Barbell Shrugged

Dr. Ben Steel returns to Barbell Shrugged with Doug Larson, Coach Travis Mash, and Dr. Mike Lane to talk about how hormone replacement therapy and GLP-1 medications can affect thoughts, feelings, and behavior. A licensed mental health counselor and certified mental performance consultant, Ben draws on published research and what he has seen with clients to explore the psychological side of testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and other compounds used to improve physical performance. From mood and motivation to drive and energy, the conversation looks at dosing, what "optimal" really means, and when it may be time to reassess a protocol with a clinician. Doug and Travis share their personal experiences with GLP-1 medications, including changes in training motivation and enjoyment. The crew also discusses the difference between replacement and bodybuilding doses, the gap between physique and self-image, and why changes in how you think, feel, and behave deserve attention alongside your lab results.

Doug Larson, Coach Travis Mash and Dr. Mike Lane break down power training for masters athletes and why staying strong doesn't automatically mean staying explosive. They discuss the age-related loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers, the demands that jumping and sprinting place on connective tissue, and why returning to explosive training requires a gradual progression. From jump rope and basic hops to hill sprints, box jumps, and squats paired with jumps, the crew explains how to rebuild the ability to move fast while preparing the body to handle rapid force production and landing. The conversation expands beyond vertical jumps to the rotational and lateral power athletes use in jiu-jitsu, striking, tennis and everyday life. The crew shares practical options, including medicine ball throws, kettlebell movements, Olympic lift variations, agility drills and short sets of explosive burpees, and explains how to choose movements that fit your joints and training history. They also discuss using velocity and power feedback to track progress, keeping enough variety to make training fun, and preserving the physical reserve to react quickly, catch yourself and get off the ground as you age. If you want to keep feeling athletic through your 40s, 50s and beyond, this episode offers a practical starting point. In this episode Why speed and power are the first traits to fade with age Easing back into jumping: jump rope, basic hops, then box jumps and hill sprints Pairing squats with jumps, and preparing connective tissue for landing Rotational and lateral power: med ball throws, kettlebells and Olympic lift variations Tracking progress with velocity and power feedback Keeping the reserve to react, catch yourself and get off the ground Connect with the crew Coach Travis Mash: mashelite.com Coach Travis Mash on Instagram: @coachtravismash Dr. Mike Lane on Instagram: @mikelanephd Doug Larson on Instagram: @douglaselarson Barbell Shrugged on Instagram: @barbell_shrugged Work with Doug, Travis and Dr. Mike Lane: biomolecularathlete.com

Doug Larson, Coach Travis Mash and Dr. Mike Lane break down strength and conditioning for MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with a heavy emphasis on speed and power endurance. Doug shares lessons from his own fighting and coaching experience, including how he structures heavy bag intervals and a simple way to progress fight-specific conditioning. The crew covers aerobic fitness, recovery between rounds, and why your conditioning needs to reflect the muscles, movements and pace you actually use when you compete. They also get into assessing and developing strength, mobility and work capacity, why strength can't replace technical skill (especially in jiu-jitsu), and how confidence in your defense lets you commit to your offense. If you train or coach combat sports, this one will help you find what's holding you back and make your gym work carry over to the mat or the ring. In this episode Doug's path from taekwondo to wrestling, jiu-jitsu and fighting MMA Full-speed heavy bag intervals: hold the pace, rest when it drops, shrink the rest over time Aerobic base vs. specificity, and how the big fast fibers recover between rounds Simple threshold checks: the talk test and nasal breathing Finding weak points: strength, muscle mass, mobility and single-leg strength Why skill comes first, and why good defense builds offensive confidence Connect with the crew Coach Travis Mash: mashelite.com and Instagram @coachtravismash Dr. Mike Lane: Instagram @mikelanephd Doug Larson: Instagram @douglaselarson Barbell Shrugged: Instagram @barbell_shrugged Work with Doug, Travis and Dr. Mike Lane at Biomolecular Athlete

In this episode, veteran strength coach Robb Rogers joins Doug Larson, Coach Travis Mash, and Dr. Mike Lane to explore what decades of coaching collegiate athletes, professional teams, and military operators can teach us about building lasting performance. From the St. Louis Blues to special warfare, Robb explains what elite performers share, how tactical demands change the training equation, and why trust and personal accountability are essential to effective coaching. He shares how he builds programs with experienced athletes and chooses exercises around the person, their goals, and the demands they need to meet. The conversation turns to getting stronger while keeping the ability to move well. The crew discusses the trade-offs of training to failure, using jumps to assess readiness, and maintaining mobility, elasticity, and movement skills alongside heavy lifting. Robb explains why the movement pattern matters more than the implement, while Travis and Mike share how a narrow focus on powerlifting affected their own athleticism. Whether you coach high performers or want to stay capable as you age, this episode offers practical ways to make your training carry over beyond the weight room.

I've been a fan of velocity-based training since I first experimented with it in 2005. After three four-week blocks, I hit PRs across my weightlifting and powerlifting lifts while really enjoying the training itself. It felt like I was running sprints in the weight room. Full speed, not to failure, full rest. Fun and effective. The work felt easier on my body, yet I felt faster and more explosive than I had before. So getting to sit down with Dr. Bryan Mann, the person who brought VBT into the mainstream, was a conversation I'd been looking forward to for many years. We talk about where velocity tracking adds value, how the approach can fit different athletes, when it's useful, when it's unnecessary, measurement devices, and how to use it for maximum results in strength and power development. I came away reminded why I've loved this style of training for so long. Enjoy!

This week on Barbell Shrugged, Brian Newman joins Doug Larson and Dr. Mike Lane to talk about getting stronger, recovering from hard training, and staying healthy enough to keep doing what you love. Brian spent years working in professional baseball and now serves as Director of Health, Performance, and Safety for Fort Worth Fire. He explains how he trains firefighters who don't have an off-season and might get called out in the middle of a workout. We talk about moving in heavy gear, building a program around the squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry, and why getting crushed by a workout doesn't necessarily mean you're getting better. We also get into what it takes to come back from an injury and actually perform well again. Brian explains why your wearable can't tell you everything, how to adjust training when you're not recovering, and why strength coaches and medical staff need to talk to each other throughout rehab. Whether you're training for a sport, doing a physically demanding job, or just want to keep lifting as you get older, there's a lot here you can use. Have a reason for the work you're doing, give yourself enough time to recover, and make sure the people helping you are on the same page.

This week on Barbell Shrugged, we welcome Dr. Andy Fry to the show. Dr. Fry is a pioneer and legend in the world of strength and conditioning and someone who helped shape my career long before this podcast existed. He served as an advisor and mentor to both me and Dr. Andy Galpin during our early years at the University of Memphis. He's one of the most impressive scientists in the industry, with approximately 300 research papers produced by him and his teams over the years, all dedicated to learning what really works to improve human performance. He's done more than almost anyone on the planet to push the industry forward. He's a true professional, an excellent scientist and educator, an overall great guy, and someone for whom I have an enormous amount of respect. If you're curious about where the science and practice of strength training started and how it has improved and evolved over the years, this episode is for you. Enjoy the show!

Former Division I and professional basketball player Gini Grimsley joins Doug Larson, Travis Mash, and Dr. Mike Lane to discuss one of the hardest transitions in fitness: going from competitive athlete to normal life without losing the identity, structure, and physical capability that sports provided. Gini explains why former athletes often struggle to stop comparing themselves to their younger selves—and how the desire to prove what they can still do can lead to unnecessary pain, injury, and frustration. The team explores how athletes can redirect their competitive drive, establish new performance goals, and build a training routine around who they are today. Gini also breaks down her current approach to lifelong athleticism, including strength training, conditioning, plyometrics, unilateral movements, rotational work, and reactive activities such as pickleball. She explains how modifying exercises can preserve intensity while reducing orthopedic stress, why adults should rebuild tissue tolerance before jumping into races or high-volume programs, and how smart assessments can prevent trainers from overwhelming unprepared clients. Whether you are a former athlete or simply want to remain strong, fast, and capable as you age, this episode offers a practical framework for training hard without allowing your ego to destroy your body.

Cody McBroom joins Doug Larson, Coach Travis Mash, and Dr. Mike Lane to break down what separates a list of exercises from real coaching. As a strength coach, online coaching business owner, and host of the Choose Hard podcast, Cody works with "advanced general population" clients who have tried to train and diet but still cannot connect the dots. The crew gets practical about why many people fail to progress: they are training too far from true effort, cutting ranges of motion short, or following a program without understanding how hard the work should feel. Cody explains how thoughtful exercise selection, rep ranges, video feedback, and clear progression can help online coaches create programs that are harder to misinterpret—and more likely to produce results. The conversation then moves past macros and reps into the real challenge of coaching: behavior change. Cody shares his framework for helping clients build self-control, self-discipline, self-belief, and ultimately self-respect by tying health goals to their core values and creating evidence through small, kept promises. They unpack how to handle all-or-nothing thinking, why accountability has to lead to a specific action plan, and how coaches can ask better questions instead of settling for "I'll try harder." Whether you coach athletes, general-population clients, or yourself, this episode offers a sharper way to turn good intentions into lasting habits and sustainable results.

In this episode, 10-time CrossFit Games champion Thomas Miazga joins Doug Larson, Coach Travis Mash, and Dr. Mike Lane to share the extraordinary path that took him from a childhood shaped by cerebral palsy to the Paralympic Games, elite adaptive CrossFit competition, and beyond. Tom reflects on discovering freedom and athletic identity in the water, qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics just 18 months after returning to competitive swimming, and how a devastatingly close miss for the London Games eventually led him toward coaching, CrossFit, and a new definition of what was possible. The crew also digs into the practical side of training an adaptive athlete: building strength around the individual, managing high upper-body training volume, using stable equipment to create safe loading opportunities, and prioritizing training economy over unnecessary technical complexity. Tom explains how CrossFit transformed his independence in daily life, helped him become a 10-time Games champion, and continues to fuel his pursuit of HYROX, Ironman racing, and long-term health. Most importantly, this is a conversation about refusing to let a diagnosis, a scoreboard, or someone else's expectations define your potential.