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

Anders Varner is the new host of Barbell Shrugged Podcast! Anders has a similar background to Mike and Doug, he has been an athlete since high school, studied strength and conditioning, and opened his own gym. Anders is co-creator of The Low Back Fix, The Knee Fix, and The Shoulder Fix, and owns Anders Varner Training located in San Diego, CA. Anders found the weight room at age 13 and decided he would call it home for the rest of his life. A four- time CrossFit regional competitor and member of John Cena’s “One Ton Club”, Anders has trained with and coached high level athletes from the worlds of the NFL, WWE, and CrossFit. A true believer in self-discovery, Anders finds his true passion in helping the everyday person live a pain free, empowered life through mindful movement. Anders Varner’s approach has helped transform the lives of stroke victims, pre and postpartum moms, extreme weight loss clientele, and individuals recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. In this episode, Anders takes on his journey i

Ben Pakulski a.k.a. Pak-Man, is an IFBB professional bodybuilder and winner of the 2008 Mr. Canada competition. In the IFBB, he finished 2nd twice in 2008. He also placed 2nd in the 2013 Arnold Classic competition, and 11th in the 2012 Mr. Olympia contest, which was his first-ever. Ben began his interest in nutrition at 12 years old, when he read about vegetarianism and experimented with it for two years. At 15, he started lifting weights in Macks Gym in Toronto. Today, he is an accoladed athlete, competitor, coach, and creator of #1 Muscle Building program, MI40. In this episode Ben Pakulski takes us through his mindset shift as he went from being a high level competitive bodybuilder, to an entrepreneur, and father. He shares with us the story of how he was initially successful in bodybuilding by accident. He also explains how he developed a competitive mindset, why he treated everyday like he was going to be on stage, and more. Enjoy! - Mike, Doug and Anders Show notes at: http://www.shruggedcollective.com/

This is a special episode, where Yaya and Ryan take us down the nutrition rabbit hole. The Chalk crew debunks many of the methods that surround nutrition for athletes. Ryan talks about the importance of earning your carbs after a workout, and why you don’t get carbs until you’ve trained. Ryan and Yaya also talk about the importance of getting in fats, explaining how dietary fat actually has no relation to body fat. They discuss the ins and outs of paleo and ketogenic diets, as well as the importance of eating food, and the potential repercussions of undernourishment. Ryan also covers how to eat out, especially dealing with peer pressure, and how lying to people about why you are eating clean is always the best route. The best ways to eat healthy is to not have shitty food! Enjoy! - Ryan and Yaya ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes: http://www.shruggedcollective.com/rc_nutrition101 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aaron Alexander CR, LMT, CPT is an accomplished manual therapist and movement coach with over 13 years of professional experience. He is the founder of the Align Movement™, an integrated approach to functional movement and self-care that has helped thousands of people out of pain and into health. Aaron also hosts the top-rated Align Podcast featuring the biggest names in movement and wellness. His clients include Hollywood celebrities, Olympic/professional athletes and everyone in between. He teaches workshops and speaks at events all over the world. In this episode, we dive into why you sometimes need to remove supplements rather than add more, how diversifying your training and movements can improve your performance in your specific sports, why fasting is healthy for you, how eating poop can make you healthier, and much more. Enjoy! -Mike ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes: https://shruggedcollective.com/tbs_alexander -----------------------------------------

In chapter 5, we dive headfirst into the strength vs cardiovascular training debate. Andy sets the stage by telling the story of Bob Hoffman’s showdown with Dr. Peter Karpovich over this divide in 1940. Following the aftermath, we address our own biases, contextualize the role of adaptation in human performance, and provide some general recommendations. Andy and Kenny dive into the two, formerly opposing, schools of thought in the fitness world: strength training vs. cardiovascular training. Andy covers the evolution of strength training starting in 1861 with the coining of the “healthlift” or deadlift, as we know it today, and then they both explore the timeline of how scientists, who were pro-cardio, experienced a mindset shift and slowly understood the importance of adopting multiple modalities. Enjoy! - Kenny and Andy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes: http://www.shruggedcollective.com/bok_1.5 ---------------------------------------------------------

Darrel Wang specializes in developing individuals that are interested in becoming the nation’s next generation’s war fighters. With multiple combat deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Darrel’s knowledge and expertise in knowing what is required from marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen comes straight from personal experience. Darrel is a coach at CrossFit PHX and CrossFit Magna, as well as assistant Coach PRO Tactical at Power Speed Endurance. He was enlisted in the United States Air Force at age 19, and while going through one of the world’s toughest military training pipelines, he discovered a parallel between strength and conditioning and being successful while going through a Special Operations/Special Forces school. In this episode, Darrel talks about humility and how to effectively use feedback from others. He discusses some of his favorite methods for managing stress and using breath, as well as the self-talk that accompanies it. Darrel also explains the importance of owning what we

Bradley Martyn (@bradleymartyn) is a bodybuilder, physique competitor, a fitness guru, and a social media star. He started weight training at 15 years old, spent a lot of time learning about training and nutrition over the years, and started selling his own training programs in January 2006. Although these programs were described by Bradley as successful, it wasn’t until 2014 when he truly began gaining recognition in the fitness world. Today, Bradley owns his own gym, Zoo Culture, has his own clothing line, BMFit, and is an Instagram celebrity with 2.8 million followers! In this episode, Bradley discusses his methods for overcoming hardships and the importance of mindset in getting through hard times. He talks about the importance of not getting “caught up in the process”, and having heart in times of suffering in order to rise above the situation and continue achieving greatness. Enjoy! - Mike, Doug and Anders Show notes at: http://www.shruggedcollective.com/bbs_martyn -------------------------------------

Eric Leija, Senior Kettlebell Coach at Onnit Academy, a.k.a. the Primal Swoldier, is a kettlebell training specialist. Eric has been coaching for over three years, but has been working out and living a fit lifestyle for over 12 years. Eric got into physical training at the age of 15 with the goal of becoming a mixed martial arts fighter. Struggling to make friends and find purpose in academia, he dropped out of the University of Texas, Austin, and turned to daily use of DMT and other plant medicines to gain some clarity and perspective. Shortly after, Eric met Aubrey Marcus, the CEO of Onnit who mentored and helped get him started in the fitness industry. Eric has had the privilege of taking seminars with some of the top movement coaches in the industry such as, John Wolf,  Dr. Mark Cheng, Mike Fitch, and Dr. Andreo Spina who opened his eyes to the importance of body weight movement and mobility to help improve performance and overall healthier fitness routine. In this episode, Eric shares with us his past jo

Max Shank is owner and head coach at Ambition Athletics, where people become muscular ninjas. He is also a teacher of world class coaches and athletes and has taught 100+ courses around the world. Max is also creator #5minuteflow and has written 3 books: Ultimate Athleticism, Simple Shoulder Solution, and Master the Kettlebell. I like to experiment and explore the human condition. Fitness is my primary method of developing life-altering skills. In addition, I’ve picked up guitar, piano, and drums as an adult. In this episode, Max shares with us why he is focused on athleticism rather than strength, what it means to be strong enough, why we all need to work more easily, how 5 min a day of practice can make a huge long-lasting impact, and much more. Enjoy! -Mike ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes: https://shruggedcollective.com/tbs_shank ------------------------------------------------------------------------  Please support our partners! Onnit's is a Total Human

In chapter 4, Michael Blevins  joins us for a fascinating conversation about the philosophy of transformation. Michael is known for training actors to play superheroes on the big screen but the path to get there was very unique. He began changing people as a hairdresser then stumbled into training through personal experimentation with physical experiences. Enjoy! - Kenny and Andy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes: http://www.shruggedcollective.com/bok_blevins ------------------------------------------------------------------------------   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: thrivemarket.com/body How it works:  Users will get $20 off their first 3 orders of $49 or mo

Jason Sani is a trained and licensed Culinary Nutritionist that has worked in the Athletics and Sports Medicine industry for 10+ years. While still active in competitive sports Jason turned his focus to Nutrition and training geared towards the active population.   With an open-minded, yet focused approach, Jason has committed to being a student of life, worldly wisdom, and motivation. He practices what he preaches and leads an energetic lifestyle by example. In this episode, Jason talks about the positive and negative sides of paleo vs. plant based diets, and how a “gray area” in between might be an optimal choice. He also covers the “Dirty Dozen” of the organic foods industry that should always be avoided because of how well they hold on to residual pesticides. Jason’s advice goes beyond the kitchen, he encourages folks to be mindful and show gratitude as part of their life. Enjoy! - Jeff and Mycal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes: http://www.shrugged

Emily Abbott is a 4x CrossFit Games Athlete (‘14-’17) and 8th fittest woman in the world (2015). She grew up on a farm with a couple of loving, “crazy” parents, who raised her to work hard to get what she wants. Emily was always into physical activities and sports. In college, she played basketball for the University of Windsor, where her team won two national championships back-to-back. During that time, she learned so much about mental toughness, accountability, and pursuing a dream–no matter how ridiculous it appeared. Emily spent her childhood in Calgary and later moved to San Diego. She still enjoys many sports, such as snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and rock climbing. Recently, she gravitates towards these activities more, especially if she gets burnt out with training. In this episode, Emily talk about the emotional release that she gets from training, and how to be ok with not being perfect. She also touches on some of her bucket list life experiences, like living in an RV and going completely no

Bryan Boorstein is the owner and founder of Evolved Training Systems. He is also owner of San Diego Athletics, a hybrid style CrossFit gym that provides programming for CrossFit and physique athletes. The Evolved Training System is Bryan’s staple program; a unique combination of multiple different training methodologies combined together with the optimal dose of each: - Low-Rep Strength Training - Bodybuilding for aesthetics - Metcon and “HIIT” intervals for conditioning - Bodyweight Training On Monday May 7th, the Evolved Daily Training Program will be released on the website for only $19 per month. All of the training utilizes only free weight and bodyweight movements, so you can perform this training in a functional fitness gym, a standard “Globo” gym atmosphere, or even your home gym! Bryan is determined to educate the fitness community on working-out smarter. He is continually researching new methodologies to help his clients reach their goals while maintaining a happy, balanced life. In this episode, Br

Christmas Abbott is a professional athlete, a CrossFit Games competitor, an olympic weightlifter, and NASCAR Pit Crew. She is also a branding advisor, working with individuals and teams to craft their own unique brand, helping them to put their best foot forward and share their passion with others.   Christmas is also a transformational guru, creator of Christmas Abbott Nutrition, Oxygen Magazine Trainer Challenge Head Trainer, Badass Body Diet Creator, online fitness foach, motivational speaker, keynote speaker and national bestselling author. In this episode, Christmas opens up about her pregnancy and her relationship with Ben Bunn. She also shares her experience participating in the TV show Big Brother, why 2017 was a tough year for her, and much more.  Enjoy! -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 produc

In Chapter 3, Jack Osbourne discusses becoming a happy, healthy person. He grew up in a world of abundance as a reality tv star and the son of Ozzy Osbourne. Since then, he has sustained major personal growth. Kenny, Andy and Jack discuss autoimmune diseases, changing behavioral patterns and using physical training to fight the neurological effects of aging. Enjoy! -Kenny and Andy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes: http://www.shruggedcollective.com/bok_chapter3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------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/body How it works:  Users will get $20 off their first 3 orders of $4

Tony Blauer is one of the only combatives experts who has successfully affected training across all the combat related communities: self-defense, combat sports and the military & law enforcement sector. His research on physiology, mind-set as it relates to confrontation management has influenced over two decades of reality-based martial artists.   Tony is founder of Blauer Tactical Systems and creator of the Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response self-defense system. SPEAR is the world’s only behaviorally based self-protection method based on physiology, kinesiology, physics and psychology. Tony teaches SPEAR to students worldwide, including Law Enforcement Agencies, Military Units and First-Responders.   In this episode, Tony shares his perspectives on coaching and how using tactics such as “Surprise Fran” in the CrossFit gym and coaching the fearful mindset that comes along with it, can actually help athletes improve their score. Mindset is everything. More often than not, the physiological

Amanda Bucci is a 25 year old lifestyle entrepreneur whose mission is to ignite the fire in others to grow into their TRUE selves through her podcast, YouTube channel, instagram, and other social platforms. Amanda is founder and CEO of Bucci Radio Podcast (interview and solo episodes where Amanda and her guests provide fitness, personal, or professional value, stories, experiences, and education), along with the Fitness Online Coaching Academy (a certificate program for online fitness coaches) and the Influencer Academy (a high-level coaching program for aspiring online fitness coaches and influencers to learn how to package their program and personal brand, in order to create a sustainable and thriving business). In this episode, the crew covers everything from business on Instagram to blending tuna with orange juice. We explore various nutritional strategies, effective goal setting, how to keep training exciting, coaching online, and more. Enjoy! - Mike, Doug and Anders Show notes at: http://www.shruggedcol

Ryan Williams is a serial entrepreneur, a former navy SEAL, and founder of Industry Threadworks, a private label apparel production company. Having successfully launched and sold multiple businesses, ranging from apparel brands to equipment manufacturing companies, Ryan has learned invaluable lessons about people, mindset, and the principles of building a successful organization. In this episode, Ryan takes us on his journey from an unstable childhood, through his experiences in the military, to becoming a wildly successful entrepreneur. Ryan shares his strategies, perspectives, and lessons learned through his various business experiences. Enjoy! - Ryan and Yaya ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes at: http://www.shruggedcollective.com/rc_williams ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please support our partners! Thrive Market is a proud supporter of us here at Barbell Shrugged.  We very much appreciate all they do

Kyle Kingsbury is a former football player (Arizona State), a retired American professional mixed martial artist (UFC six years), and currently Director of Human Optimization at Onnit and host of The Onnit Podcast. While fighting at the highest level, Kyle became fascinated with nutrition, performance, and recovery. Since his MMA retirement, his focus has shifted to learning more about longevity, plant medicines, and inner peace. In this episode, we cover Kyle’s path from college football, to MMA fighting to joining Onnit as Director of Human Optimization. We learn about shamanic tobacco, the power of plant medicine, various types of mediation, and much more. Enjoy! -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 lik

In chapter 2, Kenny shows the value of context through stories about growing up in a fitness business, playing sports, performing stand up comedy, and becoming a human performance coach. Kenny’s life experience has significantly contributed to the development of the Mastery Method, a philosophy for teaching life lessons through the template of physicality.   Enjoy! - Kenny and Andy ----------------------------------------------- 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/body How it works:  Users will get $20 off their first 3 orders of $49 or more + free shipping.  No code is necessary because the discount will be applied at checkout. Many of you will be going to the store this week anyway, so why not