Joe Rogan Experience #1571 - Emily Harrington

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast,…

   1. NANarrator0:02

      (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out. The Joe Rogan Experience. (rock music)

   2. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. (rock music) Hello, Emily.

   3. EHEmily Harrington0:13

      Hi.

   4. JRJoe Rogan0:13

      What's happening?

   5. EHEmily Harrington0:15

      Not much.

   6. JRJoe Rogan0:15

      You seem very normal. And that's-

   7. EHEmily Harrington0:17

      (laughs)

   8. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      ... what always stuns me about people who do insane things. Like, they're just r- like, Alex Honnold, I've met him a few times, had him on the show a couple times. Super normal guy, but does what you do.

   9. EHEmily Harrington0:30

      Yeah. I would argue Alex isn't as normal as me. (laughs)

   10. JRJoe Rogan0:33

       Oh, really? How so? (laughs)

   11. EHEmily Harrington0:36

       I don't know. You, you met him. (laughs)

   12. JRJoe Rogan0:38

       I think he's normal. Like-

   13. EHEmily Harrington0:39

       He's pretty normal. He does-

   14. JRJoe Rogan0:40

       He's very mellow.

   15. EHEmily Harrington0:41

       He... What he does is exponentially more, um, (clicks tongue) dangerous than what I do, I would argue.

   16. JRJoe Rogan0:46

       Because there's no ropes at all.

   17. EHEmily Harrington0:47

       He doesn't use ropes. I do use ropes.

   18. JRJoe Rogan0:49

       Yeah.

   19. EHEmily Harrington0:49

       Yes. (laughs)

   20. JRJoe Rogan0:50

       It's, it's... Listen, it's dangerous. What you do is dangerous. W-

   21. EHEmily Harrington0:54

       We'll get there.

   22. JRJoe Rogan0:54

       Yeah.

   23. EHEmily Harrington0:55

       (laughs)

   24. JRJoe Rogan0:55

       Um, tell people what you did 'cause it's pretty crazy.

   25. EHEmily Harrington0:58

       Um, so I did what's called free climbing. I free climbed a route on El Capitan, which is a 3,200-foot cliff in Yosemite National Park, and I did it in under 24 hours.

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:12

       That is a long way to go.

   27. EHEmily Harrington1:15

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan1:15

       Three thousand two hundred and-

   29. EHEmily Harrington1:18

       It's something. 3,200 feet is what I say. I think it might just be, like, a little more than that. (laughs)

   30. JRJoe Rogan1:24

       When you're halfway there, Emily Harrington becomes the first woman to scale El Capitan via its notoriously difficult Golden Gate route. Why is that route more difficult?
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   I used to have…

   1. JRJoe Rogan15:00

      have a sense of what you need to train? Like how- how do you decide what you do?

   2. EHEmily Harrington15:06

      I used to have a coach. Um, I ... Because when I first started climbing I was basically just only doing climbing competitions so I just was a competition climber. So I have a really solid base in, in training and how to train. I no longer work with a coach. Um, but I definitely, like, read a lot and I kind of like grab bits and pieces of information from my friends. Um, and so yeah, I do ... I, I do have a set training schedule approach that I kind of like build out in my head and try to stick to it. That said, I'm like pretty, I'm pretty flexible. But I do not just climb, like, if that's what you're asking. I do a lot of specific, specific training. Um, mostly I try to train what I'm weakest at, which is like pure power, pure strength.

   3. JRJoe Rogan15:56

      So you're saying that you do trail runs too and you find that that helps you?

   4. EHEmily Harrington16:00

      I do think running helps me. M- a lot of climbers would say that running is like not that good for climbing, but-

   5. JRJoe Rogan16:07

      Why is that?

   6. EHEmily Harrington16:08

      Because it, it makes you tired, essentially, and it decreases your power and your ability to like really pull hard. Um, like you're not really supposed to go running on your rest days but I do it anyway.

   7. JRJoe Rogan16:19

      Hm. Why do-

   8. EHEmily Harrington16:20

      And for me, sanity-wise, like I just love running.

   9. JRJoe Rogan16:22

      Oh. Just good for the head.

   10. EHEmily Harrington16:23

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan16:24

       Yeah. What, so they think that just exhausting your legs from running will mess you up when you're climbing?

   12. EHEmily Harrington16:30

       Yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan16:30

       You love the idea?

   14. EHEmily Harrington16:31

       Yeah. I think so. I think it just like depletes your ability to like he- pure power. You know, like if you're doing like a, I mean, I don't know, if you're doing like a weightlifting workout, it doesn't see- it seems like you're not supposed to go run a few miles before you try to like bench press your hardest weight.

   15. JRJoe Rogan16:47

       Y- yeah. Is there two schools of thought on that? 'Cause it seems like another school of thought would be if you can condition your body to run and climb, you'll, you'll have a stronger body than one that just climbs.

   16. EHEmily Harrington16:58

       Well, that's my philosophy, yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan16:59

       Yeah.

   18. EHEmily Harrington16:59

       (laughs)

   19. JRJoe Rogan17:00

       And obviously you're out there kicking ass.

   20. EHEmily Harrington17:02

       Well, I mean I'm, I'm try- I'm still, eh, I'm a work in progress.

   21. JRJoe Rogan17:05

       Well.

   22. EHEmily Harrington17:06

       (laughs)

   23. JRJoe Rogan17:06

       Aren't we all? (laughs)

   24. EHEmily Harrington17:08

       Yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan17:08

       So you basically are self-trained in that sense where you-

   26. EHEmily Harrington17:12

       Mm-hmm.

   27. JRJoe Rogan17:12

       ... you don't have someone who sets a schedule aside for you like, "Today you're gonna lift weights. Today you're gonna run. Today ..."

   28. EHEmily Harrington17:16

       No.

   29. JRJoe Rogan17:17

       And so how do you do that? Is it just based on how you feel? Do you write it out? Like, what, like when Emily wakes up in the morning and decides today is a what day? How do you do that?

   30. EHEmily Harrington17:28

       I ... It's, it's a lot of how I feel. Sometimes I plan it out. Sometimes I write it out. Um, I ... It depends on how much time I have. Like, if I have a chunk of time to train then I'll build like a training schedule. Like if I have a month, I'll, I'll be like okay I'm gonna climb two days on, one day off for the next month. Um, and then on the first day I'm gonna do like more power style training so like shorter workouts, high- you know, like shorter workouts, higher reps or whatever you wanna call it.
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   And last year when…

   1. EHEmily Harrington30:00

      over. It's done."

   2. JRJoe Rogan30:00

      And last year when you hit your head, you hit your head much harder?

   3. EHEmily Harrington30:04

      Last year I fell on the first (laughs) pitch of the route, um, so close to the ground. Uh, but I fell like 50 feet and I hit a ledge and didn't... The rope like didn't catch me. I hit the ledge.

   4. JRJoe Rogan30:16

      Oof.

   5. EHEmily Harrington30:16

      Because I was, uh, again, rushing and not placing enough protection and...

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:21

      So you fell 50 feet without being caught?

   7. EHEmily Harrington30:23

      Uh-huh.

   8. JRJoe Rogan30:24

      Oh my god.

   9. EHEmily Harrington30:24

      Hit a ledge. Yeah. It was a really, it was pretty gnarly. I-

   10. JRJoe Rogan30:28

       How did you hit it?

   11. EHEmily Harrington30:29

       I, I don't remember 'cause I got...

   12. JRJoe Rogan30:32

       KO'd?

   13. EHEmily Harrington30:32

       ... knocked out. Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan30:33

       Yeah.

   15. EHEmily Harrington30:34

       Um-

   16. JRJoe Rogan30:34

       50 feet is-

   17. EHEmily Harrington30:34

       But I had this crazy rope burn on my neck and...

   18. JRJoe Rogan30:37

       Oh my god.

   19. EHEmily Harrington30:38

       Um...Yeah, it was- it was pretty- I had- yeah. We- I had to get rescued, like full on ambulance to the hospital, like spinal injury worries, all that. It was pretty serious. It was definitely the worst accident I've ever had. Um, and it was... I walked out of the hospital that day, which is incredible. Like, that just doesn't happen very often.

   20. JRJoe Rogan31:00

       There's you.

   21. EHEmily Harrington31:01

       There's me.

   22. JRJoe Rogan31:01

       Dressed up like a burrito.

   23. EHEmily Harrington31:02

       (laughs)

   24. JRJoe Rogan31:03

       And what... So this is when they were carrying you to the hospital? Was that when the-

   25. EHEmily Harrington31:07

       Yeah, that's the rope burn.

   26. JRJoe Rogan31:08

       Look at that rope burn. Oh my God.

   27. EHEmily Harrington31:09

       I also don't know how that happened.

   28. JRJoe Rogan31:12

       Oh wow.

   29. EHEmily Harrington31:13

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan31:15

       Wow. And there's no footage of this right? You didn't-
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   Yeah, and- …

   1. JRJoe Rogan45:00

      you to be cool and wear their stuff. Like, you're out there doing cool stuff, and-

   2. EHEmily Harrington45:04

      Yeah, and-

   3. JRJoe Rogan45:04

      ... you're wearing the North Face-

   4. EHEmily Harrington45:05

      ... and be active within-

   5. JRJoe Rogan45:06

      Yeah.

   6. EHEmily Harrington45:06

      ... the brand, and like... yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan45:08

      Is that... does, uh... is... how does that feel, like, to be, like, that's what you do for a living?

   8. EHEmily Harrington45:13

      I, y- I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel sometimes a little bit of, like, imposter syndrome, you know?

   9. JRJoe Rogan45:22

      How so?

   10. EHEmily Harrington45:22

       Kind of like, "Oh," like, "Do I actually deserve this?" Like...

   11. JRJoe Rogan45:26

       (laughs)

   12. EHEmily Harrington45:27

       This-

   13. JRJoe Rogan45:27

       That happens with everybody, though.

   14. EHEmily Harrington45:29

       Yeah, I think so.

   15. JRJoe Rogan45:30

       Yeah. E-

   16. EHEmily Harrington45:30

       Like, "Why am I here?" Like, "Why am I here?"

   17. JRJoe Rogan45:32

       Right.

   18. EHEmily Harrington45:32

       Like, I don't... I'm not special. (laughs)

   19. JRJoe Rogan45:35

       Right. Well, that's probably why you're special.

   20. EHEmily Harrington45:37

       Maybe.

   21. JRJoe Rogan45:38

       I think. Yeah.

   22. EHEmily Harrington45:38

       I don't know.

   23. JRJoe Rogan45:39

       I think so. I think people that, like, actually think they're special, genuinely, uh, are... they... that's a, that's a more of a hindrance. I think you're better off with-

   24. EHEmily Harrington45:50

       You do?

   25. JRJoe Rogan45:50

       Yeah. I think you're better off feeling like shit.

   26. EHEmily Harrington45:52

       Okay.

   27. JRJoe Rogan45:52

       You're better off-

   28. EHEmily Harrington45:53

       I'm gonna continue with that then. (laughs)

   29. JRJoe Rogan45:54

       (laughs) I do, 'cause I think, I think it makes you work harder. I, I th- I really do.

   30. EHEmily Harrington45:58

       Yeah.
5. 1:00:00 – 1:11:13

   Yeah. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:00:00

      show that she's 180 pounds.

   2. EHEmily Harrington1:00:02

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:00:02

      And she's like, "I'm 180 pounds all we-" She looks fantastic. Like, there's no doubt about it. She's in amazing shape. But she's a big gal. But by getting on that scale and showing, like, "Hey," like, "fuck your numbers."

   4. EHEmily Harrington1:00:15

      Yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:00:15

      Like, I was like, "That is- that is great and very ..." And saying s- it sounds so crazy to say, especially as a man, that it's brave of her to show her weight, 'cause men don't give a fuck.

   6. EHEmily Harrington1:00:24

      (laughs)

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:00:24

      Like, if you're 180- if a man's 180 or 170 or one-ni- like, no, unless you're trying to get big, you don't care, or unless you're trying-

   8. EHEmily Harrington1:00:31

      Yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan1:00:31

      ... to lose weight. Like, no guy says, "Oh, no woman's gonna like me. I'm, you know, 195 instead of, uh, 170." Like, that's nonsense. No guy thinks like that.

   10. EHEmily Harrington1:00:41

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:00:41

       Like, a number. Like, you have to- like, no one want- "I don't want anybody to know my number." B- b- but for a woman, that's a big issue.

   12. EHEmily Harrington1:00:47

       It's a big issue, for sure. And it's like, I mean, I n- I don't weigh myself anymore, 'cause I'm just like-

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:00:52

       Right.

   14. EHEmily Harrington1:00:52

       I don't- I don't need to deal with that. (laughs)

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:00:54

       It's common for women that have had those issues-

   16. EHEmily Harrington1:00:57

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:00:57

       ... they just decide, "You know what? I'm just gonna be healthy-

   18. EHEmily Harrington1:00:59

       Yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:00:59

       ... and look good, and not think about it."

   20. EHEmily Harrington1:01:01

       Yeah, yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:01:02

       You know?

   22. EHEmily Harrington1:01:02

       And I've- that's one of the things that's been- there's a lot of things that I actually don't like about social media, but that's one thing that I've really appreciated is, like, women, like you're talking about, like, sharing those things and being like, "Yeah, this is who I am. Take it or leave it. This is- this is it."

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:01:13

       I think she gets enough likes-

   24. EHEmily Harrington1:01:15

       Yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:01:16

       ... like, she gets-

   26. EHEmily Harrington1:01:16

       That it's okay.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:01:17

       Yeah.

   28. EHEmily Harrington1:01:17

       Yeah.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:01:17

       She's- she's hot.

   30. EHEmily Harrington1:01:19

       (laughs)

Episode duration: 2:11:41