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Hola grip and bending peeps. After a long layoff, I just started becoming physical active again. I look forward to reaquainting myself with the board members. Hope this finds you well. - Nate

Congrats to Stephen!

A very good topic. My thoughts on this... It's always better if you have a very good overall strength and perhaps some good genetics, but I think nearly everyone can be good at bending. It's all about the invested work on this thing. Bending is a unnormal movement for the body and it needs a non conformist strength. You can train and learn these two things only when you bend. If you wanna be good at bending you have to bend a lot and you have to prepare your body and your mind for this force. If you are general strong you might take a better start in bending but at a advanced level you also have to learn everything what it takes and the mind muscle connection. And this is not a short journey. Some will be advanced after one year, some after perhaps four years, it's different from person to person and what everybody is willing to give for it. Nothing magic, only consistent work and training for it and you can become a very good bender.

I finally got some Duke stock a week or so ago so today I decided to see how short I could go. Went 8 through 6 in singles (just for you @Tommy J.) then threw on the doubles for the Grand and Mag. The Mag was a little tough due to fatigue alone. Insane shouldn't be far off. Enjoy!

Congrats to Riccardo! 2nd attempt 3 whites!

As things have begun to settle down on an emotional level across the country regarding COVID 19, I would like to share my experience. I am a respiratory therapist at a large hospital in Texas. Over the past few months I have worked nearly exclusively in "COVID ICU". My job involves caring for intubated patients and managing their ventilators settings. What is particularly striking about COVID 19 is its virulence. I have seen healthy men in their 50's with no comorbidities go from pacing their rooms, talking with family members on the phone, to intubated (on life support) in a matter of 24 hours. As expected, I have also seen sick elderly patients fall ill very quickly. The rapid influx of ventilated patients at my facility has been shocking. Critical care staff, many of whom have done this job for over 30 years all claimed this virus is one of the most alarming things they have ever seen. Patients don't just get this hypoxic and crash so fast with the flu or anything else that I have seen. It is disconcerting that people across all walks of life have required intubation due to Covid 19. Notice I have not mentioned death numbers yet. That's because, as most of you know the death numbers come primarily from the elderly. So why the concern if the vast majority of us will be fine in the end? A problem many hospitals have faced during this pandemic is a lack of critical care staff. When a patient requires intubation, a basic nurse or doctor will not suffice to care for the patient. The patient is going to need skilled healthcare workers at their side 24/7. When skilled workers are in short supply, what happens? You get intubated by a dermatologist, or a resident does the best they can to write orders for you. You see how this can be problematic? Lets imagine a new virus, Covid-20. Thank god Covid-20 has a 0% death rate. Unfortunately everyone who gets the virus has to be on a ventilator for at least 10 days. Once you are able to come off the ventilator, you quickly recover and can go home. You can imagine the strain this new virus would place on critical care staff. The patients should live, everything should be fine, provided the staff is competent enough to care for the intubated patients. I wanted to share this side of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is not always about death numbers. Many patients who require intubation and extended ICU stays develop ICU psychosis and lasting PTSD. For what its worth, I think its time to open up the country. I am not going to stand in the street and scream at you for not wearing a mask. Please understand that the vast majority of critical care staff have no control over what the hospital bean counters call a "COVID-19 related death". If it means anything to you, my hospital has tied the most number of ventilated patient's it has ever had since opening in the 1960's. That alone should suggest that something is going on here. I certainly don't intended to stir the pot anymore or spark a debate. Just want to highlight that a lot of people seem to be getting intubated (not dying) due to this virus, that's all.

Finally got it today! Didn’t end up filming because my phone was my only source of music and I didn’t want to over think things as the set of 165 felt strong right before it. It was pretty good ... zero leg drive/dip, but a little upper body movement and not 100% technically locked-out at the top but pretty close. Been chasing this for years. The goal was originally a body weight strict press. Unfortunately, during the lockdown, I’ve been getting fat, so now 10lbs under bw, but still finally 200.

Boom! First Red back. I was telling Don that I'm more proud of this pathetic off center bent spiral, than I was about my cert nails. I'm soooooo out of shape...but it's still a milestone.

Got my cast off a few days ago and decided to see what I could do today. I've never done this bend before but it went down pretty easy. Thumb is still a bit tender especially on the crush but not bad overall.

Yesterday… Found a huge duke which was sent to me by Zsolt, some months ago along with some other FBBC bars. So I tried it with doubles and was very easy thought the duke was harder. Should have done it in IMP´s. But it´s a bend. Then I tried a CRS Square 8mm x 5,5". Failed this one three times before. So this time I got it. Unfortunatley not in the 5 minute time frame, but I am happy with it. The two videos:

Volume braced bending PR today, I bent 22 Gold Nails in a little under an hour. My hands and wrist are pretty beat up. Here are pics of my hands and the bars. Very happy with this. My endurance is definitely going up.

Hey guys, prep goes well an i tried a FBBC Bastard in IMPs yesterday. As @Horrido predicted a few days earlier it went down pretty good.

This bend was before that batch with the wrong steel. He is the best DO bender in the world right now, has done some crazy bends.

Tried my first Huge Bastard yesterday. Got it in just over 5min. Very surprised at how intense the crush was compared to a regular Bastard. I'll try it again soon and hopefully I can do it within the time limit.

For me the most important physical component is connective tissue strength. Muscles are great but if you've been swinging a hammer or bending conduit your whole life, that base is going to give you an enormous advantage in starting point. Following this, anthropometry. Certain people are built for certain feats. Overall though I think mental intensity is the #1 factor.

Looks like I got my work cut out for me...

Did 110 kg for a set of 6 reps last sunday. Will try 120 kg this sunday and see how many reps I can do.

So I did my basement wanna be workout and decided to try a bend. I hit a spiral once and managed MAYBE 5 degrees. Bahahahahaha! OMG I'm so pathetic. What makes it funnier is that I just ordered like 50 Golds and a shit ton of O-1 drillrod up to and beyond U. I literally laughed out loud at myself looking at a barely kinked easy Red. Wanting to end on a good note...I put some cordura pieces on the end of a mighty 60d and showed the bastard who was boss! Ha! It complied with my folding order in about 2 seconds...allowing me to at least experience something like bending. I'm glad I got some time to get in shape before the shipments arrive.

5/27/20 Session 3 of Thomas Inch replica DB (173lbs) good improvement(vids below) still long way from a good lift but not scared of the bell only respect it. Slater's hardware Thomas Inch replica DB- very nicely made.

I tried wraps but still lots of pain. Well good news guys. I reached out to Luke Raymond since hes a PT and one of us and he immediately knew where the pain was and gave his diagnosis and after watching youtube videos I think hes right. I found a wrapping technique for it. I tested it tonight with push ups on dumbbells handles to see if I felt pain and felt none. As most of you know I am a big boy. I use to weigh almost 300 lbs but I am down to 280 lbs so push ups puts a decent amount of weight on my wrist. Goal tomorrow is a top set on flat bench with paused reps with 225 as I continue to rehab the pec so with the wrapping technique I should be ok. Always gotta to find a way to keep moving forward. Icing the wrist constantly also and doing rehab stretching and blood flow exercises. I am a stubborn dude. I am not out of this.

Memorial Day is (to me) for Military Veterans who lost their life in service for their country. Veterans day is for everyone who served in the Military of their country - alive or dead now. Different days. And neither requires you to be in the "hero" status necessarily (depending on your definition of hero). Not saying we shouldn't have but we don't have a day honoring nurses - EMTs - and Firemen that I'm aware of - and you can't put them in with the sacrifice men and women made serving in the mIlitary.

Saw a post earlier that pissed me off on IG. Basically, it was a post that tried to make a comparison to veterans and hospital workers/first responders on Memorial Day. It has since been removed after I flamed it. It wasn’t made by a medical professional. But by an SJW who was neither a medical professional OR a vet, or loved one of a lost vet. I’ll skip the bs they said in the post and simply get on to the moment of clarity they received. want to clear up the meaning of a word that gets incorrectly used all too often.. hero. A hero can be defined by facing incredible odds, and then prevailing. And can also be defined by paying the ultimate price in pursuit of the same cause. that said, point me in the direction of a nurse or doctor that meets that criteria, and I’ll be glad to give them a subtle nod, wave a flag, and go on not giving a (bad word filter) like what most do for vets. ....let me repeat that.... but this time read carefully. “that said, point me in the direction of a nurse or doctor that meets that criteria, and I’ll be glad to give them a subtle nod, wave a flag, and go on not giving a (bad word filter) like what most do for vets.” So, medical field, enjoy your tiny taste of what we vets refer to as “the suck”. Basically, the suck, is when you do a extraordinary, and at the same time, thankless job. Honorably. And without question. All while sacrificing your own everything while you do it. And then some piss-on comes along later and shits all over your efforts. Or the efforts of those you may have lost along side you while doing that job. Your reward for embracing the suck?.. To that, I salute you! But if your reading this, Memorial Day is not your day. It’s not mine either. We are both still alive. id be glad to honor medical staff on a day similar to Veterans Day. But unless you died doing your thankless job, for non grateful pieces of shit no less, leave the thought of you getting a gold star on Memorial Day out of your head.

Built an ultra cheap ttk today, works good. I'll upload a video in case it would help anyone.

I think there is a much bigger mental component going on as well. It takes a special type of person to follow a fitness goal over the long term [here i am talking years and not months]. Bending is one of the most obscure fitness things you can do. The bragging rights that come after bending a big piece of steel does not translate to the general public. My feeling is the bending goal is more internalized as the only people who can tell the difference between a mid level bend and a high level bend are people who are already bending themselves. The bending will need to train over and around many injuries and nagging pains over the years. It is just part of the price of admission. Not only is there no fame or fortune in becoming a high end bender, but it is also a very expensive way to train! With that all in mind, I feel the "mindset" of the High End Bender might be just as important as the person's genetic disposition.

I saw a great video of a bunch of protestors grabbing a rioter and handing him over to the cops, that's the kind of stiff I enjoy seeing.

Who's interested in resurrecting the Brotherhood of the Traveling Steel?? If you're too new for this reference it was around back when Wiggy, Kovach, Rindo, and Corcorran ran DO bending and they (and others) traded various bending stock through the mail. I'm VERY curious to get my hands on some of the big metric bolts (especially the 12.9) and I'm also really curious if anyone has any of the old old old (or newer) KOAB stock that was around the 650 range. The batch I just got from Andrew feels MUCH harder than a Big G8. Either way the goal is to kill that stock but it would also be fun to make a run at a Grand KOAB with the 650ish stuff 😁 If anyone is interested let me know! I have some old 440ish bastard stock as well as a few pieces of the 480ish Hex I could trade. Plus some fun random stuff I've found like triangle S Edgins and 3/8" 12L14. Also willing to just pay for stuff!

Thanks! Clearly I wasn't warmed up enough. After the failure on the first one, I knew that I could close it. I took 5 minutes to regroup and then I got it. I also closed it again after that but that wasn't necessary to show on this video.

I got a notification that some one new was following my log now. Ima gonna eat this whole sugar crepe pie to celebrate. Over the holiday weekend my wife discovered an army of bees trying to invade our house. I was told to handle it. In the process of standing tip-toe on the step of the ladder that clearly states “Do not stand on this step”, the insecticide decided to ricochet back out of the hole covering my face and head. Thankfully I religiously wear safety glasses. I washed off thoroughly and didn’t notice any problems.(mon) Tues. Skull splitting headache / no workout the headache would continue to linger for a few days Thurs. sp. 155x1 sq. 260x1 i worked up to the programmed singles and then quit. Another fun Sunday i had no plan today as next week is deload. rows, shrugs, shoulder laterals, arnold presses, block curls then went outside for some kettlebell work - flips to front, side, and behind the back. I learned how to spin the kB to the front, also flipping the 24kg is easier than the 16kg club swinging came back inside for a DC2 to heart(I need to order more shoes) I am looking forward to the future.

For a great example of this, look at @devinhoo recently jumping more or less straight to the Bastard. He has a good base of strength and great leverage. He also doesn’t have a lot of extraneous tissue like some of us do to get in the way.

In your upper body. To gain the advantage of DO bending you need to be able to get in the right position and be able to apply maximum force from that position.

If we are talking about double overhand. It's extremely dependant on mobility and technique. You don't get better mobility when you're bigger. So that is probably the reason we see smaller people bending big steel in this style. Double under hand and reverse, it's just like grip I think. Strong hands and arms is the most important for those styles. Horse shoes and braced bending I don't know, I haven't trained it but I suspect the largest and strongest individuals would be best at that if they really spent time on it.

Thank you for the best post to date of this marathon thread. A professional taking the time to write what you did is greatly appreciated.

Thursday May 28, 2020 Log C+J 195×1×5, 175×8 Log strict press 135×7×2 A1 archer pushup 8/8×3 A2 crab reach 1/1×3 A3 pushups 20, 16, 14 B1 cable rows 30+yellow×12×2 B2 triceps pushdown 30+yellow×15×2 Circus DB 95×30s×4, 30s rest alternate arms each rep Reverse flyes (pause) 5×20×2 Happy to report I finished April's book and am 1/4 through May's: a reread of one of my all time favorite books Ishmael.

Wow! I'm not a fan in short steel but great bends @Horrido!

His book mastery of hand strength was one of the things that really got me into grip training. Great book and easy/fun to read.

It's allowed to use a block set but the important thing is to make it visable to the judges. If you chose to use a block set, the block also need to be measured and the video need to be clean. By using a block set, you might make it more difficult to make a clean video. Just use a parallel set with a short pause, that is the best IMO. If the gripper is right at your limit, just practice filming a lot and you might be able to do the set faster, so you don't lose any strength for the close. Making a good video is the most important thing.

Only reason i keep it wide is so i dont get a red light for set depth

Preciate it guys! The long break slowed down the progress a bit. But just have to keep grinding.

EMS deaths average 13 per year or 7 per 100,000. The average profession has 4.1 deaths per 100,000. Firefighters 6.1. The majority of EMS deaths occur from traffic collisions and being struck by vehicles on the side of the road. - Reichard A, Marsh S, Moore P. Fatal and nonfatal injuries among emergency medical technicians & paramedics. Prehosp Emerg Care.2011;15(4):511–517. While tragic, I wouldn't exactly call that "stacking up." 917 military personnel die on average every year in non-combat duty. That's 70 per 100,000, or 10X the EMS rate. That doesn't make them heroes either though. Are there some EMS heroes out there? Absolutely. Just like there are plenty of people in the military that are not heroes. But please don't try to equate the average EMS worker with a combat soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine. It's just silly. There is no comparison to the risks they face compared to someone who shows great courage in the face of an enemy trying to kill them. Everybody gets a day now, so they can have there's. But trying to take away from Memorial Day is wrong. That's the day respectful and grateful citizens have set aside to honor those who have given their lives so we can wear our Rona masks.

Dont do it, its a trap! David is a cult leader and want you to join @Hopefully

The looters haven’t been distancing and wearing masks. Expect another wave of Rona after they go back home. Too bad they weren’t arrested like some of the people that tried to open their businesses.

Got no clubs around my area, and no buddy with interest either, otherwise I would probably armwrestle. It's pretty fun.

6" by 5/16" cold rolled steel 12L14 hex done in IMPs only. Bent it way off center

I think forearm-to-humerus ratio is important for DO. The higher that ratio is, the closer together your hands will be when you try pull a bar under your chin to kink it and the more flexible you will have to be to put any power into it. Additionally, I think wrist size is important. The wider your wrist, the lower the torsional forces on the connective tissues and bones.

That's some insane recovery! How old are you, bro? Nice bend, too.

I think both sides of this argument will really enjoy this. Very funny.

I have thought about the other certs. I just have focused on getting as strong and well rounded as i can. Still a ways to go! My max mms close in training is around 199. I only have a 193 and 199 so nothing in between. Without the set in a chocked gripper. 213 is my max thus far. I appreciate the kind words. Keep training hard!

How dare you come in here with your basic facts and reason, the internet is no place for that kind of behavior.