Rod's that fail under compression dont fail because of a specific torque figure either though, as torque is just an average of the force exerted during the cycle, they tend to fail more as a result of the peak pressures encountered, and that can be controlled (at a slight expense of power) by increased ignition retard.
So i would argue its almost certainly possible to see far more torque safely on the gas than you would expect the engine to make on those components in normal circumstances.

But that said, I totally agree with you that the weaker the rod in the first place, the smaller your margin for error!