Many strength athletes have graced the airwaves of one of the most listened to podcasts on the internet, The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), hosted by Joe Rogan. World’s Strongest Man (WSM) mainstay Robert Oberst went into the studio in July 2019 to urge people not to deadlift. Eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman sat across from Rogan in June 2020 to talk training philosophy and various injuries he sustained over his decorated bodybuilding career. Five-time Fittest Man on Earth® Mat Fraser joined Rogan to chat money in CrossFit and what it was like losing his sense of taste while battling COVID-19.
The latest strength athlete to adorn a pair of Rogan’s headphones and talk shop was 2020 Arnold Strongman Australia champion Rob Kearney. In episode #1727 of the JRE, Kearney shares the details of the triceps injury he suffered during his American log lift record attempt on the World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) “Feats of Strength” series and the subsequent recovery process. Check it out below, courtesy of the PowerfulJRE YouTube channel:
[Related: Strongwoman Nadia Stowers Matches Bag Over Bar World Record at 2021 Rogue Record Breakers]
When Kearney went in for surgery to repair his ruptured left triceps, his doctor was surprised by how bad the damage was. According to Kearney, the surgeon “had to take a step back and reconsider everything [he] was going to do” because there were tendon fragments strewn about Kearney’s arm.
The MRI showed…it was torn, but…not to what extent. [The doctor] said it looked like a firecracker had gone off in my tendon.
In total, it took 14 sutures to reassemble Kearney’s tendon to be attached via four anchors drilled into his elbow. At the time of the podcast recording, Kearney still could not fully extend his left arm. Two weeks after the surgery, Kearney returned to the gym to focus on his lower body while rehabbing his arm to regain full range of motion.
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[Related: Martins Licis Sets World Record 300-Pound Thor’s Hammer Lift]
The Return of Rob Kearney
Kearney was one of 10 strongmen to compete at the 2021 Rogue Invitational in Round Rock, TX, on Oct. 29-30, 2021. Despite the range of motion issues in his arm, he managed to finish in sixth place overall, scoring a 397.5-kilograms (876-pound) Elephant Bar deadlift along the way.
The former American log lift record holder also recently announced his new children’s book “Strong” will be available in May 2022. Given his performance at the 2021 Rogue Invitational and his ongoing recovery, Kearney seems to have a lot of fight in his system to challenge other elite strongmen in future contests. We’ll see where Kearney chooses to compete next and if he can challenge for a podium finish when he does.
Featured image: @worlds_strongest_gay
