PowerfulJREJoe Rogan Experience #2568 - Ross Edgley
PowerfulJRE
Whiskey and patience 0:01
They start with whiskey, especially an 18-year-old single malt. He says there is no substitute for time in the barrel, and that older Scotch has a different taste. He tells a story about being offered a celebrity whiskey deal, then backing out because he could not honestly say it was better than the Scotch he had just tried. The exchange turns into praise for Scotland, Irish and Scotch makers, and the care that goes into old whiskey.
Long swims and risk 3:01
Ross Edgley describes a 60-hour swim in Loch Ness for ocean conservation. He became hypothermic, developed cellulitis from his wetsuit, hallucinated, blacked out, and woke in hospital about 13 hours later. A year later in Italy, he swam in 36°C water during a heat wave and got heat stroke and rhabdomyolysis, with creatine kinase at 19,000. He says those ordeals made him study the dangers more closely and think about self-discipline as a route to self-discovery.
Tongues and jungle trials 14:00
He describes a snake ceremony in India where people bite the cobra’s tongue and then stay silent for 24 hours. In one version, the silence test includes climbing a tree while naked, then taking fire ants into the body without making a sound. He says the warning is that if you speak, the snake’s spirit will haunt you. He was 21, and he admits the whole thing may have started his taste for self-torture.
Reindeer, dogs, and sharks 19:30
He shifts from that to reindeer herding in Siberia, where the Aveni people semi-castrate male reindeer by biting their testicles so the herd stays calm. He says that made him think about dogs, neutering, and testosterone, and he argues responsible owners do not need to fix every animal. He then turns to sharks in Tasmania, Bahamas, Hawaii, and Florida, describing ampullae of Lorenzini, shark curiosity, tiger shark attacks, and the danger of bull sharks.
Yukon swim dangers 27:30
He describes the 510-kilometer, 60-hour swim down the Yukon from Whitehorse to Dawson in July. After being thrown into rocks at the Five Finger Rapids, he was cut badly and could not stop because no one was allowed to touch him or the boat. Blood from his wetsuit drew bears and wolves, and he learned quickly that black bears are skittish while brown bears stare back and feel far more dangerous.
Berserkers and fate 31:00
That story leads into Iceland and the old idea of berserkers, meaning bear shirts or frenzied warriors. They talk about wolf warriors, Stamford Bridge, and the Norse taste for battle, then move to Icelandic folklore, where fate is fixed but your attitude is not. He links that to the Icelandic habit of facing danger head-on, whether in war stories, strongmen, or the way locals still explain roads built around elf land.
Northern lights and elves 41:31
They talk about how people without modern explanations might treat strange things as real beings. Mushrooms, they say, could make an unseen world feel present. That leads into Icelandic folklore about elves and a road moved to avoid a rock they supposedly wanted left alone. The tone stays half-serious and half-joking, but the point is plain: in a place where nature feels alive, people learn to respect what they cannot see.
Fatherhood and purpose 47:30
Ross says the Iceland swim ended with hard weather, volcanic gas, glacier ice, and a deadline to get home for his first child’s birth. He and the host then talk about how having children changes love, attention, and the way you see other people. Ross links the swim to his father’s death and to his son’s arrival, and describes the effort as something driven by pain, purpose, and the need to keep moving.
Fight damage and CK 55:30
A fighter is pulled up as an example of how badly training and fighting can break the body down. The talk settles on CK, the blood marker for muscle damage, and on rhabdomyolysis, where muscle fibers break down. Junior dos Santos is brought in as a case, but the point is broader: some fighters reach the cage already worn out, and the risk can be serious.
Warrior style and danger 56:01
Kane Velasquez is described as having unmatched heavyweight cardio. His pace and measured power let him keep going when others emptied out. From there the talk moves to Robbie Lawler’s brutal fights, including his war with Rory MacDonald and his knockout of Melvin Manhoef after taking heavy leg kicks. The same hard, animal-like approach comes up again in Alex Pereira and the Fighting Nerds, who study animal movement, distance, and feints.
Ocean danger and awe 1:09:31
Helicopters and ambulances overhead make the danger feel real. The talk turns to rip tides, jellyfish, and the way wind against tide can turn waves into detonations. Even then, people are drawn to the ocean. The vast water, the beach, and the stars at night all make you feel small and calm at once.
Strength for rough water 1:12:32
Ross says he tried to swim with gratitude after long stretches in the water, instead of only harsh self-talk. He compares that to David Goggins, whose daily work is private and relentless. The same idea shapes Ross’s training. He wants bulk, heat, and stronger connective tissue so his body can hold up in cold seas.
Technique and benchmark records 1:23:00
The talk begins with a close look at a clean lifting technique in the Isabella workout. They note that the bar is caught and pressed rather than received on the chest. The discussion turns to CrossFit language, where WOD means workout of the day and EMOM means reps per minute. They also compare Eddie Hall’s benchmark time with other athletes and point out how unusual it is for someone his size to match that standard.
Size, skill, and survival 1:25:00
From there, they move to fighting and training. Thor Björnsson is praised for using boxer's form instead of just raw strength, and Marcelo Garcia is held up as a small grappler who wins by going for the neck. That leads into the idea that the best athletes lean into what they do best. Ross says swimming has become his version of that, built on unusual endurance rather than a perfect stroke.
Exploration and the oceans 1:28:01
The conversation widens into Antarctic history. Amundsen is described as efficient and practical, while Robert Falcon Scott is tied to failed equipment, hardship, and Lawrence Oates walking out into the blizzard with the line about being gone for a short while. That story connects to Ross’s own work, which he frames as long journeys used to draw attention to ocean conservation. He says the oceans are being stripped too hard, fish stocks are falling, and piracy off Somalia grew out of people losing their fishing lives and turning desperate.
Ocean dumping claims 1:37:01
Somalia’s pirate spokesman is treated as a strange figure, and the ransom demand is tied to claims about toxic waste dumped on the coast for nearly twenty years. The report says the seized ship was actually carrying tanks and military gear, not waste. It also notes UN officials saying European and Asian companies had dumped toxic waste off Somalia, though insecurity kept anyone from making a full scientific check.
Altitude and endurance 1:39:30
The talk then shifts to cardio and altitude. They name fighters with extreme gas tanks, like Morab, Bisping, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, and Joshua Van, then compare that with Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum at Mexico City altitude. The same idea comes up with hypoxia training, mountain runs, and dehydration work. They also move into Kenyan runners, pain tolerance, and Emil Zátopek’s Olympic wins and interval training.
Emil Zátopek’s love 1:51:01
Emil Zátopek is held up as someone who simply loved the work. His wife would throw a javelin for date night and he would run after it and bring it back like a dog. He also ran with her on his back through the woods, and when snow stopped him he would get in the bath and tread on dirty laundry instead.
Mind games and durability 1:52:00
Backyard ultras are described as races where everyone quits except one person. Mark Dael is singled out for hunting the field like prey, collecting what is described as the other runners’ souls, and going 94 straight hours without sleep. The talk then turns to MMA mind games, Jon Jones, and Justin Gaethje, who is called one of the most durable fighters and oddly calm under fire.
Learning to lose 2:04:31
Ross describes advice from a friend in the special forces: they are not testing how well you win, but how well you lose. He tells a grim selection story about repeated knocks, getting hauled back by smelling salts, and being told to quit, only to be sent at the same giant again. The point was to build the habit of facing loss and pressure over and over.
Water polo toughness 2:07:00
The talk turns to water polo as another hard sport that builds that same kind of grit. Ross says wrestlers and water polo players often do well in Navy Seal training because they are used to suffering, staying tired, and keeping on. He then explains the game’s rough side by describing the Hungarians and Soviets in the famous Blood in the Water match, where the water turned red and the players fought hard in the pool.
Supplements and focus 2:17:31
He rejects the idea that many restless children have a real disorder and says school asks them to sit still when they are full of energy. He describes using caffeine with Cognizant, a nootropic that works on acetylcholine, and alpha GPC to stay focused in the water. He says alpha GPC needs cycling because tolerance builds fast, while creatine has become another useful aid for concentration.
Heat, altitude, age 2:22:00
They discuss a small study showing a high creatine dose helped sleep-deprived people with thinking and memory, but they note the kidney strain and the lack of clarity about daily use. From there he turns to marginal gains: hypoxic training, sauna work, and heat sessions that raise heart rate and let him stretch under load. He thinks older athletes last longer because of adaptation, while LeBron and other outliers rely on constant recovery.
Recovery therapies 2:31:30
BPC-157 comes up as a banned peptide that people still see as useful for healing tissue and recovering from injuries. The talk moves through stem cells, hyperbaric chambers, red light therapy, and Muse stem cells as tools that can restore athletes and even help people with Parkinson symptoms or lung problems. They stress that bad clinics can cause infections or worse, so where you go matters. The larger point is that money and drug rules shape what gets studied and what gets used. Even so, they argue these treatments can extend careers and everyday health, and that more research could help many people.
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