John's Grip Journal

[bencrush]

Hell yeah man! 5" Blue is nice!

[Vice]

Hell yeah man! 5" Blue is nice!

Thanks Ben it felt great, I was watching vids of big bends all night and was feeling some inspiration. It was supposed to be an off night but you guys know that doesn't work very well when your a bending addict

[Vice]

Did some DO today after some light levering and cardio to warmup.

6"x.7/32"" 12L14

5.5"x3/16" square

5.25"x3/16" square x 3

6.81"x1/4" crs x 3

6.38"x1/4" crs x 2

Then went crazy and reversed a 6"x1/4" 1018 crs that is a decent amount tougher than my blue nails were. Maybe close to a G5? It cal'd just slightly under the grade 5's listed in the calibration thread thats pinned in the bending section. Looks like I might start adding a little more structure and organization to my DU and reverse bending as they are progressing pretty well. It looks like its bent to about 45 degrees using a pic of a protractor I just googled. I guess I'll buy a real one soon.

[Vice]

DO:

12L14x6”

60d spiralx5.56”

60d spiralx5.18”

1018x6.63”x2

304ssx6.63”

Felt good today, still struggling to kink the longer stuff and need to continue working on that and my flexibility.

Going to hit DU and reverse on Tuesday.

[Vice]

Have done some more bending and sledge work this week. Today I did some max attempts and set a couple of PR's.

My first PR was a 1/4" x 5.25" 1018 crs. This felt just a touch harder than the 5" blue I took down about 2 weeks ago. Next I wrapped up a 1/4" x 5.75" stainless 304 and took that down rather easily, so I wrapped up a 5.5" piece and took it down to less than 2" as well.

I was feeling good so then tried some 9/32" 303 stainless and barely got a kink in it. I tried some 5/16" crs and couldn't do anything too it. I also tried what I believe is a 5/16" x 6" G2 bolt but could not kink either. By that point I was pretty tired. Was a little disappointed that I couldn't do any damage to the 9/32" 303 stainless. I realized that 303 is tougher, and this was an extra 1/32" thick but you would think if I could finish off a 1/4" x 5.5" 304 stainless I could at least get the other to 20 or 30 degrees but the kink was barely noticeable, it was at 6.5" length so I'm sure they cal pretty similar with the 1" difference?

I think I need to work on my flexibility and form some more. I got a digital cam yesterday so I'll have to put up a vid soon for you guys to critique.

Edited September 21, 2009 by Vice

[Vice]

Gonna start hitting grippers hard again and finally close my #3 and cert as a Mash Monster

Did some maxes today to test where I am:

#2 - closed

RB 240N - 1/4" from closed

Narrow Elite - 5/8" from closed

I don't have my #3 here where I'm living right now but I will take it down when I'm strong enough for it.

Also did some levering today. Worked up to these on my last set:

190x4 Overhead

105x4 One-arm rotations

165x1 Rear lever (from ground)

145x1 Front lever (from ground)

No bending today, but I will attack it hard tomorrow with a volume workout.

Gonna focus mainly on bending, levering, grippers and try to hit these goals by the end of the year:

12lb. overhead lever

Cert on red nail roster

Close 240N with either hand

[Vice]

Did some gripper work today. Felt good as this is my first "real" gripper workout since getting back into this obsession.

The 240N that I want to dominate by the end of the year is tough. Much tougher than my #2, so that should be a good challenge for me. Also did a bunch of sledge work and max attempts. Got 150ip on front lever from the ground with my RH and 155 with my left. Also got 190ip in what I think is a weaver stick lift. Also got 290ip on an overhead lever, but my form wasn't completely strict. Still only 2 inches from the end of the 10lb sledge so I'm pumped about that!

Gonna hit bending hard tomorrow.

[Vice]

Had a bending workout today. Everything was DO. All steel is 1/4" except for the first bend which was an easy warmup.

12L14x5.88”

60d spiralx5.5” x2

60d spiralx5.06” x2

1018x6.44” x3

304ssx6.44” x2

Feeling exhausted after this workout and hitting the gym hard earlier. Gonna rest up and eat a lot because I want to have a big volume workout tomorrow to mix it up and really force some adapation.

That is all for today.

[Vice]

Hands are killing me today but I worked them anyway.

Did some light gripper work, then did some levering. Finished off with somewhat of a volume bending workout although I ran out of steam earlier than I was hoping but I warmed up with some 3/16" square and 60d spirals, then bent eleven 1/4"x6.25" crs bars. I wanted to do 20 but I'm on the verge of overtraining so I stopped early and am gonna get some rest. I should be killing things when I'm healed up.

[ewokhugo]

Great log u have here Jonh!

"Thanks Ben, I've got my eye on the red nail. I wanna take it down within the next few months. It's hard not to go for a PR bend every session but I'm trying to hold back and be smart and train like I would on any other exercise."

let me share with u my thoughts about this: Its good u are talking with Bend, he's obviously not only a great guy but one excellent teacher, he really help us. Some benders(myself included) doesnt train at all. I try to reach one P.B EVERY time ... same for Paul Knight and Boyahh. I lost 8 months of my life trying to close one #3 (3 x weeks) now i simply dont train ... i climb the hill. About the red nail ..yes u can do it.

[Vice]

Great log u have here Jonh!

"Thanks Ben, I've got my eye on the red nail. I wanna take it down within the next few months. It's hard not to go for a PR bend every session but I'm trying to hold back and be smart and train like I would on any other exercise."

let me share with u my thoughts about this: Its good u are talking with Bend, he's obviously not only a great guy but one excellent teacher, he really help us. Some benders(myself included) doesnt train at all. I try to reach one P.B EVERY time ... same for Paul Knight and Boyahh. I lost 8 months of my life trying to close one #3 (3 x weeks) now i simply dont train ... i climb the hill. About the red nail ..yes u can do it.

Thank you for the comments Hugo. So for your bending sessions do you usually warmup and then go straight for a PR? Same thing with grippers? I have read of others doing this with bending, and I have done this a lot myself as well, but I have been trying to aproach it more like a normal workout routine and maybe I shouldn't.

[ewokhugo]

John: its a pleausure to share my thoughts with u because i believe u can do much better than u are doing now ...:-)))

John Eaton's advice its very good : He doesnt warm up before he try his goal grippers , he hit the boxing bag for 10 minutes or so ...u can play some boxing games(u need to hit harder in order to win the fight) ...powerball works so rope jumps. Yesterday i did some barehand and i was surprised how easy was for me to do 5 reps with my #2.5 without training with grippers seriously for 8 months(in the end of the barehand training)

Bending: this is what i do when i use wraps : 1x 60 d nail with single wraps/im wraps ... 1x 7 mm x6" crs(around g5) single wraps ... 1x 8mm(5/16")x7" or 6.5" fat wraps these are warm ups ... then i pick 2 bars i want to kill ...the second its my P.B ... if i can get the 1st bar easely i now in my heart i have the power and my mind its on fire. The trick its to pick different bars or to cut your p.b bar in order to make another p.b EVERY time u bend.

With your level i believe u will get faster this way.

Let me know your shorth , medium,long term goal and i will tell u my plain ...this sounds strange but i like to help people to kill the red nail. If possible post one video of u just to check your style and the wraps u are using.

Sometimes its good to mix things , Ben gave me one excellent training prog , it was good to train the mind because he advice to use HEAVY bars(ones that barely move).

If u are doing regular training STOP it :-) psych up your mind put some heavy metal and get some p.b's!

best of luck.

Edited September 28, 2009 by ewokhugo

[Vice]

John: its a pleausure to share my thoughts with u because i believe u can do much better than u are doing now ...:-)))

John Eaton's advice its very good : He doesnt warm up before he try his goal grippers , he hit the boxing bag for 10 minutes or so ...u can play some boxing games(u need to hit harder in order to win the fight) ...powerball works so rope jumps. Yesterday i did some barehand and i was surprised how easy was for me to do 5 reps with my #2.5 without training with grippers seriously for 8 months(in the end of the barehand training)

Bending: this is what i do when i use wraps : 1x 60 d nail with single wraps/im wraps ... 1x 7 mm x6" crs(around g5) single wraps ... 1x 8mm(5/16")x7" or 6.5" fat wraps these are warm ups ... then i pick 2 bars i want to kill ...the second its my P.B ... if i can get the 1st bar easely i now in my heart i have the power and my mind its on fire. The trick its to pick different bars or to cut your p.b bar in order to make another p.b EVERY time u bend.

With your level i believe u will get faster this way.

Let me know your shorth , medium,long term goal and i will tell u my plain ...this sounds strange but i like to help people to kill the red nail. If possible post one video of u just to check your style and the wraps u are using.

Sometimes its good to mix things , Ben gave me one excellent training prog , it was good to train the mind because he advice to use HEAVY bars(ones that barely move).

If u are doing regular training STOP it :-) psych up your mind put some heavy metal and get some p.b's!

best of luck.

Thank you Hugo for sharing, I think I will do this for the next few weeks in place of my current workouts. I'll warm up just enough and then try to set some personal bests. I was planning on using Bens kink-focused routine in a few weeks to get good on the 7" steel and kill the red, is this the program of his that you've used before?

Luckily I did just get a digital camera so I can take some video for all of you guys to critique my form, etc. I think I'm strong enough now to take down a red if I could get the kink started, but I've tried on some 5/16" crs and couldn't move it at 7". I can put a little wobble in 9/32" stainless however, so maybe I should just hit that bar over and over until I finish it off and then take 1/4" off of it and try to kill it each workout.

Short term goal is to cert on the red nail roster, medium goal is the grand bastard, I'm not sure what my long-term goal is yet.

Edited September 28, 2009 by Vice

[ewokhugo]

John: i used Ben's program in the past but not every time. His program its good to train your weak links and learn the best technique in each movement. I believe u didnt find YET the best kink technique for YOU ...really eager to watch one video of u ... do u use fat wraps ???( around 2" dia? or more if necessary)

Edited September 28, 2009 by ewokhugo

[Vice]

John: i used Ben's program in the past but not every time. His program its good to train your weak links and learn the best technique in each movement. I believe u didnt find YET the best kink technique for YOU ...really eager to watch one video of u ... do u use fat wraps ???( around 2" dia? or more if necessary)

Yes I agree, I have not found my best technique for kinking the bar when using double overhand. I think as my flexibility and technique improve I will be able to apply my strength much more efficiently. I have never used fat wraps, the thickest ones I have are the FBBC suede wraps which are just a little over 1" in diameter.

I decided to use your post as motivation and work my DU and reverse bending tonight. I've been neglecting them so I warmed up just a little then went for some PB's.

Bent a 1/4" x 5.75" crs reverse for a PB, then bent a 1/4" x 6.25" crs DU for a PB.

After that I was feeling good and tried for a DO best by going after 1/4" x 5.25" stainless but couldn't quite get it under 2". I think if I went for this right off I might have gotten it. At least my kink was not my weakness this time around. I need to get stronger on my crush now

Hands hurt pretty bad from all the bending/levering/grippers the past few days. Gonna take a day off then try to get some bends on video on Wednesday.

[ewokhugo]

congrats for your p.b's! ctually u did it without training reverse and Du very often wich makes this feat even more impressive.When i do DO training i always use double wraps to get some p.b's ... even 3 wraps at once to try edgins. So my point is: if u never used double wraps , try then NOW and surprise yourself! Go for it!:-)

[Vice]

congrats for your p.b's! ctually u did it without training reverse and Du very often wich makes this feat even more impressive.When i do DO training i always use double wraps to get some p.b's ... even 3 wraps at once to try edgins. So my point is: if u never used double wraps , try then NOW and surprise yourself! Go for it!:-)

Thanks Hugo, my hands are hurting pretty bad today so I might need to rest a couple more days before I can bend again but I'm sure I need it anyway after bending 3 days in a row. Very happy with the bends from yesterday. I'll try double wrapping something during my next session to see if I can bend something I've been having trouble with. Also gonna try to get some bends on camera as well.

[ewokhugo]

Camara likes it :-))) well done mate!

[bencrush]

Something else you might consider is working on an 8" piece of that 9/32" Stainless. If you're able to bend that it's often a VERY short time before you can get a 7" piece. Just because the 8" piece is so much more awkward for most benders to get into position. Zach Coulter did that with the Edgin and I believe it took him just a few bends to hit a 7" Edgin. I did it with the Edgin also, but took longer than it did with Wonder Kid. The up side of doing this is that your brain now knows that you can kill that 9/32" Stainless RIGHT NOW. Not in a few weeks. Just plain right now.

[Vice]

Something else you might consider is working on an 8" piece of that 9/32" Stainless. If you're able to bend that it's often a VERY short time before you can get a 7" piece. Just because the 8" piece is so much more awkward for most benders to get into position. Zach Coulter did that with the Edgin and I believe it took him just a few bends to hit a 7" Edgin. I did it with the Edgin also, but took longer than it did with Wonder Kid. The up side of doing this is that your brain now knows that you can kill that 9/32" Stainless RIGHT NOW. Not in a few weeks. Just plain right now.

Good idea Ben, I think I'll try out an 8" piece of that stainless next time and see what I can do with it. I need to start working on the longer stuff anyway if I wanna destroy the red soon. Having the confidence that I bend the thicker steel even at 8" lengths should help a lot. I'll let you guys know how it goes and maybe even get it on tape if I'm feeling strong

[bencrush]

Best of strength man! I think you'll become a believer after trying the 8" length. Especially if you are adept at that length.

[Vice]

Best of strength man! I think you'll become a believer after trying the 8" length. Especially if you are adept at that length.

Thanks Ben, I'm not sure how adept I'll be at that length right now, I still feel my flexibility needs to improve to really kill the longer stuff but I think it will be great to try out. I still have some pain in my hands and wrists but its getting better so I'm hoping to get in a good session on friday. I am so ready to bend some steel.

[Vice]

Tried to do some DU today, but my wrists still hurt too much to bend or do any grip really. It's my hands and wrists, I just went too crazy last weekend and Monday, it will probably be a few more days before I can do any grip stuff but they are feeling much better so that's a good sign.

[Vice]

Still rehabbing my hands and wrists, I've got them both in splints as much as possible and eating a lot of protein, taking vitamin c, multi, and the usual joint/tendon supplements to try to get this to heal. Also have been doing a lot of icing and contrast baths. I'm getting closer... just a few more days and I should be back at it, hopefully stronger than ever.

[Vice]

I finally bent some steel today It's been 8 long days since I have gotten in a real workout due to wrist/hand pain but it's been much better lately and today I went out for some drinks after work and just got home and felt ready to destroy some steel. I did a quick contrast bath to get my hands ready then I just rocked out and set some PR's. I bent DU because its the least painful way to bend right now. I took down a 1/4"x5.75" crs as a PR, and then took down a 1/4"x5.5" crs to 52 in 2 hits to set another big PR!

I wan't to hit DO hard but I know I need a few more days to heal up 100%. This felt damn good though.