#2568 - Ross Edgley

Episode of The Joe Rogan Experience · October 20, 2026 · 2 h 50 min

Joe Rogan and endurance swimmer Ross Edgley discuss his extreme swims around Loch Ness, the Yukon and Iceland, endurance neuroscience, MMA, ADHD, creatine and regenerative therapies.

Summary

Ross Edgley returned to the show roughly seven years after his swim around Great Britain to recount a series of extreme endurance swims. He described blacking out from hypothermia and cellulitis 60 hours into a non-stop Loch Ness swim, suffering heat stroke and severe rhabdomyolysis in a heat wave in Italy's Lake Trasimeno, a record 60-hour swim down the Yukon River while shadowed by bears, and a roughly 1,000-mile, 112-day circumnavigation of Iceland that he finished three days before the birth of his son. He framed the swims as sporting spectacles used to promote ocean conservation and said his purpose was to shift people's sense of what they are capable of.

The conversation ranged across rituals and folklore Edgley encountered while filming documentaries, including Amazonian initiation rites, Norse berserkers, Icelandic belief in elves and the Valkyrie legend of the northern lights. Rogan speculated about the theory that consciousness renders reality and discussed Somali piracy's possible origins in toxic waste dumping, checking claims with AI during the show. Edgley explained his model of endurance using the anterior midcingulate cortex, ventral striatum and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and argued that strength training and muscle mass make him more robust for open-water swimming.

The pair spent considerable time on mixed martial arts, including cardio, durability and mind games among fighters such as Cain Velasquez, Justin Gaethje, Jon Jones and Carlos Prates. Rogan described his altitude training in a hypoxia chamber, argued that ADHD is overdiagnosed and can be a superpower, and promoted creatine for cognition. Both men endorsed peptides, stem cells and hyperbaric therapy, with Edgley crediting stem cells for recovering from torn rotator cuff tendons and Rogan criticizing financial interests he said hinder such treatments. The episode closed with Edgley's account of a failed toilet flap in his Yukon wetsuit.

Chapters

0:03
Scotch whiskey and a broken endorsement deal
Rogan explained why he backed out of a celebrity whiskey deal after tasting 18-year-old Scotch.
2:52
Loch Ness, Italy and the toll of extreme swims
Edgley recounted blacking out with hypothermia and cellulitis in Loch Ness and suffering heat stroke and rhabdomyolysis in Italy.
10:00
Rituals, reindeer and sharks
Edgley described an Amazonian snake-tongue initiation, Siberian reindeer herders and diving with great white and tiger sharks, while Rogan discussed dog neutering.
27:22
The Yukon River swim and bears
Edgley described his record river swim down the Yukon, attracting bears with blood from rapids injuries.
31:04
Berserkers, Norse myth and Icelandic elves
The pair discussed berserkers, Ragnarok, Icelandic guardian myths and elves, and Rogan's musings on consciousness rendering reality.
47:29
Finishing Iceland and becoming a father
Edgley described racing hazards to finish the Iceland swim before his son's birth, and Rogan reflected on how fatherhood changed him.
53:45
Endurance neuroscience and MMA cardio
Edgley outlined brain regions governing grit and strategy while Rogan discussed rhabdomyolysis in fighters and legendary fights.
1:12:18
Goggins, strength reserve and the case for bulk
They discussed David Goggins, Edgley's shoulder surgery and why strength and muscle mass benefit open-water endurance swimming.
1:27:45
Polar exploration, overfishing and Somali pirates
Edgley told the Amundsen–Scott story and Rogan discussed overfishing and the theory that toxic dumping created Somali piracy.
1:39:39
Cardio, altitude and endurance legends
Rogan discussed altitude training and great MMA cardio, and Edgley told stories of Kalenjin runners, Emil Zátopek and backyard ultras.
1:56:23
Fighters, losing and water polo
They discussed mind games and durability in MMA, a special forces lesson on losing, and Edgley's water polo background.
2:15:43
ADHD, supplements, regenerative medicine and the poo flap
Rogan argued ADHD is overdiagnosed, both discussed creatine, nootropics, peptides and stem cells, and Edgley closed with a Yukon wetsuit mishap.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Ross Edgley
Edgley says his 60-hour non-stop Loch Ness swim was done to raise money for ocean conservation before it ended in collapse.
“So we did a 60-hour non-stop swim in Loch Ness. It was going well. So it was all for ocean conservation”
Listen from 3:24 · Loch Ness swim
Ross Edgley
Edgley recounts that doctors measured his creatine kinase at 19,000 after the Italy swim, extraordinarily high for a non-weight-bearing sport.
“They said, Ross, yours is at 19,000, which is so weird for a sport where you are suspended in water”
Listen from 8:34 · Rhabdomyolysis
Ross Edgley
Edgley says the hard deadline of his son's birth drove him to finish the Iceland swim despite hazards, arriving three days early.
“I'm not not being back for the birth of my son. And I made it back, like I said, by three days”
Listen from 49:30 · Swim around Iceland
Joe Rogan
Rogan says having children profoundly changed him but that people should not be shamed for not having kids.
“I do not think you have to have children. I don't like to shame people that don't want to have kids”
Listen from 49:47 · Fatherhood
Ross Edgley
Edgley says Cameron McEvoy's training reflects a strong correlation between pull-up strength and swim sprint speed.
“Basically, there's a direct correlation between your one rep max on pull-ups and your swim sprint speed”
Listen from 1:16:17
Ross Edgley
Edgley argues that his long swims are limited by connective tissue failure rather than aerobic capacity, justifying his muscular build.
“This swim isn't gonna stop because of my VO2 or lactic threshold. It's gonna stop because something tears”
Listen from 1:17:09 · Swim around Iceland
Linked moment · 1:27:45Skip to 1:27:45 using a listen link in the info box.
Ross Edgley
Edgley describes his swims as sporting spectacles used to promote ocean conservation.
“I always say they're almost these sporting spectacles that we use as a Trojan horse to deliver ocean conservation”
Listen from 1:29:47
Joe Rogan
Rogan argues that current rates of commercial fishing are unsustainable.
“we can't keep pulling fish out at the rate we're doing. It's nuts”
Listen from 1:30:07
Joe Rogan
Rogan claims Somali piracy began when fishermen's livelihoods were destroyed by foreign toxic waste dumping, a claim AI searches during the show partly qualified.
“this is how Somalians became pirates. So Somalians became pirates because they were fishermen and they were all just fishermen”
Listen from 1:30:52 · Piracy off the coast of Somalia
Joe Rogan
Rogan argues, citing Cain Velasquez's loss to Fabrício Werdum in Mexico City, that altitude training is critical for competing at altitude.
“It just shows you that altitude training is fucking critical, man”
Listen from 1:41:28 · Altitude training
Ross Edgley
Edgley argues that ultrarunner Mark Dowdle's strength-training background keeps his biomechanics from breaking down.
“I would argue that his biomechanics are just perfect and they won't break down compared to somebody who doesn't have that strength background”
Listen from 1:53:50
Joe Rogan
Rogan argues Justin Gaethje's knockout loss to Max Holloway does not reflect a lack of durability, since few would have reached the fifth round.
“That's not indicative of how durable he is. It's like most people would have never made it to that fifth round”
Listen from 2:02:45 · Ultimate Fighting Championship
Joe Rogan
Rogan argues ADHD is not a disorder but a superpower, blaming boring school structures for labeling children.
“disorder. I think it's a superpower. I think we are conditioning children to sit in a classroom and do something that's insanely boring”
Listen from 2:16:09 · Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Joe Rogan
Rogan speculates that LeBron James must be using peptides or other recovery compounds to perform at his age.
“And I'm sure, I don't know what the rules are in the NBA with peptides and all that other jazz, but I'm sure he's on all that”
Listen from 2:30:15 · Peptide therapy
Joe Rogan
Rogan argues BPC-157 should be allowed in sport, claiming no studies show negative effects.
“Listen, man, there's zero studies that show there's any negative effects of BBC 157”
Listen from 2:32:02 · Peptide therapy
Ross Edgley
Edgley credits stem cells and hyperbaric and red light therapy with healing his torn rotator cuff tendons in time for the Iceland swim.
“But it was new stem cells were amazing. And then hyperbaric red light therapy. I did everything. And that got me back to the start line, ready for Iceland”
Listen from 2:34:33 · Stem cell therapy
Joe Rogan
Rogan contends that pharmaceutical companies seeking patents and profits influence the availability of peptide therapies.
“there's this battle between pharmaceutical drug companies that want to patent these peptides and they want to profit off of them”
Listen from 2:34:50 · Peptide therapy
Joe Rogan
Rogan says medical errors are the third leading killer in the US, arguing risks exist in all interventions, not only stem cells.
“It's like the number three killer in this country is medical mishaps”
Listen from 2:35:24 · Stem cell therapy
Ross Edgley
Edgley says he does not recommend his lifestyle but aims to shift people's sense of what they are capable of.
“I think my purpose is people to get them to shift their barometer, their own personal barometer, just one degree of what they think they're capable of”
Listen from 2:42:47

People

In the conversation

Joe RoganAmerican comedian and host of The Joe Rogan Experience
Ross EdgleyBritish ultra-marathon sea swimmer, sports scientist, television personality and author

Discussed

Andrew HubermanAmerican neuroscientist, professor at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast
David GogginsAmerican ultra-endurance athlete and author among Prince's clients
Cameron HanesBowhunter, endurance athlete, author, and podcast host
Eddie HallBritish strongman and 2017 World's Strongest Man
Cameron McEvoyAustralian sprint freestyle swimmer and 50m world record holder
Emil ZátopekCzechoslovak runner who won three golds at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics
Cain VelasquezAmerican former UFC heavyweight champion
Junior dos SantosBrazilian former UFC heavyweight champion
Robbie LawlerAmerican former UFC welterweight champion
Carlos PratesBrazilian UFC welterweight contender
Alex PereiraBrazilian two-division UFC champion
Justin GaethjeAmerican mixed martial artist and Nurmagomedov's final opponent
Jon JonesAmerican mixed martial artist and former UFC champion
Roald AmundsenNorwegian explorer who first reached the South Pole
Robert Falcon ScottBritish Antarctic explorer who died returning from the South Pole
LeBron JamesLos Angeles Lakers forward cited as a longevity outlier
Dave ChappelleAmerican comedian whose show Druski watched secretly as a child
Greg FitzsimmonsAmerican comedian who rescued a drowning swimmer

Topics

From the publisher

Ross Edgley is an ultra-marathon sea swimmer, athletic coach, television personality, and author. His new book, "How to Hero," will be available on November 10.www.youtube.com/@rossedgleywww.linktr.ee/HowtoHeroBookwww.rossedgley.com Perplexity: Download the app or ask Perplexity anything at https://pplx.ai/rogan. Don’t miss out on all the action this week at DraftKings! Download the DraftKings app today! Sign-up using https://dkng.co/rogan or through my promo code ROGAN. Switch today at https://www.Visible.com for just 25/mo. Or Save $10 on your first month of Visible+ Pro with code ROGAN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on October 21, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Swimming·Fitness·Wrestling