Barbell Shrugged - Talking Training W/ Crossfit Games Athletes, Strength Coaches & More

Jen Esquer, DPT, PT, has been on a ruthless ongoing journey to learn about the body and movement since she was a child. She was a professional gymnast until age 16, studied yoga and pilates, studied physiotherapy, and is continuously exploring and learning more . is creator of and The Optimal Body Preventing Pain & Injury Optimizing Lives. Dr. Jen is also the creator of The Mobility Method, which is designed to give the everyday person the opportunity to take themselves through a basic screening process and self-diagnose limitations. In addition, there are various modules to help individuals address their own personal needs, whether it be their neck, back, shoulders, etc. In this episode, we learn why the neutral spine doesn’t exist in the real world, why foam rolling gets misunderstood, how much of training has become robotic, why you need to have more appreciation for your body, and much more. Enjoy! - Mike, Doug and Anders ----------------------------------------------- ► Subscribe to Barbell Shrugged

Kevin Lawrence is a fitness and nutrition expert, and the founder and CEO of Power Crunch, a line of “smart” protein products. Kevin is a former college football player, former IFBB World Bodybuilding Champion, and renowned speaker and writer who is knowledgeable in exercise physiology and applied nutrition. Kevin was raised in a low-income family with five children, where nutrition was not prioritized and often neglected. Often sick and malnourished as a child, Kevin realized his passion for nutrition at age 13 and pursued a career in sports and nutritional supplements In this episode, Kevin touches on various types of proteins from whey to plant-based, what our diets should look like, the nitty gritty on stevia, the benefits of high DH proteins over whole proteins, and MUCH more. Enjoy! - Ryan and Yaya ----------------------------------------- Please support our partners! Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged.  We very much appreciate all they do with us and we’d love for you to

Mycal Anders, MS, CSCS, is owner of Crossfit PHX and CryoPHX. Men’s Fitness magazine ranked Crossfit PHX as #1 CrossFit Box in the US in 2017!  Mycal Anders is also co-host together with Jeff Thronton of Feed Me Fuel Me podcast, which is about how to use the 3-pillars of success everyday in your life: Manifestation, Business, Fitness & Nutrition.  We’re happy to announce Feed Me Fuel Me podcast has joined the Shrugged Collective and will be sharing episodes every week starting Thursday! -Mike Bledsoe and The Shrugged Collective ----------------------------------------------- Please support our partners! Onnit's is a Total Human Optimization company with a mission to inspire peak performance through a combination of unique products and actionable information. As the founder and CEO Aubrey Marcus likes to say, Total Human Optimizaion is a commitment to get strong in the places where we are weak, become great in places where we’re good, and shine a light on the stuff we need take a look at. Improve your focu

John Cena is an American professional wrestler, philanthropist, movie star, and most importantly he loves to lift weights

Say ‘Hi’ to Anders Varner, the new host of Barbell Shrugged! Anders crushed it co-hosting a bunch of shows with Mike and Doug in the past few months and will be taking over as the main Barbell Shrugged host. Doug will remain as co-host and Mike will focus on his new show, The Bledsoe Show, which is part of the Shrugged Collective. In this episode, Mike passes the torch to Anders, and we dive into how Barbell Shrugged was born, what gets us fired up to keep recording shows, the future of Barbell Shrugged and Shrugged Collective, and much more. -Mike, Doug and Anders ----------------------------------------------- Please support our partners! Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged.  We very much appreciate all they do with us and we’d love for you to support them in return!  Thrive Market has a special offer for you. You get $60 of FREE Organic Groceries + Free Shipping and a 30 day trial, click the link below: https://thrivemarket.com/shrugged How it works:  Users will get $20 off th

Ashley Boeckle (@ashleyboeckle) is owner and co-founder of @buffbake — The Better For You Snacks. A company that sells all-natural protein nut butters and protein cookies. Boeckle is an entrepreneurial go-getter who always knew she’d create her own path. Growing up, Boeckle hated school, so right after college she started her first food company. A couple of years later, she sold her company to a local buyer and moved to California to start Buff Bake with her cousin. Within a week they had the company incorporated, within a month a live website, and before she knew it their products were sought after by many retailers. In this episode, we look into why you need to pursue your passions, how to grow a business, what’s it like to be an entrepreneur in the food business, why you need to use Google more often, and much more. -Ryan and Yaya ----------------------------------------- Please support our partners! Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged.  We very much appreciate all they do wit

Aubrey Marcus is the founder and CEO of @Onnit, a lifestyle brand based on a holistic health philosophy he calls Total Human Optimization. Onnit is an Inc. 500 company and an industry leader with products touching millions of lives, including many top professional athletes around the world. Aubrey hosts his own podcast, The Aubrey Marcus Podcast, a motivational destination for conversations with the brightest minds in athletics, business, science, relationships and spirituality with over 10 million downloads on iTunes. Aubrey is also a writer who regularly provides commentary to outlets like @entrepreneur, @forbes, @thedoctorstv, and The Joe Rogan Experience. He has been featured on the cover of @menshealthmag, and his newest (and first!) book is Own The Day, Own Your Life. In this episode, we cover how Onnit is true to the bone, how you can pursue your passion while making enough money, why you need to fail to succeed, why it’s important to listen to your heart, and much more. -MIke Bledsoe and The Shrugged

Big updates for Shrugged Empire, be sure to listen to this one!

Dr. Eddie Jo, PhD, CSCS*D, CISSN is Professor of Sport and Exercise Physiology Director of the Human Performance Research Lab at Cal Poly Pomona University in Southern California. Dr. Jo’s expertise is in neuromuscular physiology, energy metabolism, and endocrinology, and he has dedicated much of his research to innovating the science and application of training methodologies, nutritional programming, and dietary supplementation to achieve optimal health and performance. Dr. Jo has become “instafamous” (@dr.eddiejo) with the help of our friend, Dr. Andy Galpin (@drandygalpin), who shared Dr. Jo’s unique, easy-to-read, scientific infographics. In this episode, we look into why lactate is actually good for you, how pain is protecting you, the role of endogenous ketones, performance possibilities of exogenous ketones, and much more. Enjoy! -Mike, Doug and Anders ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please support our partners! Thrive Market

Adam Von Rothfelder is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin Native and a former professional MMA fighter currently living in Venice, California. He developed himself through family tragedy, learned primal movement from Ido Portal, sparred with Brock Lesnar, and was featured on NBC’s show Strong as one of America’s top 10 trainers. Von Rothfelder currently coaches some of America’s top CEOs and corporate executives to sustain success in life by building physical strength through movement. When he’s not coaching clients he’s operating as the CEO of Strong Coffee Company, a new venture that allows him to connect the things he loves most: creativity, movement and motivation. Fun fact: Von Rothfelder became a good friend of Barbell Shrugged, has co-hosted previous episodes, and is co-hosting some future shows. In this episode, we look into what it means to Earn the Day, why bodybuilding is the best entry point for most athletes, why eating carbs before bed is good for you, and much more. Enjoy! -Mike, Doug and Anders ----------

Ryan Fischer’s entire life has always been about fitness. At the age of 12 he was a world ranked BMX racer. In high-school he ran track, played lacrosse, and football. Then, he got into skeleton and bobsled, and even qualified for the US Olympic Team Trials for both sports. Fischer is also a big time crossfitter, who finished top 5 in the CrossFit Regionals for the past 3 years. He went from being homeless, couch surfing, stealing food at Whole Foods, and a stint as a male stripper, to becoming owner of the most successful gym in Orange County, CrossFit Chalk.  He also created Chalk Online, a groundbreaking corporate wellness program. Fischer always had a belief that life would work itself out if he kept working hard on his passions.  In this episode, we look into look how hard everything has to be if you’re going to dream big and try to be your best everyday. Enjoy! -Mike, Doug and Anders ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please suppo

Dr. Mike Israetel is co-founder and Head Science Consultant at Renaissance Periodization, a company dedicated to providing competitive and non-competitive athletes with scientifically backed methods of improving performance and altering body composition. Dr. Israetel has a PhD in Sport Physiology and has taught Exercise and Sport Science. He has also coached numerous powerlifters, weightlifters, bodybuilders, and other individuals in both diet and weight training, including consulting on sports nutrition to the U.S. Olympic Training Site in Johnson City, TN. In this episode, we dive into why you shouldn’t be overly enthusiastic about your training program, maximum recoverable volume, what it takes to be a strength & conditioning coach, and much more. -Mike, Doug and Anders ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please support our partners! Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged.  We very much appreciate all th

Shane Farmer is a rowing specialist, a coach, an entrepreneur, a 4-time CrossFit Games athlete, and the founder of Dark Horse Rowing and Dark Horse Academy.   Farmer is known in the CrossFit community as a rowing specialist who has worked with elite CrossFit Games athletes, including 2017 CrossFit Games champion Clair Toomey, Kari Pearce, Lauren Fisher, Garrett Fisher, Sam Dancer, and others.   In this episode, we dive into how to develop your coaching experience and philosophy, how to allow yourself to grow as a coach, shifting your paradigm, and more.   -Mike, Doug and Anders   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Please support our partners!   Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged.  We very much appreciate all they do with us and we’d love for you to support them in return!  Thrive Market has a special offer for you.  You get $60 of FREE Organic Groceries + Free Shipping and a 30 day trial, click the link

Paul Chek is an internationally-renowned expert in the fields of corrective and high-performance exercise kinesiology.   For over 20 years, Chek’s unique, holistic health approach to treatment and education has transformed the lives of countless men and women through programs like the P~P~S Success Mastery Coaching Program. Not surprisingly, Chek is sought after as an international presenter and consultant for successful organizations like the Chicago Bulls, Australia’s Canberra Raiders, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.   In this episode, we learn about Chek’s life and training philosophies, the last 4 doctors you’ll ever need, working in vs. working out, the 7 primary movements, and much more. Enjoy!   Enjoy!   -Mike, Doug and Anders   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Please support our partners!   Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged.  We very much appreciate all they do with us and we’d love for you t

Dr. Roop Sihota is a PT, a coach, and a movement enthusiast. He has been a long time team member and coach at MobilityWOD and San Francisco Crossfit, and recently launched a new movement project called ORIGINS. Dr. Sihota is inspired by movement and is focused on the exploration of movement. He started ORIGINS because of his passion to give back and provide educational content to help people make more complete decisions. This is Roop’s second time on the show, check out the previous episode he was on to talk about Why Your Mobility Isn’t Improving — Dr. Roop Sihota — 173. In this episode, we dive into why there is no such thing as bad movement, how to make more well rounded decision, why you should incorporate more play in your life, top inflammatory foods, and more. Enjoy! -Mike, Doug and Anders ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please support our partners! Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged. We very mu

Dr. Theresa Larson, DPT and Anders Varner are co-creators of of The Low Back Fix, The Knee Fix, and The Shoulder Fix. They are back on the show after talking about the low back (Episode 240) and the knee (episode 292) to talk about fixing your shoulder.   Dr. Larson and Varner have taught movement principles to thousands of trainers and health practitioners on 4 continents, and have coached and treated over 100 CrossFit Regionals, WWE, NFL, and MLB athletes.   In this episode, we dive into common patterns that create shoulder pain and problems, and give you techniques on how to fix the shoulder. We cover forward head posture, simple body position fixes for more awareness, how to self-assess your breathing muscles, breathing and emotions, and more.   Enjoy!   -Mike, Doug and Anders   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Please support our partners!   Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged.  We very much appreci

Gunnar Lovelace is founder and Co-CEO at Thrive Market, an online wholesale-buying club committed to sustainability and social justice. Lovelace is a is a lifelong health advocate and serial entrepreneur. He grew up as a child of a single mother, and experienced first hand how hard it was for families on fixed budgets to make healthy choices. At Thrive Market, he and his partners are on a mission to make healthy living accessible and affordable to everyone. Thrive Market is sort of an online Costco, full of only healthy, high quality products. In this episode, we dive into how Thrive Market built their business, what strategies they use to offer high quality foods to underserved markets, why we need more supplements than ever before, the new regenerative organic certification, and more. Enjoy! As a thank you for watching Thrive Market has a special offer for you. You get $60 of FREE Organic Groceries + Free Shipping and a 30 day trial, click the link below: https://thrivemarket.com/shrugged   How it works:

Bret Contreras has become known in the strength and conditioning industry as “The Glute Guy” because of his expertise in helping clients develop strong, shapely glutes. He has earned his PhD in Sports Science from the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and invented a glute-strengthening machine called the Hip Thruster. Contreras is also cofounder of Strength & Conditioning Research Review and founder of Strong by Bret. He currently trains figure competitors, writes programs for clients from all over the world, and consults for various professional sport teams. In this episode, we dive into glute development exercises, functional vs body-part split training, the hip thrust, horizontal and vertical resistance training, and more. Enjoy!

Dr. Jordan Jiunta and Dr. Jordan Shallow are co-founders of Pre-Script, co-hosts of RX’D RADIO, chiropractors, and competitive athletes. Jiunta competes in CrossFit and Olympic Weightlifting, and is a CrossFit Level 1 trainer. Shallow competes in Powerlifting and also coaches strength and conditioning at Stanford University Rugby Team. Jiunta understands the importance of learning and training our bodies natural movement patterns to not only prevent injury, but to live a higher quality life as well. Shallow’s patients range from world-class athletes to 9–5 weekend warriors, and he understands the needs of each individual paired with the demand of their lifestyle. In this episode, we dive into why and how they created Pre-Script, a service dedicated to helping its members move better, and perform at their best. We cover how they assess athletes, why stability is misunderstood, why scaled stimulus is more than resistance, and more. ► Subscribe to Barbell Shrugged's Channel Here- http://bit.ly/BarbellShruggedSub