 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.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.