Chris Duffin

Duffin grew up in Oregon, spending some childhood years in a transient, off-grid household; the family later settled in La Pine, where he graduated as valedictorian in 1995.⁠[1]

After the Bend Bulletin published his scholarship essay, an Oregon Tech professor secured him a scholarship; he studied manufacturing engineering while working at Jeld-Wen and graduated in 1999.⁠[1]

Competition records show his meets ran from the Pepsi Northwest Regional Championships on March 9, 2002, through 2016, with 22 sanctioned meets.⁠[2]

He worked as a corporate executive, turning around automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment and high-tech manufacturing businesses.⁠[3]

From 2008 he owned and coached at Kabuki Strength Lab in Portland; he holds an engineering bachelor’s degree from the Oregon Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.⁠[4]

Kabuki Strength Lab, about 15 minutes south of Portland in Clackamas, houses both his gym and an equipment manufacturing facility.⁠[5]

On August 20, 2011, at the PowerStation Pro/Am, he posted his career-best total of 1,070.5 kg in the 100 kg class.⁠[2]

Writing in May 2012, he described himself as owner and head strength coach of Elite Performance Center in Portland and said he had been ranked number one in the world in his class for the deadlift or squat in the past three years.⁠[6]

He said his first raw competition, in March 2012, gave him the number-one ranked raw total in the 220 lb class.⁠[6]

In 2014 he posted a raw total of 2,061 pounds in the 220 lb class, and he held the all-time raw world record with an 881-pound squat at 220 pounds bodyweight.⁠[4]

On October 11, 2016, at Kabuki Strength Lab in Clackamas, Oregon, he set the Guinness World Record for the heaviest one-repetition sumo deadlift at 454.318 kg (1,001 lb 9.6 oz), in a fundraiser for the Portland Home Builders Foundation, which builds housing for people experiencing homelessness.⁠[7]

He was also described as the first person to deadlift 1,000 pounds for reps.⁠[8]

On July 9, 2019, Lioncrest Publishing released his 288-page memoir The Eagle and the Dragon: A Story of Strength and Reinvention.⁠[9]

The publisher describes him as co-founder and chief engineer of Kabuki Strength, retired from competition and known for innovations and education in the strength and clinical worlds.⁠[3]

That year he received Oregon Tech’s alumni Scientific Achievement Award; he is married with three children.⁠[1]

In January 2020 he squatted 1,000 pounds for a double for the first time and in February squatted 1,015 pounds; when the IHRSA show in San Diego was shut down, he moved the planned attempt to Kabuki Strength Lab and squatted 1,001 pounds for three reps.⁠[10]

The lift was not sanctioned; he said his goal had been to become the first person to squat and deadlift over 1,000 pounds for reps.⁠[11]

On August 3, 2021, he appeared on episode 207 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, discussing lifting 1,000 pounds for reps, his childhood, his memoir, powerlifting, Kabuki Strength, equipment, diet and performance-enhancing drugs.⁠[12]

In September 2021 he was introduced as Chief Visionary Officer of Kabuki Strength, with other companies including the foot-mechanics brand Bearfoot Shoes, the nutraceutical brand Build Fast Formula and the gym Kabuki Strength Lab.⁠[13]

Kabuki Strength’s specialty bars include the Duffalo Bar, HD Trap Bar, Kadillac Bar and the Transformer Bar, now in its fourth version.⁠[14]

As of October 2026 his website describes him as adviser and chief engineer to Bearfoot Shoes, LiftLab and Build Fast Formula, founder of Kabuki Strength, and a board member of Oregon Tech and the College of Functional Movement Clinicians.⁠[15]

Kabuki Strength: Official website: https://kabukistrength.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[12]

Instagram: Public account: https://www.instagram.com/mad_scientist_duffin (opens in a new window)⁠[12]