Strongman Rob Kearney Got Crushed Trying to Do Mat Fraser's Rowing Challenge
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The Concept 2 rower is a staple of CrossFit workouts, but it’s less common to see it show up in the arena of strongmen workouts, with the notable exception of strongmen who are training to become boxers and strongmen who are battling it out with Navy SEALS in a fitness contest.
Yesterday, we were treated to another crossover episode of sorts, when retired five-time CrossFit games champion and “Fittest Man in History” Mat Fraser challenged strongman Rob Kearney, aka the “World’s Strongest Gay” to do a 500-meter row as fast as he could.
Kearney begins the YouTube video by setting expectations—acknowledging that, despite appearances, he isn’t in “amazing” shape right now. He then walks viewers through his first training session since returning from the World’s Ultimate Strongman “Strength Island” competition in Bahrain, a challenging routine with a heavy focus on dumbbell presses.
Then he transitions into Fraser’s challenge. “So, I was talking to my friend Mat Fraser,” he says, “He wanted to see how quickly I could do a 500-meter row. I told him I would try it out. Now I feel like that was a dumb decision.” Kearney sets the rower to count down from 500 meters, and then he’s off to the races.
Unfortunately (spoiler alert!) Kearney doesn’t make it the entire distance. After a few seconds, he starts to look faint, before dropping the handle and saying he feels like he’s “going to puke.” Collapsing to the floor—while adding a “F—k you, Matt!” for good measure—he says he had about 90 meters left after what appears to be about a minute of rowing, which is still some impressive work for an athlete with his narrow focus.
It’s easy to underestimate just how challenging the 500-meter row can be, says Men’s Health fitness director and certified personal trainer Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. "The 500 is vicious because it’s a blend of explosive power and cardio. Kearney arrives to it with explosive power, so that’s a good start. Like most people, he underestimated the cardiovascular aspect of the event," Samuel says.
That may help explain Kearney’s reaction as the video ends. “Obviously,” he adds, before abruptly ending the recording, “I need to work on my conditioning.”
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