They say a good craftsman should never blame his tools. Weightlifters and strength sports athletes know all too well that working with quality barbells and other equipment is a must. Having the proper tools of the trade can be the difference between another average workout and achieving great results. Chris Duffin understands this philosophy all too well.
As co-owner of Kabuki Strength, Chris Duffin, takes great pride in the barbells and equipment that he plays a role in producing. This isn’t just for his customers, either. The Oregon native brings serious lifting credentials to the table. He is the first man on record to have squatted and deadlifted 1,000 pounds for multiple reps.
He joined Muscle & Fitness editor-in-chief Zack Zeigler on a recent episode of the Reps podcast, and he explained why that feat is so important to him.
“It’s a story about human perseverance,” he said. It’s about chasing like really big gnarly things, and then the impact that that has, not just on yourself, but the people around you in the world.”
One of Kabuki’s best-selling bars is the Transformer barbell. Someone who may not know much about training may think it’s just another safety squat bar. As Duffin explained, it’s actually much more sophisticated than a traditional version. Aside from the dials that allow the user to adjust where the weight is positioned, the bar is designed for the purpose of maximizing the user’s squatting potential.
“So, inside the pad, it’s actually wraps around your traps so that you’re not creating a pressure point for when you have issues, and maybe the innervation problems or pain problems from a straight bar setting on there,” Duffin explained. “So, it wraps around and then brings the handle down here, where now I’m actually in an optimal position to be able to engage my lats and get full spinal stability and get everything to squatting.”
Another barbell that is closely associated with Duffin and Kabuki Strength is the famed Duffalo Bar, the arced barbell that is popular for squatting. Duffin revealed that it can actually be used for much more than traditional squats.
“It causes a deviation in the wrist and the deviation actually causes that external rotation of the elbow and starts stacking the joints,” Duffin stated. “So, any overhead pressing, incline pressing, flat pressing, floor pressing, it’s gonna be phenomenal.”
Chris Duffin talked more about why his barbells positively impact training and why more customers are becoming believers. He also discussed his upcoming documentary “Grand Goals.” See this episode and all episodes of the Reps podcast by subscribing to the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel.
