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Articles, Chris Duffin, Podcasts

April 7, 2016

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I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with Shawn Sherman and Jonathan Loos of The Reset System. They visited our facility over the course of a couple days and used their method on a number of our athletes. We were able to see some immediate results in a number of them as well as observe them diagnose known issues (unknown to them) with several of them in a very quick fashion.

RESET is a revolutionary restorative movement system that pinpoints and eliminates the joint dysfunctions that cause us to compensate with our posture and movement. Over the course of our lives, stress causes our bodies to acquire joint dysfunctions which, in turn, causes us to compensate. In order to reap the full benefits of physical activity we need flawless posture and movement. RESET removes the flaws and restores natural posture and movement.

RECENT: Interview with LeRoy “The Machine” Walker

Chris Duffin
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Articles, Chris Duffin

March 14, 2016

This article isn’t meant to attack anyone, or be inconsiderate of challenges others face. What it is meant to do is to challenge the thought process of those that assume they know the privileges bestowed on others. What sparked this brief piece is being asked to reflect on my white male privilege and my elite lifter privilege before posting on social media. Specifically the elite lifter privileges of being able to train in the best facilities with the best tools, that others don’t have the advantage to use. It is this latter portion that I will address.

For the record I do indeed have these privileges. And they go beyond the training tools. Privileges I use to my competitive advantage whenever I can. I am able to interact with the best lifters in the world and owners of successful companies in the field. From them I glean knowledge and tips not available to others. Being able to learn from the best of the best in each minor discipline is invaluable. I am also able to secure the best care when I am injured with the network I have developed because of these privileges.

Chris Duffin
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Athlete, Movement

March 14, 2016

March 10, 2016 Stuart McGill, University of Waterloo and Backfitpro Inc. Most patients rarely receive the most important part of the prescription to get rid of back pain from their doctor – the knowledge and understanding of their condition required to become their own best advocate. They remain clueless and frustrated, left in the dark about what behaviors must be stopped in order to alleviate the cause of their pain. As well they need guidance as what is required to build a pain-free foundation that will allow them to get back to enjoying all their usual activities.

Stuart McGill Back message

 

Getting “passive” treatments such as prescriptions for pain medication without a plan to stop the cause itself rarely creates a long-term solution. While medication may be a part of a broader approach, a thorough assessment of an individual’s specific pain triggers will identify a pain mechanism that will guide a targeted treatment plan.

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Articles

March 14, 2016

March 10, 2016
Dr. Justin Dean

Read more of what Dr.Dean is up to on his site – http://drjustindean.com/

If you quickly peruse popular strength training magazines, blogs and Vlogs (video blogs) it is common to see a majority of the content reference core and hip training. These areas are important to human function, but I would like to draw some attention to the body part we cover up, hide and neglect, despite it providing the evolutionary ability for upright locomotion, the foot.

Learning about training the hips and core in terms of endurance, strength, power and coordination are all extremely important, and should be implemented into training the foot for optimal performance. The purpose of this blog is to highlight the importance of how properly integrating the foot into training protocols will increase neural output (performance) of the entire locomotor system.

Kabuki Strength
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Articles, Chris Duffin

March 12, 2016

Are you training in a void? I am a firm believer in goal setting. Without goals it becomes hard to establish action plans (in this case training plans) to drive improvement. In the world of business and athletics there is no such thing as standing still, there is only moving forwards or falling backwards. For this reason goal setting and action plans are essential in making sure you’re focused on improving yourself or your results and moving forward.

chris duffin, christopher duffin, kabuki warrior, elite performance centerThe interesting thing about goals is they often seem to get shifted around due to the normal happenings in life. Dates move, targets get revised, and life happens; examples include projects coming up at work or a vacation getting scheduled. Heck, even an unexpected sunny day can overcome that day’s motivation to train. This is where the value of competitive events comes in.

Chris Duffin
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Articles, Chris Duffin, Powerlifting, Sports

March 12, 2016

An athlete recently asked me how to achieve peak conditioning and peak strength levels simultaneously. To his disappointment I noted this realistically could not be achieved. It’s not the case, however, that one entirely negates the other. In fact the correct interplay of both conditioning and strength can maximize your performance in either.

Maximizing performance in your desired objective (either strength or conditioning) doesn’t mean simply incorporating the opposite and hoping for the best. Imagine an endurance runner tossing in a bunch of strength training leading into a running event or a large out of shape powerlifter slamming out a bunch of cardio leading into a meet. In both scenarios the athlete will likely reduce their performance. CrossFit has done an excellent job at incorporating training across the strength and conditioning spectrum (or broad modal domains in CF language), but at the same time its athletes are not in “peak” shape for any specific points within those spectrums.

Chris Duffin
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Articles, Chris Duffin, Powerlifting, Sports

March 12, 2016

It is a simple fact that heavy resistance training and even endurance training increases our susceptibility to getting hemorrhoids. If you lift weights, you are in danger of developing hemorrhoids and that risk develops as you age. The age discussion becomes important as today’s athletes and those with active lifestyles are choosing to maintain these activities for a far longer basis, thus increasing your risk. At age fifty about half of us will have hemorrhoids. In addition to age, history of pregnancy and obesity are also primary risk factors. For the purposes of this article, we will skip discussion in regards to obesity as we are talking about athletes.

The textbook definition of hemorrhoids is enlarged veins in the anus. Once enlarged these hemorrhoids may become irritated, or even prolapse and become external hemorrhoids. In addition to pain and irritation hemorrhoids may cause bleeding or display as a bloody stool.

Chris Duffin
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