aaronb41 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 I am brand new to bending. I just bought myself som IMPs, bolt cutters and 1/4 steel. Not sure if it is CRS or HRS. After watching some videos I tried to bend a 7" 1/4 bar DO, it didn't budge. I then tried DU and bent it in about 10 secs. I then cut a 6" 1/4 bar and did that as well in about 10 secs. My long term goal is to bend the red nail. Should I try to move forward with DU or keep trying to learn the DO technique? Thanks for any advice or tips! Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anwnate Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 There is absolutely no reason not to learn them all. However, if you are on a short timetable for certing the Red, it would be advisable to master DO. Working up to a Red DU simply takes much longer (in general...there are a few DU freaks out there). Failing to bend a bar DO that you can do DU is simply a matter of technique, not strength. If you are not in a rush and really enjoy DU, go for it. Frankly I have great respect for those who Cert Red DU...or RS like Ivan. It's really a different ballgame. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulfgeat Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 (edited) The biggest thing I would recommend is to watch everything on this page: http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?showtopic=43922. The most important things you can do is pick a style (or styles), practice wrapping, and practice bending. Your lower arms need time to get used to this new kind of stress you are putting them under. Make sure however, that you give yourself adequate recovery time. Some more experienced can definitely chime in here, but don't make the mistake of bending too often too early. If you take care of yourself, you could enjoy this hobby for a long time. Edited August 11, 2015 by wulfgeat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alawadhi Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Technique brother. DO bend is usually much easier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshW Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Maybe you are doing what I used to do when I first started bending DO, pushing on the ends of the bar and not using my index fingers at all. Once you start using your index fingers to guide the bar to bend, you will be bending a lot stronger stuff than you can do DU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Whatever feels the best stick with it until your wrists hurt. You sound like me. I started DU and almost got to the Red Nail. Then my wrists stared hurting, the bones and tendons. I had to switch to DO. I found what worked with DO and went on to bend some decent sized steel. Whatever style clicks with you stick with it until you body tells you "NO". Always listen to your body. Bending is painful but eventually you will know the difference between pain and PAIN. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anwnate Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Whatever feels the best stick with it until your wrists hurt. You sound like me. I started DU and almost got to the Red Nail. Then my wrists stared hurting, the bones and tendons. I had to switch to DO. I found what worked with DO and went on to bend some decent sized steel. Whatever style clicks with you stick with it until you body tells you "NO". Always listen to your body. Bending is painful but eventually you will know the difference between pain and PAIN. Considering the number of bones you've broken bending E.J...I'm going to assume what you call pain and what we normal humans call pain are two different things. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Whatever feels the best stick with it until your wrists hurt. You sound like me. I started DU and almost got to the Red Nail. Then my wrists stared hurting, the bones and tendons. I had to switch to DO. I found what worked with DO and went on to bend some decent sized steel. Whatever style clicks with you stick with it until you body tells you "NO". Always listen to your body. Bending is painful but eventually you will know the difference between pain and PAIN. Considering the number of bones you've broken bending E.J...I'm going to assume what you call pain and what we normal humans call pain are two different things. Touché good sir. Well played. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronb41 Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 Thank you all for the input! I'm planning on experimenting some more over the next few weeks, so far it has been a lot of fun! Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Aaron, there is nothing with DU (or DO!), so if it feels comfortable, I'd say stick with it. But it is a good idea to learn DO also, because as the others mentioned - you will bend bigger steel DO than you will DU. Or at least most will. It is just simply a stronger physical "platform" (DO) than DU. What type of pads did you use? DU is much more forgiving with thin pads. Like IronMind pads. Most guys have to condition their hands or get used to the discomfort when bending DO with the IronMind pads. DU not so much, because you're not putting a lot of pressure across the bony parts of the fingers - like most do with DO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronb41 Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Hey Ben I have only used IM pads so far. Going forward, I plan to use mostly DU, but I will still mix in a few DO bends as well. After watching more and more videos, I can already spot a few things that I will try to do differently next time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Hey Ben I have only used IM pads so far. Going forward, I plan to use mostly DU, but I will still mix in a few DO bends as well. After watching more and more videos, I can already spot a few things that I will try to do differently next time. Nothing wrong with that! IronMind pads will make you quite pain-tolerant. Especially if you ever switch over to using "fat pads" - which I consider to be essential, if you want to be the strongest bender you can be. To be clear, I think that using both fat pads and thin pads in your weekly workouts will make you the best bender possible. The fat pads take care of making you stronger. Because you can push harder into the steel without your bones breaking. The thin pads bring up your pain tolerance and make you dial-in your technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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