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

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, ho