Vice Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 Did some more DU yesterday and set another pr with a 1/4"x5.25" crs. Tried to take down some 1/4"x5.5" stainless but could only get a small kink in it. My hands hurt a little today so I'm going to rest for another 4-5 days until they are 100% because I tried bending DO last night and it wasn't happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 Tried some DO as my hands were feeling pretty good but I'm still injured. Took down an easy piece of steel but there was enough pain that I stopped and will continue to rest and rehab. This sucks!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 Finally some good news. Tried to bend a prekinked piece of 9/32" x 7.5" stainless and got some movement out of it. It was prekinked to 35 degrees and I moved it to 55 degrees in one hit. This is the first time I've really attempted anything tough DO since messing my hands up so right now I feel amazing. I am SO ready to get back at it and destroy some steel. I'm going to try for a real DO session on Monday if my hands continue to feel better. I was also able to work up to max attempts on rear and overhead levers on Thursday. I'm close to being back 100% and it feels so damn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Great work moving that 9/32" Stainless! Just moving a piece that has resisted your best efforts previously is a mind-changing event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Great work moving that 9/32" Stainless! Just moving a piece that has resisted your best efforts previously is a mind-changing event. Thanks Ben, I actually worked on it some more last night and got that same piece down to 2.5" between the ends. If I didn't have any pain in my hands I know I could have finished it off. I'm going to work with pre-kinked 9/32" stainless for a while until my hands are completely healed. I found out last night after some experimentation that pre-kinking the steel makes the bend virtually painless but if I try to kink a straight bar there is still a good deal of pain in my right hand. For now I'll be pre-kinking to about 20 degrees and then going from there. I'm going to try and finish off a 7.5" x 9/32" stainless in under a minute next time, then try a 7" piece and see how it goes. Hopefully the PR's will start to come again and I can get some good workouts in while I continue to heal. All this time away from bending has me motivated and ready to get back at it. I'm really psyched that I could handle the 9/32" stainless, but I need to be able to handle some shorter lengths before I feel really good. Hopefully the red will go down soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 Got my first real DO workout in finally after almost 3 weeks! Prekinked some easy stuff and warmed up with that, then moved on to the big steel. Prekinked a piece of 9/32" x 7" O-1 drill rod to 20 degrees and finished it off under 2" in about 2-3 minutes. Then I worked on crushing down the 9/32" x 7.5" stainless that was stuck at 2.5". After a few minutes I got it down to 1.75". Then I tried a piece of 9/32" x 6.75" O-1 drill rod pre-kinked to 20 degrees, but it froze up at 2 5/8". I don't think I lost any strength, but I think I definitely lost some stamina and toughness to my hands because trying to crush down this last piece of drill rod was extremely painful but it was just the pressure of the steel, no injuries or lasting pain. Overall very happy to finally be able to get a DO session in, even if I have to pre-kink everything right now it's still a great workout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Well it's been a very frustrating month, not being able to bend, and now I had a bar of steel go through my wraps and into my hand. So it's been another week where I'm trying to heal up. The red WILL be mine as soon as I'm healthy. I'm ready to destroy everything in my sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 My hand is healing quickly from the puncture accident. I now only have my old wraps to bend with and they are thinner than what I was using. These are only about 7/8" thick when wrapped. Had a pretty good workout today, I had to move the bar slightly from where I usually put it so that I don't tear off the scab from the puncture wound... I don't need any more injuries. I had a bunch of steel that I had taken to 40-90 degrees from some DU and reverse bending so I warmed up by finishing off some of those pieces. A few 3/16" square and then some 1/4" crs. I then wrapped up the 6.75" x 9/32" drill rod that was frozen at 2 5/8" from the last workout. I got it moving and under 2" so I was happy about that. I had a fresh piece of 9/32" drill rod cut to 6.75" and pre-kinked to about 35 degrees but couldn't get it moving, I was having trouble getting it under my chin for some reason. I called it a day but then got angry later in the night that I couldn't get it moving so I went after it again. This time I got it moving and about 5 minutes later I had it down under 2" again. Felt pretty good about that because the pain of bending in those thin wraps was really making the crushdown tough but I just had so much adrenaline flowing through me that I eventually got it. On Wednesday I am going after a 6.5" piece of drill rod and a 7" piece of 9/32" stainless. Let's see what I can do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 4, 2009 Author Share Posted November 4, 2009 So I haven't updated this in a week. I was able to bend the 6.5" piece of drill rod and the 7" piece of stainless. The drill rod took about 15 minutes and the stainless took about 10. Yesterday I got a 7" piece of drill rod to under 2" in about 5 minutes, thats the quickest I've done it so far. I did some experimentation with my sweep technique and it seemed to be better last night but still needs some work. I really just need to get stronger in all 3 phases of the bend. I also need more flexibility. I started one of Bens programs yesterday so I'll try to stick with that for the next 6-8 weeks and see if the red is mine by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Great work! I'll get a video up for you, but like I said earlier, your form is looking pretty good. It'll only get better. I think it'd be a good idea for you to finish off all your workouts with at least 3 isos on a 1/4"X8" bar. Would be better if it was 1/4"X8" HRS so you'd have a good shot at bending it DO. That will expedite your flexibility development exponentially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 Thanks Ben! I did day 2 of the kink program today and was able to get a 7.5" piece of 1/4" crs and then was able to get a 7.5" piece of stainless 1/4". After this I went for a volume workout with the stainless but after a few pieces I couldn't get the kink. I think my body is not used to that length and fatigued quickly. After that I managed to get the 6.5" x 9/32" stainless that was stuck around 110 degrees down to 2" exactly. And about an hour after my workout I did some stretches and exercises for flexibility. I wrapped up a red nail that I had pre-kinked to 17 degrees and I bent it to under 2" in about 3 minutes exactly! Now I just need to do this with a perfectly straight one! The pre-kink helped to get the nail up under my chin where I could pin it... I need to keep working hard until I can do this with a straight red. This is awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 VERY NICE!!! You are within striking distance then! 17 degrees is not much of a pre-kink at all. Hammer down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 Thanks man! It was an awesome feeling, I hope I can get the bar up under my chin without the pre-kink but I don't think I have the flexibility to do that yet which will make it more difficult but still an big step toward the red. I'll have to get my next attempt on video in case I get a straight one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 Today was day 3 of week 1 of the program. I went after the red nail but couldn't get the kink started. I pre-kinked one and got almost all the way bent again but it was way off center and I wasn't able to finish it off. After a lot of stretching and isos I finally got a 6.5" x 9/32" stainless moving and just about finished it off in 1-2 minutes after I got it moving but it froze up at 2 1/8". Next time I will keep crushing it hard while it's still hot and hopefully I can get it. Very happy that I was almost able to get it. Soon the red will be mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 I hate the red nail. That is all for today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I hate the red nail. That is all for today. It's okay man. Rest and regroup. You will come back stronger and ready to kick its butt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 This thing needs to go down, it's making me crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 21, 2009 Author Share Posted November 21, 2009 The red nail still defies me. I feel like it's just as much technique as it is strength. My flexibility is now just about where I want it to be. I can consistently get the bar up under my chin where I can pin it. The problem is that after bending with it lower on my chest for the first few months, this new position doesn't feel natural and I had to work hard and study lots of video before I started to be able to direct my strength into the steel in this position. It remains a work in progress.... A couple of weeks ago I tried to start Ben's kink based program but couldn't handle the longer steel so I stopped to work on flexibility. Now its time to start again. Day 1 consisted of: Warmup - 7" x 3/16" square x3 Work sets - 8" x 1/4" crs x 6 Hands hurt too much and these bends were tough to get started, but much improved compared to the last time I tried this length. Today I was supposed to rest but I did some isos instead. Put a small kink in a 7" x 5/16" crs rated at 435 pounds. I still feel like I have the strength to bend this. I finished off with a 7" x 9/32" O1 drill rod which I took to 40 degrees in two long hits DO. Just sent this off for calibration so I don't know how it rates but should be in the 350-370 range? Hopefully on the higher side. My hands hurt like crazy, today should have been an off day. Tomorrow will be day 2 of the program. I'll try to get some reverse in soon and let my hands and shoulders rest before I go hard on day 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 Eric was nice enough to calibrate the drill rod that I mentioned in the post above. I was close in my guess that it would fall in the 350-375 ranges. It came in at 345 pounds at 7". Today I did some reverse bending instead of doing day 2 of the kink program. I started with some 3/16" square and then moved onto 7" x 1/4" crs, worked both hands with this length and then went to 6". Bent a couple of bars with each hand as the anchor and then tried for a 5.5" piece but I didn't quite get it to 40 degrees. That was going to be all for the workout but a few hours later I got motivated and decided to go for day 2 of the kink program. I warmed up again and then bent a 7.5" x 1/4" crs. I decided to go with a volume workout although it ended up not being much for volume. My hands were hurting but I did get 8 pieces bent and they all went fairly quickly. After I finished I did some levering to finish myself off. I felt like I got a great workout today. I'll do some reverse on Monday to give my hands and shoulders a little rest. Can't do DU right now because of pain in my left palm. My goal for the end of the 8 week program is an average bastard. I have a 440lb bar that Eric sent, and I'd like to find a 450lb bar at 7" as my ultimate goal by the end of the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Very nice work! You're right where you need to be now that your flexibility is dialed-in. Believe me, one of these days that bar will just melt in your hands and you'll wonder why it took you that long to figure it out. Definitely happened to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 Thanks Ben, I need to get another bend on video. I think some subtle changes could be made to help me get the red nail right now. I really think I have the strength but for right now I can't get it to fall unless I pre-kink it. I'm going to try some big steel on Wednesday so we'll see how that goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 You've probably tried these tips, but if not: -Try leaning over forward at the waist with a Red wrapped up and pulled under your chin. You might find that one angle lets you get a better lock on the bar than usual. This is definitely the case for me, and it is a HUGE difference in terms of steel that I can bend. -Try SHRUGGING your shoulders HARD backwards and upwards at the same time when you're bent over at the waist. This should help PULL and LOCK the bar under your chin. It'll take some getting used to that muscle strain, but I bent that way for at least a year before learning how to without doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 The red is dead! Almost. So today is the max day of the kink program, and I was actually going to wait until tomorrow since I just did some reverse bending yesterday but I didn't feel like waiting. So I did a little jogging around my apartment to get the blood flowing and warmed up with a few 1/4" x 7" crs bars, then a 1/4" x 7" stainless. I then wrapped up a 9/32" stainless and took it down fairly quickly, although the crush was tough to finish off. This felt easier than last time I tried it and it rates at 365 pounds at 7", so not too far off of the red, so I decided to keep going. Next I went after a 19/64" x 7" O1 drill rod. I've seen this calibrate at around 400 pounds although I'm not sure exactly where mine falls. Well I was able to get it moving and under 2"! This is definitely a big PR! After this I was going to stop after such a solid PR, but I decided to wrap up a red nail and go after it. Well I don't have any actual IM red nails but I do have a lot of 5/16" crs. I tried a bar that Eric sent me, its 5/16" x 7" and cal'd at 435 pounds. Last week I put about a 4 degree kink in this same bar when trying to bend it. This time I did much better than that. I took it from that 4 degree kink all the way down to 2 1/4" where it froze up on me. I lost some skin on my index finger in the process and now that hurts like crazy but it was worth it. So I can't say that I've bent a red nail yet. But I took an equivalent from a 4 degree kink down to 2 1/4". At the 5 minute mark I stopped trying to finish the crush and called it a night. Now I'm gonna drink a beer and celebrate! :rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 Ben thanks for the support and tips, it always helps to get some great advice. I think I usually do shrug my shoulder up and backwards, and I still need to mess around with my degree of forward lean. Tonight I think I used the same technique that I have been, but for some reason it all fell in place... so far I'm loving the program! That has to be helping a lot too, as I'm feeling better on this 7" stuff. Now I really need my crush to get stronger, as I was fine through the sweep and then the steel started to freeze up. Maybe I was just tired? I'll blame it on that haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Ben thanks for the support and tips, it always helps to get some great advice. I think I usually do shrug my shoulder up and backwards, and I still need to mess around with my degree of forward lean. Tonight I think I used the same technique that I have been, but for some reason it all fell in place... so far I'm loving the program! That has to be helping a lot too, as I'm feeling better on this 7" stuff. Now I really need my crush to get stronger, as I was fine through the sweep and then the steel started to freeze up. Maybe I was just tired? I'll blame it on that haha. Dang good job on the equiva-Red!!! Sounds like you're doing very well and I know in reality the program might have 5% to do with it and your hard work is 95% at least. Always helps mentally to know that you're following a proven plan though and that might be a bit of it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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