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:

Doug Larson on Instagram
Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode of Barbell Shrugged, Doug Larson is joined by longtime co-host Travis Mash and new co-host Dr. Mike Lane for a return visit from one of the show's most popular guests, Dr. Tommy Wood. Tommy breaks down the core thesis of his new book, The Stimulated Mind (releasing March 24), which uses dementia prevention as the headline but is really about boosting cognition at every stage of life. The crew sets the tone early: brain health is not "old people stuff," it's performance, learning, and resilience, built daily through how you live and how you train.

Tommy makes the case that "optimization" only works when it fits real life, and that the brain adapts like the body: sleep, nutrition, and exercise support it, but you still have to "train the brain" with demanding learning and skills. He outlines a practical learning dose-response, roughly 30–90 minutes of deep challenge per session, 2–3 times per week as a sweet spot for consolidation, while acknowledging the power of daily touchpoints for habit formation (Doug's Duolingo streak and the "don't break the chain" approach). From there, they go deep on exercise modalities and cognition: aerobic work and interval training improving hippocampal function (memory), high-intensity work potentially driving brain benefits through lactate → local BDNF, and coordinative/open-skill sports (racket sports, dancing, martial arts) producing outsized brain returns for the same physical strain.

The conversation closes with a fast but important run through risk, genetics, and lifestyle: Tommy explains ApoE4 as a risk multiplier that's highly environment-dependent, amplifying bad inputs (inflammation, poor metabolic health) but also amplifying the benefits of doing the basics well. They hit the big nutrition levers for cognition; omega-3s, key B vitamins (methylation), vitamin D, iron, plus polyphenol-rich foods (berries, cocoa, coffee/tea), and squash the common "red wine" rationalization by emphasizing net outcomes (sleep and brain volume matter). Finally, Tommy emphasizes the under-rated keystone: social connection and pro-social behavior, arguing that the Mediterranean "diet" is really a Mediterranean lifestyle, and that isolation can erase many of the benefits of even a perfect nutrition plan.

Links:

Doug Larson on Instagram
Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode of Barbell Shrugged, Doug Larson is joined by longtime co-host Travis Mash and new co-host Michael Lane as they welcome back John Rusin for his first appearance on the show in five years. The conversation opens with a candid transition moment for the podcast, acknowledging Anders Varner's departure and setting the stage for a new chapter of Barbell Shrugged. From there, the crew dives straight into Rusin's background in sports performance, physical therapy, and global coaching, including his work with elite athletes, Olympic committees, and thousands of coaches through his Pain-Free Performance system.

The heart of the episode centers on biomechanics, individual anatomy, and why "one-size-fits-all" coaching models fail athletes over the long term. Rusin breaks down how differences in femur length, hip structure, and torso proportions radically change how people should squat, hinge, and load movements. The group explores why goblet squats are one of the most universally joint-friendly tools, how assessment should guide exercise selection, and why chasing perfect technique without context often leads to chronic pain. The discussion also highlights the importance of strategic variability, offseason training, and removing aggravating patterns rather than blindly pushing through discomfort.

The episode closes with a deep look at Rusin's new book Pain-Free Performance, a multi-year project born out of burnout, injury, and a desire to preserve his system in a lasting format. Rusin explains who the book is for, coaches, athletes, and everyday people alike, and why long-term health, movement quality, and consistency ultimately drive performance and longevity. From youth sports specialization to elite training volume and survivorship bias, this episode delivers a grounded, experience-driven perspective on how to train hard, stay healthy, and perform at a high level for decades, not just a season.

Links:

Pain-Free Performance: Move Better, Train Smarter, and Build an Unbreakable Body
Dr. John Rusin Website
Dr. John Rusin on Instagram
Doug Larson on Instagram
Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode of Barbell Shrugged, Doug Larson and Travis Mash officially welcome Dr. Mike Lane as the show's new co-host. Mike shares his full origin story, from growing up a sports-loving kid in St. Louis, to discovering strength and conditioning in college, to earning his PhD and becoming a professor of exercise physiology. Along the way, he reflects on the mentors who shaped his thinking, including time spent around Westside Barbell, Olympic lifting culture, and elite academic labs that blended hard training with hard science.

The conversation dives deep into the intersection of real-world performance and research. Mike breaks down his work with tactical populations like firefighters and law enforcement, explaining why traditional fitness tests often fail to reflect the actual demands of the job. They explore load carriage, heat stress, aerobic capacity, and why durability, not just raw fitness, determines success in high-stakes environments.

Finally, Mike opens up about his own competitive journey across powerlifting, strongman, Olympic lifting, and Highland Games. From pulling 750+ pounds in competition to learning hard lessons about longevity, ego, and smart training, this episode captures what it looks like to stay strong, curious, and competitive into your 40s. With Mike Lane stepping into the co-host role, Barbell Shrugged enters a new chapter, one grounded in experience, science, and a deep respect for the iron game.

Links:

Doug Larson on Instagram

Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode, Dr. Karen Esser Professor and Chair of the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida joins the crew to break down one of the most overlooked performance variables in human physiology: circadian timing. After a career spent studying muscle adaptation, Dr. Esser shifted her research toward the molecular clocks inside our tissues, uncovering how every cell in the body keeps its own time. She explains how these clocks govern fuel storage, protein repair, metabolic readiness, and ultimately the way muscle responds to training. The team digs into what these clocks do, how they synchronize, and why misalignment affects everything from daily performance to long-term health.

The conversation dives deep into time-of-day effects on strength, endurance, and adaptation. Dr. Esser highlights that humans are consistently stronger and more explosive in the afternoon, a pattern reflected in Olympic records and decades of performance data. But her lab's animal research reveals something game changing: consistent morning training can shift the internal clock system, allowing morning athletes to achieve equal or even better adaptations after several weeks, despite using lower absolute training loads. She also explains how travel, jet lag, and mistimed eating disrupt organ specific clocks, reducing performance and creating metabolic consequences similar to pre-diabetes. The crew tests these ideas against real world training habits, coaching experience, and what happens when athletes switch from evening to early morning training.

Finally, Dr. Esser unpacks the broader health implications of circadian disruption from increased risk of metabolic disease and cardiovascular dysfunction to higher rates of depression and cancer in chronically misaligned shift workers. She outlines simple, actionable strategies: anchor your sleep and training times, keep eating within a roughly 10 hour window, avoid late night calories, and arrive early when competing across time zones. The conversation closes with practical takeaways for athletes, coaches, and everyday lifters who want to maximize adaptation, improve metabolic health, and align their biology with the rhythms built into every cell.

Links:

Anders Varner on Instagram

Doug Larson on Instagram

Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode, Dr. Bill Campbell returns to the show to discuss a major pivot in his research from building muscle and optimizing fat loss to understanding menopause and its effects on women's body composition. After watching his wife struggle through a severe perimenopause transition that resisted every traditional fat loss strategy, Campbell uncovered a massive blind spot in the scientific literature: almost no research exists on fit, resistance trained women going through menopause. His public comments sparked hundreds of messages from women describing the same struggles including unexplained weight gain, muscle loss, energy crashes, and sleep disruption highlighting how poorly understood this phase of life truly is.

Dr. Campbell breaks down what the best research does show. Menopause accelerates fat gain, shifts fat distribution toward the midsection, and produces measurable declines in muscle and bone mineral density. Many women experience weight loss resistance where standard diet and training approaches no longer produce results. He also digs into the nuance of hormone replacement therapy how progesterone and estrogen can dramatically improve sleep, anxiety, and energy, why estrogen appears anabolic for middle aged women, and why HRT's effect on body fat varies widely. Campbell clarifies the long standing confusion created by the 2002 Women's Health Initiative study, how its flawed interpretation suppressed HRT use for two decades, and why today's evidence supports earlier intervention under an evidence based physician.

The conversation closes with clear, practical guidance for women entering perimenopause. Maintain a consistent fitness lifestyle, lift weights to protect muscle and bone, prioritize sleep, get annual bloodwork and DEXA scans, and consider HRT early if medically appropriate.

Campbell emphasizes that lifestyle habits do not replace hormone therapy and hormone therapy does not replace lifestyle. Together they help women navigate the most dramatic physiological transition since puberty. Whether you're a coach, practitioner, or someone approaching this stage of life, this episode provides a much needed framework for understanding, preparing for, and managing menopause with strength and agency.

Links:

Anders Varner on Instagram

Doug Larson on Instagram

Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

Former Marine and general contractor Andrew Kavanaugh joins the crew to share the origin story of Black Root Recovery, a company he founded after watching too many of his fellow Marines struggle physically, mentally, and emotionally after returning home. What started as a personal quest to rebuild his health led to a 90-pound weight loss, the elimination of sleep apnea and nightmares, and a profound shift in cognitive clarity and emotional resilience. Andrew combined the modalities that changed his own life (grounding, infrared therapy, red-light therapy, and traditional sauna heat) into a single premium, custom-built recovery system designed to reduce inflammation, support brain health, and help veterans and high performers reclaim their capability.

Andrew breaks down the science and practical application behind each component of the system, including his patented grounding design that connects the user directly to an eight-foot copper ground rod to immediately reduce blood viscosity and "electrical noise" in the body. Paired with deep-penetrating red light panels, infrared heat, and a high-output traditional sauna, his units create a stacked recovery environment that improves circulation, reduces inflammation, accelerates healing, and enhances cognitive performance. Andrew shares how, after three months of daily use, he saw his social anxiety disappear, his brain function sharpen, and his jiu-jitsu endurance skyrocket.

The conversation expands into the broader mission: supporting veterans, giving athletes a competitive performance advantage, and scaling access to recovery tools that have historically been too expensive or too fragmented to deliver real transformation. Andrew discusses future plans to build custom installations for gyms and sports teams, and continue refining the multimodal system. Whether the goal is longevity, recovery, or helping those who have served, this episode reveals why integrated recovery environments may become the next frontier in reducing inflammation, healing trauma, and elevating human potential.

Links:

Anders Varner on Instagram

Doug Larson on Instagram

Coach Travis Mash on Instagram

In this episode, the world's #1 pickleball player, Ben Johns, joins Anders Varner, Doug Larson, Travis Mash, and Dr. Mike Lane to unpack what it really takes to stay at the top of one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet. Ben walks through the insane travel schedule, the perpetual in-season demands, and the growing physical toll of a sport played in deep athletic stances, high-velocity lateral movements, and multi-hour tournament days. For the past year, Ben has partnered with RAPID Health Optimization to build a data-driven system around sleep, recovery, hydration, nutrition, and personalized strength and conditioning giving him a competitive edge in a sport where consistency and longevity are becoming just as important as pure skill.

The team breaks down how RAPID reverse-engineered the physiology of pickleball by analyzing metabolic demands, movement patterns, travel stress, and tournament structure. Ben shares what has changed the most: HRV-driven sleep routines, hydration and electrolyte protocols, rapid-turnaround nutrition systems during six-day competition blocks, and gym programming that prioritizes leg strength, acceleration, deceleration, rotational power, and the ability to repeatedly produce peak output with minimal fatigue. With only an eight-week "off-season" each year, Ben's entire training plan now revolves around precision dosing of fatigue, auto-regulation, and strategic recovery backed by data from Oura, lab analysis (blood, stool, saliva, urine) and the RAPID coaching team.

Finally, the conversation moves into the strategic side of dominance: pattern recognition, the metagame of adjustments, and the ability to keep learning in a young sport where the rules of mastery are still being written. Ben explains how having a full-stack performance team allows him to focus on playing, developing new skills, and outlasting opponents who aren't managing sleep, travel, workload, or recovery with the same level of precision. If you want an inside look at how the best player in the world trains, prepares, and stays healthy and how RAPID Health Optimization builds elite longevity systems for professional athletes this episode is a must-listen.

Links:

Ben Johns on Instagram

Anders Varner on Instagram

Doug Larson on Instagram

Coach Travis Mash on Instagram