Barbell Shrugged

In this week's episode I sit down with a fan boy named Herky Garcia (@herkygarcia). Herky emailed me back in 2015 to work and train at my gym. I said no. He continued to stay persistent and even came down for a visit one weekend and asked me again in person. I said no again. Eventually he decided to just move to Orange County and gamble on this dream of working out at CHALK and hanging out with on...

Thane Marcus has spent the past four years deep diving into personal development. Although the object of that development was the arena of professional golf, the subject of that development was himself. During Thane's golf career, he left no stone unturned in regards to maximizing his human potential. This ceaseless striving has given him a strong grasp of the process involved in producing his bes...

Mansal Denton (@mansaldenton) is the founder of Nootropedia, an unbiased and accessible online nootropics resource to help you improve your cognitive abilities. Nootropics are substances that enhance mental functions, such as memory. He previously co-founded and grew Pure Nootropics into one of the 3 largest nootropics commodity ecommerce sites and exited after 15 months with buyout. In his spare...

Dr. Ralph Esposito (@dr.ralphesposito) is a New York based naturopathic physician, acupuncturist and functional medicine practitioner specializing in integrative urology, men's health and nutrigenomics. He has designed education modules for health professionals specifically on urological conditions, male and female hormone dysfunction, hypogonadism, exercise, men's health and sexual dysfunction. H...

Guido Trinidad (@guidotrinidad) is the owner and Founder of Peak 360 CrossFit. Guido began CrossFitting in 2008 and hasn't stopped since. Along the way, he has earned himself a trip to the CrossFit Games, 6 South East Regional appearances, and a Peak family that he could not be more proud of.   Guido is a family man, owner and founder of Peak 360, and the creator of Wodapalooza. Guido helps teach...

We're flipping the script this week: I've just met Lauren (@laurentickner), and she's going to interview me on my own podcast. It gets deep, it gets weird, it gets a little spiritual—this chick is not afraid of asking probing questions. We dive into how I found my passion, what makes me relentless, and the things that scare me (spoiler alert: one of them is Everest). Lauren shares what being a men...

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 multiple years. He went from being h...

In 2004, Jeff and Mikki Martin (@thebrandxmethod) imagined a better future for youth and began working toward that future by developing the original strength-and-conditioning program specifically designed for kids. Almost 15 years later, they continue to do what's best for kids on a daily basis with The Brand X Method™, the world leader in youth fitness.   The Martins teach and speak all over the...

Canadian-born Valentine Thomas (@valentinethomas) is a trained lawyer who worked in finance in London for six  years before leaving it all to travel the world and spread the word about eating and fishing responsibly. She's a Freediving Instructor with PADI, professional traveller, accomplished chef, TEDx speaker, entrepreneur and soon-to-be cookbook author.   Learn why a trained lawyer left her cu...

Mathew Fraser (@mathewfras) is an American professional CrossFit Athlete. With a coined mantra of "Hard Work Pays Off" (HWPO), he has been a dominant force on the CrossFit Games stage since the beginning of his career defining a legacy in the sport. In 2014, his debut year at the CrossFit Games, he claimed 2nd place atop the podium and was awarded Rookie of the Year. In 2015, as the favorite to wi...

I'm teaming up with two CrossFit OGs for this episode, comin' atcha from Wodapalooza weekend! As veterans of Regionals, the Games, podcasting in the fitness community, gym-owning, and everything in between, Blair (@morrison_blair) and Ben (@ironmile_ben) need no introduction—which is why they don't get one. We get right down to airing our unfiltered opinions on Sectionals, Ben Smith's post about e...

  Dr. Matt Kreinheder is a transformational healer, speaker, and coach. He has a doctorate in chiropractic, a master's degree in acupuncture and has professionally written for publications all over the globe. Dr. Matt has been trained at the highest level of Network Spinal Analysis and mentored under Donny Epstein, a world renowned healer. Dr. Matt helps entrepreneurs and high performers step into...

Jesse Elder's (@jesseelderlive) own journey to self-mastery unfolded as he grew up in a family of 7. Being homeschooled, Jesse was given the gift by his parents of being largely self-directed in his education and spent hours exploring ideas that interested him. At the age of 9 Jesse was introduced to martial arts. Hitting the mats every week became a passion that would play a powerful role through...

Devon Larratt (@devlarratt) is a world champion arm wrestler (in both arms) and received mainstream fame with his YouTube video defeating The Mountain Thor Bjornsson in an armwrestling match. He's also a twenty-year veteran of the Canadian military, with time spent in an elite special forces unit, and one of the most dedicated athletes on the planet–with a healthy dose of humor, stoicism, and just...

Dr. Jordan Shallow (@the_muscle_doc) is a chiropractor and a competitive powerlifter who champions getting movement right, from the outset. Jordan's patients range from world-class athletes to 9-5 weekend warriors. Understanding the needs of each individual and subsequent demand of each of their lifestyles is the cornerstone on which his clinical practice is built. In this episode of Barbell Shrug...

Chandler Smith (@blacksmifff) is making a name for himself in the fitness world while holding it down in the Army—except for one time he got his finger chopped off. (You bet that story is included in this episode!) But he's fine, and crushing it on the Misfit team at Wodapalooza.   What does it take to be an athlete with a brand? We talk about the way the game has changed, being competitive while...

Max Shank (@maxshank) has written 3 books and taught over a hundred courses in countries around the world. These experiences have allowed Max to help 10's of Thousands of people across the globe improve their lives through physical fitness. Max has also had the pleasure to operate one of the best gyms in Encinitas, CA called Ambition Athletics, where hundreds of people get better every day. Max li...

Conner Moore (@connerwanders) has spent years working with individuals and groups. The experience of reaching so many people led Conner to notice that everyone has an undeniable urge to connect to others with purpose and confidence in their contribution. Conner started to seek an understanding of what keeps us from accessing the fundamental human desire to be seen and understood. He became obsesse...

Dr. Sean Pastuch (@drseanpastuch) is a doctor, coach, educator, coach to athletes, and founder of Active Life Rx, which he founded with a belief that the world deserves better solutions than the current modern medical model. Active Life Rx is the only company in the world helping thousands of people to get out of pain without going to the doctor or missing the gym. They also educate health care pr...

Armen Hammer and I go way back to the early days of throwing barbells around. We've both been through some major transitions and seen a ton of changes happen in the CrossFit space. It's been a couple years, so we had a lot of catching up to do when we met up in Florida during Wodapalooza weekend.   After leaving the Wodcast Podcast, Armen worked for FloElite until they downsized. He saw an opportu...

Matt Walrath (@groceryninja) blazed the long and difficult trail from a short and skinny kid who rode the bench in every sport to a 2x CrossFit Games Regionals Athlete and All-American Lacrosse player with opportunities to play professionally. CrossFit, nutrition, and personal development were all key pieces to Matt's transformation. Matt discovered CrossFit back in 2006 and earned his CrossFit Le...

C.J. Murphy (@tpsmethod) is the owner of Total Performance Sports and the creator of the Total Performance Method and the Total Performance Method for Powerlifting (tpsmethod.com). His gym was featured as one of America's 20 Best Gyms – twice. Murphy is on the Advisory Board for Men's Fitness magazine and Muscle and Fitness magazine. C.J. has almost 30 years' experience as a coach, athlete, and ce...

Jöhg Ananda has been described as a "Cultural Revolutionary" by Dr. Chris Ryan. Jöhg is a serial entrepreneur ( Healthy Surprise , The Dirt Paleo Personal Care , Jambo Superfoods ) and founder of Union Yoga. Jöhg has invented over 50 consumer products, including the subscription snack box category, several guided yoga kriyas and designed a factory.   In this episode, we talk with Jöhg about the mo...

Dr. Theresa Larson (@drtheresalarson) has become one of the healthcare and fitness world's most sought after experts on movement health. Dr. Larson earned her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Saint Augustine in San Diego, CA. A former Marine Corps Engineer Officer and Combat Veteran, Theresa also played professional softball in Italy as well as semi-professional softball in the...

Are you ready for this?! It's a crossover episode—with Mike Bledsoe, the OG host of Barbell Shrugged and the creator of Strong Coach. He's got a lot to say about, well, just about everything—from entrepreneurship strategies to open relationships and what the future of information looks like (spoiler alert: it features brain implants and the ability to communicate feelings). 🧠   Throughout the yea...