah.

00:07:14.000 Particularly like uber-religious folks. 0.99

00:07:16.000 Yeah.

00:07:16.000 It is hilarious, man.

00:07:18.000 I think it's frickin' funny. 0.99

00:07:19.000 I mean, you know, like, and I get shit a lot of, I mean, obviously, like, with an Instagram handle, worldstrongestgay, I get more shit on a daily basis on social media than I can even count. 0.99

00:07:29.000 And most of it's from, like, religious people. 0.99

00:07:31.000 Really?

00:07:31.000 Oh, yeah.

00:07:32.000 Yeah.

00:07:32.000 They're sending me Bible verses and telling me I need to convert to Christianity.

00:07:38.000 By the way, they're probably jerking off while they're doing it. 0.99

00:07:40.000 Probably. 0.99

00:07:41.000 Probably thinking about you.

00:07:42.000 You need to stop it. 1.00

00:07:44.000 You need to stop being so gay and delicious. 1.00

00:07:47.000 My go-to response is, hey man, I don't read fiction, so you keep doing that. 0.99

00:07:53.000 But I just always think it's funny because they're like, Obviously, I'm very open about my sexuality on social media.

00:08:01.000 And World's Strongest Man has been super supportive of it.

00:08:04.000 They had World's Strongest Man in June during Pride Month this year and did a whole little expose about me, which was awesome. 0.99

00:08:10.000 And the comments on the World's Strongest Man, they're like, you're pushing the gay agenda, all this bullshit. 1.00

00:08:16.000 And I'm like, listen, man, the only agenda we're pushing is I just want to be treated like everybody else and get the same shit that you do. 0.99

00:08:23.000 I've never once tried to make someone gay. 0.99

00:08:27.000 Meanwhile, Christians are in my DM saying, you need to convert. 1.00

00:08:30.000 I'm like, hey, you need to suck a dick. 1.00

00:08:33.000 The gay agenda is a hilarious phrase. 1.00

00:08:37.000 There's an agenda.

00:08:38.000 I still don't even know what it is.

00:08:39.000 So whoever's listening, if you could hit me up and let me know, I'd love to learn about it.

00:08:44.000 Yeah, you need to get in a tighter-knit club.

00:08:46.000 I guess I do. 0.99

00:08:47.000 The gay agenda. 0.92

00:08:48.000 I guess the Rainbow Mohawk doesn't make me that gay. 0.98

00:08:50.000 But what a hilarious thing.

00:08:52.000 It's not like you're trying to get someone to be a Mormon.

00:08:55.000 No. 0.99

00:08:56.000 You're the gay or not gay. 0.98

00:08:57.000 Exactly.

00:08:58.000 But why does someone think?

00:09:00.000 That's the weirdest kind of homophobia to me.

00:09:03.000 I had a bit in one of my specials in the past.

00:09:06.000 There's two types of people that are afraid of gay marriage. 1.00

00:09:10.000 It's people that are really dumb or they're secretly worried that dicks are delicious. 1.00

00:09:15.000 And I share that all the time on my social media, just so you know. 1.00

00:09:19.000 I think it's fucking amazing. 0.96

00:09:20.000 But that's what it is. 1.00

00:09:21.000 Like, worried about the gay agenda. 0.99

00:09:23.000 Like, they're gonna come get me. 1.00

00:09:25.000 They're gonna get me to suck those delicious dicks. 1.00

00:09:27.000 That's what it's like. 1.00

00:09:28.000 It's like they're afraid.

00:09:30.000 It's unbelievable.

00:09:31.000 I think it's hysterical, to be honest.

00:09:33.000 It is hysterical.

00:09:34.000 But...

00:09:35.000 Well, I was real lucky when I was a kid.

00:09:36.000 I was exposed to gay people real young.

00:09:39.000 When I was seven years old, we moved to San Francisco.

00:09:42.000 Oh, yeah.

00:09:42.000 Yeah, in the 1970s.

00:09:44.000 It was gay as fuck. 1.00

00:09:45.000 And so I was around them all the time. 1.00

00:09:46.000 Like, my next-door neighbor was this gay couple, and my aunt used to go next door, and they would get naked, smoke pot, and play bongos together. 0.99

00:09:54.000 Sick! 0.97

00:09:55.000 Yeah, it was pretty crazy. 0.81

00:09:57.000 So, for me, that was normal life.

00:09:59.000 I was around gay people. 0.99

00:10:01.000 I didn't even hear the term faggot until I was 11 and we moved to Florida. 0.98

00:10:07.000 I remember hearing that when I was 11. I was like, oh, wow. 0.99

00:10:10.000 My friend, his name was Candy.

00:10:14.000 Candido.

00:10:15.000 He's a Cuban kid. 0.58

00:10:17.000 And his dad was real mad because gay people were getting married. 0.73

00:10:19.000 He was reading this newspaper. 1.00

00:10:20.000 I can't fucking believe this shit. 1.00

00:10:22.000 He Throws his new paper down. 1.00

00:10:23.000 And he was a grown man. 1.00

00:10:24.000 I remember being 11 and goes, why does he give a shit? 0.99

00:10:27.000 Like, how weird. 0.99

00:10:28.000 Literally doesn't affect him at all.

00:10:29.000 At all!

00:10:30.000 But he was so upset.

00:10:31.000 Yeah.

00:10:32.000 But it was important for me to see because I didn't know people like that.

00:10:37.000 So to be around my friend's dad and see him freak out like that, I was like, oh, what a weird thing to waste your time thinking about.

00:10:43.000 For sure.

00:10:43.000 I mean, that's...

00:10:44.000 And you were super lucky to have that kind of upbringing.

00:10:46.000 Yeah.

00:10:47.000 To not see that...

00:10:48.000 Ugly part of, you know, the world. 0.99

00:10:50.000 Because, I mean, the thing is with me, you know, I'm fortunate enough where, like, not many people, like, talk shit to me in person. 0.99

00:10:55.000 Right. 0.99

00:10:55.000 You know, like, I'm an average-sized strongman. 0.99

00:10:57.000 Like, I'm not really that big of a dude.

00:10:59.000 What's an average-sized strongman?

00:11:00.000 You're, like, 300 pounds.

00:11:02.000 And I'm the smallest guy that can eat.

00:11:04.000 How much do you weigh?

00:11:05.000 I'm, like, 285 right now.

00:11:07.000 Yeah, that's not average-sized, bro. 0.98

00:11:09.000 Well, I mean, I just competed this weekend against Brian Shaw and the motherfucker's 420. Yeah, that's large. 0.98

00:11:14.000 You know, and 6'8".

00:11:15.000 I'm 5'10".

00:11:16.000 Like, hey man, cool. 0.98

00:11:18.000 You know, so like, I'm fortunate, like most people don't talk shit to me personally. 0.96

00:11:21.000 It's like all on social media, but it did happen one time in Texas, of all places. 0.91

00:11:25.000 I had just finished a truck pull event. 0.99

00:11:28.000 This guy was like calling me a faggot from the stands, like all this stuff. 1.00

00:11:31.000 And like, I just stopped and looked and I was like, dude, I suck dick and I'm stronger than you. 1.00

00:11:36.000 And the whole crowd just kind of went quiet and then he walked away. 1.00

00:11:38.000 They just went quiet?

00:11:40.000 Yeah.

00:11:41.000 I think in that situation, I feel like people feel like they're invincible.

00:11:46.000 They feel like they have the power.

00:11:48.000 Because they're in the crowd?

00:11:49.000 Yeah, and they don't expect somebody who's competing to say something back to them.

00:11:54.000 Right. 1.00

00:11:54.000 But I'm not going to take that shit. 1.00

00:11:57.000 It's amazing it's only one guy, though. 1.00

00:11:59.000 Yeah.

00:12:00.000 That shows you how the times are changing.

00:12:02.000 For sure.

00:12:05.000 Luckily, I was dubbed the unofficial fan favorite at World's Strongest Man this year, so it's really cool to see the support throughout the entire community.

00:12:12.000 How do you get dubbed the unofficial fan favorite?

00:12:15.000 I was getting the loudest applause whenever my name got announced.

00:12:18.000 Oh, really?

00:12:18.000 Yeah, so the announcers just kind of were calling me the fan favorite.

00:12:21.000 That's cool.

00:12:23.000 I'm happy with the way things are going, with acceptance.

00:12:27.000 Totally.

00:12:28.000 It's changing, right?

00:12:29.000 It's getting a lot better.

00:12:31.000 We're super fortunate, and that's kind of like when I came out. 0.99

00:12:35.000 I'm lucky because I had this, like, I really don't give a fuck mentality when I came out. 0.99

00:12:40.000 I didn't care what people thought. 0.97

00:12:42.000 I didn't care who thought If they didn't like me, they didn't like me.

00:12:45.000 I would just cut them out.

00:12:47.000 Fortunately, I didn't have to do that.

00:12:49.000 How did that transpire? 0.99

00:12:50.000 Was it because the weight of it gave you so much relief that you felt like who gives a shit now? 0.99

00:12:57.000 Now I'm free. 0.99

00:12:58.000 Was it like that?

00:12:59.000 There was a lot that went into it.

00:13:02.000 So, like, in my mind, I didn't, like, want to come out until I... It seems dumb now, like, until I knew I was really gay. 0.54

00:13:08.000 And I guess, you know, dating my now husband for six weeks, that was kind of the tipping point.

00:13:13.000 And at that point in our relationship, we kind of realized, like, all right, this wasn't just going to be, like, a fling and just having fun.

00:13:19.000 Like, we were actually, you know, taking the steps to kind of be committed and see what was going to happen here.

00:13:24.000 Not expecting marriage, but...

00:13:26.000 So...

00:13:29.000 I came out mainly because of him, because he had been out since he was 17. And at this point, we were 22. And I didn't feel like it was fair for him to be in a relationship with somebody that was still in the closet.

00:13:41.000 And that was like my biggest motivator for it.

00:13:44.000 And once you...

00:13:45.000 So you're already happy.

00:13:48.000 So you're in this happy relationship. 0.99

00:13:49.000 So if people are upset at you, you're like, I don't give a fuck. 0.98

00:13:52.000 I have what I want. 0.98

00:13:53.000 I'm in a better place.

00:13:55.000 Yeah.

00:13:55.000 And you also...

00:13:56.000 I mean, it must feel...

00:13:57.000 I'm putting words in your mouth, but it must feel like when you do become out or you do come out, it must feel like not just a relief, but...

00:14:10.000 Like, you've solidified.

00:14:11.000 You're free.

00:14:13.000 You're you.

00:14:13.000 Yeah, I mean, it's exhausting, like, waking up every day pretending to be somebody you're not.

00:14:17.000 Yeah.

00:14:18.000 You know, like, you literally have to act different than you want to.

00:14:21.000 Did you have to talk about girls to guys? 1.00

00:14:23.000 Like, when you were around, like, yeah, look at her ass, boy. 1.00

00:14:26.000 I was always just, like, the funny thing is, like, after I came out, like, nobody was surprised. 0.99

00:14:31.000 Yeah.

00:14:33.000 So, I feel like I was a guy that was just kind of like in the background, like awkwardly laughing when guys were talking about girls.

00:14:39.000 I'm like, haha, yeah, totally.

00:14:41.000 But I was just looking at the guys in bulges, you know, right behind them.

00:14:44.000 That's hilarious.

00:14:45.000 Do you remember a year, like when you were young, when you were like, hey, something might be different?

00:14:53.000 Um...

00:14:54.000 I think back to middle school, and I think it's just the stereotypical, I was into theater, I was into music, I played sports, but wasn't really that good at them, and actually was a cheerleader in middle school,

00:15:09.000 too.

00:15:10.000 I joined my first cheerleading team in seventh grade, and the funny thing is there was tryouts and everything, and I got the fourth highest score out of all the girls.

00:15:21.000 So, I figured that was, you know, a little telltale sign as well.

00:15:25.000 That was a sign?

00:15:26.000 Yeah.

00:15:27.000 Not stereotyping male cheerleaders whatsoever, but...

00:15:30.000 I have a buddy who's a male cheerleader who's awesome.

00:15:33.000 Chappelle's 99.9% sure he's straight.

00:15:37.000 Spellacy? 1.00

00:15:38.000 But he's built like a brick shit house too. 1.00

00:15:40.000 I mean, collegiate cheerleaders are insane. 1.00

00:15:42.000 Yeah, but you have to be able to flip through the air.

00:15:44.000 People don't understand what cheerleading is, right?

00:15:46.000 They think of it as like, yeah, go team!

00:15:49.000 No, it's crazy acrobatics.

00:15:51.000 Even in high school, I was throwing girls up in the air by myself and catching them overhead. 0.97

00:15:55.000 You know, like doing shit like that. 0.85

00:15:57.000 Yeah, that's what's weird. 0.98

00:15:58.000 Chappelle does this stuff where he grabs them by the feet and flips them in the air and catches them on one hand. 1.00

00:16:03.000 It's stupid. 1.00

00:16:03.000 It's bananas. 1.00

00:16:04.000 The amount of physical power you have to have to be able to do that.

00:16:08.000 Timing, coordination.

00:16:08.000 Yeah.

00:16:09.000 Yeah, it's crazy. 0.99

00:16:09.000 I mean, you have to be a fucking savage to throw someone in the air and catch them with one hand. 0.99

00:16:14.000 It takes a lot of balls. 1.00

00:16:15.000 A lot of fucking power, too. 1.00

00:16:17.000 The explosive power. 1.00

00:16:19.000 For sure. 0.99

00:16:19.000 Most men shitting on cheerleaders could never pull that off. 0.99

00:16:22.000 No. 1.00

00:16:23.000 No. 0.99

00:16:23.000 It's fucking hard. 0.99

00:16:24.000 Can you do all the flips and shit, too? 1.00

00:16:26.000 God, no. 0.99

00:16:26.000 Back handsprings? 0.99

00:16:27.000 God, no.

00:16:27.000 No?

00:16:28.000 Could you do it back then?

00:16:29.000 No.

00:16:29.000 No?

00:16:30.000 No, that's actually one of the reasons why, like, so I, when I was doing it in high school, like, I actually looked to do it in college at the collegiate level.

00:16:38.000 But tumbling was, like, a minimum requirement.

00:16:40.000 And I was like, yeah, I'm a little too chunky and unathletic. 0.99

00:16:46.000 So how did you get into powerlifting and strongman type shit? 0.99

00:16:50.000 Honestly, totally by chance. 0.99

00:16:52.000 I was working out in my high school weight room one day after school.

00:16:56.000 And a substitute teacher happened to walk by who owned a CrossFit gym.

00:17:00.000 And he was like, hey, I'm at this CrossFit gym.

00:17:04.000 You seem like you like this stuff and you're pretty strong.

00:17:07.000 Feel free to come by.

00:17:08.000 So I actually started training with him at like 5 o'clock in the morning before school. 0.97

00:17:13.000 And I found out really quickly I sucked at CrossFit, but I liked lifting heavy shit. 0.98

00:17:17.000 And this was back in 2009. And walked into the gym one morning and they were like, hey, there's a local strongman contest this Saturday. 0.99

00:17:24.000 We signed you up for it.

00:17:25.000 So when you say you sucked at CrossFit, CrossFit is just a bunch of Olympic lifts and different explosive exercises.

00:17:31.000 Yeah, I just wasn't in shape.

00:17:33.000 Oh, right.

00:17:34.000 So the ability to do massive repetitions.

00:17:37.000 To do well in the workouts.

00:17:38.000 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:17:39.000 Right.

00:17:40.000 So yeah, so they signed me up for my first contest.

00:17:42.000 I was 17 years old.

00:17:44.000 Really?

00:17:44.000 I had never touched an implement.

00:17:46.000 I had just seen it on TV like everybody else in World's Strongest Man. 1.00

00:17:50.000 Got my ass kicked. 0.99

00:17:51.000 Took last place. 0.99

00:17:52.000 But you were 17, and how much lifting had you done previous to that?

00:17:57.000 Maybe four or five months.

00:17:59.000 Really?

00:17:59.000 But at that point, I had hit the 500-pound deadlift.

00:18:03.000 And you'd only been lifting for a couple months?

00:18:05.000 Yeah. 0.89

00:18:06.000 Oh, so you're just a freak genetically.

00:18:08.000 In a few lifts.

00:18:09.000 In a few lifts.

00:18:10.000 I was good at.

00:18:11.000 That's a lot of weight for a few months of lifting.

00:18:16.000 Yeah, so the contest went horrible for me, but I absolutely fell in love with the sport.

00:18:23.000 Ended up at Springfield College in Massachusetts and joined their powerlifting team.

00:18:28.000 And that's when I kind of got more of a background in lifting, proper technique and all that stuff.

00:18:33.000 And then did another local strongman contest where I met this guy, Matt Mills, who owns a gym, Lightning Fitness in Connecticut, where I train now.

00:18:40.000 And he was like, yeah, I'm just starting to get all the strongman equipment.

00:18:44.000 You should come down.

00:18:44.000 It's only about 30 minutes from your school.

00:18:46.000 So I actually would go there every Saturday morning from when I was in college to train strongman.

00:18:51.000 And that's when I kind of started competing in the amateur circuit.

00:18:54.000 And that's kind of led me on my trajectory to here.

00:18:57.000 So you're one of those rare people that actually lives in Connecticut.

00:19:00.000 I live in Massachusetts.

00:19:01.000 Ah, good for you.

00:19:02.000 Right over the border of Connecticut.

00:19:04.000 Good move.

00:19:04.000 Escape.

00:19:05.000 Go over there.

00:19:06.000 Work out real quick.

00:19:07.000 And then leave.

00:19:08.000 Yeah, Connecticut is strange.

00:19:10.000 It's something.

00:19:11.000 It's a strange place.

00:19:13.000 It's a lost state.

00:19:15.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:19:16.000 So you get into powerlifting, and then what was your exposure to truck pulling and all that other crazy shit? 0.54

00:19:25.000 So really not much.

00:19:27.000 The cool thing about Strongman is every contest is different that we do.

00:19:31.000 We never do the same.

00:19:32.000 I've done the sport for over 10 years now, and I've never done a contest where the events have been the same in that span of time.

00:19:38.000 Do you know what it's going to be before you sign up?

00:19:40.000 Typically.

00:19:41.000 So you know what a series of lifts?

00:19:43.000 We get about 8 to 12 weeks notice, depending on the contest.

00:19:47.000 So...

00:19:50.000 The gym that I was going to in Connecticut, they were just starting to acquire strongman equipment.

00:19:54.000 So it was pretty bare bones.

00:19:56.000 So we had a steel log for the log clean and press.

00:19:59.000 They had some Atlas stones, some farmer's handles, a yoke, and that's pretty much it.

00:20:04.000 And then over the years, he would get more and more and more, and now it's turned into this massive 15,000 square foot facility.

00:20:10.000 And the gym owner, we call him an equipment whore because every time something new comes out, he buys it.

00:20:15.000 Yeah.

00:20:17.000 So, yeah, my exposure to the equipment in the beginning was pretty minimal, but what I did to compensate for that is I just competed more.

00:20:24.000 So, I would pretty much, from Springfield, Massachusetts, I drew a five-hour radius from where I was, and any contest there was in that radius, I would do.

00:20:35.000 So, in my first three years, I competed probably almost 40 times.

00:20:39.000 Whoa! 0.71

00:20:40.000 How often are these things being held?

00:20:43.000 At the amateur level, pretty often, there's usually, you could find, you know, I would say one or two, you know, per month in New England alone.

00:20:51.000 Really?

00:20:51.000 And then they're all over the country.

00:20:53.000 So, you know, I think the cool thing is, you know, like I was really, like I said, I took last in my first contest and that went on for a while.

00:21:01.000 I took dead last in like my first eight shows that I did.

00:21:04.000 It's like I wasn't good at this thing when I started.

00:21:08.000 Now, when did you start being successful?

00:21:13.000 20. So I went to amateur nationals actually in the 200 pound weight class.

00:21:17.000 So I weighed in under 200 pounds in 2011. That was my first time at the amateur nationals.

00:21:23.000 So I'd been doing it for about two years.

00:21:25.000 Surprised myself and ended up taking second place in that weight class.

00:21:29.000 Went back to the Amateur Nationals as a 231 and 212 and took second place there.

00:21:33.000 And then won the Amateur National Championship in 2013. And that's where I won my pro card and kind of got to that next level.

00:21:41.000 But it's such a difficult thing to do that I would imagine doing it 40 times a year.

00:21:46.000 Like, you're going to get injured.

00:21:49.000 Luckily, I didn't.

00:21:50.000 Really?

00:21:50.000 Yeah.

00:21:50.000 I mean, you know, I'm fortunate where I'm so by trade and what I went to school for is I'm an athletic trainer.

00:21:57.000 So sports medicine has kind of been my thing.

00:21:59.000 So, you know, I've been lucky enough to learn when I was training of when I need to back off, when I can push a little bit harder, what needs to be taken care of and just try to be smart.

00:22:11.000 You know, I mean, you know, knock on wood, you know, I've had one serious injury in the 10 years that I've been doing this.

00:22:16.000 What was that?

00:22:17.000 It was summer of 2018. I dropped a 275 pound atlas stone on my chest.

00:22:22.000 Oh! 1.00

00:22:23.000 Fuck! 1.00

00:22:24.000 Tore my QL on my low back, broke three ribs. 1.00

00:22:27.000 Oh, Jesus!

00:22:28.000 Put me out of commission for a little while.

00:22:30.000 How did you drop it?

00:22:32.000 It was at a contest.

00:22:33.000 I was in second place by one point.

00:22:35.000 So it was the final event of the contest, and I went to push the stone onto the...

00:22:40.000 So the thing is, with me being only 5'10", with the Atlas Stones, like, the first box you have to put the stone on is high, you know?

00:22:46.000 So this was 75 inches tall, you know, and I'm only 5'10", so that was literally, like, eyebrow height.

00:22:52.000 So I had to, like, press it up onto the box.

00:22:55.000 And I thought it was up there.

00:22:57.000 It wasn't secured.

00:22:58.000 It ended up rolling off, fell onto my chest.

00:23:00.000 Oh.

00:23:02.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:23:03.000 Fuck! 1.00

00:23:04.000 And, you know, naturally, that was the first contest my mom had come seen in person in, like, four years. 1.00

00:23:09.000 Oh, my gosh.

00:23:10.000 She was in the stands watching that happen.

00:23:11.000 She saw her baby get killed by a boulder.

00:23:12.000 Yep.

00:23:14.000 Perfect timing. 1.00

00:23:15.000 God damn, dude. 1.00

00:23:16.000 Yep. 1.00

00:23:16.000 So how long did it take you to recover from that? 1.00

00:23:19.000 Let's see.

00:23:19.000 That was in June or July of 2018, and I didn't do my next contest until March of 2019. Oh, wow.

00:23:28.000 Yeah.

00:23:28.000 It took me out for a while.

00:23:30.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:23:30.000 I could have only a 275-pound fucking stone ball. 1.00

00:23:34.000 And that was the lightest one we had in the series. 0.99

00:23:38.000 Wow.

00:23:40.000 Jesus Christ. 1.00

00:23:41.000 So, just your background in understanding athletic science or exercise science allows you to know when you're being silly and when, you know, you're not going to be a pussy, but you're not going to be dumb. 1.00

00:23:54.000 Exactly. 1.00

00:23:55.000 And I think that's... 0.82

00:23:56.000 Where it's, that's why I've been lucky, you know, and, you know, kind of stayed injury free because even like to this day, like, you know, so my coach is, you know, pretty well-renowned strongman, Derek Poundstone, who, you know, took second place at World's Strongest Man, and he programmed some crazy shit for me.

00:24:13.000 But there are some days where I'm just like, yo, dude, this is not going to fly today.

00:24:17.000 When you have a light, like, what's a light day?

00:24:21.000 You know, so like, I train four days a week.

00:24:24.000 And I get, like, one, like, I call it, like, my bro day.

00:24:27.000 It's, like, my bench back in arms day.

00:24:31.000 I didn't even know power men do that.

00:24:33.000 Yeah.

00:24:34.000 Really?

00:24:34.000 Yeah, so it's more just, like, because, like, bench press is going to, like, build up your triceps.

00:24:38.000 It's going to build up the anterior delt.

00:24:39.000 It's going to help, like, bench press actually helps your overhead lifts.

00:24:43.000 And so I do that, and, like, that's what I consider, like, my light day.

00:24:46.000 But, like, I'll still bench, like, in the mid-fours.

00:24:48.000 Hmm.

00:24:49.000 So...

00:24:50.000 So, four days a week.

00:24:52.000 Yeah.

00:24:52.000 And so, how do you structure it?

00:24:54.000 Do you do every other day?

00:24:56.000 Do you do...

00:24:56.000 It all depends on the week, really.

00:24:58.000 So, typically, I try to go Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday.

00:25:03.000 That's usually my average week.

00:25:06.000 So, Tuesday is like my big overhead day where I'll do a strongman movement overhead.

00:25:11.000 So, like log press or dumbbell.

00:25:13.000 And then a bunch of shoulder overhead accessory work.

00:25:18.000 Thursday, my day two is my biggest day, so I squat and deadlift in the same day.

00:25:22.000 And that's a workout that sometimes takes four to five hours.

00:25:26.000 Really?

00:25:26.000 Yeah.

00:25:27.000 So you do big spaces in between each workout?

00:25:29.000 So you lift, and then do you have a large amount of time for rest?

00:25:32.000 I'll take about 10-15 minutes between sets sometimes.

00:25:36.000 We're building up to the Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio this coming March, and we have a max deadlift coming up, and I'm potentially going to be going for a 1,000-pound deadlift.

00:25:47.000 Jeez!

00:25:48.000 Jesus Christ!

00:25:49.000 So to get through a deadlift workout where I'm deadlifting...

00:25:52.000 Oh yeah, there's me.

00:25:54.000 There's you.

00:25:54.000 Look at the bar bending.

00:25:55.000 That's what's most fucked up about it. 0.97

00:25:58.000 So that was 850 pounds on the deadlift right there. 0.98

00:26:03.000 What is that dumbbell right there? 0.99

00:26:05.000 That dumbbell was 250. 250 one-arm overhead press.

00:26:10.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:26:11.000 Fucking A. The deadlift, though, is so... 0.99

00:26:14.000 What is that fucking thing? 0.99

00:26:15.000 That's called a Hussafelt stone. 1.00

00:26:17.000 It's like a coffin.

00:26:18.000 Yep.

00:26:18.000 Pretty much.

00:26:19.000 That weighs 450. Are you wearing a back strap, like a belt?

00:26:26.000 Yeah, so wear a belt.

00:26:27.000 Does that really work?

00:26:29.000 What does it do?

00:26:30.000 So it helps build intra-abdominal pressure.

00:26:33.000 It also gives some tactile feedback to know where you need to brace.

00:26:39.000 So usually, weightlifter is like, we'll put it where we feel weakest in our core, and that's going to help us activate those muscles to be a little bit stronger and more effectively brace to prevent injury.

00:26:50.000 Because I never understood how it would protect you from a lift.

00:26:55.000 Like if you're lifting heavy weights and you've got that strap around your back.

00:27:00.000 Yeah, I guess it's not really meant to protect, per se.

00:27:04.000 More just to help add extra support.

00:27:07.000 That's the biggest thing.

00:27:09.000 So it does...

00:27:10.000 You don't do heavy lifts without it?

00:27:12.000 No.

00:27:13.000 No.

00:27:13.000 No, I keep it on, yeah, whenever I'm going heavy.

00:27:15.000 That's pretty much standard for powerlifters?

00:27:17.000 Oh, yeah.

00:27:18.000 Powerlifting, strongman, yeah, we're all wearing, like, pretty heavy-duty belts.

00:27:22.000 Now, when you train, do you train doing strongman stuff? 0.84

00:27:26.000 Like, do you pull trucks and shit like that in training?

00:27:29.000 Yeah, so leading up to World's Strongest Man, I knew we had a truck pull.

00:27:34.000 We actually got to pull the...

00:27:36.000 The Grave Digger and the Monster Jam Fire Truck.

00:27:38.000 Really?

00:27:39.000 The Monster Trucks at Worlds this year, which is pretty cool.

00:27:42.000 How much does the Grave Digger weigh?

00:27:44.000 Well, so the funny thing is, it only weighs 15,000 pounds.

00:27:47.000 So they had to grab a second one and attach them.

00:27:50.000 So we were playing two of them at one time.

00:27:52.000 How does one ever say it only weighs 15,000 pounds?

00:27:56.000 That's what I want to know, because I suck at that event, so I would like it if it was only one of them.

00:28:01.000 That's an event where it must help to be 450 pounds, right?

00:28:05.000 Huge, huge advantage.

00:28:07.000 You look at guys like me, again, only 5'10", about 285, competing against, in my qualifying group of worlds, was Thor Bjornsson, the mountain from Game of Thrones. 0.99

00:28:15.000 Yeah, how much does that fucker weigh? 1.00

00:28:17.000 6'9", 440. Jesus! 1.00

00:28:20.000 And that bitch has a six-pack. 1.00

00:28:24.000 69440. Yeah, so that's Thor doing the event right there. 1.00

00:28:27.000 And you can see Gravedigger right behind him.

00:28:30.000 And then behind that, they attached with a metal pole to the Monster Jam.

00:28:35.000 Oh, so you use a rope to pull you as well.

00:28:37.000 Yeah, so it's like you get a little bit of a lever.

00:28:39.000 Yeah, there's a second truck right behind him.

00:28:41.000 Two trucks. 0.96

00:28:41.000 That is ridiculous. 0.96

00:28:43.000 Yeah, so leading up to World's Strongest Man, I actually became really good friends with the firefighters in my local town.

00:28:48.000 And I just talked to the fire chief.

00:28:51.000 I was like, hey, can I borrow one of your trucks to pull?

00:28:56.000 What are you doing if a fire breaks out?

00:28:58.000 Hey, we got our friend.

00:28:59.000 He's out there pulling it.

00:29:00.000 They can wait. 0.99

00:29:02.000 Yeah, his response was, are you shitting me? 0.97

00:29:04.000 I was like, I'm actually serious. 0.95

00:29:06.000 So I actually, I was pulling that fire truck like once or twice a week for like six weeks leading up to World's Strongest.

00:29:13.000 How much does a fire truck weigh?

00:29:16.000 Depends if the water's in it or not.

00:29:17.000 I found that out.

00:29:18.000 The first time it wasn't, so it was only about 28,000 pounds and it was actually...

00:29:22.000 Oh, only 28,000?

00:29:23.000 Yeah, casual. 0.99

00:29:24.000 That ain't shit. 0.98

00:29:25.000 The second time the water was in it, so it was 40,000. 0.99

00:29:29.000 Oh no!

00:29:29.000 That was a little bit harder and it made me look like an ass because I had told my friends that I was doing this this time, thinking that it was the same truck and it was as light as it was the first time.

00:29:38.000 I was like, alright, I look pretty cool in front of everybody. 0.99

00:29:41.000 And then I go to pull it and I'm like, fuck, this is heavier. 0.99

00:29:45.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:29:46.000 That's a lot different. 0.99

00:29:47.000 That's an extra 12,000 fucking pounds. 0.99

00:29:50.000 Yeah. 0.97

00:29:50.000 And so I was training in a 50-foot course, and that 40,000-pound truck, it was taking me almost 90 seconds to pull. 0.97

00:29:58.000 And that's like 90 seconds of just nonstop work.

00:30:02.000 That hurts.

00:30:03.000 Jesus Christ.

00:30:04.000 What does that do to your knees?

00:30:07.000 The knees aren't too bad.

00:30:08.000 Honestly, it's just like a full body like burning like everything hurts, right?

00:30:14.000 Like nothing feel like your arms are pumped because you're pulling on the rope in front of you Your quads and your calves are just you know pumped to the max at that point.

00:30:21.000 I'd be worried about like knees and ankles Am I wrong?

00:30:25.000 The biggest injury that you see with a truck pull is the Achilles tendon rupture.

00:30:28.000 Right.

00:30:29.000 So the Achilles tendon will just pop off when you're trying to pull it.

00:30:32.000 That makes sense, because you're just pushing off with your foot and all that pressure. 1.00

00:30:35.000 Oh, fucker. 1.00

00:30:36.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:30:37.000 Goddamn. 0.99

00:30:39.000 The sport's really great. 1.00

00:30:40.000 It's a sadistic sport.

00:30:42.000 It's just so crazy to watch people pull two trucks.

00:30:46.000 Like a human being pulling two trucks.

00:30:49.000 I wish I would see you with a fire truck. 0.99

00:30:52.000 That's more ridiculous. 1.00

00:30:54.000 See you pulling a fucking fire truck. 1.00

00:30:56.000 It was pretty fun. 0.99

00:30:57.000 I'm sure if you could do it.

00:30:58.000 Yeah, exactly.

00:31:00.000 If you could do it, it's fun.

00:31:01.000 That's a weird thing with people, right?

00:31:02.000 They just love to be able to do something that's hard to do.

00:31:06.000 And I think that's why all of us are attracted to Strongman.

00:31:09.000 That's why we compete. 0.98

00:31:11.000 Like I said in the beginning of the show, we all have to be a little bit fucked up in the head to look at a truck and get excited to pull it. 0.99

00:31:17.000 Yeah, look at that. 0.99

00:31:17.000 There it is. 0.99

00:31:18.000 That's so crazy.

00:31:19.000 There you are, pulling the truck.

00:31:20.000 That's my coach behind it, Derek. 1.00

00:31:23.000 God damn. 0.99

00:31:23.000 Have you ever seen the video of the Strongman that throws the barrel up, it hits the bar and falls back, it hits him in the head? 0.99

00:31:28.000 It hits him in the back of the head.

00:31:29.000 Dude.

00:31:29.000 That was on him.

00:31:30.000 Is that guy dead?

00:31:31.000 No, he lived.

00:31:32.000 Whoa.

00:31:33.000 Yeah.

00:31:33.000 What kind of a human can survive that?

00:31:35.000 I don't know.

00:31:35.000 I think it was an empty keg, if that makes it any better.

00:31:39.000 Even if it was. 1.00

00:31:39.000 Even if it was a fucking aluminum barrel bouncing off your skull. 1.00

00:31:43.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:31:44.000 Yeah.

00:31:44.000 And he was knocked out cold for a little while.

00:31:47.000 Now, how old are you now?

00:31:49.000 I'm 28. Just turned 28 in November.

00:31:52.000 Is there a lifespan for doing what you do?

00:31:55.000 Because I would imagine, like, you're putting tremendous stress.

00:31:59.000 Um...

00:32:01.000 You know, I think like we see most of the guys are in their prime like mid-30s.

00:32:06.000 I would say like early to mid-30s is kind of like the prime for most strongman athletes.

00:32:11.000 But then you got guys like Mark Felix from the UK who's 53 and he's still competing in breaking world records.

00:32:16.000 What?

00:32:17.000 Yeah.

00:32:17.000 Dude, piss test that guy.

00:32:19.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:32:20.000 He's on all the shit. 1.00

00:32:22.000 53. That's bonkers. 1.00

00:32:24.000 He has the biggest hands in Strongman, so they actually don't fit on an 8x11 piece of paper.

00:32:30.000 What?

00:32:31.000 Yeah, so his hands are like 11 1⁄2, 12 inches long. 0.97

00:32:35.000 That's ridiculous. 0.96

00:32:37.000 That's like shack hands. 0.99

00:32:38.000 It's crazy.

00:32:39.000 But that's why he, the world records that he gets are all in grip events, ironically.

00:32:43.000 And then I have like, you know, the where's the meat hands and can't hold on to anything. 0.99

00:32:48.000 Goddamn. 0.99

00:32:49.000 53. It's crazy. 1.00

00:32:51.000 It's absolutely crazy.

00:32:52.000 And he looks like he's 38. Do you have a picture of that guy, Jamie?

00:32:55.000 Yeah, I was trying to find, got sidetracked by trying to find his hands in the middle there.

00:32:59.000 Wow, look at him holding on.

00:33:00.000 There's Mark. 1.00

00:33:01.000 Fucking A. Look at the size of his hands. 1.00

00:33:02.000 It's crazy.

00:33:03.000 Yeah.

00:33:05.000 They're so long!

00:33:06.000 Yeah.

00:33:07.000 That is incredible, though, that he's 53. There it is.

00:33:10.000 Some comparisons.

00:33:11.000 Yeah, so at the contest that we do in the...

00:33:13.000 Look at the thickness in his fingers. 1.00

00:33:14.000 Those are fucking sausages. 1.00

00:33:16.000 They're sausages, yeah. 1.00

00:33:17.000 The contest that we do in England through a company called Giants Live, that's like one of their promo things that they do in the magazines that they give everybody, where they'll actually put a picture of his hand so everybody can compare...

00:33:32.000 We're good to go.

00:33:57.000 And what is it?

00:33:58.000 Which lifts usually cause that to blow out?

00:34:00.000 Usually you'll see that on an Atlas Stone tire flip or if you're deadlifting with like a mixed grip with the underhand on the barbell.

00:34:09.000 Usually the bicep will pop off in the elbow and roll up into the shoulder.

00:34:13.000 What are your thoughts about deadlifting on a mixed grip?

00:34:15.000 Do you think that you should do that, or should you do it both overhand?

00:34:18.000 I mean, if you're using straps, like if you're using straps to aid in the grip and kind of take the grip out, go double overhand.

00:34:25.000 Because there's really no point to have a mixed grip and put you at risk of an injury when you don't need to.

00:34:29.000 The straps kind of take the grip out of the work for you.

00:34:33.000 But for powerlifting, that's not allowed.

00:34:36.000 So they have to compete with them.

00:34:37.000 They have to deadlift without straps.

00:34:40.000 So there's two options you can go with.

00:34:42.000 You can go with the mixed grip or hook grip, which hook grip is you wrap your hand around the bar and then put your fingers over your thumbs. 0.97

00:34:49.000 And it hurts like a motherfucker because the bar is just resting there on your thumb and then pushing down on it. 0.71

00:34:57.000 But you get a better grip and it, you know, kind of, yeah, just like that. 0.98

00:35:01.000 That's weird.

00:35:01.000 Why would that be easier?

00:35:03.000 I don't know, but it works.

00:35:04.000 Really?

00:35:05.000 If you have a really good pain tolerance, it's the way to go because then you're taking out that bicep from the equation and you won't have any risk of injury with that.

00:35:13.000 That's interesting.

00:35:14.000 But that's not the case with like farmer's carries or any farmer's walk or anything like that?

00:35:19.000 No.

00:35:19.000 So with farmers, like the handles are usually a little bit too big to be able to get like a grip like that.

00:35:24.000 So it literally is just a straight up grip event.

00:35:27.000 Yeah.

00:35:28.000 And I hate them.

00:35:28.000 Do you do a lot of training with big, thick grip things?

00:35:31.000 I know Rogue has those balls that you can do chin-ups with and shit. 0.99

00:35:35.000 Yeah, I do fat grips. 0.99

00:35:36.000 Whenever I do bicep curls, sometimes I'll put just fat grips onto the dumbbells, just doing that, just to work it.

00:35:42.000 I do a lot of shrugs, stuff like that, whether it's with farmer's handles or a frame or a barbell or dumbbells.

00:35:48.000 And if that's the case, I'll put fat grips on there to try to work the grip as well.

00:35:52.000 So that dude is 53 years old and he's still competing at the top of the food chain.

00:35:57.000 Do you see yourself possibly doing that? 0.99

00:36:01.000 Dude, that's 25 more fucking years for you. 0.99

00:36:03.000 I don't see me doing it for that long. 0.99

00:36:05.000 I think my goal is to get to like 35 and kind of evaluate where I am.

00:36:10.000 I think if I can do this until I'm 35 at this level, that'd be a really good run because I made my first World Strongest Man appearance when I was 25. So if I can go to Worlds 10 years, I'd be really happy with that.

00:36:23.000 It's a crazy way to make a living.

00:36:26.000 It's a crazy way to spend your time and to pursue your life.

00:36:31.000 Because you're banking everything on your body hanging in there.

00:36:36.000 Pretty much, yeah.

00:36:38.000 When one has a job that at 35 you're most likely probably going to be on your way out the door, how do you structure your life?

00:36:48.000 For me, I'm fortunate to have my master's degree in athletic training and sports medicine, so I keep that valid and up-to-date.

00:36:55.000 I still do per diem work all throughout New England, just trying to keep my chops up on that whenever I have the free time to do so.

00:37:02.000 When you say per diem work, you mean coaching?

00:37:05.000 I'll cover high school hockey games or college games and just work as an athletic trainer just pretty much for the day.

00:37:12.000 Okay.

00:37:12.000 You know, just taking care of any injuries, stuff like that.

00:37:15.000 You know, that's kind of my wheelhouse, you know, taping, concussion evaluation, all that stuff, injury rehab.

00:37:21.000 Yeah.

00:37:21.000 Now, what kind of, like, I would imagine, when you're talking about these four-hour deadlift squat days, I mean, you must have some serious rehabilitation routine that you go through, right?

00:37:32.000 Yeah, you know, I mean, I do everything from, like, self-massage and, you know, I have my own stim unit at home and do that.

00:37:40.000 But then I'm also doing recovery workouts on my off days.

00:37:43.000 How much those stim things help, those electrical stimulation units?

00:37:46.000 I love them, dude.

00:37:46.000 I love them.

00:37:47.000 What one do you use?

00:37:48.000 Compex.

00:37:49.000 Compex?

00:37:49.000 Yeah, that's the brand that I go with.

00:37:51.000 So it's like those glue things?

00:37:53.000 Yeah, just little pads.

00:37:54.000 You put them on.

00:37:55.000 And then the nice thing about the Compex ones is they're pretty much foolproof.

00:37:58.000 So it has 12 to 15 pre-programmed settings.

00:38:02.000 You kind of punch in what body part it's on.

00:38:05.000 And then you just pick what setting you want it on.

00:38:09.000 So it's like pain relief, training recovery, competition recovery, muscle activation.

00:38:13.000 There's a bunch of different ways to use it.

00:38:15.000 And then you just hit go.

00:38:17.000 And it goes.

00:38:18.000 Oh, so you just...

00:38:19.000 It's awesome.

00:38:19.000 Watch TV or something?

00:38:21.000 Yeah.

00:38:22.000 Literally, I have it in my carry-on, so when I fly home tonight, I'll put it on during my seven-hour flight home and use it.

00:38:27.000 I gotta get one of those. 0.95

00:38:28.000 Someone sent me one years back, but I never fucking used it. 0.97

00:38:31.000 Compaq. 0.93

00:38:31.000 Someone write that down. 0.93

00:38:32.000 Yeah, I think they're awesome.

00:38:34.000 So along with that, then I do recovery workouts.

00:38:37.000 So I'll go to a commercial gym and I'll swim.

00:38:42.000 Not well.

00:38:44.000 Do hot tub, sauna. 0.89

00:38:46.000 And then I have a massage therapist and body work person that I go and see.

00:38:51.000 I try to see every week, but sometimes it's every other week where they do deep tissue massage, cupping, dry needling, the whole nine yards on me.

00:38:58.000 Dude, you're so dense. 0.98

00:39:00.000 You must have a fucking seriously powerful massage therapist. 1.00

00:39:03.000 If someone's going to go deep tissue on you... 0.99

00:39:05.000 He works in pro hockey, so... 1.00

00:39:06.000 You gotta fucking get in there, man! 0.99

00:39:08.000 Yeah, he's no joke. 1.00

00:39:10.000 That's the key, right?

00:39:11.000 Is having someone who's really good at strong and...

00:39:14.000 It took me a while to find this guy.

00:39:17.000 And ironically, like him and I ended up going, we were at college together.

00:39:20.000 And he was in the area and I was like, oh, you know, like he's getting his massage degree.

00:39:24.000 I know he's an athletic trainer and he has a really good background of the body and injuries and stuff like that.

00:39:28.000 Let me see how it works.

00:39:29.000 And he lit me up the first time.

00:39:33.000 You can't just go to a regular spa and get a deep tissue massage.

00:39:35.000 Oh no, I fall asleep.

00:39:37.000 Yeah, it feels great.

00:39:38.000 It just took an hour.

00:39:39.000 I just paid 90 bucks for a nap.

00:39:41.000 Thanks.

00:39:41.000 It doesn't do enough, right?

00:39:43.000 No.

00:39:44.000 I mean, I tell people, I'm usually more sore when I leave a massage than when I go in.

00:39:48.000 But then the next day, I feel great.

00:39:50.000 Yeah, it breaks everything loose.

00:39:51.000 It seems weird that you can just manipulate injuries or tight spots into pliability, but it does work.

00:39:58.000 Well, that's the thing that's like, I've been huge into the dry needling lately, and I think it's awesome.

00:40:04.000 So it's pretty much like acupuncture with science behind it.

00:40:07.000 So now dry needling is they take these needles and they just sort of shove it into the muscle?

00:40:13.000 Yeah, wherever there's a trigger point or tightness or restriction, they'll go in and they don't just leave it there.

00:40:19.000 They'll move it around while it's in there. 0.95

00:40:22.000 And it's not terribly uncomfortable unless there's a spot that's really fucked up. 0.93

00:40:27.000 But it works great. 0.91

00:40:28.000 I had some low back pain that was killing me for a long time and it ended up being because of my psoas.

00:40:33.000 My hip flexors were super tight.

00:40:35.000 He threw a couple of needles in my hip flexors and by the time I got off that table, all of my back pain was gone.

00:40:41.000 Have you ever used one of those Sew Right things?

00:40:43.000 Oh, yeah.

00:40:44.000 I feel so wrong.

00:40:44.000 Those are great.

00:40:45.000 Yeah.

00:40:46.000 They're amazing, but, I mean, they make you see Jesus.

00:40:49.000 They're like, ee-gah!

00:40:50.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:40:51.000 The design, whoever the sick fuck is that created that, is a genius design. 1.00

00:40:56.000 Brilliant, yeah. 1.00

00:40:57.000 With the scoop to it.

00:40:58.000 Yeah, it fits perfectly.

00:40:59.000 It's comfortable to lay on.

00:41:01.000 Sort of. 0.99

00:41:02.000 Yeah, it digs in there, but you can use that fucker on everything. 0.99

00:41:05.000 Everything. 0.99

00:41:05.000 Roll back. 0.99

00:41:05.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:41:07.000 Yeah, I'm a big fan of that.

00:41:08.000 I'm a big fan of those.

00:41:10.000 You have Kelly Starrett's Mobility Wad.

00:41:13.000 Yeah.

00:41:13.000 That ball.

00:41:14.000 Yep. 1.00

00:41:14.000 Those fuckers. 1.00

00:41:15.000 You lie on that. 1.00

00:41:16.000 I got those scattered all over the gym out there.

00:41:17.000 For sure.

00:41:18.000 And I use his, like, the voodoo band, the flossing. 0.99

00:41:20.000 I do that, too.

00:41:21.000 Yes, yes. 0.55

00:41:21.000 You know, because with the stuff that we do, you know, like, my elbows get beat to shit, you know, if I'm doing heavy bench press and, like, even, like, the dumbbell that you saw earlier. 0.55

00:41:29.000 Like, just having, like, 250 pounds cranked on your shoulder like that.

00:41:32.000 Yeah.

00:41:32.000 Just puts a ton of strain in the elbows.

00:41:34.000 Like, my elbows get beat up pretty good in that.

00:41:36.000 I mean, using the voodoo band is huge for that.

00:41:38.000 Well, so that just constricts, and then you do a little bit of an exercise with it, and then you undo it.

00:41:44.000 Yeah.

00:41:44.000 And then it just reflux.

00:41:45.000 And then I kind of manipulate it a little bit, too.

00:41:48.000 So sometimes, like, if I have a spot in my elbow that's really killing me, I'll put a golf ball on it, and then wrap the band around the golf ball.

00:41:54.000 Ah!

00:41:55.000 Yeah.

00:41:56.000 And then I'll go through that range of motion and move my arm around.

00:42:00.000 Yeah, so I'll do exercises like that, but like I said, sometimes I'll throw like the golf ball in there. 0.97

00:42:06.000 So it hurts like a bitch, but it works great. 1.00

00:42:08.000 Yeah, I'm a big fan of it. 0.95

00:42:09.000 I had a little bit of a tendonitis issue in my shoulder, or in my elbow rather, that helped a lot.

00:42:15.000 I think it's great.

00:42:16.000 Elbow, people using patellar tendonitis on their knees, so all stuff like that.

00:42:21.000 And that's the thing, with a lot of strong men in general, a lot of us do that body work and try to stay healthy.

00:42:28.000 You have to, right?

00:42:29.000 Well, at this level, too, the sport has exploded in the past few years, and my competition season started this past weekend, and the last contest I'll do is in October.

00:42:40.000 Oh my God.

00:42:41.000 So it's 10 months long, and as of right now, I have almost 13 contests planned.

00:42:46.000 Now, when you have a contest, say if you do some crazy strongman competition, how much time do you give yourself after it's over?

00:42:53.000 I mean, I'll be back in the gym tomorrow when I get home.

00:42:55.000 Really?

00:42:56.000 I just competed on Saturday.

00:42:57.000 Wow, okay.

00:42:58.000 Well, so you take a couple days off, two days off, and then get right back after.

00:43:01.000 Right back into it, yeah.

00:43:02.000 Man.

00:43:03.000 I mean, that's kind of a special consideration, mainly because the contest I'm going into is seen as the biggest contest in the world.

00:43:11.000 So it's the Arnold Strongman Classic in Ohio.

00:43:14.000 Only 10 men qualify for this contest.

00:43:18.000 This will be my first year competing there.

00:43:21.000 So my coach was just like, listen, you can't waste any time.

00:43:25.000 We only have five weeks of training, essentially, to get ready for the show.

00:43:28.000 Even though I've been prepping for it for the past six months.

00:43:32.000 We used to do a UFC at the Arnold.

00:43:34.000 That is a crazy show.

00:43:36.000 Wild.

00:43:37.000 It's wild.

00:43:38.000 And it's gotten even bigger.

00:43:39.000 And there's so many people walking around in baggy sweatpants.

00:43:43.000 Baggy sweatpants, stringer tank tops, and then girls in nothing but spandex and sports bras. 0.97

00:43:51.000 That whole industry is so strange.

00:43:53.000 It's so weird.

00:43:54.000 The fitness influencer industry.

00:43:56.000 Yeah.

00:43:57.000 I mean, that's what, like, honestly, it took me so long to get a sponsorship.

00:44:01.000 One, because I'm not huge, and two, because I don't have a six-pack.

00:44:03.000 Like, nobody wants to look at, like, a chubby, pasty white dude on the front of a, like, of a supplement sponsor.

00:44:09.000 Right, right.

00:44:09.000 I know.

00:44:09.000 You could be built like this guy and just pick up heavy shit.

00:44:12.000 Yeah, everyone's like, oh, cool. 0.99

00:44:13.000 And they don't care if you're powerful.

00:44:15.000 They want you to, like, look like you're dehydrated.

00:44:18.000 That's all they care about.

00:44:20.000 What looks good on a poster?

00:44:22.000 Yeah, are you starving and dehydrated with some spray tan?

00:44:24.000 We want you.

00:44:25.000 We want you. 0.99

00:44:26.000 We're looking to be jacked and tanned.

00:44:28.000 Yeah, and that was one of the things why it took me so long to get in with some companies and actually get a legit sponsorship.

00:44:36.000 Is there anybody? 0.99

00:44:37.000 Well, that guy, Bjornsson, however the fuck you say his name. 0.98

00:44:41.000 Yeah, Thor. 0.99

00:44:41.000 The Thor guy. 0.99

00:44:42.000 He's got a six-pack.

00:44:45.000 Close to it, yeah.

00:44:46.000 Is that just preposterous genetics? 1.00

00:44:47.000 It's stupid. 1.00

00:44:48.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:44:49.000 Well, obviously, the size of him is just preposterous.

00:44:52.000 That is Viking, right?

00:44:53.000 That is straight Viking.

00:44:54.000 And his name is Thor.

00:44:55.000 Yeah, I mean, come on.

00:44:57.000 That's the generation after generation of marauders.

00:45:02.000 Yeah, I mean, his dad is also like 6'8".

00:45:05.000 It's crazy.

00:45:06.000 Yeah, it only makes sense.

00:45:08.000 So, what is the difference between someone that is that big that can stay lean?

00:45:17.000 Why can he stay lean?

00:45:19.000 I think it's just like...

00:45:22.000 I want to think it's like the quality food that he eats, you know, like with him being arguably the strongest man in the world, you know, he didn't win World's Strongest Man this year, but he's been dominant over the past two years.

00:45:32.000 Who beat him?

00:45:34.000 Martins Lisi is from the U.S. He's actually right here in L.A. Is he?

00:45:37.000 Yeah, yeah.

00:45:37.000 He just won back in June.

00:45:40.000 He's from the U.K.? Is that what you're saying?

00:45:41.000 You said you've...

00:45:43.000 Oh, U.S. U.S. Originally from Latvia, and now he's lived in the U.S., I mean, for as long as I can remember.

00:45:50.000 How big is that fucker? 0.99

00:45:52.000 He's six... 1.00

00:45:53.000 There's Martins and me.

00:45:55.000 So he's about like 6'3", about 350. So he beat Thor.

00:46:00.000 Yeah.

00:46:00.000 That's crazy.

00:46:01.000 He beat a guy that's 150 pounds heavier than him?

00:46:05.000 Yeah.

00:46:05.000 That's crazy.

00:46:07.000 I mean, that's the thing about the sport.

00:46:10.000 So the way I qualified for the contest in Ohio... 1.00

00:46:13.000 The size of that fucker. 0.99

00:46:15.000 So the way I qualified for the contest in Ohio was by winning the Arnold in Australia. 0.99

00:46:22.000 And like I said, I'm the smallest guy that does this at this level.

00:46:26.000 And I was beating guys like Jerry Pritchett, who's like 6'6", 370. How are you that strong?

00:46:35.000 What is the difference? 1.00

00:46:36.000 I'm a stubborn bitch, Joe. 1.00

00:46:37.000 Is that what it is? 1.00

00:46:39.000 I think with me, it took me a really long time.

00:46:43.000 Yeah, there's Thor and Martins. 1.00

00:46:45.000 Look at the size of that fucker. 1.00

00:46:47.000 God damn. 1.00

00:46:48.000 And the woman on Thor's right or left is his wife. 0.99

00:46:52.000 Yeah, I've seen the two of them together.

00:46:54.000 She's 5'2".

00:46:55.000 Hilarious.

00:46:56.000 It is.

00:46:57.000 They're going to make a regular-sized kid.

00:47:03.000 But yeah, I think I got to this level because I was a student of the sport for a really long time.

00:47:09.000 And I studied everything.

00:47:11.000 And I think because I took so long to get to where I am, most guys that are at this level, it didn't take them 10 years to get there.

00:47:19.000 You know, like, guys like Brian Shaw, like Martins, like, they pretty much got to worlds within two or three years.

00:47:24.000 Because there's giant, powerful people that try to figure out the work.

00:47:27.000 And for me, it was like, I needed to learn how to make these events work for my body.

00:47:32.000 You know, so, like, that's with me, you know, like, so, I have the current American Log Press record.

00:47:37.000 And I don't do, like, a typical push press.

00:47:39.000 I actually split jerk underneath a log.

00:47:41.000 Really?

00:47:42.000 And I'm the only pro strongman at this level that does that.

00:47:45.000 Why do you do that?

00:47:46.000 It's more efficient.

00:47:47.000 Why don't they do it?

00:47:49.000 It's an athletic, quick movement.

00:47:50.000 It takes a lot of time and coordination to learn.

00:47:54.000 With me having a background in CrossFit, that's where I learned the split jerk technique. 0.99

00:47:58.000 And then when I got more into Strongman, I was like, well, I really suck at strict pressing.

00:48:02.000 Will you explain that to people, what the difference is?

00:48:04.000 So, like a push press is pretty much you get the weight on your shoulders.

00:48:08.000 You dip down and then just push the weight up overhead, like pretty much just with like shoulder and tricep power.

00:48:13.000 With a split jerk...

00:48:16.000 Yeah, you get the implement on your shoulders, you do a little dip, and then you actually throw yourself underneath the log while splitting your feet.

00:48:24.000 Here it is.

00:48:25.000 So it's like a little bit of a dance, almost.

00:48:28.000 So this is 455 pounds.

00:48:32.000 So you get it up to your chest.

00:48:33.000 And then you'll see me.

00:48:34.000 I dip and then drop underneath it.

00:48:37.000 Oh, wow.

00:48:38.000 Splitting my feet and then catching overhead.

00:48:40.000 Jesus Christ, that's a lot of stress.

00:48:41.000 So what it does, it shortens the range of motion of the press, but it's kind of one of those risky all-or-nothing moves.

00:48:49.000 With a push press, it's brute strength, so you can kind of grind through it and fight it and manipulate the log any way you want.

00:48:56.000 But with a split jerk, it has to happen or it doesn't. 0.99

00:48:59.000 There's gotta be that weird moment where you're like, fuck, this isn't happening. 1.00

00:49:05.000 I gotta drop this thing. 0.99

00:49:06.000 Yep.

00:49:07.000 What is that like?

00:49:08.000 Throw it. 0.99

00:49:09.000 Just get it away from you.

00:49:10.000 Get it away. 1.00

00:49:11.000 Holding 450 fucking pounds over my head, you know? 1.00

00:49:14.000 I'm not taking it. 0.99

00:49:15.000 I don't care what breaks as long as it's not me.

00:49:17.000 Especially after that Atlas stone dropped on you, right?

00:49:20.000 Yeah, you know, it's just, for me, it was, you know, adapting that splitter technique.

00:49:25.000 It just made sense.

00:49:26.000 And that's kind of how I was able to progress to this level and kind of do some things a lot of people didn't think I would do, being this size.

00:49:35.000 Now, how much do you eat?

00:49:38.000 You must be eating...

00:49:39.000 I eat a good amount.

00:49:40.000 ...all the time.

00:49:41.000 It's not a crazy amount.

00:49:42.000 No?

00:49:43.000 I mean, I say that like, you know, because I think like...

00:49:45.000 But you also said, oh, it's only 28,000 pounds.

00:49:49.000 No big deal.

00:49:50.000 Touche.

00:49:50.000 I think like people get caught up in like these 10,000 calorie eating challenges like Oberst did and Brian Shaw do and stuff like that.

00:49:57.000 I'm not that guy.

00:49:58.000 You know, like an average eating day for me is probably around 4,000 to 5,000 calories.

00:50:03.000 Yeah.

00:50:03.000 Oh, that's not too crazy.

00:50:04.000 It's a lot, but nothing crazy.

00:50:05.000 Well, Oberst is so big.

00:50:07.000 Huge.

00:50:08.000 He's a giant.

00:50:08.000 Exactly.

00:50:09.000 You know, like, he was sitting in this chair, like, I'm a little different looking than him.

00:50:12.000 He's got double your head.

00:50:14.000 His head is so wide, you're like, what are you? 0.94

00:50:16.000 Yeah, he looks like an ogre.

00:50:18.000 He's the real-life Shrek.

00:50:20.000 He's a great guy.

00:50:21.000 He's awesome.

00:50:22.000 I love him. 1.00

00:50:23.000 Boy, is that fucker huge. 1.00

00:50:24.000 So the first conversation Rob and I ever had was actually at that contest in Texas when a dude was calling me a fag from the stands. 1.00

00:50:32.000 And we were hanging out the day before the contest.

00:50:35.000 We had never met in person before. 1.00

00:50:38.000 First interaction we had, we're hanging out in a hotel room, a few of us athletes, and he looks at me and he's like, how old were you when you knew you wanted a dick in your mouth? 1.00

00:50:45.000 Pfft! 1.00

00:50:49.000 That's the first thing he said to you?

00:50:52.000 First thing he ever said to me.

00:50:53.000 What'd you answer?

00:50:55.000 I didn't know.

00:50:55.000 I didn't know what to respond.

00:50:57.000 Like, this is the guy I had seen on World's Strongest Man before. 0.99

00:50:59.000 Like, I've seen him competing for the past, like, three or four years, and that's the first thing the motherfucker says to me. 0.99

00:51:05.000 That's hilarious. 0.96

00:51:06.000 Yeah, so, obviously, like, we got off into a great start on our friendship, you know, and, like, him and I still talk all the time, and, you know, he's bitter because I took the log press record from him back in April.

00:51:15.000 Yeah, he's very upset with that.

00:51:17.000 He had that.

00:51:17.000 It was his.

00:51:18.000 It was his for a while, like, for four years.

00:51:21.000 Oh, poor Robert.

00:51:23.000 No, no.

00:51:24.000 You win some and you lose some.

00:51:26.000 That's what competition's all about.

00:51:27.000 Records are meant to be broken.

00:51:29.000 Now, what is your typical breakfast for you like?

00:51:32.000 And how many times do you eat in a day?

00:51:34.000 I try to go between six and eight meals.

00:51:36.000 So it all depends on when my training is and stuff like that. 0.99

00:51:39.000 So do you bring little Tupperware containers with you and shit? 0.98

00:51:42.000 Yep. 0.99

00:51:42.000 Everything prepped out. 0.99

00:51:44.000 And to be honest, I'm pretty boring.

00:51:45.000 I don't like to cook.

00:51:47.000 I love to eat, but I don't like to cook.

00:51:49.000 So I'll pretty much eat the same thing almost every meal.

00:51:52.000 So it's pretty much like chicken or beef and rice and veggies.

00:51:57.000 Pretty much it.

00:51:57.000 That's what Robert was saying.

00:51:59.000 Basically, everybody's like rice and meat.

00:52:00.000 Yeah.

00:52:01.000 I'm a fat kid, so I don't like to just eat baked chicken.

00:52:06.000 That's why I'm not a bodybuilder.

00:52:07.000 I can't look like that because I just like the taste of food too much.

00:52:11.000 So I do air-fried chicken fingers to make them healthy.

00:52:17.000 That'll be the chicken that I eat, and then I'll throw some sauce on top of it.

00:52:21.000 Do you make the chicken fingers?

00:52:22.000 I do.

00:52:23.000 Do you bread them and everything?

00:52:24.000 Oh, yeah.

00:52:24.000 Yeah?

00:52:24.000 What do you use for the breading and everything?

00:52:26.000 Usually I'll do like panko.

00:52:28.000 What's that?

00:52:29.000 What's panko?

00:52:30.000 Panko breadcrumbs.

00:52:31.000 So it's just like a little bit like a more coarse, bigger, you know, a little more crispier, which is nice too.

00:52:36.000 Because the texture is like, I don't want it to taste just like mush when I'm eating it.

00:52:39.000 Like I like a little crunch, a little texture.

00:52:41.000 But in the breadcrumbs, I'll just use plain panko, but I'll add like a ranch seasoning packet to throw some flavor in there, get a little crazy.

00:52:50.000 Do like an egg wash, bread them, and then throw them in the air fryer.

00:52:53.000 So you don't have to worry about how much you take in.

00:52:56.000 So you're basically just eating whatever you want to eat.

00:52:58.000 And the reason why you eat so many meals a day is just because you're burning off so much.

00:53:01.000 Yeah.

00:53:01.000 And honestly, I just get hungry.

00:53:03.000 Right.

00:53:04.000 I'm sure.

00:53:05.000 You're powerlifting all the time.

00:53:06.000 Yeah.

00:53:06.000 You know, like I said, my deadlift workout will take four to five hours.

00:53:09.000 But there's sometimes on the weekends when I'm doing my strongman workouts, I'll be at the gym for like six to eight hours.

00:53:15.000 Ugh.

00:53:15.000 Yeah.

00:53:16.000 Six to eight hours of lifting ridiculously heavy shit. 0.99

00:53:19.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:53:19.000 I mean, granted, a lot of the stuff we do is like... 0.99

00:53:23.000 Setting up and breaking down.

00:53:24.000 These events are cumbersome.

00:53:26.000 They're annoying.

00:53:27.000 They're not easy to set up.

00:53:29.000 So a lot of it's like just moving weight, schlepping across the gym, and setting these implements up.

00:53:34.000 But all in all, yeah, I'll be there for like six to eight hours from the time I get there to when I leave.

00:53:39.000 I would imagine you would need a lot of sugars.

00:53:41.000 A lot of carbs.

00:53:42.000 Oh, yeah.

00:53:43.000 The shake I drink during my workout is almost a thousand calories.

00:53:49.000 What's in it?

00:53:50.000 Well, like Gatorade protein.

00:53:51.000 I use a carb powder.

00:53:53.000 You put Gatorade in a shake and then carb powder on top of the Gatorade?

00:53:57.000 Listen, it tastes like an orange creamsicle.

00:53:59.000 I bet.

00:54:00.000 So you do like orange Gatorade, like an orange or a non-flavored carb powder, and then vanilla protein.

00:54:07.000 And that's 1,000 calories?

00:54:09.000 Yeah, I mean, it's also like 64 ounces.

00:54:12.000 Oh, okay.

00:54:13.000 So it's pretty big.

00:54:14.000 So it's got to be this balancing act between getting a lot of protein, but getting a lot of carbohydrates and making sure that you're fueling the muscles?

00:54:22.000 Carbs are the best thing ever, man.

00:54:23.000 Yeah, like carbs, that's like the main thing.

00:54:26.000 You know, obviously eating a lot of protein, like I'm probably around like 300 grams of protein a day, between 3 and 350. But carbs, I mean, there's sometimes I'm eating like Almost like 1500 grams of carbs a day.

00:54:37.000 And is the reason why you guys prefer rice is just because it's easier to digest than other forms?

00:54:42.000 Yeah, it's just easy to eat too.

00:54:44.000 Because eating six to eight times is a lot.

00:54:46.000 And you just get tired of chewing.

00:54:48.000 Right.

00:54:50.000 To be honest.

00:54:51.000 It's probably great for the jaw muscles.

00:54:53.000 Oh, for sure.

00:54:54.000 Sculpted chin look.

00:54:56.000 And that's why my coach, when he was competing, he used to do chicken shakes.

00:55:02.000 What?

00:55:03.000 Grind chicken into a shake?

00:55:04.000 So he would literally boil chicken and blend it with water.

00:55:09.000 Oh, God.

00:55:10.000 Yeah.

00:55:11.000 That's nasty.

00:55:11.000 And he would drink those because he just didn't want to eat.

00:55:17.000 Hold it together, bud.

00:55:18.000 Chicken shake?

00:55:19.000 A chicken shake.

00:55:20.000 Why does that sound so gross?

00:55:22.000 I couldn't even. 0.98

00:55:23.000 I looked at him and I was like, you ever fucking make me do that? 1.00

00:55:25.000 I'm kicking you in the face. 1.00

00:55:26.000 So, are you eating a lot of red meat? 0.99

00:55:31.000 What's your preferred protein?

00:55:33.000 I love bison.

00:55:34.000 Bison.

00:55:34.000 Bison is like my jam.

00:55:37.000 Just ground bison. 0.66

00:55:39.000 Try to go like 93.7 if I can.

00:55:41.000 Super lean.

00:55:44.000 Yeah, but it all depends.

00:55:45.000 Obviously, as a pro strongman, I'm not making that much money.

00:55:50.000 More often than not, it's just like ground beef.

00:55:52.000 Whatever I can get, that's good quality and gets the calories in.

00:55:55.000 Yeah, bison has got a higher protein content, right?

00:55:58.000 Yeah, yeah.

00:55:58.000 It's a little bit leaner, and it just tastes so much better.

00:56:02.000 You get that grass-fed bison?

00:56:04.000 Yeah.

00:56:05.000 Farm-raised, grass-fed.

00:56:07.000 So how does a strongman make money?

00:56:09.000 Do you only make money if you win, or do you make money from sponsors?

00:56:13.000 What's your primary income coming from?

00:56:14.000 Both.

00:56:15.000 So my main income is mainly from sponsorships.

00:56:19.000 So I'm sponsored by a supplement company, Blackstone Labs.

00:56:22.000 I've heard of them.

00:56:24.000 SPD, which is an equipment company.

00:56:26.000 They make knee sleeves, belts, elbow sleeves, stuff like that.

00:56:29.000 And then a clothing company that's called Kinda Fit, Kinda Fat.

00:56:36.000 That's honest.

00:56:37.000 It's great.

00:56:37.000 It's a lifestyle.

00:56:39.000 Kinda Fit, Kinda Fat.

00:56:40.000 Yeah.

00:56:41.000 So those are my three biggest supporters.

00:56:44.000 And then on top of that, I also do online coaching for strength athletes all over the world.

00:56:49.000 So, you know, pretty much I write their weekly workouts, they send me videos, I collaborate with them, get them competition prep and get them ready to compete.

00:56:57.000 So those are my two biggest main sources of income.

00:57:00.000 And then, you know, on top of that, and then, you know, prize money is just kind of extra on top, you know, bonus, essentially.

00:57:07.000 Now, you're active on social media, obviously.

00:57:10.000 You have Instagram, which is where I found you.

00:57:13.000 But do you have anything else you do?

00:57:17.000 Do you do YouTube?

00:57:18.000 Do you do a podcast or anything along those lines?

00:57:21.000 Do YouTube, yeah.

00:57:22.000 So, same YouTube name, World's Strongest Gay.

00:57:24.000 You know, and then just launched a website a couple weeks ago.

00:57:29.000 So, a lot of content is going to be up there.

00:57:30.000 What's the website?

00:57:32.000 Robkearneystrongman.com.

00:57:35.000 Do you own worldstrongestgay.com?

00:57:37.000 I don't.

00:57:38.000 Who does?

00:57:39.000 Nobody does, actually.

00:57:40.000 What?

00:57:40.000 That's nonsense.

00:57:41.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:57:42.000 Well, listen, this isn't live, so let's snatch that shit up. 0.99

00:57:44.000 We might need to get that right after this show. 0.99

00:57:46.000 Immediately.

00:57:46.000 Yeah.

00:57:47.000 Go to worldstrongestgay.com. 0.85

00:57:48.000 Do you want to double that S? Because that could make it interesting.

00:57:52.000 Worlds or World Strong.

00:57:54.000 You know what I mean?

00:57:55.000 Because you need to type in that double S. Type in the double S. It's double S. Yeah. 0.61

00:57:59.000 It's World's Strongest Gay.

00:58:01.000 Let me see that double S. That might not exist. 0.99

00:58:04.000 If nothing popped up, I'll check it out.

00:58:07.000 We're going to get that.

00:58:08.000 We're going to give you that.

00:58:09.000 We're going to buy it right now and give it to you.

00:58:12.000 This is important. 0.99

00:58:13.000 Because otherwise some dickhead is going to get it. 0.99

00:58:15.000 And then, yeah, they're going to be like, oh, you can pay. 1.00

00:58:16.000 He's going to put straight porn on it.

00:58:17.000 That's what he's going to do. 0.99

00:58:18.000 That'd be fucked up. 0.99

00:58:18.000 That would be fucked up. 0.99

00:58:19.000 That'd be really fucked up. 1.00

00:58:20.000 All just vaginas. 1.00

00:58:21.000 Ten bucks. 1.00

00:58:22.000 You can get it? 0.99

00:58:23.000 Sick. 0.58

00:58:23.000 Snatch it up! 0.58

00:58:24.000 Well, it's harder to transfer.

00:58:26.000 Oh, okay.

00:58:27.000 Perfect.

00:58:27.000 Luckily, we're not live, so as soon as we're done, we'll let you do that.

00:58:31.000 Yeah, you gotta own that, man, and just have it divert right to your...

00:58:33.000 Right to the website.

00:58:34.000 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:58:35.000 Hold on, hold on, hold on.

00:58:36.000 What?

00:58:36.000 One second.

00:58:37.000 What?

00:58:38.000 It added the HTTP in there.

00:58:39.000 Let me double check.

00:58:39.000 Oh, Jesus Christ.

00:58:41.000 Don't tease me.

00:58:43.000 Still there.

00:58:43.000 Cool, cool, cool.

00:58:44.000 It's amazing when you think about how many websites there are that there are any available now.

00:58:48.000 I know.

00:58:49.000 I know.

00:58:49.000 Well, it's funny.

00:58:50.000 Now that I'm getting more popular and stuff like that, I'll get tagged and shit on social media. 0.76

00:58:54.000 But there's also an Irish rugby player named Rob Kearney.

00:58:57.000 So they'll sometimes tag him or they'll mean to tag me.

00:59:01.000 So it's weird.

00:59:03.000 Yeah, well, wait until this is over.

00:59:04.000 Yeah.

00:59:05.000 Once this goes live.

00:59:06.000 Wish it'd be real weird.

00:59:07.000 That'd be fantastic.

00:59:08.000 How much you must be getting...

00:59:10.000 I mean, this is like the first time probably the LBGTQ community has gotten behind a strongman, though.

00:59:16.000 I mean, this is...

00:59:16.000 And even just a pro athlete in general.

00:59:18.000 Really?

00:59:18.000 You know, I think...

00:59:19.000 Well, that's the biggest reason for my Instagram name, is just showing LGBTQ visibility in pro sports.

00:59:27.000 Because it doesn't exist.

00:59:29.000 Right.

00:59:29.000 You know, there's a few...

00:59:31.000 Well, in fighting the UFC, Amanda Nunes is the greatest woman of all time. 0.98

00:59:36.000 She's gay. 1.00

00:59:36.000 Which is great, and that's a cool, but men. 1.00

00:59:42.000 Different animal.

00:59:43.000 You know, I think there's this really big disconnect where people think, okay, lesbian women are allowed to be strong.

00:59:49.000 They're allowed to be athletic.

00:59:51.000 They can do all these really cool things. 0.98

00:59:53.000 Gay men have to be feminine. 1.00

00:59:54.000 They have to be put in this box, and they shouldn't be pro-athletes. 0.98

01:00:00.000 And that's one of the biggest reasons why I call myself unapologetically open about my sexuality.

01:00:09.000 Because the more you think about it, if you even try to think of an openly gay man in any pro sport across the world, there's no really mainstream.

01:00:20.000 I think you forgot about Brian Boitano.

01:00:23.000 Oh, cliche.

01:00:24.000 Don't you remember South Park?

01:00:25.000 What would Brian Boitano do?

01:00:27.000 Yeah. 0.71

01:00:28.000 Smartass. 1.00

01:00:29.000 Brian Boitano, I mean, he's a goddamn trailblazer. 0.99

01:00:33.000 But yeah, other than figure skating, who? 0.92

01:00:35.000 Actively competing in a major sport, there really isn't anything.

01:00:37.000 And I'm not saying like, you know, strongman is by no means like major or mainstream yet, but we're getting there.

01:00:43.000 People know about it.

01:00:44.000 For sure.

01:00:44.000 And I think to see like an openly gay man, you know, I say competing in arguably one of the most...

01:00:50.000 Like, hyper-masculine sports in the world.

01:00:52.000 Yeah. 0.99

01:00:53.000 You know, I think, like, when I think of masculine sports, I think, like, UFC and lifting shit. 0.97

01:00:57.000 Right, yeah. 0.98

01:00:58.000 Like, right?

01:00:58.000 Like, one, you're beating another dude up.

01:01:00.000 The other one, it's a bunch of guys standing around a weight being like, oh, I'm gonna pick it up.

01:01:04.000 No, I'll pick it up.

01:01:04.000 I'll pick it up faster.

01:01:05.000 You know, like, it's like Neanderthal almost. 0.99

01:01:08.000 Yeah, that's top of the food chain manly shit. 0.99

01:01:10.000 Exactly. 0.99

01:01:11.000 So I think it's like super important to see like an openly gay man in a relationship rocking a rainbow mohawk and rainbow tights out on a competition floor. 0.99

01:01:20.000 I think that makes people feel more comfortable than if you just out there slinging dick. 0.99

01:01:24.000 If you weren't in a relationship, you were openly gay and just fucking everything that moved, they'd be like, hey! 1.00

01:01:30.000 This guy can pick up the fucking moon and he can buttfuck you. 1.00

01:01:34.000 That's dangerous. 1.00

01:01:35.000 That was like one of my buddies. 0.99

01:01:36.000 He said, he's like, you know, I'm not afraid of you, but what does scare me is if you wanted to rape me, you could. 0.99

01:01:46.000 That sounds like he's setting you up. 0.98

01:01:48.000 He's like, definitely don't rip me, but if you were gonna, this is what I think you should do.

01:01:53.000 Grab me right here.

01:01:54.000 Yeah. 0.99

01:01:57.000 But yeah, those are definitely, I mean, right after fighting, that is the most manly shit. 1.00

01:02:01.000 Picking shit up. 1.00

01:02:02.000 Exactly. 0.99

01:02:03.000 So I think that's why I've been so open about my relationship and what I'm doing in the sport and just trying to be more visible for the LGBTQ community in pro sports in general.

01:02:14.000 Because like I said before, I get a shit ton of hate messages on a daily basis.

01:02:19.000 Do you read them?

01:02:19.000 All the time.

01:02:20.000 Why do you read them?

01:02:21.000 I love it.

01:02:21.000 Really?

01:02:22.000 And I know a lot of people don't, but to me...

01:02:29.000 We're good to go.

01:02:53.000 But...

01:02:54.000 And the crowd goes silent, it's my favorite part. 1.00

01:02:56.000 Oh, shit. 0.99

01:02:57.000 Like, if that was California, people would probably start cheering. 1.00

01:02:59.000 Yeah, well, yeah, it's Texas.

01:03:01.000 They're like, what just happened? 1.00

01:03:02.000 Hey, man, what the fuck? 0.99

01:03:03.000 He's right. 1.00

01:03:04.000 Shit. 1.00

01:03:05.000 Licking wieners. 1.00

01:03:06.000 Fuck. 1.00

01:03:08.000 But... 1.00

01:03:08.000 Totally sidetracked. 1.00

01:03:10.000 That's okay. 1.00

01:03:10.000 Talking about sucking dick and, you know... 1.00

01:03:12.000 I get it. 1.00

01:03:14.000 It's...

01:03:15.000 You would think that you would have a lot of sponsors that would jump in because of this, though.

01:03:21.000 I would think, because you're open, and because this is such a manly sport, and it's such a non-stereotypical thing, I would think that would be really positive for the LBGTQ community.

01:03:34.000 Yeah, I mean, let's talk in a week, Joe.

01:03:35.000 Let's see what happens after the show.

01:03:36.000 Yeah, well, I'm hoping.

01:03:37.000 I'm hoping we can help you, for real.

01:03:39.000 And that's my biggest thing while doing this whole thing, is just trying to spread positivity and love throughout the entire world.

01:03:45.000 I mean, I talk about the hate messages that I get, but like, The ones that mean a lot are like, you know, I got a message a few months ago from a 16-year-old kid who was on the verge of committing suicide because he couldn't come to terms with his sexuality.

01:03:59.000 And he said in his post, like, finding my profile, let him be comfortable with himself.

01:04:07.000 You know?

01:04:07.000 That's awesome.

01:04:08.000 Crazy.

01:04:09.000 That's so cool.

01:04:10.000 And it's like, I never expected to be that person just by saying I love this dude.

01:04:16.000 But that's sometimes how you get to be that person, right?

01:04:19.000 Just being yourself.

01:04:20.000 Exactly.

01:04:20.000 And I think that's why this whole thing has kind of blown up into what it is and why I'm fortunate enough to now be working on a documentary.

01:04:28.000 What's the documentary?

01:04:30.000 So we literally are filming our...

01:04:32.000 I just met the film crew this week.

01:04:34.000 Those guys out there?

01:04:35.000 Yeah, the ones out there.

01:04:36.000 Okay.

01:04:37.000 So, I was approached by Andy, who, she was on the set of World's Strongest Man, and she was like, once she saw my husband and I kiss after one of the events, like, lightbulbs just went off, and she was like, there's something here.

01:04:52.000 So, I was approached about doing a documentary kind of about my life and about being the only openly gay pro-strong man in the world.

01:04:59.000 Now, are there closeted gay strongmen?

01:05:02.000 I'm sure there are. 0.96

01:05:03.000 And they just don't talk to you?

01:05:04.000 Probably.

01:05:05.000 You're dangerous.

01:05:05.000 I know.

01:05:06.000 This wild motherfucker with a mohawk. 1.00

01:05:08.000 I don't want bitches coming for my title. 1.00

01:05:11.000 Right? 1.00

01:05:12.000 You want to keep them in the closet. 1.00

01:05:14.000 If more cards start coming out, we're going to have to actually have a contest for this shit. 1.00

01:05:18.000 What if strongmen becomes like the WNBA, where everyone's gay? 1.00

01:05:22.000 Oh, that would suck. 0.99

01:05:25.000 No, it'd be great. 0.96

01:05:26.000 You can't say that.

01:05:26.000 No, no, no, no, no.

01:05:28.000 I'm just selfish. 1.00

01:05:29.000 I mean, that's a good argument that sponsors won't show up, though, because fucking everybody knows the WNBA is gay as fuck. 1.00

01:05:36.000 True. 1.00

01:05:37.000 But it's bad basketball, too.

01:05:39.000 Yeah, it's not great.

01:05:39.000 That's not good.

01:05:41.000 Like, at least Strongman is like...

01:05:42.000 Women's sports is awesome, but I always think of the Family Guy episode where they're talking about the WNBA and they're like, oh, and listen to the fan! 1.00

01:05:50.000 And it's one guy cheering in the fan and stands.

01:05:54.000 Yeah, it's a tough sell.

01:05:57.000 It is.

01:05:57.000 It's a tough sell.

01:05:58.000 But yeah, Strongman shouldn't be a tough sell.

01:06:01.000 No.

01:06:01.000 And I think that's the cool thing.

01:06:03.000 Strongman in England is massive.

01:06:06.000 Really?

01:06:07.000 We sell out like 15,000 seat arenas in the UK. Whoa!

01:06:11.000 Really?

01:06:11.000 Yeah.

01:06:12.000 It is huge.

01:06:13.000 What about here?

01:06:14.000 What is it like here?

01:06:16.000 Yesterday, or Saturday in Santa Monica, we had about 1,700 people.

01:06:22.000 That's a good crowd.

01:06:23.000 Decent.

01:06:24.000 Decent crowd.

01:06:24.000 Where'd you guys do it?

01:06:26.000 Right on the pier. 0.99

01:06:27.000 Oh, no shit. 1.00

01:06:28.000 Yeah, yeah. 1.00

01:06:28.000 They did all the permits and shit. 1.00

01:06:31.000 Bleacher set up.

01:06:32.000 And Rogue was there to live stream the entire event, which was really cool.

01:06:35.000 I love them. 0.99

01:06:36.000 All my shit out there is Rogue. 0.99

01:06:37.000 They're so cool, man. 1.00

01:06:39.000 The best.

01:06:39.000 All their stuff is great.

01:06:42.000 We're actually, the organization Giants Live, which is the World's Strongest Man qualifying tour, they're bringing an arena show to the U.S. for the first time since like 2010. That's going to be in Daytona Beach in August, August 15th.

01:06:58.000 So that's going to be like the first crack at breaking into the mainstream U.S. arena venues.

01:07:04.000 Because like I said, over in the U.K., when I broke the Log Press record this past April, it was in Leeds.

01:07:09.000 And it was in front of a 12,000 seat crowd.

01:07:12.000 Wow.

01:07:12.000 It was unbelievable.

01:07:13.000 Why do you think it's so popular over there?

01:07:15.000 You know, I think the biggest thing is they don't have sports to compete with like we do here.

01:07:21.000 As many sports.

01:07:22.000 Yeah.

01:07:22.000 Like, what do they have?

01:07:23.000 Like, decently bad soccer and rugby?

01:07:26.000 Yeah.

01:07:27.000 Is their soccer bad?

01:07:28.000 Soccer's not great.

01:07:29.000 Really?

01:07:30.000 Yeah.

01:07:30.000 I thought England's really into that.

01:07:31.000 They are, but it doesn't mean it's good.

01:07:34.000 Oh, okay.

01:07:37.000 They're not good at rugby either?

01:07:39.000 I think they're pretty good at rugby.

01:07:40.000 Pretty good.

01:07:40.000 Yeah.

01:07:41.000 Then they have cricket, but they don't have the NFL. Why is that nonsense?

01:07:44.000 I don't know.

01:07:45.000 That is nonsense.

01:07:45.000 The one thing I know about cricket was last week a dude got hit in the balls twice in a row.

01:07:50.000 Twice in a row?

01:07:51.000 That was on ESPN. That's the only reason I saw it.

01:07:52.000 They showed cricket on ESPN? Yeah.

01:07:54.000 Because he got hit in the balls twice in a row.

01:07:56.000 Oh, like in the SportsCenter?

01:07:57.000 Yeah, the Not Top Ten.

01:07:58.000 Well, they used to have that late night on ESPN is when you would see strongman competitions.

01:08:03.000 Yeah, and since, you know, so we're no longer with ESPN. We've been picked up by IMG and CBS, which is great.

01:08:11.000 So now World's Strongest Man has aired on CBS and CBS Sports.

01:08:15.000 So a little bit more mainstream, which is great.

01:08:19.000 Yeah, so it's really exciting.

01:08:21.000 I'm hoping the U.S. can kind of pick it up when it comes to these arena shows.

01:08:27.000 What can make it more popular?

01:08:29.000 What do you think can be done to make people understand?

01:08:32.000 I mean, it's fun to watch, for sure.

01:08:34.000 I think people need to understand what we're doing.

01:08:38.000 I think there's such a big respect in the U.K. for strength.

01:08:42.000 You know, like, Eddie Hall, he won World's Strongest Man in 2017, won the contest once and then retired.

01:08:48.000 That's it.

01:08:49.000 Because there hadn't been a winner in the UK since the 80s for World's Strongest Man.

01:08:54.000 So, like, he is just a household name.

01:08:56.000 Is this him here?

01:08:57.000 That's Eddie, yeah, on the closest to us. 1.00

01:08:59.000 Jesus Christ, besides that fucking gorilla. 0.99

01:09:02.000 Yeah, so he also holds... 1.00

01:09:03.000 He even looks like a gorilla!

01:09:05.000 He holds...

01:09:07.000 He has the deadlift world record, so he's the only person...

01:09:10.000 I believe it.

01:09:10.000 He deadlifted 500 kilos, so he deadlifted 1,102 pounds.

01:09:15.000 What the fuck, man? 1.00

01:09:17.000 Look at the size of this fucking guy. 1.00

01:09:18.000 So he won World's Strongest Man, and everybody in the UK knows his name. 0.99

01:09:22.000 And that's actually where most of my fan base is, even, is in the UK, because this sport is so big.

01:09:27.000 And you can see the arena sold out there.

01:09:29.000 Look at him.

01:09:30.000 This is the last stretch.

01:09:31.000 Yeah.

01:09:32.000 Oh, one more. 1.00

01:09:33.000 Fuck. 1.00

01:09:34.000 See, that's the thing. 1.00

01:09:35.000 Like, people think strongman's just lifting shit. 0.99

01:09:36.000 Like, we have to be athletic as fuck to do this, too. 1.00

01:09:38.000 Wow, the tire's what got it for him. 0.99

01:09:42.000 Wow.

01:09:43.000 That's crazy that he won with a tire.

01:09:45.000 Yeah.

01:09:46.000 We have to run.

01:09:46.000 We have to be agile.

01:09:47.000 We have to be able to carry stuff.

01:09:49.000 We have to be able to lift heavy.

01:09:50.000 Oh, that's fifth and sixth place in this video here.

01:09:52.000 Yeah. 0.99

01:09:53.000 Losers. 1.00

01:09:54.000 Yeah. 1.00

01:09:55.000 Look at that.

01:09:56.000 That dude's neck starts around the edges of his shoulders.

01:10:01.000 It's crazy.

01:10:01.000 It's just a tube.

01:10:03.000 Such a fucking nutty sport, man. 0.99

01:10:05.000 It is, but it's so much fun. 1.00

01:10:07.000 When you come and see a live event, it's wild.

01:10:11.000 The cool thing about Strongman is the fans and the competitors, you want to see everybody succeed.

01:10:18.000 So it's one of the few sports where you're cheering for someone as you're competing against them, which is awesome.

01:10:24.000 Yeah, that is awesome. 0.99

01:10:25.000 You're kind of seen as a dick. 1.00

01:10:26.000 If you finish an event and you walk off and the person next to you is still going, everybody's like, dude, what the fuck? 1.00

01:10:33.000 Hey, when you compete, do you have patches on for your sponsors or shit like that? 0.96

01:10:38.000 No. 0.60

01:10:39.000 So that's the tough part, is you have to wear the competition shirt because there are sponsors that pay To be on the t-shirt.

01:10:47.000 Now, in between events, if there's interviews and stuff like that, that's when I'll throw on a sponsor shirt to try to get them some TV time that way.

01:10:57.000 But it's also tough because in the UK, all of those competitions are aired on TV in the UK. In the US, the only time people see Strongman on TV is World's Strongest Man.

01:11:05.000 But what about YouTube?

01:11:07.000 YouTube is growing, and that's massive now.

01:11:09.000 I would feel like that would be the big venue for you guys.

01:11:12.000 Yeah, you know, you look at Brian Shaw.

01:11:14.000 He has, like, I think he has, like, 1.3 million subscribers on YouTube. 0.99

01:11:18.000 He's just picking up heavy shit. 0.99

01:11:20.000 Huge, yeah. 1.00

01:11:21.000 And it's just, like, all about him.

01:11:22.000 Like, him and his wife will do, like, eating challenges, or they'll do workouts together.

01:11:26.000 As an eating challenge with his wife?

01:11:27.000 Yeah.

01:11:28.000 That's hilarious.

01:11:29.000 It's hysterical.

01:11:29.000 How big's his wife?

01:11:30.000 She's tiny, too. 1.00

01:11:31.000 How the fuck does he compete? 0.99

01:11:33.000 I don't know. 0.99

01:11:34.000 How is she hanging in there with him?

01:11:35.000 That doesn't even make any sense.

01:11:36.000 Women get excited about pizza and eating that stuff. 1.00

01:11:42.000 The reason why I was asking is because that used to be the thing back in the early days with MMA fighters, that they could make money off of sponsors, sponsors on their shorts and stuff.

01:11:51.000 Yeah, I mean, to be honest, like, shorts and pants, that's a different story.

01:11:56.000 Oh, you can wear sponsors in your shorts?

01:11:57.000 Absolutely.

01:11:58.000 Oh, really?

01:11:58.000 So, like, the competition shirt...

01:11:59.000 So we get you a JRE patch, and I can sponsor your shorts?

01:12:02.000 Totally.

01:12:02.000 Really?

01:12:03.000 Well, I mean, I wear spandex, though.

01:12:05.000 So, how do you put a...

01:12:06.000 You can put a patch on spandex.

01:12:07.000 I can figure it out of the way.

01:12:08.000 Yeah, we'll have to make that happen.

01:12:09.000 That's always my goal.

01:12:10.000 Like, I always try to wear, like...

01:12:11.000 The Obers is going to get mad.

01:12:12.000 That's fine.

01:12:12.000 I'm going to have to sponsor him, too.

01:12:13.000 No, we can piss him off.

01:12:14.000 It's fine.

01:12:16.000 Sorry, bro.

01:12:16.000 He beat you in the log push.

01:12:18.000 He beat you in the log press.

01:12:20.000 My goal is to try to wear the craziest, most outrageous spandex at every contest I go to. 0.99

01:12:25.000 Oh, yeah.

01:12:25.000 You need sequins.

01:12:26.000 Can you have sequins on yours? 0.99

01:12:27.000 I haven't yet, and I don't know why I haven't thought about that.

01:12:30.000 You need them.

01:12:30.000 The ones I wore this past weekend were like swirly rainbow.

01:12:33.000 Nice.

01:12:34.000 Yeah, it was awesome.

01:12:34.000 Hot pink with sequins, bro.

01:12:36.000 Yeah.

01:12:37.000 I'm down for that.

01:12:37.000 Yeah.

01:12:38.000 Yeah.

01:12:39.000 For sure, right?

01:12:41.000 You need that.

01:12:41.000 I love these ideas, Joe.

01:12:42.000 This is great.

01:12:43.000 These are good ideas.

01:12:43.000 Yeah, I'm all about it.

01:12:44.000 All right.

01:12:44.000 Any spandex people listening?

01:12:46.000 What kind of...

01:12:46.000 Yeah, any spandex designers and constructors of spandex?

01:12:51.000 You know how to put together a good sequin?

01:12:52.000 You can't...

01:12:53.000 The sequins can't fall off.

01:12:55.000 No, no.

01:12:56.000 Because I'll be deadlifting and running.

01:12:57.000 Yeah, anchored.

01:12:58.000 Especially deadlifting, right?

01:12:59.000 Because it's going up your thigh.

01:13:01.000 I think we'd have to do the sequins on the sides. 0.57

01:13:02.000 Yeah.

01:13:03.000 Yeah.

01:13:03.000 Like racing stripes.

01:13:05.000 Ooh.

01:13:06.000 Super gay racing stripes. 0.99

01:13:08.000 I like it. 0.97

01:13:09.000 I like it.

01:13:10.000 I like it.

01:13:10.000 Now, when you are doing this, what kind of shoes do you guys wear?

01:13:15.000 Because those guys were running, but I would imagine you'd have to have something that's very flat with serious support.

01:13:22.000 I'm super bougie.

01:13:23.000 I bring like five different pairs of shoes to every contest.

01:13:27.000 But what do you prefer?

01:13:28.000 It changes every event.

01:13:30.000 The brand I go with is Innovate.

01:13:34.000 I love all their stuff.

01:13:35.000 I've never heard of them before.

01:13:37.000 It's I-N-O-V-8. 1.00

01:13:39.000 Is it a powerlifting only brand?

01:13:41.000 CrossFit lifting.

01:13:43.000 They have lifting shoes that I wear for my overhead events.

01:13:46.000 Then I wear their barefoot shoes.

01:13:49.000 That's what I do for my moving events and when I deadlift.

01:13:52.000 They also have hiking shoes that are anti-slip.

01:13:57.000 That I'll use when I do truck pull or pushing events as well.

01:14:00.000 No, are they a sponsor?

01:14:02.000 Working on it.

01:14:03.000 Come on, Innovate.

01:14:04.000 They sent me a bunch of stuff for free.

01:14:07.000 It's better than nothing.

01:14:08.000 Yeah, totally.

01:14:09.000 And honestly, they're the most comfortable shoes I've worn when training.

01:14:12.000 Let me see what that looks like.

01:14:13.000 Let me see what them Innovate shoes look like.

01:14:15.000 I don't know.

01:14:16.000 Go with the barefoot one.

01:14:17.000 Let me see what that looks like.

01:14:18.000 They're super light, too.

01:14:19.000 Yeah?

01:14:19.000 Yeah.

01:14:21.000 That's what I think I like about them too.

01:14:22.000 Even though their weightlifting shoes are light.

01:14:24.000 Because those are usually clunky and heavy.

01:14:27.000 Especially when I'm doing a split jerk trying to move my feet fast.

01:14:30.000 The last thing I want is heavy things on my feet.

01:14:32.000 Those are the lifting shoes that I have.

01:14:35.000 I like that.

01:14:36.000 So the platform in the back?

01:14:38.000 Yeah, so they have a raised heel, about three quarters of an inch.

01:14:41.000 Now that's for when you're lifting, it's almost like standing on plates, right?

01:14:45.000 Yeah, so that'd be like if you're squatting using that.

01:14:48.000 And then I like it for overhead lifts just because it gives you a little bit more stability.

01:14:51.000 Now why do you have to stand on plates?

01:14:54.000 What is the idea behind that, to raise the back heel up?

01:14:57.000 Raising the heel, it takes out the issue of ankle mobility in a lift, like a squat.

01:15:03.000 So, there's a lot of restriction in the ankle and the Achilles if they're tight.

01:15:06.000 And that'll either cause or prevent you from your knees tracking properly. 0.52

01:15:12.000 It'll put extra strain on the hips and on the ankles. 0.69

01:15:15.000 So, doing that, it kind of takes the ankle complex out of the motion and makes the movement easier.

01:15:21.000 It can keep a more upright spine, a little bit more comfortable lift.

01:15:25.000 So, that's usually the thought process behind it.

01:15:27.000 So when you have that elevated heel, then you don't have to stand on plates or anything like that.

01:15:31.000 You just use it just like that.

01:15:32.000 Yeah, just a shoe.

01:15:34.000 So it's interesting that you wear different ones for different events.

01:15:40.000 Yeah.

01:15:40.000 So the pulling for the truck tire one, you use a hiking one, is that what you're saying?

01:15:44.000 So this will be my first time using that.

01:15:46.000 Typically, we use rock climbing shoes.

01:15:48.000 Oh, which are real grippy.

01:15:50.000 Super grippy, and especially like we're pulling on asphalt usually.

01:15:54.000 So it'll dig into the asphalt.

01:15:57.000 These ones that I have from Innovate now, they're like anti-slip and they have gripping treads on them.

01:16:02.000 So I'm going to be using them for an event called the Wheel of Pain coming up at the Arnold Strawman Classic, which is based off of the movie Conan the Barbarian, where you see him pushing that big implement.

01:16:15.000 So they actually, Rogue recreated that implement for the Arnold.

01:16:19.000 Yeah, if you can pull a picture of that, it is the most badass thing ever.

01:16:23.000 Arnold.

01:16:24.000 This is like a $300,000 piece of equipment. 0.99

01:16:26.000 Oh, they even did it with the carving and shit. 0.98

01:16:28.000 Dude, that's so cool. 0.99

01:16:30.000 Wild.

01:16:30.000 So you literally just have to push it.

01:16:32.000 So those big wheels are filled with sand, because they obviously don't want to make it too easy for us.

01:16:37.000 Wow.

01:16:38.000 And you just have to push it in a circle as far as you can in 75 seconds.

01:16:42.000 Oh, wow. 0.98

01:16:44.000 That's, everybody looks fucking exhausted. 0.98

01:16:46.000 Oh, 60 seconds, even better. 0.98

01:16:48.000 It just hurts, man.

01:16:49.000 Oh, it looks like it hurts.

01:16:50.000 It just is, it's like, I mean, you know, like, I mean, you work out.

01:16:54.000 So it's like, imagine even doing something like as simple as like rowing on an erg for 60 seconds, just all out, nonstop.

01:17:02.000 This guy's pushing on his head.

01:17:03.000 Yeah, so this last year was the first year they did this event.

01:17:07.000 And they changed the rules this year.

01:17:10.000 Where you have to keep your hands on the implement like that, like Brian's doing right there.

01:17:15.000 Because someone was just using their head?

01:17:16.000 Yeah, so they don't want anybody to do that anymore.

01:17:18.000 That seems like that would crush all your vertebra.

01:17:21.000 Yeah.

01:17:21.000 So you have to keep your hands on the implement at all times and push...

01:17:25.000 Like that.

01:17:26.000 What a dope design, though.

01:17:28.000 I mean, it really does look like something out of Conan.

01:17:31.000 It looks unreal.

01:17:31.000 Yeah.

01:17:31.000 It's fucking cool as shit.

01:17:32.000 It's so cool. 0.99

01:17:32.000 It's all carved out of wood, too. 0.99

01:17:34.000 Who built that fucking thing? 1.00

01:17:36.000 Rogue. 1.00

01:17:36.000 They just hired artists to carve it? 1.00

01:17:38.000 Rogue has everybody.

01:17:41.000 I mean, anything you could think of, they have people to make it. 0.95

01:17:45.000 Their fucking Echo Bike is the greatest cardio machine thing that I've ever used. 0.96

01:17:50.000 Best and worst, because it hurts so much. 0.99

01:17:51.000 It's the best. 0.99

01:17:52.000 But look at this fucking thing with the snake heads and everything. 1.00

01:17:54.000 Yeah. 1.00

01:17:55.000 What a genius.

01:17:55.000 You could see it rolling back when you let go, and that's because there's sand in those big wheels.

01:18:00.000 So you have to push it against sand.

01:18:02.000 So now they have to deconstruct this and bring it back and put it back together again? 0.97

01:18:06.000 Because it's not like you could fucking ship it like that. 0.85

01:18:08.000 And this is the only contest they use it for. 0.97

01:18:10.000 They use it one time a year.

01:18:12.000 He's using his shoulders.

01:18:13.000 Yeah.

01:18:13.000 He's Russian.

01:18:14.000 What do you expect?

01:18:15.000 Oh, Russian. 1.00

01:18:16.000 You shoulder.

01:18:18.000 That is a crazy thing, though, that you can kind of use your shoulders and push with your hands.

01:18:23.000 Yeah, so this will be the second time we're doing this event, so they switch it a little bit, have to keep your hands on the implement at all times, and then it's just push until you can't anymore. 0.99

01:18:33.000 God damn, that's bananas. 0.96

01:18:36.000 Look at that. 1.00

01:18:37.000 Look, everybody looks so tired!

01:18:40.000 I mean, this is one of those events where usually the medics will come over with oxygen afterwards.

01:18:44.000 Oh, yeah.

01:18:45.000 It's crazy.

01:18:47.000 And he's got that Russian beret on, too.

01:18:51.000 So he actually is in the Russian military, too.

01:18:53.000 Is he really?

01:18:54.000 Yeah, he's like the Russian equivalent of a green beret.

01:18:57.000 And he does strongmen on top of that?

01:18:59.000 Yeah. 1.00

01:19:00.000 That's a manly motherfucker. 1.00

01:19:01.000 He's scary. 1.00

01:19:02.000 He's the next guy to come out of the closet.

01:19:04.000 He's super nice, but you know...

01:19:05.000 Guaranteed.

01:19:06.000 Look at him. 1.00

01:19:10.000 You know, he's definitely probably killed some other fuckers. 1.00

01:19:12.000 He is so free. 1.00

01:19:14.000 Rob is so free.

01:19:15.000 Why can I not be?

01:19:16.000 I don't even think his English is that good.

01:19:18.000 No?

01:19:18.000 No, it's so bad.

01:19:20.000 But they also, I mean, these Eastern Europeans are smart because they'll play dumb on purpose to not listen to the rules and then try to bend them. 1.00

01:19:27.000 Oh, really? 0.98

01:19:27.000 Oh, yeah. 0.98

01:19:28.000 Sneaky fucks. 1.00

01:19:29.000 Yeah. 1.00

01:19:30.000 They're like, I don't know, but they fucking know. 0.92

01:19:32.000 How many Russian guys win it? 0.98

01:19:33.000 Because you would think that would be a thing.

01:19:36.000 You think of strong people, you think of Russians. 0.99

01:19:39.000 Eastern Europeans are always in the mix. 1.00

01:19:41.000 But honestly, dominating across the board lately has been U.S., Iceland, and that's about it.

01:19:49.000 Is it because we have the best steroids?

01:19:51.000 It could be.

01:19:52.000 It might have something to do with it.

01:19:53.000 Yeah.

01:19:54.000 What kind of testing do they do?

01:19:56.000 They just look at you?

01:19:57.000 I mean, they test us.

01:19:58.000 Do they?

01:19:59.000 They don't tell us what for.

01:20:01.000 Oh, so nobody gets in trouble?

01:20:03.000 No.

01:20:03.000 I got caught for weed.

01:20:05.000 What?

01:20:06.000 Well, I mean, they said, do you smoke?

01:20:07.000 I was like, well, it's legal in Massachusetts, so yes.

01:20:10.000 And they're like, okay.

01:20:11.000 Yeah, they're like, all right, cool.

01:20:13.000 I mean, they don't want us, like, taking Coke or, like, you know, stuff like that.

01:20:18.000 That's what I would worry about, right?

01:20:19.000 It's like someone getting on amphetamines.

01:20:21.000 Yeah, no, they do test for that.

01:20:22.000 Like, they test for, like, you know, prescription pills and stuff.

01:20:25.000 Yeah, yeah.

01:20:26.000 I don't know about that. 1.00

01:20:27.000 You'd fucking get really strong on that shit, apparently. 1.00

01:20:30.000 You'd probably rip everything apart. 1.00

01:20:31.000 I was going to say, you'd probably break your body.

01:20:33.000 Yeah, you'd probably not understand the boundaries at all.

01:20:36.000 No, you'd just go.

01:20:37.000 I had a buddy of mine who got in a fight, he was on PCP, and a dude bit off his finger.

01:20:40.000 And he didn't even realize it.

01:20:42.000 Now he has a toe that they took.

01:20:45.000 They took his second toe and curved it.

01:20:49.000 So he could still punch.

01:20:51.000 So if you shake his hand, his right hand when he shakes you, he's got the...

01:20:55.000 That takes a new meaning to shake a leg.

01:20:57.000 His pointer finger, his index finger, is curved.

01:20:59.000 That's weird.

01:20:59.000 It's curved permanently.

01:21:00.000 So he never has like a flat hand.

01:21:03.000 That's wild. 0.99

01:21:04.000 And it's his fucking toe. 1.00

01:21:05.000 That's wild. 1.00

01:21:06.000 Yeah.

01:21:07.000 Yeah.

01:21:08.000 My old boxing coach.

01:21:09.000 Wow.

01:21:10.000 Shout out to Joe Lake.

01:21:12.000 But yeah, so they don't want us taking that kind of stuff.

01:21:16.000 Right.

01:21:17.000 But pretty much that's it. 0.98

01:21:19.000 That makes sense, just because it's fucking dangerous, too. 0.97

01:21:22.000 Dudes that have heart attacks, like you're pushing that thing on some kind of... 0.99

01:21:25.000 It is wild.

01:21:26.000 The amount of medical testing we have to go through before a contest is crazy.

01:21:29.000 I would imagine.

01:21:30.000 Your heart.

01:21:31.000 The medical packet that we have to get filled out by our primary cares for World's Strongest Man is like...

01:21:37.000 48 pages long.

01:21:39.000 What?

01:21:39.000 Yeah.

01:21:40.000 It's wild, dude.

01:21:41.000 So they bring you in for an exam.

01:21:43.000 How long does that take?

01:21:44.000 We have to get it done on our own.

01:21:45.000 Oh.

01:21:45.000 So they send, after the invites are done and after the lineup is set for World's Strongest Man, you get the email that it's like, here's the medical packet you need done by this date.

01:21:56.000 And you pretty much have to make an appointment with your primary care.

01:21:59.000 And get it all done. 0.99

01:22:00.000 So what does your doctor say when you come to him with that fucking 48-page packet? 0.98

01:22:04.000 Well, luckily I've gone to her a few times with it, so she knows to block off some time. 0.98

01:22:08.000 So she knows what's up.

01:22:10.000 Yeah, you know, but it's smart.

01:22:13.000 Because we have to get an EKG, we have to do stress testing, we have to get a full blood panel done.

01:22:18.000 They have to look at everything, because they don't want somebody dropping dead on TV. That makes them look pretty fucking bad. 0.98

01:22:25.000 Yeah, they would have to make sure that you're not already over-trained too, right?

01:22:28.000 Like increasing levels.

01:22:30.000 Yeah, so they look at everything.

01:22:31.000 I mean, it's a full blood panel.

01:22:33.000 Like I said, they do the EKG. They look at the heart.

01:22:36.000 And then it's obviously a full medical history as well.

01:22:38.000 Just everything from parents to past diseases to what runs in the family.

01:22:42.000 Everything.

01:22:45.000 No.

01:23:14.000 If you win, you make decent money.

01:23:16.000 I mean, it's not a lot.

01:23:18.000 Right.

01:23:18.000 You know, like, to win World's Strongest Man, you make, like, 50 grand.

01:23:21.000 Really?

01:23:21.000 That's it?

01:23:22.000 Yeah. 1.00

01:23:22.000 For the strongest motherfucker out there. 1.00

01:23:23.000 To be the strongest man in the world. 0.99

01:23:24.000 That should be worth a million bucks.

01:23:26.000 I think so.

01:23:26.000 That's the number.

01:23:27.000 I mean, but look at it.

01:23:28.000 So, like, World's Strongest Man's been around since the 70s.

01:23:30.000 I need to see six zeros. 0.99

01:23:32.000 You're going to win the strongest man in the fucking world? 0.99

01:23:34.000 That's what I'm talking about. 1.00

01:23:35.000 Come on, man.

01:23:35.000 We need you in the sport, Joe.

01:23:36.000 This is bullshit. 1.00

01:23:38.000 Pony up the money. 1.00

01:23:39.000 Seems like somebody should be able to pony up a million bucks.

01:23:41.000 I would love it.

01:23:42.000 Some big company.

01:23:43.000 I will say, we talk about World's Strongest Man and Giants Live and that whole series, but then we also have the Arnold Circuit.

01:23:48.000 So there's two big pro circuits for Strongman to choose from.

01:23:52.000 The Arnold Circuit, they've definitely elevated the game.

01:23:55.000 So the Arnold Strongman Classic in Ohio is kind of seen as the most elite competition in the world because only 10 guys qualify for that contest.

01:24:05.000 World's Strongest Man, you get 25. And then the prize money in Ohio is better than World's Strongest Man.

01:24:12.000 It's almost double, actually.

01:24:14.000 Really?

01:24:14.000 Yeah.

01:24:15.000 For Arnold?

01:24:16.000 So each of the Arnold International shows, it's standard prize money.

01:24:20.000 So the Arnold International shows, there was one here in Santa Monica this weekend.

01:24:24.000 There's Australia, South America, South Africa, Europe, Canada.

01:24:29.000 I think that's it.

01:24:31.000 But we all know the prize money going into each show because it's the same at every one.

01:24:35.000 So it's like 10 grand for first, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1. So they pay out top six.

01:24:40.000 But they also pay all of our travel there.

01:24:42.000 So it's not too bad.

01:24:45.000 No.

01:24:46.000 But then the big motivation is to get to Ohio, right?

01:24:49.000 Where first place is 85 grand.

01:24:52.000 And they pay out all 10 athletes.

01:24:54.000 But like third place at, I think it's second or third place at Ohio makes just as much as World's Strongest Man.

01:25:01.000 So this is probably why you have to compete 40 times a year.

01:25:04.000 It's kind of imperative.

01:25:06.000 And the thing is, to be honest, I didn't really do that well this past weekend at Santa Monica, so I didn't make any money.

01:25:10.000 Oh, really?

01:25:11.000 Yeah.

01:25:12.000 Oh, no.

01:25:13.000 Which is a bummer.

01:25:14.000 It is a bummer.

01:25:18.000 For me, it was more like a gauging.

01:25:20.000 I was trying to gauge where I was at going into Columbus.

01:25:23.000 The events were really similar.

01:25:25.000 So do you do that, like you have to be careful to not go too crazy in one of these events?

01:25:29.000 Yes.

01:25:30.000 Because you'd blow something out?

01:25:31.000 I definitely held back this weekend.

01:25:33.000 I think I could have hit another gear if I needed to, but already having my qualification to the big show, mentally I don't think I'd have been able to turn it on like I need to in Ohio.

01:25:43.000 Right.

01:25:43.000 And when is Ohio?

01:25:44.000 What dates?

01:25:44.000 First week of March.

01:25:45.000 So the contest is the 5th and 6th, I think, or the 6th and 7th.

01:25:49.000 So you have nothing between right now, which is January 20th, and March.

01:25:54.000 So how do you ramp up?

01:25:56.000 What is your schedule like to prepare for something like that?

01:25:59.000 So, the biggest thing, so we look at the events, right?

01:26:02.000 So, you know, I mentioned we have the max deadlift.

01:26:04.000 So, my goal is to deadlift 1,000 pounds, which would make me the first person under 300 pounds body weight to do that in history.

01:26:12.000 Whoa! 0.71

01:26:13.000 Yeah.

01:26:14.000 How close are you?

01:26:15.000 I pulled 970 in July.

01:26:16.000 Jesus Christ! 0.99

01:26:19.000 God damn, that's a lot of weight. 0.99

01:26:20.000 So, we're close. 0.99

01:26:22.000 Right there.

01:26:22.000 We're close.

01:26:24.000 And you're only 28. Yeah.

01:26:25.000 You're gonna get stronger.

01:26:26.000 Exactly.

01:26:27.000 So, if you don't get to 300 pounds, if you don't gain too much weight, you can nail it.

01:26:30.000 I don't want to.

01:26:31.000 Like, I was almost 300. I was like 298 at World's Strongest Man in 2018, and I was a fat fuck. 1.00

01:26:37.000 It was gross. 0.99

01:26:38.000 Like, I look at my husband, I was like, why did you want to, like, lay next to me?

01:26:42.000 Like, I had neck rolls on my neck rolls.

01:26:44.000 I'm like, I was gross.

01:26:46.000 Isn't that a thing like some dudes like bears?

01:26:47.000 They like them big and hairy?

01:26:48.000 Well, he does.

01:26:49.000 And I totally am a bear. 1.00

01:26:51.000 But, like, I was an ugly fucking bear, dude. 1.00

01:26:54.000 A bear just going into hibernation. 1.00

01:26:56.000 Oh, man.

01:26:57.000 I look at pictures. 1.00

01:26:58.000 My head looked like a fucking blueberry. 0.99

01:27:00.000 I was like, what was I thinking? 0.99

01:27:05.000 But, like, honestly, like, 285 is, like, kind of my sweet spot.

01:27:08.000 Because I'm still getting stronger, getting a little bit leaner, and getting better at the sport.

01:27:12.000 So, like, I don't see a reason to get any bigger.

01:27:14.000 Right.

01:27:15.000 But I honestly do think 1,000 pounds is doable right now.

01:27:18.000 Well, it seems like if you're 30 pounds away, if you're doing that much weight, 960...

01:27:23.000 I mean, look, 30 pounds to a deadlift for a regular person, that's an extra 30 pounds, that's a lot. 0.98

01:27:28.000 But not when you're already doing 970 fucking pounds...

01:27:33.000 Yeah, and to go back to the prep and the ramp up to this contest, this weekend the deadlift was a 7.75 for reps in a minute. 0.96

01:27:41.000 And I pulled six, which is okay.

01:27:45.000 That's a lot.

01:27:45.000 But I probably could have pulled seven or eight if I needed to.

01:27:48.000 The winning number was nine.

01:27:50.000 And ironically, everybody that finished ahead of me in that event has already deadlifted over 1,000 pounds.

01:27:55.000 So that made me feel pretty good.

01:27:57.000 Yeah.

01:28:00.000 But leading up into these next few weeks, I'm going to start working.

01:28:03.000 My heaviest deadlift I did before this contest was 850 for one.

01:28:06.000 I'm going to start working up into that low to mid nines in the next couple of weeks and probably have my last heavy, heavy deadlift probably three weeks before the contest, two and a half weeks before the contest.

01:28:17.000 And then do you deadlift at all leading up to the contest?

01:28:21.000 If I do, it'll be light.

01:28:22.000 Very light.

01:28:22.000 And I say light relative.

01:28:23.000 It's a relative term.

01:28:24.000 600 pounds.

01:28:25.000 Yeah.

01:28:26.000 So you're just trying to let your body recover.

01:28:27.000 Yeah. 0.99

01:28:28.000 And that's something a lot of people think, like, people forget, like, when we're training this hard, like, we're beat to shit. 0.88

01:28:34.000 And, like, we're, like, we get stronger when we rest and recover. 0.89

01:28:40.000 So I really don't exercise or lift, like, the week of a contest.

01:28:44.000 Like, I'll do my recovery workouts that I talked about before, where, like, I'm just kind of swimming, hot tub, sauna, that stuff.

01:28:49.000 But I won't lift any weights.

01:28:51.000 And that's because my body, my central nervous system, everything just needs a break.

01:28:55.000 And you get stronger over that period of time.

01:28:58.000 And it's amazing.

01:28:59.000 Does it make you feel like you maybe are overtraining in other ways?

01:29:05.000 Not really.

01:29:05.000 Because if you do that, get that much stronger when you take a week off, it almost seems like you should do that more often.

01:29:11.000 No, because I think you need to get to that point where you need it.

01:29:13.000 You need to get beat down.

01:29:14.000 You know, like there are some strength coaches out there that like, you know, we call it a deload, right?

01:29:19.000 So it's like where you're ramping up, ramping up, going super heavy, then you back off for a little bit, right?

01:29:24.000 And so that's what we call a deload.

01:29:25.000 And there's some coaches that give that every fourth week of their program, regardless.

01:29:29.000 Right?

01:29:30.000 And I don't agree with that.

01:29:31.000 Because I don't think anybody can work that hard for three weeks to beat down their body enough where they need it every single fourth week.

01:29:38.000 Normal people don't train hard enough to need regular deloads.

01:29:42.000 The deloads, the guys who practice that way, are they winning?

01:29:47.000 Not really.

01:29:48.000 No.

01:29:49.000 I see a lot in the powerlifting community where it's just like squat, bench, deadlift.

01:29:56.000 But in all honesty, I feel like you have to earn your deload.

01:30:01.000 And that's what my coach does with me.

01:30:03.000 I went almost six months without a deload leading into this contest.

01:30:07.000 Jesus Christ.

01:30:08.000 And that happened about a month and a half ago, and I knew I needed it because I was tired every day, regardless of how much sleep I got.

01:30:17.000 I didn't want to go to the gym. 0.94

01:30:19.000 Every time I'd get to the gym, I was fucking miserable. 0.98

01:30:22.000 I just wanted to leave. 0.97

01:30:23.000 I didn't want to look at anything.

01:30:24.000 I didn't want to talk to anybody.

01:30:25.000 And I texted my coach. 0.99

01:30:26.000 I was like, I need a fucking break. 0.99

01:30:29.000 And he was like, all right, cool. 0.99

01:30:30.000 I was waiting for you to get to that point.

01:30:33.000 But it's like, I feel like it's something you have to earn.

01:30:37.000 Because people think they work hard.

01:30:42.000 But they don't really know what that means until they're actually pushed to do something.

01:30:45.000 And that's where I got to that point.

01:30:48.000 And that's why these next five weeks are going to be super crucial in my training to this contest. 0.99

01:30:53.000 Because I'm going to beat my body to shit over these next five weeks. 0.99

01:30:58.000 And my husband will probably get pissed off at me because I'll be a prick one or two times at least. 0.99

01:31:03.000 But this is the biggest competition in the world and I know what I need to sacrifice to get to that point.

01:31:08.000 And that's going to mean long training sessions, really hard training sessions, and I'm, you know, just like I said, I'm just going to beat my body down just to reap those rewards at the end of it.

01:31:16.000 Yeah, that's got to leave you super exhausted.

01:31:18.000 It hurts.

01:31:19.000 And cranky and just like, ugh.

01:31:22.000 Yeah, you know, like, I can't remember the last time I woke up in the morning feeling good.

01:31:27.000 Oh, you must be in pain all over the place, right?

01:31:29.000 Yeah, it all hurts.

01:31:30.000 Yeah.

01:31:30.000 But whatever.

01:31:32.000 Can still do cool shit. 1.00

01:31:33.000 Do you get MRIs and get shit checked out? 1.00

01:31:36.000 Nah. 1.00

01:31:36.000 No? 1.00

01:31:37.000 I'm sure I have herniated discs and stuff like that.

01:31:39.000 How could you not?

01:31:41.000 My orthopedic's actually one of my closest friends, ironically.

01:31:44.000 Yeah?

01:31:45.000 You know, but like, his whole thing is like, as long as you're feeling good, like, why look into it?

01:31:51.000 Right, because then you might freak out.

01:31:52.000 You think about it.

01:31:53.000 Right.

01:31:53.000 If you don't know it, it's not going to hurt.

01:31:56.000 Right.

01:31:56.000 But if you see it, then you start thinking.

01:31:59.000 It's like, oh, shit. 1.00

01:32:00.000 Yeah, I've got to imagine your discs are awful. 1.00

01:32:02.000 That's why it's so impressive that that guy is 53. I was actually 6'3 when I started the sport.

01:32:06.000 That's why it's amazing that that guy is 53 and still able to lift such insane amounts of weight.

01:32:11.000 It's crazy.

01:32:13.000 I mean, it's so impressive.

01:32:14.000 And there's actually still a guy here in L.A. who owns a gym called The Training Hall.

01:32:19.000 In Thousand Oaks, that's where Martins trains.

01:32:21.000 His name is Ode Haugen.

01:32:23.000 What a name.

01:32:24.000 He's 72 and he still does some strength competitions too.

01:32:29.000 What?

01:32:29.000 Yeah, like he still deadlifts like over 500 pounds.

01:32:31.000 Oh, I've seen that guy online.

01:32:33.000 Yeah, yeah.

01:32:34.000 And Ode is awesome.

01:32:35.000 That's insane.

01:32:36.000 Yeah, he's like the nicest dude ever, but like he has arguably the best grip in the world.

01:32:41.000 Really?

01:32:41.000 Yeah.

01:32:41.000 At 72?

01:32:42.000 Yeah, it's crazy.

01:32:43.000 My God. 0.98

01:32:45.000 Yeah, he's a freak. 0.94

01:32:46.000 Now, that's him. 0.93

01:32:48.000 Yeah, I have seen him.

01:32:50.000 Yeah, that is incredible.

01:32:52.000 That guy's that jacked.

01:32:54.000 Yeah, and he's like 73, I think.

01:32:55.000 Yeah, he just turned 73 this weekend was his birthday.

01:32:57.000 The training hall.

01:32:58.000 I know where that is.

01:32:59.000 Yeah, right in Thousand Oaks.

01:33:00.000 I know where that joint is.

01:33:00.000 Yeah, that's only like 20 minutes away from here, man.

01:33:03.000 Yeah, so that's where Martin's, the current world's strongest man, trains.

01:33:06.000 And then Ode is the owner of that place.

01:33:08.000 Wow.

01:33:09.000 That's amazing that he could still get after it at that age.

01:33:12.000 And he's so cool.

01:33:13.000 That's all of his grip toys.

01:33:14.000 So he has those things called the Blob, which they're literally just like...

01:33:19.000 Probably three-inch wide weights, and they're smooth on the side, where you have to pick them up in a pinch grip style.

01:33:27.000 And just hold on to them?

01:33:28.000 Yeah, thick dumbbells.

01:33:29.000 He has the crush grip stuff.

01:33:31.000 Now, what kind of people come to his gym?

01:33:34.000 Just regular folks?

01:33:35.000 Everybody.

01:33:36.000 There's competitive powerlifters, strongmen, Olympic weightlifters, and then just your average person.

01:33:41.000 And that's kind of the thing.

01:33:42.000 People think, especially my gym back home at Lightning Fitness, People think, like, you have to be a competitor to go train there.

01:33:49.000 Like, the gym owner, like, we have everybody from, like, professional strongmen.

01:33:53.000 We have a woman that squats over 700 pounds. 1.00

01:33:57.000 Jesus!

01:33:57.000 What does she look like?

01:34:00.000 She's a sweetheart.

01:34:01.000 I love her.

01:34:01.000 Katrina, she's amazing.

01:34:02.000 What are those thighs like? 1.00

01:34:04.000 They're bigger than mine.

01:34:05.000 Oh my god, 700 pounds.

01:34:07.000 That's incredible.

01:34:08.000 She's awesome. 0.83

01:34:09.000 How big is she? 1.00

01:34:10.000 She competes like 181, I think. 0.89

01:34:13.000 And I think she's maybe like 5'7". 1.00

01:34:17.000 She must be a fucking tank. 1.00

01:34:19.000 Yeah, she's great. 1.00

01:34:20.000 I love her.

01:34:20.000 God, that's so strong.

01:34:22.000 But then we also have like 65-year-old grandmothers that are working out at the same time in our gym. 1.00

01:34:26.000 Oh, that's cool.

01:34:27.000 Well, you have to if you want to pay the bills, right?

01:34:29.000 Yeah, I mean, we have, you know, the gym I go to, like, we have, like, over 250 members right now, so it's pretty big, but, like, you know, we're also in a 15,000 square foot facility that has the best strength equipment, you know, on the East Coast, I would say.

01:34:43.000 Oh, really?

01:34:44.000 Oh, yeah.

01:34:44.000 Oh, wow.

01:34:45.000 Yeah, like, the gym we go to, like, in the strongman and, like, strength world is, like, world-renowned.

01:34:50.000 Have you ever been to Westside Barbell?

01:34:51.000 I haven't.

01:34:52.000 Dude.

01:34:53.000 You gotta go there just to meet Louie Simmons.

01:34:55.000 Oh, absolutely.

01:34:56.000 I mean, I've met him in passing.

01:34:58.000 You know, like, I hear stories about him where, like, he, like, tore his bicep.

01:35:02.000 Yes. 0.77

01:35:02.000 And he was in a sling for, like, three days and got pissed off, said, fuck this, and just extended his arm really fast, popped the bicep off again, then started bench pressing. 0.77

01:35:11.000 Oh, my God. 0.98

01:35:12.000 Because he just couldn't wait for it to heal.

01:35:16.000 He told me that he had his shoulder reconstructed.

01:35:19.000 He got shoulder reconstruction.

01:35:20.000 And then his first day back, they made him max out and bench.

01:35:24.000 I'm like, why?

01:35:26.000 I mean, there's guys like Greg Panora, who was a guy that was in the West Side vs.

01:35:29.000 the World documentary, where he ruptured his patellar tendon, got the surgery done, I think it was the next day was on the bench bench pressing with his leg like fully extended in an immobilizer like he was busting the staples he was like dripping blood through the bandages like but you know they had to train man.

01:35:54.000 Jesus Christ. 0.91

01:35:56.000 Now, going back to what I said, luckily I have my background in sports medicine, so I don't do shit like that. 0.97

01:36:01.000 Good for you. 0.96

01:36:01.000 Yeah. 0.96

01:36:02.000 Yeah, because talking to Louie, I was like, why?

01:36:04.000 Why? 0.99

01:36:04.000 So you gotta fucking do it. 0.99

01:36:05.000 That's what you gotta do. 1.00

01:36:06.000 Look at him.

01:36:07.000 There's Louie. 1.00

01:36:08.000 Crazy bastard. 1.00

01:36:09.000 He looks like a mutant. 1.00

01:36:10.000 And he still does this shit. 1.00

01:36:12.000 Yeah. 1.00

01:36:13.000 Look at that crazy...

01:36:14.000 Is that tape or tattoos?

01:36:15.000 That's a tattoo.

01:36:16.000 Yeah.

01:36:17.000 All over him.

01:36:18.000 Right, and he's got the Captain America armband tattoo.

01:36:20.000 Yeah.

01:36:20.000 Look at the build on him.

01:36:22.000 It's crazy. 1.00

01:36:23.000 And he's been doing this shit since the 60s. 1.00

01:36:25.000 Yeah, look at him. 1.00

01:36:26.000 Yeah.

01:36:28.000 Have you seen that documentary?

01:36:29.000 No, I haven't.

01:36:30.000 It's awesome.

01:36:30.000 I heard it's awesome.

01:36:31.000 It's super cool.

01:36:32.000 West Side Against the World. 0.99

01:36:34.000 You talk about just intense, badass motherfuckers that all they care about is the record board in their gym and competing. 1.00

01:36:41.000 Well, we went in there to interview Louie. 1.00

01:36:43.000 It was a fucking trip. 1.00

01:36:44.000 It was a trip. 1.00

01:36:45.000 And then we went and checked out his gym.

01:36:46.000 He gave us a tour of the gym. 0.90

01:36:48.000 That's sick.

01:36:49.000 It was one of the rare ones that Jamie and I did.

01:36:51.000 I saw that video.

01:36:52.000 Which one?

01:36:53.000 That we shot like walking around the gym.

01:36:55.000 Oh yeah?

01:36:55.000 We never did anything with it?

01:36:56.000 We should put it on YouTube.

01:36:58.000 Well, if you ever find yourself in Connecticut, Joe, I know how much you love the state. 0.97

01:37:01.000 I fucking love Connecticut. 0.82

01:37:03.000 I love it when I see it when I'm passing over in a plane. 0.97

01:37:05.000 We'll bring you into our gym.

01:37:06.000 I would definitely do that if I was there.

01:37:08.000 It's wild, man.

01:37:09.000 What's it called again?

01:37:10.000 Lightning Fitness.

01:37:11.000 What part of Connecticut one more time?

01:37:13.000 It's in South Windsor, Connecticut, so it's just outside of Hartford.

01:37:15.000 Okay.

01:37:17.000 So you drive a little bit to get there.

01:37:19.000 About 45 minutes each way.

01:37:20.000 Yeah.

01:37:22.000 But there's essentially two sides of the gym.

01:37:25.000 There's the strongman side and the powerlifting side.

01:37:27.000 The strongman side has every piece of strongman equipment you can think of.

01:37:32.000 So we have Atlas Stones from 60 pounds to 530 pounds.

01:37:36.000 We have logs.

01:37:37.000 We have monster dumbbells. 1.00

01:37:39.000 We have the farmer's walks.

01:37:40.000 There's turf.

01:37:40.000 There's tires from 250 to 1,000 pounds.

01:37:43.000 Then the powerlifting side is where we have the monolifts, all the squat racks, and then all the isolation bodybuilding machines as well.

01:37:50.000 So it's like a 15,000 square foot gym.

01:37:53.000 And do you live in Springfield?

01:37:54.000 Just outside Springfield.

01:37:56.000 Western Massachusetts?

01:37:56.000 Yeah, yeah, Western Massachusetts.

01:37:57.000 A town called Wilburham.

01:37:58.000 Oh, I know where that is.

01:37:59.000 I used to do gigs out in Western Massachusetts a lot. 0.99

01:38:02.000 No shit. 0.90

01:38:02.000 Yeah, when I lived in Boston, I used to drive out there. 0.90

01:38:04.000 Yeah.

01:38:05.000 Where?

01:38:06.000 Pittsfield.

01:38:07.000 Oh, wow.

01:38:08.000 Like real Western Massachusetts.

01:38:09.000 Oh, yeah, man.

01:38:09.000 Basically like New York State.

01:38:11.000 Holy cow. 0.89

01:38:12.000 Yeah, I did Amherst.

01:38:13.000 Okay, yeah.

01:38:15.000 So I just left working full-time.

01:38:19.000 I worked in the boarding school world for a long time.

01:38:21.000 Did you?

01:38:21.000 That's why I'm in the Western Mass area.

01:38:23.000 And we lived in East Hampton, which is a super, super awesome little town.

01:38:29.000 Yeah, so that's wild that you're up there.

01:38:31.000 Western Massachusetts is a trip.

01:38:32.000 It's a cool spot, man.

01:38:33.000 It's not bad, man.

01:38:34.000 It's great. 0.99

01:38:35.000 Cold as fuck, though. 0.99

01:38:37.000 Right now it sucks. 0.99

01:38:38.000 My husband flew home this morning and we got a snowstorm yesterday.

01:38:43.000 I'm flying home tonight and I'm going back to six inches of snow, so that's great.

01:38:48.000 It builds character.

01:38:50.000 Some of my favorite people live there.

01:38:52.000 It's really cool because we get four seasons.

01:38:55.000 There was a stretch this summer where it was like 110 for three days in a row.

01:38:59.000 Really?

01:38:59.000 It was super hot.

01:39:01.000 That's just global warming fucking with you. 0.99

01:39:03.000 At least you get the appreciation for summer. 0.99

01:39:08.000 For sure.

01:39:09.000 And even in the summer, it's like between...

01:39:11.000 I would say we have an average between 85 and 90 every day in the summer.

01:39:15.000 So it's pretty warm.

01:39:16.000 Where's the strongman hotbed?

01:39:18.000 If you want to be an actor, you move to LA, right?

01:39:21.000 If you want to be a strongman, is there a place where you go to?

01:39:25.000 I really don't think there is.

01:39:26.000 It's because, like, I would say in the U.S., there's only like four or five guys that are doing it really, really well at a really high level.

01:39:33.000 You know, it's me, Oberst, Jerry Pritchett, Brian Shaw, Martins.

01:39:40.000 And then there's Nick Best in Vegas as well.

01:39:42.000 So probably like six of us.

01:39:43.000 And we're all over the place.

01:39:46.000 You know, there's me.

01:39:46.000 I'm the only one on the East Coast.

01:39:49.000 And then there's Brian in Colorado.

01:39:51.000 Martins is out here.

01:39:53.000 Jerry's in Phoenix.

01:39:54.000 Oberst is, I think, is in Iowa now.

01:39:56.000 I think.

01:39:58.000 And then...

01:39:59.000 Nick Best in Vegas.

01:40:00.000 So we're kind of spread out all over the place.

01:40:03.000 And that's a cool thing.

01:40:04.000 I get hired to do seminars all over the U.S. and all over the world where gyms will pay me to come into their gym for a weekend and teach people from my experience and different gym lifts and stuff like that.

01:40:17.000 So that's pretty much it.

01:40:18.000 There's really no one place.

01:40:19.000 Powerlifting has West Side.

01:40:21.000 But there really isn't that culture around strongman.

01:40:24.000 Yeah.

01:40:34.000 Yeah.

01:40:42.000 None of us are willing to move our families and our lives around just for that.

01:40:46.000 Because we realize what the sport is.

01:40:48.000 Fighters, it'd be worth it when you're making a million bucks a fight.

01:40:51.000 For us, it's not that level.

01:40:54.000 But Martins, he flew out to Massachusetts this past summer to train with me.

01:40:59.000 Even though he had just won World's Strongest Man, there's events that I'm better than him at.

01:41:03.000 And that's why he flew out to me, because he had a contest coming up where those events were in it.

01:41:07.000 What events do you really shine in?

01:41:09.000 Log press is my bread and butter, as we talked about.

01:41:12.000 Then there's the yoke walk, which is, you know, the crossbar with stands, pick it up on your back and walk with it.

01:41:18.000 You know, that's one event that I'm really well known for as well, and that's one that Martins tends to struggle at.

01:41:23.000 Why are you so good at that?

01:41:24.000 What's the deal?

01:41:26.000 People call me like Fred Flintstone of Strongman.

01:41:28.000 Like, I just move my feet really, really quick.

01:41:32.000 I don't know.

01:41:33.000 For some reason, I just like feeling super heavyweight on my back and moving quick with it.

01:41:37.000 You know, World's Strongest Man, we had 1,350 pounds on that thing.

01:41:41.000 Oh, God. 0.99

01:41:43.000 Damn, that's so much weight. 1.00

01:41:44.000 It was a bitch. 1.00

01:41:45.000 And that was actually at the end of a medley. 0.99

01:41:47.000 So we had a farmer's walk that was 330 pounds per hand.

01:41:50.000 And then we had to pick up a 1,000-pound yoke and then the 1,350-pound yoke.

01:41:56.000 Oh, my God.

01:41:56.000 Yeah, and I was the only one in my group to actually finish that event, which was pretty wild.

01:41:59.000 Goddamn you. 0.99

01:42:00.000 At the end of something like that, all your tissues must be so torn apart. 1.00

01:42:06.000 Yeah.

01:42:06.000 It was like, I mean, you talk about cranial pressure.

01:42:11.000 I felt like my eyes were purple.

01:42:13.000 Yeah.

01:42:16.000 Just from all the blood in your head.

01:42:17.000 Yeah!

01:42:18.000 It was wild!

01:42:20.000 Yeah, I would imagine, right?

01:42:21.000 That kind of cream.

01:42:22.000 Have you ever...

01:42:23.000 Do you know what happens when you fly in a jet that's going like...

01:42:27.000 The G-forces and stuff?

01:42:28.000 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:42:28.000 You know you have to...

01:42:29.000 They call it hooking, where you hold on to the handle.

01:42:32.000 You've got to go like this.

01:42:34.000 And then you're forcing blood.

01:42:36.000 That's pretty much what we're doing when we do it.

01:42:38.000 Because with Strongman, when you have 1,300 pounds on your back, you're not going to breathe that well.

01:42:44.000 Like, you can't really expand your lungs and your ribs to breathe properly.

01:42:47.000 So you're almost holding your breath.

01:42:48.000 So, and that's with most of our stuff, like, I hold my breath whenever I do moving events, and I just try to exhale and inhale as short and as small as possible, just to get enough so I don't pass out, pretty much.

01:42:57.000 Does anybody pass out?

01:42:59.000 Oh, all the time.

01:43:01.000 One of my good friends at World's Strongest Man in the Philippines in 2018, we were carrying a 330-pound sandbag, and the way he carried it was just resting around on his diaphragm, and he didn't pick it up high enough to go onto the platform, so he just ran into the platform, fell backwards,

01:43:17.000 and was just out cold.

01:43:19.000 And Magnus Vermagnusen is standing right next to him.

01:43:23.000 Another awesome name.

01:43:24.000 Great name.

01:43:25.000 Didn't twitch, didn't move a muscle.

01:43:27.000 He just goes...

01:43:29.000 That's all he did.

01:43:31.000 He's done.

01:43:32.000 He must have died.

01:43:34.000 So it was just like, I mean, passing out is kind of like a normal part of what we do.

01:43:40.000 I can only imagine.

01:43:41.000 It doesn't sound good when I'm saying it out loud.

01:43:44.000 Well, it makes sense though. 0.99

01:43:45.000 I mean, the fucking exertion. 0.99

01:43:47.000 Does anybody have heart attacks? 1.00

01:43:49.000 Not typically.

01:43:52.000 It has happened.

01:43:53.000 How often has it happened?

01:43:55.000 The only person that comes to mind is a guy, I can't remember what year, his name was Jesse Mironde, and he did have a heart attack in the gym when he was training.

01:44:06.000 And that's how he passed away.

01:44:08.000 And he was only, I believe he was only 28 or 29 years old.

01:44:10.000 It happens in Jiu Jitsu.

01:44:11.000 Yeah.

01:44:12.000 Guys get heart attacks training.

01:44:14.000 And then, you know, I mean, another thing is like sleep apnea because the guys are so big.

01:44:18.000 So that caused a lot of stress on the heart.

01:44:19.000 Do you use a CPAP machine or anything?

01:44:21.000 I don't.

01:44:22.000 I don't need one.

01:44:24.000 You know, I'm pretty fortunate that I don't have that issue when I sleep.

01:44:29.000 You know, but a previous coach of mine, Mike Jenkins, he passed away in 2013. Yeah, it's not good.

01:44:39.000 It's basically like not sleeping.

01:44:41.000 Yeah, and suffocating yourself.

01:44:43.000 It's crazy.

01:44:44.000 So a lot of the guys at this level do, but that's mainly because of their size.

01:44:49.000 Dude, I have it.

01:44:50.000 Really?

01:44:51.000 Yeah. 0.89

01:44:52.000 I have a fat tongue in my neck.

01:44:56.000 But that's all the years of fighting, like, with that neck musculature and all that development there.

01:45:01.000 Yeah, for some reason, like, I've kind of, you know, dodged the bullet.

01:45:04.000 Most football players have it.

01:45:06.000 Most powerlifters have it.

01:45:07.000 I think once you get around that 300-pound body weight, like...

01:45:10.000 Do you snore?

01:45:11.000 Not terribly.

01:45:13.000 Hmm.

01:45:14.000 Interesting. 1.00

01:45:14.000 On planes I do, but that's because my fucking fat mouth just opens up. 1.00

01:45:18.000 Yeah, exactly. 1.00

01:45:20.000 Yeah, planes.

01:45:21.000 It's not a good place to sleep.

01:45:23.000 No, or just sit in general when you're near 300 pounds.

01:45:26.000 It's so fascinating to me when you think about people that explore the boundaries of what a human body is capable of.

01:45:33.000 And Strongman is like...

01:45:35.000 There's guys who do David Goggins, who do the ultra marathons, but Strongman is like...

01:45:42.000 That's another form of this extreme pushing of the boundaries of what a body is capable of.

01:45:51.000 And when you look at the progression of the sport, it just hasn't slowed down.

01:45:55.000 Like, if anything, it's gotten even, like, the weights keep getting heavier every year.

01:46:00.000 Everybody keeps getting faster. 0.98

01:46:02.000 And all of us are like, when the fuck is this going to stop? 0.99

01:46:05.000 Yeah. 0.96

01:46:06.000 You know, like, we show up to a contest and they're like, alright, there was literally a contest in 2018 where the deadlift was 880 pounds for reps.

01:46:15.000 That's so much weight! 0.99

01:46:16.000 Like, what the fuck, dude? 1.00

01:46:18.000 And there was a motherfucker that pulled it for five. 1.00

01:46:20.000 That is so much weight. 1.00

01:46:21.000 It's crazy.

01:46:22.000 And so it's like, all of us are like, where does it stop?

01:46:25.000 Where does it stop?

01:46:26.000 You know, like, the log press world record is 502 pounds overhead right now. 0.99

01:46:31.000 God damn it. 0.98

01:46:32.000 You know, it's just like these crazy outlandish numbers. 0.99

01:46:35.000 But, like, the people, like, we keep doing them.

01:46:38.000 So I guess we're doing it to ourselves to a point.

01:46:40.000 I guess so.

01:46:41.000 But do you, like, what is pushing it?

01:46:44.000 Is it just that...

01:46:46.000 Is it a preconceived idea of what's possible?

01:46:49.000 And now that the bar has been moved, now you realize that?

01:46:52.000 Or is it just that people are more scientific about their training now?

01:46:58.000 I think that's what it is.

01:46:59.000 And it's also like the evolution of equipment over the years.

01:47:03.000 With Rogue being our main equipment sponsor now, they make all strongman equipment.

01:47:07.000 So regular people have strongman equipment in their gyms.

01:47:11.000 They're like PT clinics that have farmer's handles in them for people to work on core musculature and posture when they're walking.

01:47:20.000 I think just like the general availability of strongman equipment has made it easier for people to train it more regularly and get better at the events.

01:47:26.000 Because we have to practice.

01:47:29.000 You know, like being strong is great.

01:47:31.000 But you have to be able to manipulate the movement and manipulate the implement to work.

01:47:36.000 And that's where just like the training and the practice portion of it comes in.

01:47:39.000 So I think that's why we've seen, you know, a lot of these weights being pushed so much further.

01:47:45.000 Because everybody pretty much has regular access to these strongman implements now.

01:47:51.000 It's interesting to me that you're saying that the weights are getting heavier and people are getting faster.

01:47:55.000 And then I'm thinking, how long have people been doing this?

01:47:58.000 When was the first strongman competition?

01:48:01.000 I mean, strongman dates back to the 1700s.

01:48:05.000 Really? 1.00

01:48:05.000 Like that kind of shit? 1.00

01:48:06.000 Like barrel throws? 1.00

01:48:07.000 Yeah.

01:48:08.000 Really?

01:48:08.000 I mean, when Rob was on, he was talking about the show Strongest Man in History.

01:48:13.000 That was just on History Channel.

01:48:14.000 And they went back into the history books to look at old, quote-unquote, strongmen doing these feats of strength.

01:48:23.000 I think one of the most notable names is Louis Cyr, a guy from Canada who was about my size, actually, and is revered to be one of the strongest men in history.

01:48:33.000 And so when he was doing like these dumbbell lifts and these back lifts and these hip and thigh lifts and stuff like that.

01:48:40.000 So Strongman's been around for a long time, but World's Strongest Man didn't become a thing until the 70s.

01:48:46.000 That's when World's Strongest Man, I think 77 was the first year of World's Strongest Man.

01:48:51.000 And that's when it kind of became a sport, you know, and not just a kind of a hobby, I guess.

01:49:00.000 So how do they determine what stuff you're going to do for the World's Strongest Man?

01:49:04.000 Did they have a panel of experts that sit down and devise each individual event?

01:49:11.000 Yeah.

01:49:12.000 Yeah, I mean, it's come a long way from what it was in the 70s.

01:49:15.000 I mean, they used to do medleys with potato sack braces back at World's Strongest Man a long time ago.

01:49:20.000 Now it's a little more standardized, where they do have a committee where it's people from the strongman circuit and judges and stuff like that, but they also bring TV execs, because they want stuff that's going to look cool.

01:49:34.000 And I think that's a great thing, because you don't want to, like, stuff that is cool to me isn't going to look cool to somebody that doesn't know anything about the sport sometimes.

01:49:43.000 So, when they choose the events, like pulling two monster trucks, like, okay, one, you have to be strong as fuck to be able to do it, but it also looks really cool on TV. So they try to find that marriage of both of those things to make it the most pleasing to the average person.

01:50:01.000 Difficult, but also impressive.

01:50:02.000 Exactly.

01:50:03.000 Yeah.

01:50:03.000 You know, like the deadlift event.

01:50:04.000 They don't have us.

01:50:07.000 That's Mark Felix.

01:50:08.000 Yeah, so this is one of the world records that he did.

01:50:11.000 And how old is he when he's doing this?

01:50:12.000 This is 53. Jesus Christ.

01:50:14.000 So this was actually just this past July.

01:50:16.000 This was at Wembley Stadium.

01:50:19.000 Oh my God.

01:50:20.000 Or Wembley Arena in London.

01:50:21.000 The Hercules Hold.

01:50:23.000 What a great name.

01:50:24.000 So each of those pillars weighs 400 pounds.

01:50:27.000 And he's just chilling.

01:50:28.000 And you just have to hold it as long as you can. 1.00

01:50:30.000 The size of his fucking shoulders. 1.00

01:50:33.000 Yeah. 1.00

01:50:34.000 That is preposterous. 1.00

01:50:35.000 It's dumb. 1.00

01:50:36.000 That dude has preposterous muscles. 1.00

01:50:41.000 That's so crazy. 1.00

01:50:42.000 How long does he hold this fucker for? 1.00

01:50:44.000 He goes over one minute. 1.00

01:50:45.000 Oh my god.

01:50:46.000 I mean, it's crazy.

01:50:48.000 So this is a world record at this point.

01:50:50.000 After this is 122, he drops it.

01:50:53.000 What kind of breathing are you doing here?

01:50:55.000 Does it help to breathe in deep and heavy?

01:50:58.000 During an event like this, it's...

01:51:00.000 He looks 30. That is crazy.

01:51:02.000 That's exactly. 0.99

01:51:03.000 Dude, black don't crack.

01:51:04.000 They're not lying.

01:51:06.000 That guy looks amazing.

01:51:07.000 So, with an event like that, it's more just trying to relax and getting into a calm mental state because you don't want to be super revved up because you're not moving.

01:51:17.000 You're just focusing on your grip.

01:51:19.000 And that's the biggest thing for an event like that.

01:51:22.000 But then there's also events where like, okay, when you're maxing your deadlift, you do have to hold your breath.

01:51:26.000 Right.

01:51:27.000 So, it's different for everything you do.

01:51:29.000 Yeah, there's the hands.

01:51:30.000 Yeah.

01:51:32.000 His hands are enormous!

01:51:33.000 It goes up to his wrist.

01:51:35.000 That's incredible. 1.00

01:51:36.000 That's amazing, though, that he could hold those fucking things for that long. 0.99

01:51:39.000 It was like a minute and 20-something? 1.00

01:51:41.000 A minute and 23 seconds.

01:51:42.000 And for reference, I was at that contest and did it for like 42 seconds.

01:51:46.000 Oh, my God.

01:51:47.000 It's crazy.

01:51:48.000 Now, how do you prepare for something like that?

01:51:49.000 Do you...

01:51:51.000 Like, you don't hold those things.

01:51:53.000 Like, do you just work on your grip?

01:51:54.000 No, usually, honestly, set up, like, a pulley system in the gym.

01:51:58.000 Oh.

01:51:58.000 So, use just, like, regular handles that you use on, like, a cable machine.

01:52:02.000 Set up a pulley on, like, a squat rack or, like, one of the rogue rigs.

01:52:05.000 Have loading pins coming down, stack weights on that, and then...

01:52:10.000 Just hang.

01:52:11.000 Yeah. 1.00

01:52:11.000 Fuck. 1.00

01:52:12.000 Or even just doing something as simple like pull-up holds. 1.00

01:52:15.000 Like, dead hangs from a barbell.

01:52:17.000 Yeah.

01:52:17.000 Or from a pull-up bar.

01:52:18.000 How long can you dead hang for?

01:52:20.000 I've done over a minute.

01:52:22.000 That's impressive for guys that heavy.

01:52:24.000 Yeah.

01:52:25.000 Honestly, my shoulders usually get tired before anything else.

01:52:29.000 Really?

01:52:29.000 Before your hands?

01:52:30.000 Yeah.

01:52:31.000 Just from holding it. 0.99

01:52:34.000 You must have, like, crazy tears all over the place and shit. 0.98

01:52:37.000 Like, have you ever got your labrums checked or anything like that? 0.99

01:52:40.000 Good.

01:52:41.000 It must.

01:52:42.000 No. 1.00

01:52:42.000 I mean, I'm looking at you pressing that 250-pound thing over your fucking head. 1.00

01:52:46.000 Like, that's not normal shoulder pressure. 0.99

01:52:49.000 No, it's not.

01:52:50.000 But, like, if you do it safely and correctly.

01:52:52.000 But, you know, it's also taken 10 years to get to that point.

01:52:55.000 Right.

01:52:55.000 Right?

01:52:55.000 You know, like, it's funny.

01:52:57.000 You know, like, I have the American Log Press record, but, like, overhead was my weakest lift when I started the sport.

01:53:02.000 I sucked at putting stuff overhead.

01:53:04.000 That's kind of crazy. 0.77

01:53:04.000 You just focused on it so much. 0.77

01:53:06.000 Yeah, and like I said before, I became a student of the sport, so I was looking at what was working for other guys, what wasn't working, and trying to find that balance of what I could make work for me.

01:53:17.000 So, luckily, yeah, like I said, I've been pretty injury-free and healthy the entire time.

01:53:21.000 That's pretty amazing.

01:53:23.000 Well, listen, man, I appreciate you coming in here.

01:53:25.000 Yeah, thank you so much.

01:53:26.000 I hope this gives you some more attention and let people know how fucking impressive it is.

01:53:30.000 I appreciate it, Joe. 0.89

01:53:30.000 And I really love your Instagram, man. 0.89

01:53:33.000 You're an inspirational guy.

01:53:35.000 You're very positive.

01:53:36.000 Thank you.

01:53:36.000 It's a happy, fun page, too.

01:53:39.000 It's cool.

01:53:39.000 I appreciate it.

01:53:39.000 I try.

01:53:40.000 And that's everything I post and everything.

01:53:43.000 Like I said, I try to spread the message of love, positivity, and just inspiration with everything that I do.

01:53:49.000 Yeah.

01:53:49.000 Well, no pun intended.

01:53:50.000 I'm pulling for you to get that 1,000 pounds.

01:53:53.000 Thank you.

01:53:53.000 And I appreciate you being here, man.

01:53:55.000 Appreciate it.

01:53:55.000 Thanks, Joe.

01:53:55.000 Thank you very much.

01:53:56.000 Great to meet you.

01:53:57.000 Bye, everybody.

01:53:59.000 That was awesome.

01:54:00.000 Sweet.

01:54:00.000 That was really fun.

01:54:01.000 Thank you.

The Joe Rogan Experience - January 21, 2020

Joe Rogan Experience #1416 - Rob Kearney

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript