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Bench Press Setup

    Where does an effective bench arch come from?  The frequent misconception is that it comes from low back spinal flexibility.  This can improve one’s arch but it is not an ‘effective’ arch.  The best arch builds a structure that is strong and supportive of the weight you will be bearing in your hands, and also reduces the range of motion. 

    With these two points in mind think about the role the low back spinal flexibility plays.  It certainly does not support the weight so it has a minimal impact on developing that supportive structure as compared to what can be produced in the upper back.  What about range of motion then?  If you’re using a shirt and doing a lot of belly benching flexing out that lower portion of your spine can reduce your range of motion.  However, if lifting raw the belly is usually not touched.  Perhaps the very upper part of the belly but that is still the rib cage and thoracic extension will still play a greater role in reducing the range of motion.   

    Even if using a bench press shirt and belly benching I will argue that a larger, and certainly more effective, bench press Setup can be created using:

  • Scapular Retraction
  • Upper Lumbar Flexion
  • Thoracic Extension

    Does this mean that laying over that foam roller to bench press isn’t the best method for improving your Setup or Arch?  Yes I am most certainly stating this.  Stop laying on a roller to bench and start working some mobility drills to address these areas.

    In the following video I demonstrate some methods and sequences that you can use for working on these areas specifically for the bench press.  Additionally you will clearly see the improvement in my Setup from beginning to end in this 10min drill…prior to doing ANY low back/stomach stretches that are commonly used.

Posted by Chris Duffin at 2/7/2012 11:06 AM | Add Comment

Gut Check - For Leadership

    How many managers or leaders have you met in your life that are complacent with mediocrity in their performance and the impact they have on others?  I would like to share a simple tool that if employed effectively will immediately separate your own leadership abilities beyond the masses of mediocrity, and into leadership that brings about change.  We’re talking compelling leadership, but also leadership that is by no means easy.  Just as all those mediocre leaders know, it is much more comfortable to simply avoid leadership and take the easy path.

    I call this leadership skill the ‘Gut Check’ and it is very effective everyday leadership skill that I have found very effective in my career.  Employing this skill is one of the key ways that individuals can improve performance in leadership & management while simultaneously reducing ones stress level.  Employing this skill is NEVER easy, however you can adapt yourself to respond and react without fear to this method.  This is accomplished through the discipline of immediately taking action every time there is an opportunity to practice this method.

    While this article is written with a management or performance management backdrop it can be employed from a leadership perspective regardless of your role at work and in your personal life quite readily.  In fact I will touch upon this method again in a future discussion related to athletic performance.

    So what exactly is this ‘Gut Check’ method?  The method is simply conditioning yourself to recognize every time there is an opportunity for conversation that will address uncomfortable issues but will either propel the target person, yourself, or the desired results to the next level.  Before jumping into an explanation of how to practice and utilize this skill I would like to tell a story that articulates the impact that can be had as a leader implementing this method.  This unique situation has arisen twice in my career, but I will just tell one version as that is all that’s needed.

Through the years it hasn’t been uncommon for people to follow me from one job to the next, however this situation is a bit different.  I had an ex-employee spend six months calling me and emailing me trying to convince me to hire him at my new company.  You might think that he must have been desperate for a job or that I’m going to tell you I was some sort of inspirational leader or had treated him very well.  None of this is true, in fact I was in the process of trying to fire him when we last parted ways.  He had been an employee that to some extent was a ‘cancer’ in regards to morale due to his negative attitude.  If you had tools in place to measure his performance he would do just what was expected and nothing more, and if you were not measuring he would do the absolute minimum.  For this reason I had written him up, given him unsatisfactory performance reviews, and had multiple conversations with him basically stating “Personally I think you should quit your job, you’re clearly unhappy.” These conversations were certainly something that could have been avoided as he could have been scheduled in an area affecting very few people and been counted on to get at least the bare minimum accomplished.   

So why was he calling ME asking for a job, especially since he already had a good paying job?  His answer was “I have something to prove to you, and I want you to know you changed my life.”  What had already started happening when we had last parted ways was introspection on his part.  These very pointed and challenging conversations had kickstarted this process of introspection.  When he called me up requesting to work for me he explained that in the 25 years he had worked at that company he had never been written up, had a negative comment on a review, or even told he was not performing at expected levels. Not a single person had ever called him on his behaviors and performance. 

Since we had parted ways he explained that he had come to realize I was right.  Over the years he had become dissatisfied with his work to such a level that he had become a negative person throughout his life, from his personal and professional life, to his health.  He had since left his employment at that job and made changes across his entire life including improving his relationship with his wife and kids.  In fact, he had even started a fitness program revitalizing his life, having transformed himself from being overweight to being a lean and active individual.   Leaving that job was one of the best decisions he ever made and he could not believe the person he had been prior to that, a person he did not like. 

What he wanted was a chance to prove that he could put his best forth at a job in regards to performance, behavior, and attitude.  He didn’t care if it didn’t work out, but he wanted a chance to prove it. 

After six months of expressing my reservations openly with him I finally decided to give him a shot.  Having these open and honest conversations about my reservations was another example of the ‘gut check’ instead of just responding with “sorry we are not hiring” to take the easy way out. Upon hiring him I was amazed at the changes that had occurred since we had parted ways.  He was a new man in performance, attitude, and appearance.  Across the board he was a different, happier person, motivated internally to see what he could accomplish.  He no longer saw a successful day as a day he worked the absolute minimum.  This was also clearly evident in his workout regimen and the impact it had on his body.

    So how does this relate to the ‘gut check’ method and being a better leader?  The ‘gut check’ is a pretty simple concept to understand but is often not the easiest to implement.  The method can be broken down into three simple steps.

  • Identifying when to take action
  • Releasing fear about taking action
  • Taking action without emotion

    The action is simply addressing difficult issues.  We’re talking about those difficult conversations that you always want to postpone until tomorrow, maybe next week; well maybe it’s better if we sugar coat the topic, or better yet avoid it altogether.  Those conversations that you know you need to have but every time you think about it you get a twisting feeling in your stomach.  That knot in the bottom of your stomach starts to form every time you start thinking that you might actually have to talk to this person about it.   In fact, these are the conversations that most people never have.  Just like in the story I laid out people had avoided that conversation for possibly 25 years.  This is the ‘gut check’, that feeling is how you identify there is action you MUST take and you must take it right NOW. 

    That feeling in your gut is often fear, and the best way to release this fear is to simply change your outlook.  What I recommend doing is not focusing on the all those emotions that come with the twisting feeling inside but simply thinking of every instance as an opportunity to express or practice your leadership.  Yes, that might sound a little too new age or self-affirmation based for some of you but it works and it is reality.  With practice you can begin recognizing the ‘gut check’ even sooner.  You will find that taking action immediately in response to the ‘gut check’ will in actuality reduce the total level of stress in your life.

    It is important that in recognizing the ‘gut check’ you’re not responding to anger or other emotions.  The ‘gut check’ is something that comes into play by producing this feeling that makes you want to avoid or put off a conversation.  These ARE NOT venting conversations, or conversations to make us feel better.  These are conversations with specific goals that can’t be sugar coated, and address the underlying issues that people often never broach.  They are often comfortable for neither party, and many times require addressing personal faults of your own or hearing things you would rather not hear. 

    Once you have recognized the ‘gut check’ and determined the actions to be taken, you must do so with no emotion.    This is an art in itself and a whole other topic but I will provide some quick pointers.

  • Create goals prior to the meeting for what you wish to accomplish out of the meeting
  • Address behaviors and not people
  • Listen and acknowledge the other party
  • Be positive but address the hard facts
  • Must end with Commitment from the other party and yourself to any required actions

    The ‘gut check’ is never easy but it does achieve results.  In addition to delivery results in performance, it is a challenging skill that requires leadership that most people simply don’t have ability to pull themselves out of mediocrity to achieve.  Leadership is oftentimes an unrewarding activity as being a leader puts you out in front of the masses to have your actions criticized.  The story above, as does a nearly identical instance with another ex-employee, re-affirms my conviction to be a better leader despite the fact that it is never the easy way out.  The individual in the story ended up working for me again for several years consistently demonstrating a permanent change in self and an asset, not a deficit in the work environment. 

    Even if you don’t believe bringing about this type of positive change in another person makes this method useful in itself. It still has value as a personal development tool for leadership.  Every time you put yourself into that position of responding with action to a ‘gut check’ you will find it’s an opportunity for personal growth as a leader.  Don’t let these opportunities pass you by!

The Gut Check – Your Queue To Action!!!
(un-delayed & without emotion)

Posted by Chris Duffin at 2/6/2012 11:01 AM | View Comments (4) | Add Comment

The GIFT of Average Genetics

Most people envy those with freakish genetics, and it can be hard not to.  However, being born with world class genetics ends up being a curse that they are never aware of and not a gift.  Once you’ve been in, or an observer of, a sport for some time this may become more evident.   It’s true that to be truly world class in a sport such as Michael Phelps or Bill Kazmaier you will never reach that by hard work alone.  It simply won’t happen without having the genetic potential to achieve that.

So what exactly is the gift of average genetics?  The gift is you always have to work for every inch of progress you have made.  You learned early on about incremental gains and hard work.  From the first time in the gym or on the sporting field you had to work, sweat, bleed, and then do it all again just to make some measly progress.  The same progress that some gifted natural athlete had just walking on the field.  These small gains however are consistent and build upon each other.  This is a basic psychological system that rewards your hard work, sweat, and blood.  With this reward mechanism you stay at it year after year. 

When you reach stalling points you are not deterred, you know that time and work will keep you moving forward.  When you injure yourself you know that to get back isn’t going to be an overnight journey to get back.  It may be years, but this doesn’t bother you.  You have built the psychological support of maintaining the focus during that time as well as the mental discipline to follow through.  It is these import psychological factors and discipline that create the majority of the athletes that fill much of the professional ranks.  They have worked hard for many years and stay the course with consistent training to stay in the game.  They may not be the best in the world, but they are at the top of their game and stay there for a long time. 

The gifted athlete knows nothing of incremental gains.  As they grow up they succeed at every sporting activity they try and are better than nearly everyone on the field with little to no effort.  Work effort and discipline are not reinforced.  They show up and ‘play around’ and everyone says they are the best.  After doing any activity a few times they see huge gains.  If they do not have the internal discipline born or raised into them via other methods they have nothing that develops it.  When they eventually reach that plateau or injury it is devastating.  This is when that talent becomes a curse.  Having never had to ‘work’ or progress out of a long injury they are suddenly spending time at a suboptimal level or at a stalling point. Something they simply are not prepared for.

Personally I’ve seen so many people enter strength sports and in their first couple years be billed as the next great.  “How can they not be?”, people ask.  “Look at their age and the weights they are moving.”, they point out as evidence.  And then mysteriously they disappear.   They got to the point of hard work or an injury and disappeared to live the rest of their life as has-beens.  This is why the majority of the top people in a sport did not come in with an amazing level of strength or talent.  What they did is train for 10-15 years getting increment gains.  Sure, the top 1% of the sport have that rare talent of being genetically gifted and having incredible work ethic and discipline. But the majority of your top athletes started out no different than you or me.

The gift of average genetics is a long healthy career of training and not becoming a has-been telling stories of you early career success.  You get to maintain doing the sport that you love through the entirety of your life.  I would much rather have this as my reality than be a has-been.  Vision, Consistency, and Hardwork…LIVE IT!!!    

Posted by Chris Duffin at 1/28/2012 6:24 PM | View Comments (3) | Add Comment

What is the Kabuki Warrior?

Kabuki is a nickname (after a 1980's wrestler Kabuki Warrior) given to me quite some time ago, but it is more than than just a simple nickname.  The concepts in that name tie directly to the principals detailed on this website.  The Kabuki Warrior is much different than the Kabuki Theater.  It is the ancient Japanese masked or painted warrior.  Although a warrior may not be liked and even despised by those he opposes it in no way deters him from his goal.  In fact this often helps create the strength needed to accomplish his goal.  Once he don’s the mask/paint he must be determined to accomplish his goal, he must believe in it, he must be passionate about it, or he will be killed.

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It is that same passion that I prescribe to live by.  To stand up against the mediocrity that is deemed normal today.  To get off the coach and challenge yourself by putting everything you have into what you believe in or wish to accomplish.  The warrior does not give in when he is depleted, he does not let his opponent’s sword take him down, when he enters battle he leaves nothing on the field.

The warrior cannot battle in this manner, with this level of passion, if he is not idealist and believe in his cause.    He is principled, a man of honor, but make no mistake adversity and the opinions & beliefs of others will not dissuade him from accomplishing his goal.

Posted by Chris Duffin at 1/18/2012 10:25 AM | Add Comment

Meet Countdown Preperation

In preparing for a powerlifting meet I have seen lots of overthinking, overworking, and overstressing when it comes to people figuring out how be setup their training cycle to perform the best on competition day.  Even those that are not powerlifters should get something from the following article by seeing an extremely simple yet extremely effective method for maximizing performance for a specific day.  Although the system in this article is incredibly simple to put into place, it also happens to work like a charm every time.  I call it the 3, 2, 1, 0 Meet Countdown.

The first piece of the countdown has the athlete focus on dialing in what they are going to attempt at a meet.  They are forced to define those numbers (or close to) in advance of the meet.  It is important for a lifter to have these numbers defined before the meet so that they are not second guessing their attempts on meet day, allowing them to focus on their performance.  There is enough pressure on the day of the meet so anything you can solidify beforehand has a positive effect.   This is accomplished by the following progression:

  • 3 weeks  out – Lifter attempts the Planned 3rd attempt at the meet or Max attempt
  • 2 weeks out – Lifter works up to Planned 2nd attempt at the meet
  • 1 week out – Lifter works up to Planned 1st attempt (opener) at the meet
  • 0 weeks out – week of meet lifter makes no (0) attempts till day of meet

The second piece of the countdown manages the workout volume leading into the meet.  Combined with the overload and then deload in maximal attempts listed above we begin the ‘realization’ phase.  The realization phase is when you deload in a manner that your Central Nervous System and Muscular recovery is at a greater rate than the fatigue induced by further increased workload.   It is important that this is timed correctly so that you don’t also begin to lose the training response from your workouts that is what has developed your strength levels.  When applied properly the realization phase allows you to realize your full potential strength without also being overlaid with CNS and muscle fatigue. 

The second piece to the countdown is again mind numbingly simple and easy to remember and implement.  In a typical training session I let my athletes do no more than 3 assistance exercises per training session following their core lift (a recent article by Nick Horton articulates this fairly well albeit he does 3 total per session where we do a core lift followed by 3 assistance)

  • 3 weeks out – Lifter continues using 3 assistance exercises after core lift
  • 2 weeks out – Lifter drops to 2 assistance exercises after core lift
  • 1 weeks out – Lifter drops to 1 assistance exercises after core lift
  • 0 weeks out – Week of the meet the lift does no (0) assistance exercises and only light stretching

And there you have it, the 3,2,1,0 Meet Countdown.

Posted by Chris Duffin at 1/10/2012 10:42 AM | Add Comment

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.
Posted by Chris Duffin at 1/9/2012 10:38 AM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment

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          Recent Posts

          1. Bench Press Setup
            Tuesday, February 07, 2012
          2. Gut Check - For Leadership
            Monday, February 06, 2012
          3. The GIFT of Average Genetics
            Saturday, January 28, 2012
          4. What is the Kabuki Warrior?
            Wednesday, January 18, 2012
          5. Meet Countdown Preperation
            Tuesday, January 10, 2012
          6. Welcome
            Monday, January 09, 2012

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          1. Chris Duffin on Gut Check - For Leadership
            2/10/2012
          2. Scott on Gut Check - For Leadership
            2/10/2012
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