Joe Rogan Experience #1416 - Rob Kearney

1. 0:00 – 1:50

   Rainbow mohawk & “World’s Strongest Gay”: acceptance in Strongman

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:00

      ... two. You are the first ever person with a Mohawk on this podcast.

   2. RKRob Kearney0:05

      (laughs) Oh, yeah. That's cool.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Congratulations.

   4. RKRob Kearney0:06

      Thank you, man.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:07

      I think, right? Is that accurate? Yeah.

   6. RKRob Kearney0:10

      Just say yes.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:11

      Yeah. Def- yeah. I wouldn't-

   8. RKRob Kearney0:11

      Make me feel good.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:13

      Definitely the first with a purple and blue Mohawk.

   10. RKRob Kearney0:16

       Oh, it's a full rainbow, man. It's-

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:18

       Oh. Oh, yeah, that's right. All the way down the back. Oh, yeah. Very, very nice.

   12. RKRob Kearney0:20

       Absolutely.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:21

       Very nice. Now, uh, first of all, I love your fucking handle.

   14. RKRob Kearney0:25

       (laughs)

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:25

       World's Strongest Gay.

   16. RKRob Kearney0:27

       That's me, yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:27

       That's, that's hilarious. Does, is there, in that community, is there acceptance? Is there open... Is it just about, like, they don't give a fuck, just as long as you're a real power lifter-

   18. RKRob Kearney0:36

       In Strongman?

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:36

       Yeah.

   20. RKRob Kearney0:37

       Oh, yeah, yeah. No, it's, um, yeah, when I came out, it was super cool. Uh, nobody really gave me any shit. Um, that's the best part about Strongman. You know, I know you had Rob Oberst in here-

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:46

       Yeah.

   22. RKRob Kearney0:46

       ... uh, not too long ago, and he even mentioned-

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:49

       He's awesome.

   24. RKRob Kearney0:49

       Yeah. You know, he's something, but... (laughs)

   25. JRJoe Rogan0:51

       I love him.

   26. RKRob Kearney0:52

       Um, you know, he mentioned just, like, the community of, of Strongman is so... Is awesome, because, like, we all realize what we have to do to get to this level of the sport, and we all have to be-

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:00

       Mm-hmm.

   28. RKRob Kearney1:00

       ... a little bit of, you know, sick and twisted in the head to look at a truck and get excited to pull it.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:04

       (laughs)

   30. RKRob Kearney1:05

       Um, so, yeah, when I came out, like, nobody really gave a shit. They were just like, "All right, as long as you can still lift weights, we don't care."
2. 1:50 – 5:11

   Realizing he was gay, the breakup, and early fallout

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:50

      Was it, w- like, when you were in high school, and, like, when... First of all, when, when do you know?

   2. RKRob Kearney1:57

      You know (sighs) I don't know that I, (laughs) I've, like, I don't remember... Like, I never had, like, an aha moment per se. Um, for me, it was going through high school, like, I was involved in a bunch of stuff. You know, I was a cheerleader actually, also played football. Um, was doing the weightlifting thing, like, was class president, so I had my hands in a bunch of different pots. College, super into everything as well, um, and really just focused on school, and actually dated a girl for, like, a year and a half.

   3. JRJoe Rogan2:25

      In college?

   4. RKRob Kearney2:26

      In college, yeah. Um, and-

   5. JRJoe Rogan2:27

      Did you ever date a boy?

   6. RKRob Kearney2:29

      No.

   7. JRJoe Rogan2:29

      So w- but did you, like, go, "Damn, I wish she was a boy."

   8. RKRob Kearney2:32

      I mean (laughs) -

   9. JRJoe Rogan2:33

      "She's cool, but..." (laughs)

   10. RKRob Kearney2:35

       It was... Yeah, pretty much. You know, it was, uh, it was... It was more like a friendship than a relationship, I guess, is the way to put it.

   11. JRJoe Rogan2:43

       Oh.

   12. RKRob Kearney2:43

       You know, like, we were cool and everything, and everything was going well, but, like, nothing else was really going on.

   13. JRJoe Rogan2:49

       When you came out, was she like, "Aha!"

   14. RKRob Kearney2:52

       Uh, that w- I, that was the reason I broke up with her.

   15. JRJoe Rogan2:54

       Oh, you came out.

   16. RKRob Kearney2:55

       Because, you know, meanwhile, you know, I'm dating this girl, but I'm watching gay porn when she's not around. I'm like-

   17. JRJoe Rogan2:59

       Mm.

   18. RKRob Kearney2:59

       ... "Uh, this isn't right."

   19. JRJoe Rogan3:00

       Right.

   20. RKRob Kearney3:00

       "There's something else going on here."

   21. JRJoe Rogan3:02

       So did you, like... Was it gay porn, like, finding gay porn where you're like, "That's what I like"?

   22. RKRob Kearney3:08

       (laughs) Pretty much.

   23. JRJoe Rogan3:09

       Really?

   24. RKRob Kearney3:09

       Yeah. (laughs)

   25. JRJoe Rogan3:10

       (laughs) Gay porn is thought of very differently than straight porn, because, like, straight porn, there... Here's the, the rub in the straight community. You look at straight porn, you're like, "Uh..." Especially someone like me who has daughters, you go, "Fuck. Somebody probably did something awful to those girls when they were young." Like, that's like nine out of 10 times.

   26. RKRob Kearney3:32

       Yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan3:33

       Like, "And that's why they turn to porn." But when you see gay porn, it's like, "Ah, a couple of dudes who like to fuck."

   28. RKRob Kearney3:38

       (laughs) Pretty much.

   29. JRJoe Rogan3:39

       (laughs)

   30. RKRob Kearney3:39

       (laughs)
3. 5:11 – 7:18

   Meeting Joey on Grindr and committing fast

   1. RKRob Kearney5:11

      And that was awesome too, 'cause, like, all those, like, calls and everything were coming through when I was with my now husband, Joey. So, like, we were dating at that time, and now-

   2. JRJoe Rogan5:20

      (laughs)

   3. RKRob Kearney5:20

      ... my ex-girlfriend is blowing up my phone saying I gave her the clap, but...

   4. JRJoe Rogan5:24

      Was he laughing?

   5. RKRob Kearney5:26

      I... (laughs) At first, he was like, "What the fuck is going on?" 'Cause, like, we literally had been dating for two months.

   6. JRJoe Rogan5:31

      Oh.

   7. RKRob Kearney5:31

      So it was, like, super new. So he was like, "What the fuck did I get myself into?"

   8. JRJoe Rogan5:35

      Right, because you were a noob to the whole gay world.

   9. RKRob Kearney5:37

      Totally, yeah. Yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan5:38

       So that's crazy. So you, you become... You decide, "Okay, I, I gotta deal with reality. I'm gay."

   11. RKRob Kearney5:44

       Yep.

   12. JRJoe Rogan5:45

       You meet that one guy.

   13. RKRob Kearney5:46

       Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan5:47

       And then you're still with him.

   15. RKRob Kearney5:48

       Still married... Yeah, with him. We just got married this past March.

   16. JRJoe Rogan5:50

       That's-

   17. RKRob Kearney5:51

       Almost been a year.

   18. JRJoe Rogan5:52

       That's kinda crazy.

   19. RKRob Kearney5:53

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan5:53

       Like, you didn't even play the field. Just-

   21. RKRob Kearney5:54

       No, no. I got real... I, you know, it's funny. Like, I joke about this all the time 'cause, like, we met in, like, the typical millennial gay way on Grindr.

   22. JRJoe Rogan6:02

       (laughs)

   23. RKRob Kearney6:02

       Um, (laughs) and, you know, I was ... I wasn't even out, actually, before we met. So, like, on Grindr, I was like that shirtless torso pic.

   24. JRJoe Rogan6:11

       Oh.

   25. RKRob Kearney6:11

       'Cause I was still, you know-

   26. JRJoe Rogan6:13

       Good move.

   27. RKRob Kearney6:13

       Yeah, yeah, obviously.

   28. JRJoe Rogan6:14

       Yeah.

   29. RKRob Kearney6:14

       And he was-

   30. JRJoe Rogan6:15

       Show the goods.
4. 7:18 – 9:35

   Religion, online hate, and the myth of the “gay agenda”

   1. RKRob Kearney7:18

      I think it's fricking funny. I mean, you know, like, and I, I get shit a lotta ... I mean, obviously, like, with an Instagram handle World's Strongest Gay-

   2. JRJoe Rogan7:25

      (laughs)

   3. RKRob Kearney7:25

      ... I get more shit on a daily basis on social media than I can even count. Um, and most of it's from, like, religious people.

   4. JRJoe Rogan7:31

      Really?

   5. RKRob Kearney7:31

      Oh, yeah. Like, they're sending me, like, Bible, Bible verses and like-

   6. JRJoe Rogan7:35

      Oh, God.

   7. RKRob Kearney7:35

      ... telling me, like, I need to convert to Christianity, and, like-

   8. JRJoe Rogan7:38

      By the way, they're probably jerking off while they're doing it.

   9. RKRob Kearney7:40

      Probably.

   10. JRJoe Rogan7:41

       Probably thinking about you like-

   11. RKRob Kearney7:42

       My go-t- (laughs)

   12. JRJoe Rogan7:42

       ... "Oh, you need to, you need to stop this."

   13. RKRob Kearney7:44

       (laughs)

   14. JRJoe Rogan7:44

       "You need to stop being so gay and delicious."

   15. RKRob Kearney7:47

       My, uh, my go-to response is, you know, "Hey, man, I don't read fiction, so-"

   16. JRJoe Rogan7:52

       Ah.

   17. RKRob Kearney7:52

       "... you keep doing that." Um, but I just always think it's funny because, you know, they're like, you know, gay p- ... Like, obviously I'm very open about my sexuality on social media. And, you know, World's Strongest Man has been super supportive of it. They had World's Strongest Man in June during Pride Month this year and did a whole, like, little expose about me, which was awesome. And, uh, the comments (laughs) on the World's Strongest Man, they're like, "You're pushing the gay agenda." Like, all this bullshit.

   18. JRJoe Rogan8:16

       (laughs)

   19. RKRob Kearney8:16

       And I'm like, "Listen, man," like, the only agenda we're pushing is, like, I just wanna be treated like everybody else and, like, get the same shit that you do. You know, I've never once, like, tried to make someone gay. You know, like, meanwhile, Christians are in my DMs saying like, "You need to convert." I'm not, "Hey, you need to suck a dick." Like-

   20. JRJoe Rogan8:33

       Ah.

   21. RKRob Kearney8:33

       That's ... (laughs)

   22. JRJoe Rogan8:34

       The gay agenda is a hilarious phrase.

   23. RKRob Kearney8:37

       I-

   24. JRJoe Rogan8:37

       Like, there's an agenda. Like-

   25. RKRob Kearney8:38

       I still don't even know what it is.

   26. JRJoe Rogan8:40

       (laughs)

   27. RKRob Kearney8:40

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

   28. JRJoe Rogan8:44

       Yeah, you need to get in a tighter knit club.

   29. RKRob Kearney8:46

       I guess I do.

   30. JRJoe Rogan8:47

       The gay agenda.
5. 9:35 – 14:53

   Joe’s early exposure to gay culture & a Texas heckler shutdown

   1. JRJoe Rogan9:35

      Well, I was real lucky. When I was a kid, I was exposed to gay people real young. When I was, uh, seven years old, we moved to San Francisco.

   2. RKRob Kearney9:42

      Oh, yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan9:42

      Yeah.

   4. RKRob Kearney9:43

      Super gay.

   5. JRJoe Rogan9:43

      Yeah, in the 1970s. It was gay as fuck, and so I was around 'em all the time. Like, my nextdoor neighbor was this gay couple and my aunt used to go nextdoor and they would get n- ... They would get naked, smoke pot, and play bongos together.

   6. RKRob Kearney9:54

      Sick.

   7. JRJoe Rogan9:55

      Yeah, it was pretty crazy.

   8. RKRob Kearney9:56

      (laughs)

   9. JRJoe Rogan9:57

      (clears throat) So for me, that was normal life. I was just, like, gay ... I was around gay people. I didn't even hear the term faggot until I was 11 and we moved to Florida. I remember hearing that when I was el- ... Like, "Oh, wow." Like, I had a ... My friend, um, his name was, um, Candy, Candido. He's a Cuban kid, and his dad was real mad 'cause gay people were getting married. He was reading this newspaper like, "I fuck- can't fucking believe this shit."

   10. RKRob Kearney10:22

       (laughs)

   11. JRJoe Rogan10:22

       He throws his newspaper down. And he was a grown man. I remember being 11, it goes, "Why does he give a shit?"

   12. RKRob Kearney10:27

       (laughs)

   13. JRJoe Rogan10:27

       Like, how weird.

   14. RKRob Kearney10:28

       Literally doesn't affect him at all.

   15. JRJoe Rogan10:29

       At all, but he was so upset.

   16. RKRob Kearney10:31

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan10:31

       But it's a, uh, but, but it b- was important for me to see because I didn't know people like that, so to be around my friend's dad and see him freak out like that was like, "Oh, what a weird thing to waste your time thinking about."

   18. RKRob Kearney10:43

       For sure. I mean, that's ... And you were super lucky to have that kind of upbringing.

   19. JRJoe Rogan10:46

       Yeah.

   20. RKRob Kearney10:46

       To not see that ugly part of, you know, the world. 'Cause, 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.

   21. JRJoe Rogan10:55

       Right.

   22. RKRob Kearney10:55

       You know, like, I'm, I'm an average-sized strongman. Like, I'm not really that big of a dude.

   23. JRJoe Rogan10:59

       What's a average-sized strongman? You're like 300 pounds.

   24. RKRob Kearney11:02

       I don't ... I'm the smallest guy that competes.

   25. JRJoe Rogan11:04

       (laughs) How, how much do you weigh?

   26. RKRob Kearney11:05

       Uh, I'm like 285 right now.

   27. JRJoe Rogan11:06

       Yeah. That's not average-sized, bro. (laughs)

   28. RKRob Kearney11:08

       (laughs)

   29. JRJoe Rogan11:08

       That's fucking-

   30. RKRob Kearney11:09

       Well, I mean, I just competed this weekend against Brian Shaw, and the motherfucker's 420.
6. 14:53 – 19:45

   From cheerleading and football to Strongman: how it started

   1. RKRob Kearney14:53

      Um, you know, I think, like, I think back to, like, middle school, um, and, you know, I think it's just, like, the stereotypical, like, I was into theater, I was into music. I played sports, but wasn't really that good at them. Um, and actually (laughs) was a cheerleader in middle school too. Like, I was, I s- I did, uh, joined my first cheerleading team in seventh grade, and, you know, the funny thing is is, you know, there was tryouts and everything, and I got the fourth-highest score out of all the girls. So, I figured that was, you know, a little telltale sign as well.

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:25

      That was the sign?

   3. RKRob Kearney15:26

      Yeah.

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:26

      Yeah.

   5. RKRob Kearney15:27

      Not stereotyping male cheerleaders whatsoever, but ...

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:30

      (laughs) I have a buddy who's a male cheerleader who's awesome. He's ... Chappelle's ... I'm 99.9% sure he's straight. Chappelle Lacey? But he's built like a brick shit house too.

   7. RKRob Kearney15:40

      They're, I mean, collegiate cheerleaders are insane.

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:42

      Yeah, but they have to be able to flip through the air. People don't understand what cheerleading is, right? They think of it as, like, "Yeah, go team."

   9. RKRob Kearney15:49

      (laughs)

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:49

       No, it's crazy acrobatics.

   11. RKRob Kearney15:51

       Not even a little bit. I, even in high school, like, I was throwing girls up in the air by myself and catching them overhead.

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:55

       Yeah.

   13. RKRob Kearney15:55

       You know, like doing shit like that.

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:57

       Yeah, that's what's weird. Yeah, Chappelle does this stuff where he grabs them by the feet and flips them in the air-

   15. RKRob Kearney16:01

       Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan16:02

       ... and then catches them on one hand.

   17. RKRob Kearney16:03

       It's stupid.

   18. JRJoe Rogan16:03

       It's bananas.

   19. RKRob Kearney16:04

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan16:04

       Like, the amount of physical power you have to have to be able to do that.

   21. RKRob Kearney16:07

       Timing, coordination, yeah.

   22. JRJoe Rogan16:09

       Yeah.

   23. RKRob Kearney16:09

       It's crazy.

   24. JRJoe Rogan16:10

       I mean, you have to be a fucking savage to throw someone in the air.

   25. RKRob Kearney16:12

       Yeah.

   26. JRJoe Rogan16:12

       And catch them with one hand.

   27. RKRob Kearney16:14

       It takes a lot of balls. (laughs)

   28. JRJoe Rogan16:15

       F- a lot of fucking power too.

   29. RKRob Kearney16:17

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan16:17

       Like, the explosive power.
7. 19:45 – 22:16

   Grinding the amateur circuit, winning a pro card, and avoiding injuries (mostly)

   1. RKRob Kearney19:45

      ... depending on the contest. Um, so the gym that I was going to in Connecticut, they were just starting to acquire strongman equipment, so it was pretty bare bones. So, like, we had a, a steel log, you know, for the log clean and press, they had some Atlas stones, um, some farmer's handles, a yoke, and that's pretty much it. And then, over the years, you would get more and more and more, and now it's turned into this massive 15,000-square-foot facility. And the gym owner, we call him an equipment whore because he buys some- every time something new comes out, he buys it. Um, so, yeah, like, my, my exposure to the equipment in the beginning was pretty minimal, but what I did to compensate for that is I just competed more. 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. Um, so in my first, like, three years, I competed probably, like, almost 40 times.

   2. JRJoe Rogan20:39

      Whoa. How often are these things being held?

   3. RKRob Kearney20:43

      At the amateur level, pretty often. There's usually... You could find w- you know, I would say one or two, you know, per month in New England alone.

   4. JRJoe Rogan20:51

      Really?

   5. RKRob Kearney20:51

      Um, and then they're all over the country.

   6. JRJoe Rogan20:53

      (clears throat)

   7. RKRob Kearney20:53

      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. I took dead last in, like, my first eight shows that I did. So, like, I wasn't good at this thing when I started. (laughs)

   8. JRJoe Rogan21:08

      Now, when did you start being successful?

   9. RKRob Kearney21:12

      20... So I went to Amateur Nationals actually in the 200-pound weight class, so I weighed in under 200 pounds in 2011. That was my first time at the Amateur Nationals, so I had been doing it for about two years. Um, surprised myself and ended up taking second place in that weight class. Uh, went back to the Amateur Nationals as a 231 and 212 and took second place there, and then won the Amateur National Championship in 2013, and that's where I be t- you know, where I won my pro card and kinda got to that next level.

   10. JRJoe Rogan21:41

       But it's such a difficult thing to do, that I would imagine doing it 40 times a year, like, you're gonna get injured.

   11. RKRob Kearney21:49

       Luckily, I didn't.

   12. JRJoe Rogan21:50

       Really?

   13. RKRob Kearney21:50

       Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm fortunate where, um, uh, I'm... So by trade and what I went to school for is I'm an athletic trainer, um, so sports medicine has kinda been my thing. So, you know, I've been lucky enough to learn, um, 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, um, and just try to be smart. You know, I'm, I'm... you know, knock on wood-

   14. JRJoe Rogan22:12

       Mm-hmm.

   15. RKRob Kearney22:13

       ... you know, I've had one serious injury in the 10 years that I've been doing this sport.

8. 22:16 – 23:54

   The Atlas stone accident: broken ribs and a long recovery

   1. JRJoe Rogan22:16

      And what was that?

   2. RKRob Kearney22:17

      Um, it was the summer of 2018, I dropped a 275-pound Atlas stone on my chest.

   3. JRJoe Rogan22:22

      Oh!

   4. RKRob Kearney22:23

      So-

   5. JRJoe Rogan22:24

      Fuck.

   6. RKRob Kearney22:24

      Uh, tore my QL in my low back, broke three ribs.

   7. JRJoe Rogan22:27

      Oh, Jesus.

   8. RKRob Kearney22:28

      Put me out of commission for a little while. And, you know-

   9. JRJoe Rogan22:30

      How'd you drop it? Where were... H- what was-

   10. RKRob Kearney22:32

       It was at a contest, I was in second place by one point (laughs) , um, so it was the final event of the contest and, uh, I went to push the stone onto the... 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-

   11. JRJoe Rogan22:46

       Right.

   12. RKRob Kearney22:46

       ... you know? So this was 75 inches tall.

   13. JRJoe Rogan22:48

       Hmm.

   14. RKRob Kearney22:49

       Um, you know, and I'm only 5'10", so that was literally, like, eyebrow height, so I li- had to, like, press it up onto the box. And, uh, I thought it was up there, it wasn't secure, it ended up rolling off, fell onto my chest.

   15. JRJoe Rogan23:01

       (groans)

   16. RKRob Kearney23:02

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan23:03

       Fuck.

   18. RKRob Kearney23:03

       And, uh, you know, naturally, that was the first contest my mom had come seen in person in, like, four years.

   19. JRJoe Rogan23:09

       Oh my gosh.

   20. RKRob Kearney23:10

       So she was in the stands watching it happen.

   21. JRJoe Rogan23:11

       She saw her baby get killed by a boulder.

   22. RKRob Kearney23:12

       Yep. (laughs)

   23. JRJoe Rogan23:14

       (laughs)

   24. RKRob Kearney23:14

       Perfect timing.

   25. JRJoe Rogan23:15

       God damn, dude.

   26. RKRob Kearney23:16

       Yep.

   27. JRJoe Rogan23:16

       So how long did it take you to recover from that?

   28. RKRob Kearney23:19

       Let's see, that was... (sighs) That was in June or... June or July of 2018, and I didn't do my next contest until March of 2019.

   29. JRJoe Rogan23:27

       Oh, wow.

   30. RKRob Kearney23:28

       Yeah. Took me out for a while.
9. 23:54 – 27:29

   Training structure, big lifts, and why belts matter

   1. RKRob Kearney23:54

      Exactly, and, uh, I think that's where it's... that's why I've been lucky, you know, and y- and I kind of stayed injury-free. Because even, like, to this day, like, you know... So my coach is, um, you know, a pretty well-renowned strongman, Derek Poundstone, who, you know, took second place at World's Strongest Man, um, and he programmed some crazy shit for me.... but there are some days where I'm just like, "Yo, dude. This is not gonna fly today."

   2. JRJoe Rogan24:17

      When you have a light ... Like, what's a light day?

   3. RKRob Kearney24:20

      Um, (clears throat) you know, so like, I train four days a week and I get, like, one, like, I call them, like, my bro day. It's like my bench, back and arms day. (laughs)

   4. JRJoe Rogan24:30

      (laughs)

   5. RKRob Kearney24:31

      Um, you know?

   6. JRJoe Rogan24:32

      I didn't even know power men do that.

   7. RKRob Kearney24:33

      Yeah. Yeah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan24:34

      Really?

   9. RKRob Kearney24:34

      So, it, it's more just like... 'Cause like bench press is gonna, like, build up your triceps. It's gonna build up the anterior delt. It's gonna help, like ... Uh, bench press actually helps your overhead lifts. And, um, so I do that, and that, that's what I consider, like, my light day. But like, I'll still bench, like, in the mid 450s.

   10. JRJoe Rogan24:48

       Hmm.

   11. RKRob Kearney24:49

       So ...

   12. JRJoe Rogan24:50

       So, four days a week?

   13. RKRob Kearney24:52

       Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan24:52

       And so how do you, how do you structure it? Do you do every other day? Do you do-

   15. RKRob Kearney24:56

       Um, it all depends on the week, really. So, typically, I try to go Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday.

   16. JRJoe Rogan25:03

       Hmm.

   17. RKRob Kearney25:04

       That's usually my, my average week. Um, so Tuesday is like my big overhead day where I'll do a, a strongman movement overheads, like log press or dumbbell, um, and then a bunch of (clears throat) shoulder overhead accessory work. Thursday, my day two, is my biggest day, so I squat and deadlift in the same day. Um, and that's a workout that sometimes takes four to five hours.

   18. JRJoe Rogan25:26

       Really?

   19. RKRob Kearney25:26

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan25:27

       So, do you do big spaces in between each workout? So, you lift, and then do you, do you have like a large amount of time-

   21. RKRob Kearney25:32

       I'll take about 10, 15 minutes-

   22. JRJoe Rogan25:34

       ... for rest? Yeah.

   23. RKRob Kearney25:34

       ... between sets sometimes.

   24. JRJoe Rogan25:35

       Yeah.

   25. RKRob Kearney25:35

       Like, you know, like we're building up to the Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio this coming March, and, um, you know, we have a max deadlift coming up. And, you know, I'm potentially gonna be going for a 1,000 deadlift.

   26. JRJoe Rogan25:47

       Jesus Christ.

   27. RKRob Kearney25:49

       You know, so like to get through a deadlift workout-

   28. JRJoe Rogan25:51

       Whoo.

   29. RKRob Kearney25:51

       ... where I'm deadlifting ... Oh, yeah. There's me.

   30. JRJoe Rogan25:54

       There's you. Ju- look at the bar bending.
10. 27:29 – 31:52

    Truck pulls, monster trucks, and the Wheel of Pain

    1. RKRob Kearney27:29

       So, um, (clears throat) leading up to World's Strongest Man, um, I knew we had a truck pull. We actually got to pull the, uh, the Grave Digger and the Monster Jam firetruck.

    2. JRJoe Rogan27:39

       Really?

    3. RKRob Kearney27:39

       Or, uh, yeah, the, the monster trucks at Worlds this year, which was pretty cool.

    4. JRJoe Rogan27:42

       (laughs) How much does Grave Digger weigh?

    5. RKRob Kearney27:44

       Well, so the funny thing is it only weighs 15,000 pounds, so they had to grab a second one and attach them, so we were-

    6. JRJoe Rogan27:51

       What?

    7. RKRob Kearney27:51

       ... pulling two of them at one time.

    8. JRJoe Rogan27:52

       How does one ever say it only weighs 15,000 pounds?

    9. RKRob Kearney27:56

       (laughs) That's what I wanna know 'cause I suck at that event, (laughs) so I don't ... You know, I would like it if it was only one of them, but-

    10. JRJoe Rogan28:01

        That's, that's an event where it must help to be 450 pounds, right?

    11. RKRob Kearney28:05

        Huge, huge advantage. Um, you know, you look at guys like me, you know, again, only 5'10", about 285 competing against ... In my qualifying group at Worlds was Thor Björnsson, the Mountain from Game of Thrones, who's-

    12. JRJoe Rogan28:15

        Yeah, how much does that fucker weigh?

    13. RKRob Kearney28:17

        Six, nine, four, 40.

    14. JRJoe Rogan28:19

        Jesus!

    15. RKRob Kearney28:20

        And that bitch has a six-pack.

    16. JRJoe Rogan28:22

        Six, nine, four, 40?

    17. RKRob Kearney28:25

        Yeah. So, that's Thor doing the event right there. Um, and you can see Grave Digger right behind him, and then behind that, they attached-

    18. JRJoe Rogan28:33

        Is that-

    19. RKRob Kearney28:33

        ... with a metal pole to the Monster Jam monster truck as well.

    20. JRJoe Rogan28:35

        Oh, so you use a rope to pull you as well?

    21. RKRob Kearney28:37

        Yeah, so it's like kinda ... You get a little bit of lever, yeah. There's a second truck right behind.

    22. JRJoe Rogan28:41

        Look at these two trucks. That is ridiculous.

    23. RKRob Kearney28:43

        Yeah, so leading up to World's Strongest Man, I actually became really good friends with the firefighters in my local town. Um, (laughs) and I just, uh, I, I talked to the fire chief. I was like, "Hey, uh, can I borrow one of your trucks to pull?"

    24. JRJoe Rogan28:55

        (laughs)

    25. RKRob Kearney28:56

        (laughs)

    26. JRJoe Rogan28:56

        What do you do if a fire breaks out? "Hey, we got our friend. He's out there pulling it."

    27. RKRob Kearney29:00

        (laughs) They can wait. Um, yeah. His re- ... His response was, "Are you shitting me?" I was like, "I'm actually serious." Um, so I actually ... I was pulling that, that ... I was pulling that firetruck, like, once or twice a week for like six weeks leading up to World's Strongest Man.

    28. JRJoe Rogan29:13

        How much does a firetruck weigh?

    29. RKRob Kearney29:15

        Um, depends if the water's in it or not. I found that out.

    30. JRJoe Rogan29:18

        Oh.
11. 31:52 – 51:29

    Longevity, common injuries, grip events, and deadlift grip strategy

    1. JRJoe Rogan31:52

       Is there a lifespan for doing what you do? 'Cause I would imagine, like, y- you're putting-

    2. RKRob Kearney31:57

       Yes and no.

    3. JRJoe Rogan31:57

       ... tremendous stress.

    4. RKRob Kearney31:59

       Um, you know, I, I think, like, we see most of the guys are in their prime, like, mid-30s. I would say, like, early to mid-30s is kind of like the prime for most strongman athletes. But then you got guys like Mark Felix from the UK who's 53 and he's still competing and breaking world records.

    5. JRJoe Rogan32:16

       What?

    6. RKRob Kearney32:17

       Yeah.

    7. JRJoe Rogan32:18

       Dude, piss test that guy.

    8. RKRob Kearney32:19

       (laughs)

    9. JRJoe Rogan32:20

       He's on all the shit. 53-

    10. RKRob Kearney32:23

        53.

    11. JRJoe Rogan32:23

        ... that's bonkers.

    12. RKRob Kearney32:23

        He also ... He has the biggest hands in strongman, um, so they actually don't fit on an eight-by-eleven piece of paper.

    13. JRJoe Rogan32:30

        What?

    14. RKRob Kearney32:31

        Yeah. So his hands were, like-

    15. JRJoe Rogan32:32

        (laughs)

    16. RKRob Kearney32:32

        ... 11-1/2, 12 inches long.

    17. JRJoe Rogan32:35

        (laughs)

    18. RKRob Kearney32:35

        Yeah.

    19. JRJoe Rogan32:36

        That's ridiculous. That's like Shaq hands.

    20. RKRob Kearney32:38

        It's crazy. But that's why-

    21. JRJoe Rogan32:40

        God.

    22. RKRob Kearney32:40

        ... he ... The world records that he gets are all in grip events-

    23. JRJoe Rogan32:42

        Oh.

    24. RKRob Kearney32:43

        ... ironically. And then I have, like, you know, the where's the meat hands, and can't hold onto anything.

    25. JRJoe Rogan32:48

        God damn. 53.

    26. RKRob Kearney32:50

        It's crazy. It's absolutely crazy. And he looks like he's 38. And-

    27. JRJoe Rogan32:54

        You got a picture of that guy, Jamie? Yeah, I was trying to find it. Got sidetracked by trying to find his hands in the middle there.

    28. RKRob Kearney32:59

        Yeah.

    29. JRJoe Rogan32:59

        Wow. Look at him-

    30. RKRob Kearney33:00

        There's Mark.
12. 51:29 – 1:25:44

    Food, recovery toolkit, money, and LGBTQ+ visibility in pro sports

    1. JRJoe Rogan51:29

       Now, what is a typical breakfast for you like? And how, how many times do you eat in a day?

    2. RKRob Kearney51:34

       Um, I try to go between six and eight meals.

    3. JRJoe Rogan51:36

       Oh, okay.

    4. RKRob Kearney51:36

       So it all depends on like when my training is and stuff like that. Um-

    5. JRJoe Rogan51:39

       So do you bring like little Tupperware containers-

    6. RKRob Kearney51:41

       Yeah.

    7. JRJoe Rogan51:41

       ... with you and shit?

    8. RKRob Kearney51:42

       Yep, yeah.

    9. JRJoe Rogan51:43

       And everything prepped out?

    10. RKRob Kearney51:44

        Um, and to be honest I'm pretty boring. Like, I don't like to cook. (laughs) I love to eat, but I don't like to cook. So I'll pretty much eat the same thing almost every meal. Um, you know, so it's pretty much like chicken or beef and rice and veggies. Pretty much it.

    11. JRJoe Rogan51:58

        That's what Robert was saying. Basically everybody's like rice and meat.

    12. RKRob Kearney52:01

        Yeah. You know, it's, um, you know, like I'm a fat kid, so like I don't like to just eat baked chicken. Like, that's why I'm not a bodybuilder. Like, I'm, I can't look like that because I just like the taste of food too much.

    13. JRJoe Rogan52:11

        Mm.

    14. RKRob Kearney52:12

        So like I do like air fried chicken fingers to make them healthy.

    15. JRJoe Rogan52:16

        (laughs)

    16. RKRob Kearney52:16

        You know, like (laughs) th- that, that'll be the chicken that I eat, you know?

    17. JRJoe Rogan52:19

        Right.

    18. RKRob Kearney52:19

        And then I'll throw some sauce on top of it, you know?

    19. JRJoe Rogan52:21

        Do you make the chicken fingers?

    20. RKRob Kearney52:22

        I do.

    21. JRJoe Rogan52:23

        Like, do you, do you bread 'em and everything?

    22. RKRob Kearney52:24

        Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean-

    23. JRJoe Rogan52:25

        What do you use for the breading and everything?

    24. RKRob Kearney52:26

        Uh, usually I'll do like panko, um, and throw-

    25. JRJoe Rogan52:29

        What's that? What's panko?

    26. RKRob Kearney52:30

        Like, panko bread crumbs. So it's just like a little bit-

    27. JRJoe Rogan52:32

        Oh, okay.

    28. RKRob Kearney52:32

        ... like a more coarse, bigger, um-

    29. JRJoe Rogan52:34

        Mm-hmm.

    30. RKRob Kearney52:34

        ... you know, a little more crispier which is nice too. 'Cause the texture is ... Like, I don't want it to taste just like mush when I'm eating it. Like, I like a little crunch-

Episode duration: 1:54:19