Two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney once warned that you’d have to hog-tie him down to get him into a gym. 

But when it comes to bull rider fitness, the North Carolina cowboy is the rare exception.

More and more, the cowboys of the PBR are adopting rigorous exercise regimes to get into top physical shape to survive the most demanding eight seconds in sports.

Take for example, 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis. 

Called out as “fat” by the PBR’s Director of Livestock, Cody Lambert, the cowboy from Texas realized he was carrying a few extra pounds. 

Those pounds mean a lot to a bull rider’s job performance.

The average rider experiences 3-4 G’s during an 8-second bull ride.

That means a rider with 30 extra pounds on his body is actually carrying an additional 90 pounds or more to counteract every twist and turn on a bucking bull.

Lighter, physically fit riders react faster and can more efficiently shift their body in response to the bull’s fierce and unpredictable movements.

Davis studied those numbers and then went on a mission to transform his body with a rigorous exercise and diet regime, losing 30 pounds.

The young bull rider promptly caught fire, winning the 2015 PBR World Finals to begin a run that culminated with a gold buckle and million-dollar check at the end of the 2016 season.

While his story isn’t as dramatic as Davis’, 2008 PBR World Champion and the sport’s all-time ride leader, Guilherme Marchi, brought global attention to the physical conditioning of bull riders when he graced the cover of Men’s Fitness as “the world’s fittest athlete.”

PBR athletes like 2017 PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood and 2016 World Finals champion Ryan Dirteater were accomplished high school wrestlers who now understand the importance of staying limber and strong.

Lockwood likes hot yoga, while Dirteater will walk a balance beam, flip tractor tires and hold a steel pipe over his shoulders.

2017 Rookie of the Year Jose Vitor Leme, who played semi-pro soccer in Brazil, has also said being in top physical condition helps him stay on the rankest bulls at the PBR’s elite level.

Even a throwback rebel like Mauney, despite his allergic condition (to the gym), will work to improve his core strength and balance.

“My workout regime? I guess I’m a cowboy, that’s my workout,” Mauney explained.

In addition to riding horses, rounding up cattle and working his ranch, Mauney practices an unconventional, extraordinarily difficult exercise pose: he stands on a medicine ball.

“How long can you stand on that ball?” a reporter once asked Mauney.

“How long you want me to stand on it?” he replied.

Recognizing the importance of fitness to the sport and the wealth of workout angles among its athletes, one company has intelligently entered PBR for the second half of the 2018 season to connect its brand to these often under-appreciated athletes and, in turn, tell their stories.

Rogue Fitness, the leading U.S.-based manufacturer of strength and conditioning equipment, and PBR have inked a multi-year partnership for Rogue Fitness to become the “Official Strength Partner of the PBR.”

Rogue will connect to the cowboy athletes of the PBR through branded content storytelling on RidePass, the PBR’s Western sports digital network, highlighting the training and preparation needed in the world’s most dangerous organized sport.

With sales entirely internet based, Rogue will also share PBR stories on its social and digital channels reaching several million people. 

As part of the partnership, Rogue will provide mobile professional gym equipment for PBR riders on tour to use for conditioning, warmup/cool down and rehab.  

“This is a great opportunity to join forces with a like-minded organization,” said Rogue owner Bill Henniger.

“The people of the PBR have a passion for hard work and self-determination, both of which are critical to the mission of Rogue. We’re both American-made companies with a growing international reach and plenty of crossover already within our ranks. We’re extremely excited to be the Official Strength Partner of PBR reaching millions of passionate fans.”

“Recognizing that bull riders are real athletes, Rogue will become the sport’s ultimate ‘workout insiders,’ taking fans behind the scenes of our extreme athletes’ workout regimens,” said Sean Gleason, CEO, PBR.

“Additionally, as PBR celebrates America each weekend, we are thrilled to partner with a company dedicated to keeping its manufacturing operations within the U.S.”

The PBR partnership adds to Rogue’s sponsorship of Strongman, weightlifting, powerlifting and functional fitness, including serving as the official equipment supplier for the CrossFit Games and The World’s Strongest Man. Rogue also has multifaceted involvement with the Arnold Sports Expo in Columbus and USA Weightlifting.

Rogue Fitness, which says it is dedicated to serving the needs of serious athletes at every level, from the garage to the arena, is the leading U.S.-based manufacturer of strength and conditioning equipment and a major distributor of top brand fitness gear and accessories from around the country.

The company started in a garage in 2006 and has grown to more than 500 employees at its new 600,000 square foot headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

For more information on Rogue Fitness, go to roguefitness.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/RogueFitness, Instagram at Instagram.com/RogueFitness, Twitter at Twitter.com/RogueFitness or YouTube at YouTube.com/RogueFitness

Rogue also makes medicine balls.

So it’s a PBR fitness sponsorship even J.B. Mauney would love.