Episode 24: Indoor Rowing Comeback After Spinal Surgery | Sam Blythe, BRIC 2025

About this episode

Sam Blythe discusses his journey of recovery and comeback to indoor rowing after spinal surgery.

In Episode 24 of The Indoor Rower, Tony is joined once again by Sam Blythe, a former professional rugby player turned elite indoor rowing competitor. Since his last appearance on the podcast, Sam’s training and life have taken a significant turn. Years of high-level physical activity led to ongoing back issues, and Sam was later diagnosed with cervical compression — a condition involving pressure on the spinal cord (myelopathy) and nerve roots (radiculopathy). This resulted in persistent neck...

People in this episode

Host: Tony Larkman

Guest: Sam Blythe

Topics covered

• indoor rowing
• spinal surgery
• athlete recovery
• rugby
• health issues
• cervical compression

Keywords

• indoor rowing
• spinal surgery
• Sam Blythe
• rugby player
• cervical compression
• athlete recovery

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BRIC 2025

More episodes of The Indoor Rower

• Episode 23: Zone 3 Training, UT1 & Sweet Spot: How to Improve Rowing Performance · December 23, 2025 · 14 min
• Episode 22: Performance vs. Health in Rowing · September 1, 2025 · 13 min
• Episode 21: The Legend of Indoor Rowing - Graham Benton (A.K.A. The Erg Daddy / Big G) · June 25, 2025 · 1h 2m
• Episode 20: Interview with Josh Knight, British Rowing Indoor Open Champion · May 30, 2025 · 41 min
• Episode 19: Interview with Richard Tomlinson, World Rowing Indoor Champion Hwt 55-59 · April 30, 2025 · 1h 1m
• Episode 18: 24/25 Season Summary · April 6, 2025 · 13 min