Joe Rogan Experience #1416 - Rob Kearney

Rob Kearney is the only openly gay professional strongman. He currently holds the American record for the log press, at 471 lbs. There is also a documentary about his life currently in production: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rob-kearney-world039s-strongest-gay-documentary?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Joe RoganhostRob Kearneyguest

Jan 21, 20201h 54mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

150 min read · 30,002 words

0:00 – 15:00
... two. You are…
1. JRJoe Rogan
  ... two. You are the first ever person with a Mohawk on this podcast.
2. RKRob Kearney
  (laughs) Oh, yeah. That's cool.
3. JRJoe Rogan
  Congratulations.
4. RKRob Kearney
  Thank you, man.
5. JRJoe Rogan
  I think, right? Is that accurate? Yeah.
6. RKRob Kearney
  Just say yes.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah. Def- yeah. I wouldn't-
8. RKRob Kearney
  Make me feel good.
9. JRJoe Rogan
  Definitely the first with a purple and blue Mohawk.
10. RKRob Kearney
  Oh, it's a full rainbow, man. It's-
11. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh. Oh, yeah, that's right. All the way down the back. Oh, yeah. Very, very nice.
12. RKRob Kearney
  Absolutely.
13. JRJoe Rogan
  Very nice. Now, uh, first of all, I love your fucking handle.
14. RKRob Kearney
  (laughs)
15. JRJoe Rogan
  World's Strongest Gay.
16. RKRob Kearney
  That's me, yeah.
17. JRJoe Rogan
  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 Kearney
  In Strongman?
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
20. RKRob Kearney
  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 Rogan
  Yeah.
22. RKRob Kearney
  ... uh, not too long ago, and he even mentioned-
23. JRJoe Rogan
  He's awesome.
24. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah. You know, he's something, but... (laughs)
25. JRJoe Rogan
  I love him.
26. RKRob Kearney
  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 Rogan
  Mm-hmm.
28. RKRob Kearney
  ... 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 Rogan
  (laughs)
30. RKRob Kearney
  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."
15:00 – 30:00
That was the sign?…
1. RKRob Kearney
  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 Rogan
  That was the sign?
3. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
4. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
5. RKRob Kearney
  Not stereotyping male cheerleaders whatsoever, but ...
6. JRJoe Rogan
  (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 Kearney
  They're, I mean, collegiate cheerleaders are insane.
8. JRJoe Rogan
  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 Kearney
  (laughs)
10. JRJoe Rogan
  No, it's crazy acrobatics.
11. RKRob Kearney
  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 Rogan
  Yeah.
13. RKRob Kearney
  You know, like doing shit like that.
14. JRJoe Rogan
  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 Kearney
  Yeah.
16. JRJoe Rogan
  ... and then catches them on one hand.
17. RKRob Kearney
  It's stupid.
18. JRJoe Rogan
  It's bananas.
19. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
20. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, the amount of physical power you have to have to be able to do that.
21. RKRob Kearney
  Timing, coordination, yeah.
22. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
23. RKRob Kearney
  It's crazy.
24. JRJoe Rogan
  I mean, you have to be a fucking savage to throw someone in the air.
25. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
26. JRJoe Rogan
  And catch them with one hand.
27. RKRob Kearney
  It takes a lot of balls. (laughs)
28. JRJoe Rogan
  F- a lot of fucking power too.
29. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
30. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, the explosive power.
30:00 – 45:00
Jesus Christ. What does…
1. RKRob Kearney
  of just nonstop work, and that hurts.
2. JRJoe Rogan
  Jesus Christ. What does that do to your knees?
3. RKRob Kearney
  The knees aren't too bad. Um, honestly-
4. JRJoe Rogan
  What-
5. RKRob Kearney
  ... it's just like a full body, like, burning. Like, everything hurts.
6. JRJoe Rogan
  Right.
7. RKRob Kearney
  Like, nothing feel ... Like your arms are pumped 'cause 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.
8. JRJoe Rogan
  I'd be worried about like knees and ankles.... am I wrong?
9. RKRob Kearney
  The biggest injury that you see with, like, a truck pull is, like, the Achilles tendon rupture.
10. JRJoe Rogan
  Right, ankles.
11. RKRob Kearney
  So the Achilles tendon will just, like, pop off-
12. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
13. RKRob Kearney
  ... when you're trying to pull it.
14. JRJoe Rogan
  That makes sense, because you're just pushing off with your foot and all that-
15. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
16. JRJoe Rogan
  ... pressure. Oh, fucker.
17. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
18. JRJoe Rogan
  God damn. What a sed-
19. RKRob Kearney
  The sport's really great. (laughs)
20. JRJoe Rogan
  It's a sadistic sport.
21. RKRob Kearney
  (laughs)
22. JRJoe Rogan
  It's just so crazy to watch people pull two trucks, like a, a p- a f- a human being pulling two trucks. It's pro- po- I wish I would see you with the firetruck. That's, that's more ridiculous. See you pulling a fucking firetruck.
23. RKRob Kearney
  It was pretty fun. (laughs)
24. JRJoe Rogan
  I'm sure, if you could do it.
25. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah, (laughs) exactly.
26. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah. If you do it, it's fun, just to ... That's a weird thing with people, right? They just love to be able to do something that's hard to do.
27. RKRob Kearney
  And I think that's why, like, all of us are attracted to, like, strongman. That's why we compete.
28. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
29. RKRob Kearney
  You know, like, like I said in the beginning of this show, like, it's ... We all have to be a little bit fucked up in the head to look at a truck and get excited to pull it.
30. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah, look at that.
45:00 – 1:00:00
Yeah, I mean, his-…
1. JRJoe Rogan
  after generation of marauders-
2. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah, I mean, his-
3. JRJoe Rogan
  ... and raiders.
4. RKRob Kearney
  ... his dad is also, like, 6'8".
5. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah, sure.
6. RKRob Kearney
  It's crazy.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah, it only makes sense. So w- what is h- like, when ... What is the difference between someone that is that big that can stay lean? Like, why, why can he stay lean?
8. RKRob Kearney
  Um, I think it's just, like, I, I th- one of the things 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. Um, you know-
9. JRJoe Rogan
  Who beat him?
10. RKRob Kearney
  Martins Licis from the U.A. He's actually right here in L.A.
11. JRJoe Rogan
  Is he?
12. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah, yeah. He, he just won back in, uh, back in June.
13. JRJoe Rogan
  He's from the UK. Is that what you're saying? You, you said U-
14. RKRob Kearney
  Oh, U.S., U.S.
15. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh, he's from the U.S.?
16. RKRob Kearney
  So he's originally from Latvia-
17. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh.
18. RKRob Kearney
  ... um, and now he's lived in the US, I mean, for as long as I can remember.
19. JRJoe Rogan
  How big is that fucker?
20. RKRob Kearney
  Mm-hmm. He's six ... There's Martins and me.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  Oh.
22. RKRob Kearney
  So he's about, like, 6'3", about 350.
23. JRJoe Rogan
  So he beat Thor.
24. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
25. JRJoe Rogan
  That's crazy.
26. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
27. JRJoe Rogan
  He beat a guy that's 150 pounds heavier than him?
28. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
29. JRJoe Rogan
  That's crazy.
30. RKRob Kearney
  I mean, that's the thing about the sport, you know. Like, I ... So the way I qualified for the contest in Ohio-
1:00:00 – 1:05:06
And that's one of…
1. JRJoe Rogan
2. RKRob Kearney
  And that's one of the biggest reasons why I'm so ... You know, I call myself, like, unapologetically open about my sexuality. Um, because, like, it really is... You know, the more you think about it, like, if you even try to think of, like, an openly gay man in any pro sport across the world-
3. JRJoe Rogan
  Uh...
4. RKRob Kearney
  ... n- there's no really mainstream.
5. JRJoe Rogan
  I think you forgot about Brian Boitano.
6. RKRob Kearney
  Oh, touché.
7. JRJoe Rogan
  Don't you remember South Park, what would Brian Boitano do?
8. RKRob Kearney
  (laughs)
9. JRJoe Rogan
  (laughs)
10. RKRob Kearney
  Smart-ass.
11. JRJoe Rogan
  (coughs) Brian Boitano, I mean, he's a goddamn trailblazer. But yeah, other than figure skating, who?
12. RKRob Kearney
  Actively competing in a-
13. JRJoe Rogan
  Right.
14. RKRob Kearney
  ... major sport, there really isn't anything. And I'm not saying... Like, you know, strongman is by no means, like, major or mainstream yet, but we're getting there.
15. JRJoe Rogan
  People know about it.
16. RKRob Kearney
  For sure.
17. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
18. RKRob Kearney
  And I think to see, like, an openly gay man, you know, I say competing in arguably one of the, the most, like, hyper-masculine sports in the world-
19. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
20. RKRob Kearney
  ... you know, I think, like... When I think of masculine sports, I think, like, UFC and lifting shit.
21. JRJoe Rogan
  Right, yeah.
22. RKRob Kearney
  Like, right? Like, one, you're beating another dude up. The other one it's a bunch of guys standing around a weight being like, "Oh, I'm gonna pick it up." "No, I'll pick it up." "I'll pick it up faster." You know, like, it's...... like Neanderthal almost.
23. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah, that's top of the food chain manly shit.
24. RKRob Kearney
  Exactly.
25. JRJoe Rogan
  Yeah.
26. RKRob Kearney
  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.
27. JRJoe Rogan
  I think that makes people feel more comfortable than if you just out there slinging dick.
28. RKRob Kearney
  Yeah.
29. JRJoe Rogan
  Like, if you weren't in a relationship, you were-
30. RKRob Kearney
  Right.

Episode duration: 1:54:19

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... two. You are…

That was the sign?…

Jesus Christ. What does…

Yeah, I mean, his-…

And that's one of…

Get more out of YouTube videos.