Mike Barwis (born June 6, 1973) is a strength and conditioning coach and entrepreneur. He is presently the founder and CEO of Barwis Methods; he is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the NSCA. He presently serves as a Senior Advisor to the New York Mets and is the founder of two non-profits--Athletic Angels Foundation and the First Step Foundation. From there, Barwis developed numerous verticals and began working with the New York Mets.
Barwis has been published in journals, magazines, newspapers; has written books; and has produced several videos. He is the star of the Discovery Channel's TV show "American Muscle," which features his work with professional athletes and people with disabilities.
Video Mike Barwis
Career
West Virginia (1993-2007)
Barwis began his professional career began in 1993 at West Virginia University's Department of Athletics; he was appointed the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic sports in 1998 before assuming the responsibility of the football program in 2003.
A year later, West Virginia played its way to the Gator Bowl and defeated Georgia Tech 38-35, locking up a second-straight top-10 finish in both polls.
Michigan (2007-10)
In Winter 2007, Barwis joined football coach Rich Rodriguez at the University of Michigan to serve as the Wolverines' Director of Strength and Conditioning, where he completely overhauled their training program. He remained in Ann Arbor until deciding to start his own company in 2011--Barwis Methods--to focus on holistic human performance.
Brock Mealer
In December 2007, Michigan offensive line recruit Elliott Mealer was in a car crash that killed both his father, David, and his girlfriend, Hollis Richer. The crash also left Elliott's brother Brock paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors said he might never walk again. In 2009, Brock took the offer of Mike Barwis to help aid in the rehab. As Barwis described to MGoBlue in 2015, "'All I wanted to do was help Brock,' said Barwis, who drew up an 'unconventional plan' to rehabilitate Mealer because the conventional hadn't worked." Brock led the 2010 Michigan football team onto the field for the home opener at the rededication of Michigan Stadium. Brock was the first person to touch Michigan's famed banner that season. Since then, Brock has gone on to become a motivational speaker and was featured at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Barwis Methods (2011-Present)
In June 2011, Barwis opened his first facility under the Barwis Methods name in Plymouth, MI. That home has expanded to over 22,000sf, and Barwis Methods expanded over the years to facilities in Canton, MI; Grand Rapids, MI; and Port Saint Lucie, FL and off-site training at multiple locations in several states.
Maps Mike Barwis
Philosophy
The Barwis Methods
Barwis created his own philosophy of strength and conditioning eventually called the "Barwis Methods". This philosophy is a holistic approach to strength and conditioning and is based on scientific laws of medicine such as "Wolff's Law" which states, "The body conforms and adapts to the intensities and directions to which it is habitually subjected." Barwis' background in neurophysiology and biomechanics helped him understand how the body responds and adapts to stimulus and assisted him in creating scientific, personalized and adaptive training cycles for his athletes. The Barwis Methods philosophy of strength and conditioning also incorporates a proper nutritional foundation and aspects of mental and emotional stimulation that generate specific hormonal responses to facilitate maximum performance and adaptations.
"There's no question," Barwis said. "My job really is to invest in the lives of others and to figure out what they need - not just physically, but also mentally to get them where they need to be. That's a big part. Getting yourself in the right mental mindset and putting yourself through things that people - and you - don't think are possible allows you to get to a place before the season starts where you feel like it doesn't matter what you bring to me. I've been through the war without actually fighting in one, and I don't care what's in front of me. I'm ready to destroy it."
Depending on the needs of the athlete related to their current condition and the time of year, Barwis will implement the hypertrophy, strength or power transfer phase of strength and conditioning as he has for years with athletes such as Richard Sherman, Nick Swisher, Ndamukong Suh and others. When speaking on the hypertrophication phase, Barwis said, "It's the first phase where essentially we put a load on the body with a high number of repetitions with very little rest and recovery, which accommodates an increase in mass of the muscles... That's important because as we increase the mass in the muscle fiber . . . (it) allows us to (maximize everything)."
Neurological Reengineering
During the course of Mike's training people with neurological disabilities and disorders, he developed a system now called "Neurological Reengineering" that is used in every Barwis Methods Training Center in its Injury Recovery Program (IRP). The IRP uses Barwis' proprietary and revolutionary system to help people regain functional control over their nervous system, assisting their ability to cognitively control their movement. Neurological Reengineering has been successfully used when training people who have suffered from Spinal Cord Injuries, Cerebral Palsy (CP), stroke victims, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and many others.
Charities
Barwis has founded two non-profits, Athletic Angels Foundation and the First Step Foundation. He unofficially began the Athletic Angels Foundation in 1996 while coaching in Morgantown, WV to help impoverished children gain access to athletic, academic and mentoring opportunities, leveraging his relationships with athletes and philanthropists to connect them with economically disadvantaged to show them love and respect give them opportunities they would otherwise forever be denied. The First Step Foundation was founded by Barwis in 2014 to help people with neuromuscular disabilities gain and retain access to the Barwis Methods Injury Recovery Program (IRP) as well as to enhance and expand the program to be able to help more people.
Personal life
Barwis is a native of the Philadelphia area. He is married to Autumn (Speck) Barwis and they have four children, Raymond, Hannah, Charlie and Julia. Autumn Barwis was an associate director in the strength and conditioning program at West Virginia University and University of Michigan. The couple married on June 30, 2006.
See also
- List of Michigan Wolverines football trainers
References
External links
- www.barwismethods.com
- Don't look for Yeonis Cespedes to blend in this season
- Mike Barwis' golf fund-raiser helps put people back on their feet
- How a top trainer is using halo sport to take elite athletes to the next level
- Five Years After the Cheers, Barwis and Brock Thriving
- IGCT Episode #114: Mike Barwis - "What Does Your Heart Attach To?"
- Injured Student Walks at Graduation for the 1st time in 4 years
- Strength guru Barwis helps Motivate Mets
- Article about Barwis from Scout.com
- Athletic Strength and Power Podcast: Part One with Mike Barwis
Source of article : Wikipedia
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