American Muscle Episode Rating Graph

It’s the beginning of football's off-season, and NFL (National Football League) players are flocking from all over the country to Barwis’s gym – to become better athletes, but also to become better people. This year, though, Barwis has a special case: the incendiary Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman. To try to get through Sherman's tough exterior, Barwis pairs him with a young NFL prospect struggling to achieve his dream of making the league. Will Sherman lead the young hopeful on the right path, or prove to Barwis and the world that he’s the self-centered prima donna many think him to be?

Barwis always competes with a nasty edge – but in his gym, you play by the rules. His own. When the NFL’s most notorious player, Ndamukong Suh, comes to work on his speed and explosiveness, the competition with the other massive pro players gets intense, physical and out of hand. At the same time, Barwis is mentoring another former NFL player who’s been kicked out of the league eight times for fighting with his teammates, and who’s now raising a young son all by himself. As tempers flare, will the athletes get in line? Or will Barwis have to put them in their place?

Barwis has always had a special respect for fighters. Getting in the ring against another man, hand to hand, the stakes don’t get any higher. So when MMA star Rashad Evans comes to the gym to train for an upcoming bout against Daniel Cormier, Barwis pushes Evans harder than he’s ever pushed anyone before. And that includes going one-on-one on the mats with Barwis himself. But when Rashad suffers an unrelated knee injury that knocks him out of the big fight with just days to go, can Barwis help him overcome adversity and get his competitive edge – and his life – back?

Barwis’s granddad always taught him to finish what you start. When retired NFL star Shawne Merriman comes to the gym to train to be Hollywood’s next big action star, Barwis gives him a few lessons in crashing through a car windshield – and finds out where Merriman’s heart really still lies: back in pro football. Can Barwis convince him to go back? In the same episode, Barwis prepares promising young NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman for his next big race in Virginia. Parker’s suffered from a series of early exits thanks to bad luck and crashes, but Barwis is determined to make him finish the race, and finish it strong.

Mike Barwis and his gang of trainers help athletes and average joes overcome all types of injuries, from knee strains to paralysis – fixing both their bodies and their minds. In this episode, Barwis helps NBA star Baron Davis battle through an ACL tear that could mean the end of his career. Barwis quickly learns that Baron’s issue isn’t just physical, it’s mental too. The point guard has lost all confidence in his ability to compete and is terrified of failing all over again. When Barwis takes Baron to a basketball court for a game of one-on-one the first time since his injury, will Baron finally turn the corner in his progress – or will his psyche crumble? At the same time, Barwis helps Green Bay Packers player Jerel Worthy deal with a problem a little more basic: losing enough weight to stay injury free himself.

Barwis and the guys at the gym take on new client Nick Swisher, star slugger for the Cleveland Indians, and a guy known for a big personality and an even bigger salary – $11 million a year. But with Swisher coming off a down season, can Barwis get him into championship shape for the start of spring training? Barwis ramps up the power of Swisher’s swing with some unorthodox methods like tossing a beer keg on the frozen tundra of Michigan. But Swisher’s attitude may be too much for even him to handle, and Swisher finds himself challenged by a young up-and-comer from the NY Mets with a lot to prove.

Getting to the top isn’t easy in Barwis’s world, but staying there is even harder. When Washington Redskins's wide reciever Pierre Garçon comes to the gym talking smack about the quarterback RG3, Barwis challenges the star receiver like he’s never been challenged before – and so does a young receiver named Mark Dell who’s fighting to get back to the National Football League after a big injury. Barwis puts Garçon head to head against Dell and pushes them to bring out the best in each other. Will Garçon rise to the occasion, or will Barwis and the youngster show him how hard it is to stay at the top – the hard way?

At a gritty gym in Detroit, a blue-collar crew uses a combination of science, tough love and just-plain-crazy to train average joes alongside the top pro athletes in the country. This week Mike Barwis, Dusty, Mozes and Tank Dog tackle their biggest and most controversial client ever – the NFL’s Honey Badger, straight off a year of drug arrests and disappointment. As they struggle to bring the star back down to earth, they take on a completely different challenge: training a professional bull rider who’s about to compete in a rodeo straight out of the Wild Wild West. Meanwhile, Mozes, 275 pounds of pure American Barbarian, goes on an excruciating juice cleanse to lose weight before his honeymoon – inspiring Tank Dog to order every item from Mozes’s favorite Italian restaurant. Will Mozes survive the beefy, cheesy temptation?