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Cardiology’s Dr. Julia Indik takes another powerlifting world record

June 24, 2026
David Mogollon, Communications Manager, Department of Medicine

Julia Indik, MD, PhD, a professor and fellowship program director in the Division of Cardiology and Sarver Heart Center, adds to her medal count at the U.S. Powerlifting Association’s Ultra Nationals competition in Anaheim, California.

[Dr. Julia Indik prepares for a lift at the U.S. Powerlifting Association’s Ultra Nationals competition May 26 in Anaheim, California. The competition was a “dream come true” for her, she said.]

Dr. Julia Indik prepares for a lift at the U.S. Powerlifting Association’s Ultra Nationals competition May 26 in Anaheim, California. The competition was a “dream come true” for her, she said. Click on the video below to see her competing.

Courtesy of the U.S. Powerlifting Association
[Dr. Julia Indik (right) with Danny Sawaya, Tucson Strength gym owner, who served as her manager for the day during Ultra Nationals.]

Dr. Julia Indik (right) with Danny Sawaya, Tucson Strength gym owner, who served as her manager for the day during Ultra Nationals.

Courtesy of Julia Indik, MD, PhD

Congratulations to Julia Indik, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine and Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Program director in the Division of Cardiology at the College of Medicine – Tucson and Sarver Heart Center!

She won several medals during the U.S. Powerlifting Association’s 2026 Ultra Nationals competition hosted in Anaheim, California, on May 26 and set one new world record for her age category and weight class.

Dr. Indik, 65, who is the U of A’s Flinn Foundation and American Heart Association Endowed Chair in Electrophysiology and Heart Disease Research, came home with “a bunch of medals,” she said, to add to the ones she earned last fall at a local and regional meet hosted by Tucson Strength gymnasium.  

“For the back squat and bench press, I repeated my prior lifts from last October (154 and 143 pounds) at regionals. My bench press remains a national and world record for my age and weight class. For the deadlift, I added another five pounds and lifted 297 pounds for a new world record,” Dr. Indik said.

Danny Sawaya, the owner and founder of her gym, Tucson Strength, managed her for the day, Dr. Indik said.

“We had two other members of our gym at the meet, Greta, who is one of the trainers, and Marisa. They were both so awesome in their lifts. They are both incredibly strong,” she said. “It was a day of ‘adrenaline rushes’ and loud music. Exciting for sure. The next few days were for recovery, especially from a splitting headache.”

 

[Drowning in medals, Dr. Julia Indik after living her dream of competing at the Ultra Nationals of the U.S. Powerlifting Association.]

Drowning in medals, Dr. Julia Indik after living her dream of competing at the Ultra Nationals of the U.S. Powerlifting Association.

Courtesy of Julia Indik, MD, PhD

Dr. Indik started lifting weights as a way to avoid osteopenia, a condition where bone density is lower than normal but not low enough to be diagnosed as osteoporosis, as she got older.

She originally came to Tucson in 1986 to work at Steward Observatory (her PhD is in astrophysics from MIT) before switching to a medical career, earning her medical degree in 1996, and completing her residency and fellowship training at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson and Sarver Heart Center. An electrophysiologist, Dr. Indik joined the college’s faculty in 2003.

ALSO SEE:
“College of Medicine – Tucson’s Julia Indik earns powerlifting honors” | Nov. 17, 2025
“Dr. Julia Indik takes three powerlifting world records, next stop: U.S. nationals” | Posted Nov. 3, 2025
“Powerlifter at Dawn, Doctor by Day: Dr. Julia Indik’s Unlikely Double Life” | Posted Sept. 29, 2025
“AHA Lauds Dr. Julia Indik’s Lifetime of Achievement” | Posted Feb. 22, 2022