We are very excited about our upcoming Barbell Medicine Seminar (Next one in Tempe, AZ in March 2018). For those who still aren’t quite sure what the weekend will involve, we wanted to talk a bit more about the idea behind the project.
For the past several years we have emphasized the importance of strength training for health and successful aging. We’ve written a number of articles, given lectures, and recorded podcasts discussing strength & conditioning as they pertain to various health conditions. However, we still get questions on a daily basis from folks working through common health issues like diabetes, back pain, and arthritis, among others. They are typically frustrated that their personal physicians have little to no experience with training and are unable to provide them good advice on the matter as it pertains to their health problems.
It is also unfortunately true that most physicians and healthcare professionals lack any formal training or even sufficient personal experience in strength & conditioning to provide appropriate exercise prescription and guide patients through the process of training effectively.
This is why we designed the Barbell Medicine seminar – the first experience of its kind. It will couple an evidence-based discussion of the most common health problems affecting adults today with detailed education on nutrition, supplementation, and principles of exercise prescription & programming. Finally, every attendee will receive in-person, real-time coaching on the barbell lifts including the squat, press, deadlift, and bench press.
The entire experience is designed to be generally accessible to both laypeople and health professionals. This allows for physicians, physician assistants or nurse practitioners, nurses, physical therapists, or any other professional to attend and learn about training from a theoretical and practical standpoint, while also brushing up on the pathophysiology and management of conditions they are likely to encounter on a daily basis in the clinic.
Meanwhile, anyone else can attend in order to 1) equip themselves with the knowledge necessary to have informed discussions with their doctors or clients, and 2) learn how to apply the principles of strength & conditioning from a practical standpoint.
This weekend seminar will arm attendees with what they need to immediately put principles of effective lifestyle change into practice with themselves, their families, their patients, and their clients.
Stay on the lookout for announcements of upcoming seminar locations, and we hope to see you there!
PS- Please email us at info@barbellmedicine.com if you’re interested in hosting a seminar as well!
Austin Baraki, M.D., Starting Strength Staff Coach is a resident physician in Internal Medicine at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas. He received his doctorate in Medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia and his B.S. in Chemistry from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He became interested in strength training after completing a 15-year competitive swimming career through the Division 1 collegiate level, and is now a competitive powerlifter and strength coach for clients of all ages. As of this writing, he had achieved personal best lifts of a 600 lb squat, a 405 lb bench press, a 650 lb deadlift, and a 1505-lb raw competition total at a bodyweight of 192 lbs. He can be reached directly by email at drAustin@barbellmedicine.com as well as on Twitter and Instagram.
