bencrush Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Yesterday, 2-26-07, on my 4th attempt on the Insane (different Insane each attempt) Bastard, I put it under 2" with a few seconds remaining on the 5 minute time limit! Thanks right away to Matt Cannon for being on Yahoo Messenger Webcam to cheer me on, even though I had failed 3 other times already. Tried to get John Eaton also but had some computer difficulties. Sorry John! You know I would have loved you to see my possibly final DO bend. Matt can tell you what an ugly fight it was for me. This was not a "domination" of the Insane. Just like my first Magnificent, it was one of those seat-of-the-pants bends where I just managed to get it done in the time limit. I have wanted desperately to accomplish the Insane bend mainly so I could feel that I can take a much needed rest from the constant exertions. I won't go into the full and boring details but the short version is that I'm spending far too much time psyching up and visualizing my DO bending training for it to be healthy. My body is going into full rebellion mode and I think I'm just pushing my genetic envelope a bit too far these days when it comes to the DO frequency I'm putting in and my daily iso work. My blood pressure is climbing upwards rapidly, hand in hand with my increases in difficulty and frequency of hard isos. Not really a surprise if you have ever read about isometric work. Still not a good feeling when I'm used to seeing my BP at less than 120/80 to see it suddenly rise to 140/92 on the days (hours later even) that I've hit the steel hard. Which is every day when I'm healthy. I am the volume king if nothing else. So since I love my wife and my family, I'm saying goodbye to the isos and DO, but will still be bending DU and Reverse with much reduced frequency. The bend was not video taped for several reasons. I have attempted somewhere around 13 Insane Bastards over the past 3 or so months. Some were 7" Bastards that I cut down to 4.5", and a good number of them were the real deal that John Beatty sent me a while back all packaged together. I used one from this little pack today and measured it, wrapped it, and bent it, then measured the final distance between the tips on video. I have filmed a good number of those attempts and thought that this was going to be another one of those days where I just got it to 90 degrees and conked out. Besides, I don't think that I can have someone view my webcam and still record video while on Yahoo Messenger. And I knew I'd need all the visual encouragement I could get to get it under 90 and still keep it moving. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Because I would SURE feel like a dumb piece of crap if I missed out on my only chance so far to certify on the Insane due to the fact that I'm ignorant about the Yahoo Messenger functions. Certifying isn't everything though. I am realizing that. I won't lie and say that I don't want to be on the list, because if I didn't, then I would never mention what I do. Sometimes just knowing for yourself that you have achieved something worthwhile is all you need in the end. Like to thank my normal Grip & Bending Posse for the constant encouragement and good-natured harassment. Travis Mickelberry for super patiently teaching me how to bend DO. It's been about 7 months since my first Red bend. John Eaton is one of few men who can call me the "P" word and not have me frown. Big thanks to you for always keeping me rolling along towards my goals. Acorn for knocking down steel that I never will and still remaining humble through it all. You deserve to be on the Insane list because it wouldn't be a one bend wonder for you. Gazza for the huge amount of encouragement back before I was bending the Red. And for the great crushdown tips that have helped me finish off a 5 and 3/4" Shiny over a day's workout. Franky for the details on the Crush Pads and for sending me the kinked Red. And the great bending advice of course. Eric Milfeld for being a great guy and giving me awesome bending advice and encouragement even when I was at the Blue level...I think it's your turn to smash the Insane, Eric. My online bending clients who are too numerous to count these days. Thanks guys! Hope to see you guys on the bending wagon for many years to come. I'll be popping in all the time just like I do now. And you can bet I'll be missing DO...but there are plenty more STRONG and worthy guys who will take my place and eventually will bump me off the Top 50 List. I'll be cheering them on all the way! The joy of training and achieving some great goals in bending is what has given me much joy this past year. Much of that year has been spent studying, and corresponding with other great benders, learning all I can about the different styles of bending, the different methods of training, tactics, techniques, and other methods of training for getting stronger in this awesome passion of ours. Keep training hard guys! Many thanks to all the benders who have ever graced the board with their presence and knowledge. I have learned from so many that it's impossible to say who has had the biggest influence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankyBoy Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 AWESOME, or should I say insane? Man you can stick with things, four insane Bastard attempts in a row??? I have some of them too but all I do with them is to pull them out of the package, glance at them and put them back again. You evolved to a world class-bender in a really short amount of time. Thats more than impressive. The best news of course it that your shoulder has healed up pretty fast! Thats nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbcx6pmw Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Great job on hitting the Insane Ben, also for knowing when to back off. Sometimes that's the hardest thing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florian Kellersmann Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Awesome news, Ben! Keep up the good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alawadhi Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Great job on the insane. Now reverse and DU the insane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedd Johnson Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 how you sons of guns bend that stuff is beyond me!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dthor Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Congrats. Ben! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Styles Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Wow Ben! We'll have to start calling you Wolverine. That shoulder healed fast! Congratulations on the extreme short bend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 This was an "ugly" fight, but a rush to watch and the steel didn't win this time. Ben didn't mention this, but at one point, he thought he had broken his index finger. Before the bend, Ben talked about fear holding us back. There was none of that during this bend! Just absolute determination to get the job done. Amazing bend, and congratulations again! This further encouraged me to rethink what is possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acorn Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 As I said last night on the phone, a very BIG CONGRATS! I am continually blown away by your tenacity. - Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 First off: CONGRATULATIONS Crazy, especially considering your recent shoulder injury! Second: Did I read this right; you're not going to bend DO at all anymore? I can see turning down the frequency but won't giving it up entirely hamstring you for the contests? Third: Does your fitness site sell those crushdown pads? I knew you sold bending kits but I wasn't sure about the pads. Thanks, Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeGrip Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Good to see you put it away in proper fashion Ben, keepem coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted February 27, 2007 Author Share Posted February 27, 2007 Thanks so much guys. I really didn't mean for this post to sound like some sad "pity me I'm quitting" diatribe. Just laying it all out since there are plenty who have given me much needed advice and there are surely some who will benefit from seeing the signs of an impending catastrophe in themselves. Sure takes the sting out of quitting though to achieve a good bend on the way out! Shoulder has surprised me too with how fast it's healed. I wish I had a time machine and could have tried the Insane the day before I injured myself...I think it would have gone down in half the time. My crush was starting to feel like a strong point. Josh, I will no longer train DO if my willpower can stand that. Just holding back is not an option. You know how it is...I'd rather NOT bend DO than still be able to bend and limit myself to Grade 8s. I'd rather focus on the grippers again since mine have lagged far behind my high point last year, my 2HP is still an obscene load of crap (although it's rising), and I have decided to finally get in better overall body shape. Oh, and John Eaton nearly died from shock when I told him that I'm going to start levering to help my DU and Reverse bending. So I figure at the contest in August I will probably bend DU or Reverse, whichever one is stronger for me that day. Another plus is that I may be able to hit the 300 mark this year on the 2" vbar...I hit 280 on video about a week ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Ben A MASSIVE congrats on the Insane Bastard bend Just as you were starting to get good you go an quit on me Every style of bending when taken to the max increases blood pressure so do the ISIS but its the price one pays for contineously pushing your limits so quitting do but still going after reverse and du styles wont solve your problems mate unless you just intend to bend coathangers in those styles. Do benders except a few have always gotten shit of others its never had the same regonition as Reverse and you also received a fair bit of crap over your wraps i hope these things have not helped you come to this decision of not bending DO anymore. looks like there will only be a few of us flying the DO flag in the future its like everyones deserting the sinking ship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted February 27, 2007 Author Share Posted February 27, 2007 BenA MASSIVE congrats on the Insane Bastard bend Just as you were starting to get good you go an quit on me Every style of bending when taken to the max increases blood pressure so do the ISIS but its the price one pays for contineously pushing your limits so quitting do but still going after reverse and du styles wont solve your problems mate unless you just intend to bend coathangers in those styles. Do benders except a few have always gotten shit of others its never had the same regonition as Reverse and you also received a fair bit of crap over your wraps i hope these things have not helped you come to this decision of not bending DO anymore. looks like there will only be a few of us flying the DO flag in the future its like everyones deserting the sinking ship Thanks a lot Gazza. If it wasn't for your iso tips and suggestions, I'd never have finished it off. As for the BP topic, I will never bend an Insane or even close to it DU or Reverse. Ever. So the chances of the other styles of bending raising my BP as much as DO has are very remote. You also know that I'm a huge DO fan. I am not disparaging DO bending! It is not necessarily the DO bending itself that has caused the increase in my BP, but rather the intensity and isos mixed with my insatiable need for constant high volume training. So I'm not declaring that DO is the devil. It's my favorite and always will be. As for getting shit for my wraps and anything else anyone wants to comment on, that's no problem with me. I am confident and quite happy with my achievements. I know I haven't changed the world in any appreciable way, but I've had one hell of a time training and getting stronger. All that just rolls off my back lately. I wouldn't lose any sleep if there were people who openly disbelieved my Insane (or any other) bend. I'm not here to prove people wrong, I'm here to prove myself against the steel. I always figure that if people have a big problem with how I do things, then all they need to do is get organized and beat me at my own game, right? Get 12 friends and teach them DO with super fat pads (although with a Grand Hex bend & Insane to 20 degrees in IronMind Pads this argument is officially dead on its feet) and before long they'll all be bending Insane Bastards. And then in a few months when they're really getting the hang of the cheating DO form, they can wipe my name off the list completely. Yes that's very tongue-in-cheek. So in summary Gazza, my drive to bend harder and even shorter steel has dimmed. Nothing wrong with that. Because with my non-bending related injuries lately I'm treading on thin ice bending big steel. I am more than happy to see you continuing to steamroll the bending records. Knock them all down for me! I'll try to use my time wisely and make myself into a stronger overall guy with maybe a chance at a Top 5 placing in another big contest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I will miss your presence in the League of Double Overhanded Benders, Ben. But I respect your right to make decisions that make me sad. Hey, will you still be competing with us in April? Oh, and super awesome bend with the Insane!!! I tried one on the same day and got stuck at 75 degrees. I was afraid something bad might happen to my fingers if I kept trying to make that thing move. Much respect, brother! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verdigriz Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 hey gaz.. when I saw your last bend I thought to myself...is that heartening or non heartening to DO benders? NO disrespect to you for sure...i had a weird feeling after seeing your bend that it may seem too much for DO benders to replicate, and more benders move to DU and reverse cause of it..i dont kniw..just speaking my mind like we all have the right. gazza youve got the best DO short bend in the world! BenA MASSIVE congrats on the Insane Bastard bend Just as you were starting to get good you go an quit on me Every style of bending when taken to the max increases blood pressure so do the ISIS but its the price one pays for contineously pushing your limits so quitting do but still going after reverse and du styles wont solve your problems mate unless you just intend to bend coathangers in those styles. Do benders except a few have always gotten shit of others its never had the same regonition as Reverse and you also received a fair bit of crap over your wraps i hope these things have not helped you come to this decision of not bending DO anymore. looks like there will only be a few of us flying the DO flag in the future its like everyones deserting the sinking ship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alawadhi Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Yesterday, 2-26-07, on my 4th attempt on the Insane (different Insane each attempt) Bastard, I put it under 2" with a few seconds remaining on the 5 minute time limit! One more thing. If you have a witness then you should be certified Ben. Isn't anything below 5" bend has 24 hours limit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamidon Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Congrats on your bend :mosher Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Beatty Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Congrats, Ben! Sick stuff. I've only got an insane to about 20 degrees. You win, brother! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 hey gaz.. when I saw your last bend I thought to myself...is that heartening or non heartening to DO benders? NO disrespect to you for sure...i had a weird feeling after seeing your bend that it may seem too much for DO benders to replicate, and more benders move to DU and reverse cause of it..i dont kniw..just speaking my mind like we all have the right. gazza youve got the best DO short bend in the world! Verdigriz Thanks for the compliment. Alot of us used to feel the same way with pats bends they were at one time way ahead of everyone elses but you can either sit there dreaming and hopeing or train harder and harder till you get there it really is upto the individual how far he wants to take it. I wasnt putting Ben down sorry if it came across that way but i was really disappionted when he said he was quitting DO as i was looking forward to some competition seeing Ben,Aaron,Eric etc bending big steel always makes me want to try and PR. as ive said not wanting to start old shit but DO style in my opinion has always been seen as an infearior bend to DU and REverse and now that alot of the biggest DO benders have gone it seems a sad to me greg,clay and now Ben a very sad day in my eyes. Whats the piont of being at the top of something that hardly anyone is going to partisipate in i thought that some of my DO bends might inspire the masses but it looks like it might now drive them away May as well throw in the towel then with DO style and join the bandwagon and go after Reverse and DU style bends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Gazza, NOOOOOOO! Don't quit the DO style. To me it should just be an issue of which style works best for a person. Why limit youself unless like Ben is getting to injured. I've always said that I bend for the non-benders and people out in the world aren't any more impressed with one style over the other unless maybe you do something in you teeth or something like that. What people do want to see though is bigger and bigger steel. I'm going with whatever style is yielding me the biggest steel and looks legit to the average onlooker. Just my 2 cents! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Beatty Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I don't think people are being driven away, Greg's got a chronic shoulder problen, Clay's focusing on Strongman. Ben's just taking a breather, I'd wager, the KOAB will call him back. As far as DU & Reverse, I'd say it's just gaining popularity. We'll see a big surge with guys trying these forms, then people will settle out into the forms they like the best. As progress seems to come slower in the DU & reverse forms, I'd say the bulk of people will stay with DO. Plus, I'd say when you get so far with DU, as with everything, progress slows & it gets frustrating, so a break to the other forms (now that there are certs) is just a new challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acorn Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I'm not going anywhere. I still gonna use DO as my primary bending technique. At least until I break something. Then there may be a small layoff. - Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booyah!!! Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Congrats Ben!!! Thay is one tough bend!!! Still looking forward to meeting you at the SOHGC2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.