Jokes and the Gym with Rudy Tyburczy
Jokes and the Gym is where dumbbells meet dumb jokes. Hosted by comedian, certified personal trainer, and brain tumor survivor Rudy Tyburczy, this show dives into the messy overlap of comedy, health, and resilience. Each week, Rudy chats with comedians, creatives, and other people in his life about late nights, weird gigs, fitness fails, and finding balance when life throws curveballs. You’ll also hear solo episodes with updates from his ongoing brain surgery journey, reflections on recovery, and plenty of ridiculous stories along the way. Expect laughs, honesty, and maybe even the push you need to lace up your sneakers. Think stand-up comedy with a side of lunges—your brain, your body, and your funny bone will thank you.
Episodes
101 episodes
Ep. 97 - Two Time Freestyle Champ and Getting Back to the Gym
I’m back on stage and back in rhythm. Halloween cover show on Friday, Double Entendre on Saturday—two months running as freestyle champ—and my first 30-minute walk since brain surgery. I share how beta blockers changed the feel of performing, w...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 97
•
33:17
Ep. 96 - Back On Stage, Gray Week, and 9 Hours of SLEEP!
This week, I’m talking about what it feels like to get back into comedy after brain surgery and an ablation, Brain Tumor Awareness Week, and how I’m feeling about returning to work soon. I did two shows this weekend — one for a cancer benefit a...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 96
•
28:27
JATG Goes to the Movies - Shelby Oaks
I saw the movie Shelby Oaks, written and directed by Chris Stuckman! He's a youtube movie review guy, so it was cool to see him get his shot at making a movie. Was it great? I dunno...listen to find out what I think!
•
Season 1
•
4:30
Ep. 95 - Ablation, Books, Blazers, and TV Shows
Hey friends, it’s Rudy. This week marks one week since my heart ablation, and I’m happy to say I haven’t had an AFib episode since. I talk about what the procedure was like, some hospital stuff, and how it feels to finally give myself permissio...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 95
•
1:03:23
Ep. 94 - Quick Episode, Ablation Time
As I'm about to get a pulsed field catheter ablation in my heart, I check in and talk about making choices in the interest of health and rest. Quick episode, thanks for stopping by!
•
Season 1
•
Episode 94
•
6:45
JATG Goes to the Movies - One Battle After Another and Paul Thomas Anderson's Films RANKED
I saw One Battle After Another twice (empty house vs packed crowd) and it hit harder on rewatch. Here’s my spoiler-free review and my (almost) definitive PTA ranking (all 10 films) from a guy who just loves watching movies.
•
Season 1
•
24:37
Ep. 93 - Rapping, Myq, and Movies
I’m back with a weekend of bars and big screens. I start off with reflections and a clip or two from the freestyle round I won at Double Entendre (shoutout Lexy for keeping Eugene’s scene lively), and yes—my mom and her friends sat fro...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 93
•
34:50
JATG Goes to the Movies - (Not) HIM
In this bonus mini-episode, I celebrated being cleared to drive again post brain surgery by treating myself to a $5 Tuesday showing of Him. There were only three of us in the theater, and honestly, I can see why. The movie was a strang...
•
Season 1
•
6:40
Ep. 92 - AFib Awareness Month and My Story
This week I get personal for AFib Awareness Month: how a house-call "huh" turned into an AFib diagnosis, what AFib actually is, the warning signs people miss, and the small, daily choices that have helped me, and could help you. Human, useful, ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 92
•
30:52
Ep. 91 - Priorities, Plans, and My Brain and Heart
91 weeks in a row. Today I talk about balancing brain and heart (literally and figuratively), how “too much time” can scramble priorities, and my plan to hit 100 episodes before a December reset. Plus a divorce double-feature: The Roses (dark, ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 91
•
36:33
Ep. 90 - A Month Out, A Month to Go
In this 90th episode, I check in on where I’m at—a month out from brain surgery and a month away from my next significant heart procedure. I talk about how hoodie weather, football season, and a steady diet of alien shows are helping me appreci...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 90
•
35:01
Ep. 89 - Neurology, Cardiology, Oncology—Plus My Return to Stand-Up
On this (slightly late) episode I dive into my recent time on the circuit - the doctor's circuit! While I've been going to more appointments than shows, I also talk about doing my first comedy set since surgery - just 17 days after getting my h...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 89
•
1:00:57
Ep. 88 - 3 Nights in the Hospital
This episode goes deep into the three nights I spent in the hospital throughout the experience of my craniotomy. I talk about getting there at 5:30AM, surgery at 8 (what I remember of it), my 8 hours waiting for an ICU room (and the barf bags t...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 88
•
43:07
Ep. 87 - 12 Days After Brain Surgery Quick Check In
I hopped on the mic for a short check-in—my first episode since coming home from brain surgery. I talk about the scar, my 21 head staples, my wobbly sleep schedule, and share some of what recovery has looked like almost two weeks out. I share u...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 87
•
16:00
Ep. 86 - A Letter to My Future Self - Tommy Gets 86'd!
Episode 86 – “A Letter to My Future Self” was recorded in the two days leading up to my brain surgery — the one where Tommy the Tumor finally gets 86’d. I look back on the long road to diagnosis, from years of strange symptoms and a missed MRI ...
•
1:09:16
Ep. 85 - The Birthday Bingo Brain Tumor Bash - Backyard Live Episode!!
For my 42nd birthday, I turned my backyard into a live podcast-slash-bingo hall-slash-pre-surgery pep rally. Over 60 friends, neighbors, comedy pals, and YMCA folks showed up to eat, laugh, win creatine, and watch me forget Laura’s name for the...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 85
•
29:18
Ep. 84 - Birthday Highs and Lows - Ep 84 on 8.4 While Turning 42
Episode 84 Recap: aka 42 is the AnswerSo, apparently the answer to life, the universe, and everything… is: a brain tumor, a cat named Milk, and a birthday bingo prize basket with Desitin and creatine in it.This wasn’t the morning ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 84
•
26:11
Ep. 83 - Preparing for Brain Surgery as a Tired Person
Hey friends. This one’s coming to you tired. Real tired. Didn’t sleep great, and apparently that hits extra hard when you’ve got a brain tumor named Tommy squatting in your right frontal lobe. But we’re here, we’re honest, and we’re warming up—...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 83
•
30:37
Ep. 82 - A Tale of Two Fridays - OCF and AFIB
This week, I walk you through two wildly different Fridays: one full of joy, the other full of deflation. First, I reflect on my incredible day at Oregon Country Fair—hosting hip hop acts, crushing a surprise comedy set, vibing with strangers a...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 82
•
41:34
Ep. 81 - That’s Fair and Knowing Your No - My OCF ‘25 Recap
Hey everybody, welcome back to Jokes and the Gym. This week’s episode is all about my Oregon Country Fair 2025 adventure.This year was the full Fair experience: beautiful, chaotic, exhausting, magical. I went in prepared—literal...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 81
•
1:33:22
Ep. 80 - Oregon Country Fair and Procedure Prep (And a movie review!)
Hey friends! Welcome to Episode 80 of Jokes and the Gym—80 weeks straight, baby! Can you believe it? Well, do. This one’s a check-in about life lately. (And a bonus movie review!)I talk about navigating my AFib (cardioversion co...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 80
•
33:14
ep. 79 - Another Neurosurgeon?!? Thank Goodness
This week on the pod, I talk through my latest neurosurgery consult—because apparently nothing brings people together quite like a brain tumor. I share what it was like meeting with a highly recommended neurosurgeon here in Eugene. We talk abou...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 79
•
29:32
Ep. 78 - Running the Light - Book and My Diagnosis in Review
In episode 78, I review Sam Tallent’s “Running the Light”—one chapter per day—as my own life spirals into a week of medical revelations. A hybrid book review and personal reflection, I weave the story of fictional burnout Billy Ray Schaeffer wi...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 78
•
52:21
Ep. 77 - I'm Done With Bodybuilding
Episode 77 – “Greasing the Groove (with Frostner)”Hey friends, it’s Rudy—and Frostner chiming in too. She starts with a purr. Mmm. This week I reflected on my early gym days, starting out in high school with workout buddies, chasi...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 77
•
24:59
Ep. 76 - Did I Have a Seizure?
Hey, it’s Rudy. Episode 76 is short and not exactly sweet—I wanted to share something important that happened to me last week. While working out at the Y (where I also work), I fainted after a heavy set of incline bench press. One minu...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 76
•
10:37