Heavy resistance training after a heart transplant might scare most people but it's important for long term health and function. We share a story about how barbell training can help you get stronger and improve your quality of life after a heart transplant.

This is the first episode in our series of inspirational client interviews. As we head into the new year, we wanted to bring some of our clients on to talk about their unique stories, experiences with barbell training, and how their training has impacted their lives positively despite the negative medical narratives and belief systems surrounding barbell strength training.

In this series of interviews, each episode consists of a PRS client sharing their journey of overcoming injuries and illnesses, recovering from surgeries, and navigating changes in their lives and the role that barbell training has played throughout this process for each of them. These are just a handful of our clients that are truly inspiring and motivating and we hope that sharing their stories will inspire you, your patients or clients, or your family to incorporate barbell training into your life or continue barbell training during challenging times.

In this episode, we're speaking with Dennis who has been active his entire life but has also overcome numerous health challenges. Dennis is currently 76 years old and was a competitive distance runner until about 40, running approximately 70 miles/week.

Around the age of 40, Dennis began experiencing cardiovascular issues and spent the next 25-30 years having various procedures done to improve the function of his heart. At 70 years old, Dennis was diagnosed with heart failure and was told that he needed a heart transplant. He had a heart transplant when he was 73 and began barbell training not too long after that.

Though he did do some barbell training previously, it wasn't his main form of physical activity yet he recognized that it would be the most efficient way for him to gain strength. Despite having numerous medical procedures and treatments over the years, Dennis has managed to remain active and recognizes just how important it is for him to stay strong.

One thing that really sticks out to us about Dennis is that he's remained positive and continued to advocate for himself throughout this entire process. He was faced with a very serious challenge that would absolutely terrify most of us but he navigated this challenge effectively. And when he started to notice how weak he felt, he took the necessary steps to get stronger in order to not just remain functional in his daily life but to continue to live an active and healthy life that is fulfilling for him.

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