EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to the Athlete Journal of world champion powerlifter Chris Duffin. Follow Chris as he trains and competes in various events over the coming year. Chris’s journal will be posted every Tuesday. You can also read about Chris on his personal website Kabuki Warrior.
Athlete Journal, Entry 49 – 2013 Tactical Strength Challenge
This last week I spent sick and didn’t really hit the gym. I took Monday off, then Wednesday I went in and did some speed squats with 315lbs, but that was too much. By Friday I wasn’t doing well and had to take the day off from work.
Saturday was the day I had planned on competing in the Tactical Strength Challenge. I woke up not feeling great but met up with a few members of my team for breakfast. Just chatting and eating made my body scream to go back to bed, but instead I took a bunch of stimulants and pushed on.
Here is a video that was put together. To save some time:
- Deadlifts at 2:30
- Pullups at 3:30
- Kettlebell Snatch at 7:00
Five people from Elite Perfomance Center competed and did very well. Great job Andrei, Sheldon, Greg, and Jeff!
I decided it was a good move to drop from the planned Elite Category to the Standard. I knew I wasn’t going to perform anywhere near where I wanted, but I still wanted to beat one of the guys. Sounds silly, but it’s just my style. This guy has a lot of potential, but to make him better I make him hate the fact that I can beat him so that he has a burning fire to get better. So I have been antagonizing this event the last month – the fine art of ‘Leadership by Antagonism’ taught in Duffin’s School of Management.
First Event: Deadlift with a stiff power bar:
Jeff opened 585, so I did the same – nice, easy pull.
Jeff went 650, so I did the same – another nice, easy pull.
Jeff went 700 and missed, and so I bumped mine to 722. It was a nice easy pull, but I began grinding it right before lockout and must not have pulled it to full lock. I thought I had it and stopped before noticing I didn’t get the down command.
Second Event: Dead Hang Pullups
This was an easy win as Jeff is 290+. I did somewhere in the 9-12 rep range although I can’t remember the exact numbers. I was getting light headed every time I moved or bent over by that time.
Third Event: Kettlebell Snatch
I set it up so Jeff and I were side-by-side to finish. If I didn’t have him beside me there is no way I would have beat him or even finished in the state I was in without the motivation.
Jeff – 100
Me – 108
Then I spent all of Sunday and most of Monday in bed trying to get over the bug.
Here is another video and message I filmed the prior weekend. It’s a fun little video!
Here’s a link to the article I mention in the video, “Epidemic of Excuses.”
