Training Tactical Athletes w/ Doug Larson, Coach Travis Mash and Dr. Mike Lane #851
Barbell Shrugged
Doug Larson
4.7 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2026
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Doug Larson, Dr. Mike Lane, and Coach Travis Mash break down what it actually means to train tactical athletes such as police officers, firefighters, military personnel, SWAT teams, cadets, and first responders who may be called into high-stress physical situations at any time. The conversation starts with the Enhanced Games and the reality of performance-enhancing drugs in sport, then quickly shifts into the tactical world, where "second place" can mean getting hurt, losing control of a situation, or not making it home. Mike explains why the first step is always a job-task analysis: Is the athlete a cadet preparing for a career, a police officer who is always "in season," a firefighter working 24-hour shifts, or a military operator cycling between deployment and training blocks?
The team digs into the practical training model: tactical athletes need strength, aerobic capacity, anaerobic conditioning, mobility, grip, durability, and the ability to stay calm under stress. They discuss why training should usually be total-body, spread across the week, and conservative enough to avoid unnecessary soreness or injury while still building real capability. Travis explains how velocity-based training can keep athletes powerful without constantly maxing out, while Mike highlights exercise selection that "coaches itself," like front squats, goblet squats, kettlebell swings, thick-bar work, carries, and push presses. The big takeaway: tactical athletes do not need bodybuilding workouts or random hard training, they need specific, repeatable preparation that makes their body a reliable tool under pressure.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Shrug family, Doug Larson here. |
| 0:02.0 | And this week, I'm Barb Bell Strug. |
| 0:03.5 | We're talking training tactical athletes like police officers, firefighters, military, SWAT, first responders, and more. All essentially people that have no idea when they're going to have to perform. They don't know when they're going to get attacked. They don't know when the house is going to burn down. They don't know when they're going to have to suddenly run full speed to chase someone down on foot. And with that in mind, Travis, Mike and myself, we break down how to train |
| 0:24.3 | someone who wants to improve their strength, their conditioning their mobility, their power, etc. |
| 0:28.2 | All without causing so much fatigue that they underperform when it actually matters. |
| 0:32.9 | They have to essentially be really well trained and yet fully recovered at all times. |
| 0:37.1 | So if you are or you train tactical athletes, the show is for you. |
| 0:41.2 | Enjoy the show. |
| 0:44.1 | Welcome to Barbell Shug. |
| 0:45.1 | I'm Doug Garson here with Dr. Mike Lane and coach Travis Mass. |
| 0:47.9 | We're going to dig into training tactical athletes today. |
| 0:50.5 | But first, a quick note on the enhanced games. |
| 0:53.6 | I watched a little bit of it i saw |
| 0:54.9 | i saw thor drop that deadlift i saw west kits hit a big cleaning jerk but uh you said he said |
| 1:00.1 | one guy was real close to a world record of waylifting yeah overall |
| 1:02.6 | bode he's not to be like he's um he's he's a he's an olympian anyway so that dude is a mac |
| 1:09.0 | no matter what and like i love his whole family |
| 1:11.1 | bode comes you know they're canadian and their their whole family is it's like three generations |
| 1:16.8 | of waylifters and like he's incredible you know he's like man he's like drug-free you know not now |
| 1:24.1 | but like when he was a waylifter you you know, Canada is very much like us. |
| 1:28.9 | They get drug tested all the time. |
| 1:30.5 | And like he was, he was going tip for tat. |
... |
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