What Happened to Bodybuilder Robert Frank? Inside His Health Battle
If you are on the fitness side of social media, you have more than likely run across content from Robert Frank, the in-your-face bodybuilder.
Published April 8 2025, 12:03 p.m. ET
Bodybuilder Robert Frank has built a large online following for his workout tips, gym videos, and comedic takes on getting fit — but he also took a moment to get real with his followers and share a health scare.
If you are on the fitness side of social media, you have more than likely run across content from Robert Frank, the in-your-face bodybuilder that has a devoted and loyal following.
What happened to bodybuilder Robert Frank?
In November 2023, Robert shared the scary details of how his mental health was severely impacted following a two-month hospital stay for issues with his colon.
He detailed that between March 11, 2021, and April 19, 2021, he had multiple emergency surgeries on his colon, which triggered other health issues that ultimately left him severely depressed and contemplating suicide.
What did Robert say about his health battle?
The bodybuilder took to X (formerly Twitter) to detail the dark place he was in at the time. “Mental health post: Only time I ever felt sad/depressed and had thoughts of swallowing a bottle of pills was when I first got home from a two-month hospital stay,” he wrote.
“Between 3/11/21 and 4/19/21, I had two emergency surgeries to completely remove my colon. I had two or three blood transfusions, a feeding tube, an NG tube, a PICC line, and every other tube/drain imaginable. Worst of all, there was a bag on my stomach where I took a s--t. They even had to teach me to walk again. I didn't leave the hospital for almost six weeks,” Robert continued.
“When I got home, I couldn't do s--t. I was skinny and pale (bad combo for a bro), and I couldn't do s--t about it. I'd sit on the couch while my wife was at work and stare out the window and cry like a b---h. That was a rough time. In total, I ended up needing five total surgeries that spanned over 20 months to be 'normal' again. There were spurts in between the surgeries where I was allowed to go back to the gym and go 'light.' That saved my life,” he shared.
“These days, anytime I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I immediately head to the gym. There is no time to be depressed when your muscles are burning, squeezing out reps with music blaring in your ears. There's a lot of time to be depressed when you're sitting on the couch staring at the ceiling feeling sorry for yourself contemplating life,” Robert wrote, before adding, “Get off the couch. Go to the gym. The end.”
What happened after Robert shared his health battle?
Per Health Central, Robert explained how the response to sharing his condition was overwhelmingly positive. “I can’t tell you how many emails and DMs I get from people who have Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, thanking me for sharing my story because it does feel like there’s not enough out there about living with this,” he said.
“I’m grateful they find my story inspiring, because that helps to lift some of the stigma around IBD. When I was first diagnosed, I spent hours online looking for people like me. So my advice to others is to share your journey and help others feel less alone,” Robert added.