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Here is a detailed write-up of the feat: I have been wanting to bend a whole 50lb box of 60d nails ever since I read about John Brookfield doing it. There is not tons of information out there about when John did it. I emailed him and asked about his feat. He responded and said lets talk on the phone. I had a great 30 minute conversation with him. Very nice guy. He bent a 50lb box on 3 different occasions. The first was at a Highlands Game competition is Kentucky. The other 2 times were in a Walmart. He was set up and just bending as people walked by. That would have been great to see. He said the boxes had around 525 nails. He said none of his feats were recorded. He did not have exact times they took. They were not recognized as official records. He wore golfers gloves and used some type of padding on the nails themselves too. He seemed excited that I was going to attempt his feat and encouraged me. I did the training similar to how I trained for my other big endurance feats. I ramped up the number of bends I did each week, topping out at about 50% of feat day. I did 50 then the next week 125 then the next week 250. The 250 tore my hands, which I was happy with because my hands then healed with good callouses. The 250 was done 9 days before the scheduled feat day. While I was training, I realized that shoulder endurance would be critical. Thus, the couple of weeks before the feat I did high rep Indian club work and other shoulder work to build up endurance. Amir Bayour and Chris Stilwell came over to help. We worked together like an assembly line. It was very efficient and helped me bend faster. Amir would put the new nails in a set of wraps. We had 4 sets of leather pads pre-wrapped so he could just stick the nail in the pads. Chris would re-wrap as necessary. Chris also measured all nails to make sure they were within 2 inches and kept track of how many nails I had bent on a pad of paper. Amir’s girlfriend, Kelly, took tons of great photos. My wife and kids also checked out the action. My 3 year old daughter kept laughing at me and saying I looked like Santa Claus because my neck and shirt were covered in chalk and white. The box weighed 51.5 pounds and had 576 nails in it. These were some times that Chris jotted down as we went: 100 Nails in 20 minutes and 59 seconds 273 nails in 1 hour 300 nails in 1 hour and 6 minutes 355 nails in 1 hour and 20 minutes 392 nails in 1 hour and 30 minutes 400 nails in 1 hour and 32 minutes 485 nails in 2 hours 504 nails in 2 hours and 6 minutes 576 nails in 2 hours, 29 minutes and 28 seconds My hands started tearing up at 200 and were pretty bad by the end. Also, friction burns all over my chest and under my chin from my hands rubbing on them. I wore 3 t-shirts to help with this but still got lots of burns. I also shaved, because I learned in training its not good to have all that rubbing pulling facial hair. My hands and forearms got quite a pump. Also, my chest muscles started spasming a bit at the end from all the crushing. My low back got quite fatigued too. My whole body is quite sore today still. After the box was bent, Amir and Chris did some great bending with the Horrido Bending bolts. My bending was done and I just enjoyed watching them bend some tough steel. Thanks for checking out my steel bending feat. Don Cummings

I forgot to mention, Chris gave me this great Gold show hammer he made as a congrats gift. The hammer head has a very cool shape that I have not seen before. The head is stamped that it weighs 13 pounds. I am very thankful and grateful for the hammer. Here is a pic of the hammer and Chris, Amir and I in action.

I think there’s still a bit of uncertainty about what is and isn’t permitted with the Grab Ball, so I shot this little video. I hope it helps. If anyone still has questions, please let me know.

Actually wasn't feeling 100% this morning, which is why none of these were super fiery. Still got some massive bends! Waiting on Andrew to get me a current count of his 13/32, 27/64, and 7/16 stock so I can keep climbing the ladder of weirdly named steel, haha. Thanks again to @KRC for the Tsar stock. Enjoy!

I have the Vikn coming so I'll see here soon. I've been going clean hands on my IM Axle lately with good results - but I keep it cleaned down bare as well. I do use chalk on Gracie and my Hex block and Blobs. So far nothing I have found beats "the bucket" that is just every chalk I empty out of climbing chalk bags - mostly Metolius Super Chalk - Black Diamond and Gorilla stuff with a few oddball chalk balls etc. Every WR etc set at Gripmas over the years used the bucket. I'll continue to experiment - it's just something I like to play with - as much for climbing as for grip.

Ha. Then you are in for a treat down the road. I'm convinced we are capable of well beyond what has been done (as you yourself are proving).

Built a platform for wheelchair bound father-in-law yesterday. Threw my back out. Body aches. Probably should rest. Ha. Shoulders funny...so long bar is out. I decided to work the mental aspect (light with minwraps). Bw squats. Glute bridges. Red in 2/3 IMPs. Damn my index finger is healing slow. Red in 1/2 IMPs...x 10. Felt pretty good...except for index finger. Opened a tear in my right palm also. Down the road, I see doing this in 1/4 wraps (36s). No timeline on it...just another thing on the to-do list. Shoulders are tweaked...gonna wait till Wednesday to attack the R.

I'm hoping I'm stubborn enough to succeed...and by doing so, motivate other people with gray hair.

Sounds good! Yes got the Video from Chris, too. But unfortunatley I can't accept it because of the finger taping. Sorry for that.

If my forearms were that ripped, I'd be putting out daily rule videos!

100% this! Among everything else, @Donc101 always provides aesthetically pleasing photo composition.

Friday Close Grip Bench Press to 162.5kg x 1, F, 1, 1 reps Lat Pulldowns - wide bar to stack x 8 reps ATB to 117.5kg + set up x 3 x 3 reps @

Tuesday Close Grip Bench Press to 127.5kg x 5 x 4 reps (inc a pause) Adj/T/Bar to 116.25kg x 1, 3 and 3 reps Thursday Seated Press - new bar to 120kg x 3 reps Hammer DB Curls accidental mis-load so I did (oh yes) 100kg / 220lbs x 3/4 reps TPD to 13p x 8 reps Bwt: 308lbs

Unfortunately the real goal today defeated me again. Not a bad consolation prize but the crush was harder than I'd hoped it to be. Hands are SHREDDED after today so I'll be forced to take a little break to let the tendons and skin heal. Hopefully be back with something amazing in 10-14 days. P.S. Sorry in advance for the attire. It was 90-95 degrees by 9 AM today and my AC unit in the garage didn't really hit it's groove until much later. Gotta be comfortable. HAHAHA

I bent a 50lb box of 60d nails this morning. 576 nails in 2 hours and 29 minutes. I am beat. I will post more about it later. Here are some pics.

@Kluv#0It felt easier I think I'm just pissed off today more than usual

Durry, that was very impressive. It looked easier than your 138 strict curl last week!!

140 strict today (up another 2 lbs)

@vikingsrule92 do you remember what weight the Tandy leather was cut at (3-4 oz, 4-6 oz, 8-10oz)? I have been looking for some on Tandy, but I'm unsure of what to buy.

That is crazy doing 10 in 1/2 wraps. Your hand toughness and pain tolerance is getting very high.

Monday Time limited by having the grand kids down and an appt at the hospital with the damaged foot (gonna take another 6 weeks to fix apparently). So I did what could be done. SSB Hatfield Squats to 240kg x 4 reps (hurt my back tweak more with 160kg) Leg Press to 400+kg x 23 reps

Love the write up. Great info ty!

Video is uploaded now. Here it is,

Now I have read all posts since the new bending beginning. Very nice read and very interesting journey. This will be fun to follow.

Thanks! I had no idea what to expect with that thing. It didn't feel like it budged at ALL so I was surprised to see such a decent wobble after removing the wraps. That'll go down in the next few months.

Great training weekend. Saturday 8/8/20 Went to Tim Butlers for a training session. Messed around with Pinch, thick bar, grippers and sledges but the only thing which was really on was thick bar which is great because today is my scheduled thick bar day anyway. The highlights were hitting a huge PR on my super slick and unseasoned 2.5" Crusher at 164 lbs. That is an all time PR on my handle and not just post surgery so I am stoked. I might have had a little more in me but next up I went for Tim's 152lb Inch Shalaney Dumbbell with a 2.5” thick handle (little thicker than the real inch) and got it which is awesome cause its the heaviest inch style dumbbell I have ever lifted. Videos below. Today 8/9/20 Got to the gym late. Only had an hr until close so I had to move fast. Got home at almost midnight last night so I got a slow start to the day. Deadlifts 4 warm ups 315 lbs - 2x 355 lbs - 2x 395 lbs - 2x 435 lbs - 2x. nice. Best deadlifts session in a while. Making progress towards that 500 lb goal for year end. Stiff Leg Deadlifts 225 lbs - 10x. Just wanted some volume and something less taxing Lat Pulldowns 150 lbs - 10x 170 lbs - 10x 190 lbs - 10x Close Grip Cable Rows 150 lbs - 10x 170 lbs - 10x 190 lbs - 10x

Amir and Chris both did great. Did you get Chris's video too? Amir does not do much DO. We tweaked his form a bit and he bent harder steel than he ever has DO. He has a bright future with DO.

I hope so but either way Alex beat me to it fair and square! His crush is STRONG! I'd say stronger than mine at the moment. I think I have him beat on kink strength though. Either way I plan to have the equalizer before the end of August!

Thank you all very much for the kind words! I appreciate it and will continue to push the envelope every week!

Ok, if any of you US benders is interested to make a bulk order just let me know. In the meantime.... Yesterday we had a new entry: Amir Bayour certed the A2 bolt with a nice view in the @Donc101 area. Nice to see how benders get other benders to the cert. Here is the Video:

Felling pretty beat up. Also, finger healing very slowly since I wont stop bending. Glute bridges. Bw squats. Bastard in IMPs. "Q" 0-1 DR @ 8 3/8" in IMPs. Red in 0.5 IMPs. "Q" 0-1 DR @ 8 3/8" in IMPs. Probably shouldn't have done a second Q. Took too many hits, felt off. Oh well...its done.

Tuesday Used the new Atlas Strength bar today. Dom managed to need an ambulance walking home after (tore ligaments in his ankle). Shay did 160 x 9 on the bench Close Grip Bench Press to 127.5-kilos x 5 x 4 reps (paused a couple). Felt good Adj/T/Bar to 116.2.5 +set up x 1, 3 and 3 reps (dusted chalk onto the handle) Bwt: 308lbs

Friday Close Grip Bench Press to 162.5kg x 3 x 1 reps (4th came down and stayed down) Dumbbell Rows to 100kg x 8 reps per arm ATB to 115kg x 6 (1, 1, 1 and 3) reps

Hurting pup. Index fingers are in rough shape. Red in IMPs. Hard to get that first hit in. Had to really disconnect from the pain. Then I mangled it. "Q" 0-1 DR @ 8 3/8" in IMPs/1.5 IMPs. I quickly realized I'm feeling beat up...and ended up using 1.5 IMPs for the 10-30 degrees. Wasn't my prettiest bend but it's done. Bending every day makes it hard to reconcile things like improvements, injuries, CNS etc. I know I can bend big steel if I rest up, heal up and slap a bunch of leather on the ends...but that's not really my goal. Still it eats at me. I'd like to be further along for 65 days or so.

So…where to begin? I have a goal I'd like to share. Why? Camaraderie? Advice? Glutton for punishment? All the above I think. I'd like to cert the IM Gold Nail during my 50th year on this planet. One…that gives me like 2.5 years and Two…that’s pretty cool for an "old guy" and might inspire people. Going back to the Princess Bride…(cause everything does). "What are our liabilities?" I've got a bad back. Like…when it goes out, I can barely stand up…let alone close a IM Trainer Gripper. Anyone with a bad back understands. Those who don't will rarely get how debilitating a bad back can be. I'm soon to turn 48yo. Recovery is NOT like it was 9 years ago when I discovered grip and bending. Basically I need to program everything very very carefully…so I don't end up hurting myself, or wasting a ton of time trying to train and make gains when I'm not recovered. I'm too weak to bend the Gold. I mean…I'm WAY TOO WEAK to bend the Gold. Back when I was at my strongest, I managed to bend a "T" of O-1 Drill Rod @ 8 3/8". It was a million miles from a Cert bend, but it happened…slowly…with leathers. But that was at my strongest…and still a level or two below Gold. I have heart issues. After several surgeries, they decided to install a pacemaker/defibrillator in my chest. The incidental contact while DO bending, is kinda unpleasant. I need to figure a work around on this one. Also…I'm pretty sure I need them to adjust my top end bpm when I get to tougher steel. I already have weird heart related exhaustion that sets in during strenuous effort. "And our assets?" I was a decent DO bender. Not quite "Elite," but definitely decent. Having started back up already, it's coming back faster than I expected. I'm big (6'4" 265lbs), with good sized mitts…doesn't hurt. Not having to start from scratch is a powerful asset. I have plenty of steel/equipment. I've had times where I was scratching and clawing my way around, but now I'm in a good place in life. I've got enough equipment to work out and enough steel to work my way up to the Gold (and beyond). I like using 0-1 Drill Rod to work my way up the 8 3/8" ladder. I'm sober. I haven't had any alcohol in over a year. I'm absolutely not making a statement against drinking. I'm pointing out that drinking can get in the way of recovery (among other things) and that for me, I'll reach my goal quicker without it. My family motto is "Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing." In the past…I generously applied this to drinking. I'm Mental. Basically…I got issues. I believe that a number of grip/bending guys do. I'm not sure exactly what the draw is, but grip/bending seems to fill a need that we have in our lives. That said, there are some benefits to being "a little off." I’m able to hyper-focus on something with extreme diligence, shortening the path to a goal. I'm also can be quite dogged about goals set. I have access to some of the best benders of the world. Where? Here...duh. All in all, I definitely have set a difficult task ahead of me. However, I'm not dissuaded at all. I think I will appreciate it all the more…and I do hope to inspire some new bender with my success. How to get there? My technique is "pretty good," but will get better with bending. So let's ignore that for the moment. I need to focus on three things. Hand conditioning. I put hand conditioning first…because in the past, I found my hands can take quite a lot…and frankly become tough as crap(for bending). So until I find a reason to change my mind…I'm gonna train them every day. Sort of grease the groove if you will. Back improvement I'm gonna train my back 5 times a week…but not with weights. Deadlifts and squats are great, but I no longer want to go that way, so I'm going to be hitting it with BW Squats (possibly added dumbbell weight), Glute Bridges, and Planks. Added Strength I will mostly be using Dumbbells for my workouts. Pretty much all upper body (sad I know). I also will also do "Gold Nail Upright Rows." Imagine a loading pin with weight with a clipped rope that goes up to the center of a Gold Nail with IMPs on. Grab the bar and pull to shoulder height…repeat. Really hits the bending muscles. The very max I can lift is 3 times a week. I have also noticed that with some exercises, I can only hit once a week now. So Monday, Wednesday, Friday are my official "Strength" days. I've been hitting the protein pretty hard this last month. My recommended muscle gain allowance is something like 265 grams…which ain't easy to get without shakes. Anyway…I've actually lost about 5 lbs while visibly reshaping some. Gotta stay patient, stay the course. Here's my basic workout week. Monday Hand slaps (concrete floor) Lighter nails (Reds, Bastards…eventually P,Q,R,S 8 3/8" all in IMPs) Glute Bridges Dumbbell Bench Heavy OAR (one arm rows) GNUR (Gold Nail Upright Rows) Shrugs Hand slaps Rubber Mallet to knuckles 60d's in min wraps Tuesday Hand slaps (concrete floor) Lighter nails (Reds, Bastards…eventually P,Q,R,S 8 3/8" all in IMPs) Bodyweight Squats Planks Hand slaps Rubber Mallet to knuckles 60d's in min wraps Wednesday Hand slaps (concrete floor) Glute Bridges Heavy nail work @ 8 3/8" OHP (over head press lying on bench) Biceps Hand slaps Rubber Mallet to knuckles 60d's in min wraps Thursday Hand slaps (concrete floor) Lighter nails (Reds, Bastards…eventually P,Q,R,S 8 3/8" all in IMPs) Bodyweight Squats Planks Hand slaps Rubber Mallet to knuckles 60d's in min wraps Friday Hand slaps (concrete floor) Lighter nails (Reds, Bastards…eventually P,Q,R,S 8 3/8" all in IMPs) Glute Bridges Dumbbell Bench Heavy OAR (one arm rows) GNUR (Gold Nail Upright Rows) Shrugs Hand slaps Rubber Mallet to knuckles 60d's in min wraps Saturday Hand slaps (concrete floor) Lighter nails (Reds, Bastards…eventually P,Q,R,S 8 3/8" all in IMPs) Sunday Hand slaps (concrete floor) Lighter nails (Reds, Bastards…eventually P,Q,R,S 8 3/8" all in IMPs) Since you made it this far. Here's a pic of my Gold Nail Goal Station. No worries about the empty Gold bin...I have a shit ton of Golds, Reds and Bastards on the way.