Strongman, CrossFit legend and M&F contributor Rob Orlando has died at the age of 50 after a courageous battle with cancer, according to an announcement via his official Instagram account.
Orlando’s presence in CrossFit began in 2009, when he qualified for the individual division three years in a row, and later in 2016, when he returned to the masters division, but he is also known as the man who designed the “Pig” – a box weighing between 300 and 500 pounds, which was a staple even before the CrossFit Games. Breaking it in CrossFit, Orlando has built a strong reputation as a strong person.
“Rob was creative, talented and entrepreneurial,” wrote his friend and teammate, Dave Lipson. “He helped design a lot of the men’s equipment we see in gyms today. He was a great announcer at many CrossFit Games events. Rob even developed a passion for racing car events later in his life. In his own words, Rob always had “something cooking.”
Rob Orlando’s battle with cancer and final days
A man of many talents, Rob Orlando was also popular contributor with Muscles and fitness magazine, sharing innovative muscle building tipsincreasing endurance, or simply breaking through plateaus. “On January 20, 2025, Orlando was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer that affected his lower jaw and lymph nodes in his neck,” explained the official CrossFit Instagram account, while paying tribute to one of its MVPs. “Just the day before, he achieved a powerlifting personal best of 1,525 pounds.” This icon sadly passed away on April 6, 2026.”
Rob Orlando of the CrossFit community and top athletes
Rob Orlando was the longtime co-owner of CrossFit Hybrid Athletics in Connecticut, who ran the brand for 15 years and was loved for sharing his passion with the fitness community, even creating a specialty CrossFit Strongman course where he introduced legions of CrossFit athletes from around the world to events like Atlasstone. As tributes flooded in this week, many friends and fans took to social media to pay their respects.
“Be calm in power, my brother,” he wrote fellow CrossFit star, Noah Ohlsen. “Thanks for all the inspiration,” wrote another pained colleague. “Really great man,” commented another.
The whole team Muscles and fitness We would like to express our sadness at the death of Rob. His enthusiasm and accessible life lessons for betterment continue to influence people. That’s why Orlando will live forever in the fitness community.
