Episode 237: The TRUTH About Squat Shoes

Chris Duffin believes in living life at the extremes—extreme performance, extreme competence, and extreme achievement. 

A true-to-life mountain man with his story as a best-selling autobiography and upcoming documentary movie Chris has numerous accolades to list. From sitting on the board of OregonTech, where he received his engineering degree, to also on the board of the College of Functional Movement Clinicians. He holds awards and records for his inventions and unduplicated feats of strength.

Using his engineering degree and MBA, he spent nearly 20 years becoming a sought-after turnaround expert in the aerospace, automotive, and industrial equipment manufacturing sectors. But most people know him for his work after moving on from that career, founding his own Education and Manufacturing companies focused on biomechanics, human movement, and personal development. As an award-winning expert in these fields, he holds patents and has been recognized for scientific innovation, and is a desired keynote speaker.

In the sports performance world, Chris's work is everywhere. His game-changing products are used in nearly every professional sports team in North America, all the big-name colleges and a thousand others, all military branches (white house included), and so many more. His concepts have changed the landscape of strength training in improving performance and the systemized approaches to assessing and correcting human movement dysfunctions.

With extremes again, Chris is not just a recognized thought leader but has held numerous all-time world records and become one of the strongest pound-for-pound powerlifters in the world. He holds the Guinness World Record for the heaviest sumo deadlift of all time, with 1001 pounds for almost three repetitions. He also completed the same feat with a 1001lbs squat making him the only human in history to have Squatted and Deadlifted 1000+lbs for reps. He used these feats of strength to raise money and awareness for charities related to his upbringing.

As for the true-to-life mountain man portion might be best left to his first book, "The Eagle & The Dragon." Growing up homeless in the wilderness. He was raised in an abusive and chaotic household (tent, shack, tree fort at times) where his childhood was composed of skinning rattlesnakes, foraging for food, and protecting his sisters and mother. With stories of dealing with murderers, drug running and abuse, human trafficking, death, a serial killer, and extreme poverty. He could attend college as a star athlete and valedictorian after graduating high school. In college, he worked full-time to take custody of his three younger siblings and get them out of that toxic environment. It seems pointless even to add the part that he still graduated from college at the top of his class.

Today, Chris is an advisor and Chief Engineer/Visionary to Kabuki Strength & Bearfoot Shoes. He is focused on his passion for personal development with his philosophies and tools around mindset, goal setting, execution, and deep introspection.

He is the father of three wonderful children and husband to an amazing Canadian chef who appears in reality-TV cooking shows. If he's not with his family, working on himself and his businesses, or remodeling his house, you can find him in his shop perfecting his Mad Max off-road war machines.

Listen to this episode of The MOVEMENT Movement with Chris Duffin about the truth regarding squat shoes.

 

Here are some of the beneficial topics covered on this week's show:

- How ankle mobility is crucial for optimal positions in weightlifting movements.

- How your footwear choice impacts muscle engagement, biomechanics, and injury prevention.

- Why improving bracing techniques can enhance force output and reduce injury risk.

- How specialized weightlifting shoes can improve performance in specific movements but may hinder overall athletic development.

- How strong feet and ankles are essential for proper alignment, load distribution, and resistance training.

Connect with Chris:

Guest Contact Info
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@ChrisDuffin

Instagram
@mad_scientist_duffin

Links Mentioned:
chrisduffin.com
 

Connect with Steven:

Website

Xeroshoes.com

Jointhemovementmovement.com

Twitter
@XeroShoes

Instagram
@xeroshoes

Facebook
facebook.com/xeroshoes