Barbell Shrugged

In this episode, Doug Larson, Dr. Mike Lane, and Coach Travis Mash sit down with Dr. Andrew Jagim, Director of Sports Medicine Research for the Mayo Clinic Health System, to talk about what actually works for building stronger, more resilient young athletes. Andrew shares how his applied research feeds directly back into real-world coaching, especially for under-resourced D3 athletes, and why the best youth training is simple, fast, and consistent. The group also trades notes on training their own kids: short sessions, minimal setup, and keeping things engaging so the habit sticks for life.
They break down practical youth strength programming: unilateral work for stability (step-ups, lunges), basic patterns (kettlebell deadlifts, goblet squats, push-ups), and building hips/glutes to protect knees, especially for tall, fast-growing athletes where coordination and lever changes force constant "auto-regulation." A major theme is injury prevention without turning training into a grind: 15–25 minute workouts, circuits/supersets, park workouts with med balls and kettlebells, and even sneaky "commercial break" core work to keep kids moving while still letting them be kids.
The conversation shifts into sports nutrition, body composition, and a more athlete-friendly way to talk about physique, Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI). Andrew explains how FFMI is calculated, what typical ranges look like for male and female athletes, and why it can be a more positive metric than body fat percentage, especially for female athletes where messaging can backfire. They close with a nuanced look at weight cutting in wrestling and combat sports: why massive cuts are physiologically brutal, how rules differ inside vs. outside the U.S., and why frequent dehydration (like in-season scholastic wrestling) is a completely different risk profile than occasional cuts with longer recovery windows.
Links:
Doug Larson on Instagram
Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode, Doug Larson sits down with Dr. Mike Lane and Coach Travis Mash to break down one of the most effective tools in strength and conditioning: heavy carries. From farmer's walks and yoke carries to unilateral overhead and bottoms-up kettlebell variations, they explore why these simple movements deliver massive returns. The group discusses programming strategies, including time and load progressions, limiting overhead carries for sport specificity, and using tools like the trap bar for heavy work. They also explain how carries are self-instructive for bracing, build spinal and scapular stability, and develop grip strength that transfers directly to sport and daily life.
The conversation expands into conditioning, youth training, and coaching philosophy. They unpack rucking versus running for sustainable cardio, strongman medleys for high-intensity conditioning, and how suitcase carries target often-neglected stabilizers like the quadratus lumborum and glute medius. The episode also tackles the controversial topic of thoracic flexion under load and the broader risk-versus-reward discussion in high-performance training. Ultimately, the message is clear: heavy carries are simple, scalable, and effective.
Links:
Doug Larson on Instagram
Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode, Dr. Stephen Cabral joins Doug Larson and Dr. Mike Lane to break down how he went from a decade-long "idiopathic illness" in his teens to building one of the biggest health education platforms in the space, including more than 3,600 daily podcast episodes. Cabral shares the turning points in his own recovery: years of heavy antibiotic exposure, chronic stress, gut dysbiosis (candida, H. pylori, SIBO), and even mercury accumulation from frequent tuna intake. That personal case study becomes the foundation for how he now thinks about root-cause medicine versus symptom suppression, and why conventional care often waits until labs fall out of range before acting.
The conversation dives into Cabral's framework for how chronic issues typically develop: nervous system stress leads to endocrine disruption, which then cascades into immune dysfunction, often amplified by gut-driven inflammation. He explains a clear process-of-elimination approach to gut health, why bile flow and motility have become increasingly important as the science has evolved, and how stress management is often the missing link. Cabral also breaks down why resonance breathing can be one of the fastest ways to shift physiology, how he uses wearables like Oura and HRV tools without overwhelming clients, and why the best plan is always the one someone will actually follow.
Finally, the group zooms out to the future of health and longevity. They discuss biological age testing, emerging longevity research, and the realities of training and recovery as you get older. Cabral shares how his practice balances structured lab testing, repeatable protocols, and ongoing accountability so clients don't just get a plan, but learn how to sustain results long term.
Links:
Doug Larson on Instagram
Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode of Barbell Shrugged, Doug Larson, Travis Mash (powerlifting world champion), and Dr. Michael Lane break down how to deadlift across the entire lifespan, from kids learning to hinge to lifters in their 40s, 50s, and beyond chasing strength without paying for it later. They start with youth training principles that actually work: keep it simple, keep it safe, and keep it fun. Kettlebell deadlifts and goblet squats win early because they naturally put kids in solid positions with minimal coaching, while the real focus is learning a neutral spine, good mechanics, and building a positive relationship with training.
Next, the conversation moves into the teen and peak-performance years, when athletes can build serious capacity and eventually push heavier weights. The guys lay out practical programming that prioritizes technique and volume tolerance over ego lifting, including linear periodization, conservative maxing through heavy triples, and velocity-based thresholds to keep athletes away from breakdown reps. They also dig into why deadlifting is not one-size-fits-all. Anthropometrics drive stance choices and sticking points, and the best assistance work depends on what is actually limiting you, whether that is front squats for getting the bar moving, RDL variations and bands for lockout strength, or staples like glute-ham raises and reverse hypers for posterior chain durability.
Finally, they tackle the strength versus functional training debate and bring it back to real-world outcomes. Strength training builds the engine, sport practice is the most functional skill work, and instability training has a place but is not where max force gets built. From there, they map out how deadlifting evolves with age: more attention to stimulus-to-fatigue ratio, smarter variations like blocks, deficits, and trap bars with high handles, more respect for recovery, and more intentional periodization. The throughline is simple. Deadlifting can stay in your life forever, but the version of deadlifting you choose should match your body, goals, and season, not your pride.
Links:
Doug Larson on Instagram
Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon returns to Barbell Shrugged with Doug Larson, Travis Mash, and Dr. Mike Lane to lay out a simple case: muscle is the missing centerpiece of modern health care. Our culture's weight loss obsession has distracted us from the bigger problem, under-muscled, metabolically unhealthy people aging into frailty. Drawing from her training in nutritional sciences and geriatrics, Gabrielle explains why obesity is often a symptom of poor skeletal muscle health, and why longevity depends on preserving strength, power, and mobility, not just shrinking the scale.
They break down "muscle quality," including fat infiltration into muscle (IMAT), and why muscle should look more like a clean "filet" than a marbled "wagyu." Doug shares how advanced imaging can reveal hidden issues, including how an old hip injury showed major asymmetry and elevated fat infiltration in a specific muscle he never would have identified otherwise. The point is clear: it's not only about having more muscle, it's about building trained, functional muscle that improves metabolic health and supports the brain and cardiovascular system.
From there, the conversation hits GLP-1s and hormone therapy. Gabrielle calls GLP-1s a powerful tool, but warns we risk trading the obesity epidemic for a sarcopenia epidemic if weight loss isn't paired with resistance training and adequate protein. She argues dosing and personalization matter, and muscle-building interventions deserve the same seriousness as fat-loss prescriptions. They close with protein strategy, why the RDA is a minimum, why higher intakes tend to perform better, and why anyone over 35 or dieting should prioritize at least one higher-protein meal, often around 50 grams. Gabrielle wraps with her upcoming release, Forever Strong: The Playbook, a tactical field guide with evidence-based protocols for training, recovery, and durable health.
Links:
https://drgabriellelyon.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drgabriellelyon/ https://www.youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyon Order FOREVER STRONG: https://drgabriellelyon.com/forever-strong/ Order THE FOREVER STRONG PLAYBOOK: https://drgabriellelyon.com/playbook/
Doug Larson on Instagram
Coach Travis Mash on Instagram