5" G5

[guru20]

I reached my limit...I kinked it pretty deep, but i simply cant find a comfortable position to apply all my pressure. If i grip the bar my fingers meet, if i position my hands on the ends, i cant produce enough poundage. So..it looks like ill be working on some more technique and finally taking a break. Im lifting today, so i should probably take the rest of the day off anyway..lol...heavy squats tonight .

Heres a pic of the kink:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m313/nh...ay/CIMG0463.jpg

[Booyah!!!]

WoW Nathan, Quite the run on PRs!!! Looks to me that you are just tired. Take a well deserved rest and that 5" is TOAST

[guru20]

lol, yeah the past week has been a packed PR week. It was just a matter of getting over the 'impossibility' of some of the bars, and getting my body power through my hands. Thanks a lot for the encouragement booyah, and youre right i definately need to take a rest. I tried the G5 again after i got back from the gym and i felt it give a little bit, probalby no more then a few degrees...but it gives me hope! Right now my hands are aching, and im tired..im going to take a few days off (hopefully, lol) and see how i do when im fresh.

[Tfriend]

haha its to addicting no way will you be able to take off tomorrow wit that thing laughing at you being half bent. lol. Good job.

Quick question, how do i determine the grade of the bolt is it written on the head of it?

[AP]

With the 5" stuff I find I have to open my left hand to get enough room to crush it down. You have to work on the technique a bit to be able to keep the bar stable with 1 hand not really holding on. I'm not an expert on the short stuff but it should get you past the G5.

[Tim71]

Tfriend. If a head has no dashes on it then it's a grade 2 or equivilent. If it has 3 dashes then you add the 3 to the base 2 and viola! it's a grade 5. If it has 6 dashes that look like spokes then it's a grade 8. Grade 8s are almost always a goldish color too. Some grade 5s are black and some are silver. Weakest grade 5s I have have the 3 dashes and a triangle. Hardest I have are black and have a "JH" along with the 3 dashes.

Hope this helps.

Tim

[EricMilfeld]

With the 5" stuff I find I have to open my left hand to get enough room to crush it down. You have to work on the technique a bit to be able to keep the bar stable with 1 hand not really holding on. I'm not an expert on the short stuff but it should get you past the G5.

I agree.

I've alwyas struggled with that length. It's definitely a different ball game.

[Tfriend]

thanks dude clears it up big time, I assume higher grade tougher bolt?

[guru20]

I finished off my 5" G5 yesterday. It really hurt my palms, even though i wrapped the bolt with both my leather wraps. It was worth it though, for awhile there i thought i was never going to bend it. What whould be next on my list? A G8?

[FrankyBoy]

Congrats!

5" G5s are nasty.

G8s shouldn't be that hard compared to the short Gs.

When bending stock that short it might also be helpful to just release one index finger of one hand.

So you get some more space and still have one finger (middle finger then) as an 'anchor-point'

to support the bending.

[bencrush]

Congrats on the 5" Grade 5 man! Time to buy some Grade 8s.

[climber511]

gugu20

Listen to these guys - I was stuck at the grade 5 level until Franky showed me the proper way to bend - since then I've made some excellent progress. Bending is a LOT of technique - more than I would have ever believed before Franky's visit. Check out Dave and Gregs article, Eric and Jedds E-books and everything you can read and view showing the better benders. Ole Ben I think is also able to offer a lot coaching wise. I could not believe the difference a few adjustments made.

[guru20]

Thanks a lot guys, the 5 incher was a biatch for me. The hardest partwas the crushdown after 90 degrees. Killed my hands. I got the kink relatively easily, and i thought -- prematurely -- that i had it in the bag...it took about 4 days of rest, then i hit it hard...and she slowly melted.

I really appreciated the support, you guys are awesome!

--Nathan

[Brad Manion]

There are a few things I have kinda noticed on bending 1/4" x 5" G5's and REALLY noticed it on my first/only bend so far of a 1/4" x 5" G8:

1) As somebody already said, once you get past 90 degrees, you'll have to open up one of your hands to do the crushdown. I prefer the left hand for this. However, be VERY careful, as you lose some stability, and the amount of force you're generating will making slipping much more likely.

2) When getting the final part of the crushdown, the wraps get in the way of making it a legal bend, 2" or less between the posts of the bolt. So, once you're to the point of having it nearly closed (see #1), remove the wrap from the side of your closed hand, the right side, in my case. Loosely fold the wrap onto itself a few times, like you're folding a towel. Then, reapply it to your right hand and mash the bolt down the last 1/4" or so. As is the case with tip#1, you lose a tiny bit of stability, so be careful, but this will allow you the room needed to finish the bend.

Tip#2 seems to be the thing I forgot to do when going for a speed PR. For example, I took a 1/4" x 5-1/2" G8 DO and had it almost done in 35-45 seconds, but I strained for another 2 minutes to try to get the last 1/4", and didn't get it until I removed the right-side wrap and reapplied it. Same thing with my 1/4" x 5" G8 DO... it took me a good 2-3 minutes to get it crushed down pretty good, but I strained for another minute with no progress until I removed the right-side wrap and reapplied it, getting the final 1/4" or so within another minute.

Best of luck to you.

Edited December 20, 2006 by Brad Manion