Testing 1-2-3

[bencrush]

After almost 3 weeks of no DO bending, except for 2 easy (Grade 8 and Grade 5) DO bends for bending clients, I did a bit of DO bending again today. Wanted to test myself and see how much I've lost. Haven't lost much strength yet, but it's only been 3 weeks. I'd guess in another month or so it'll be pretty noticeable. I'm okay with that now and have made peace with myself. But I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good to hammer down some steel again!

What really started it was a very dismal DU and Reverse bending workout yesterday and then again today. I was determined to have a good bending workout one way or another. So the next logical step was to revert to DO for a few semi hard bends.

I even warmed up so that it wouldn't be a complete shock to my system. It was very evident how quickly the palms "soften" when they're not called upon to crushdown hard steel. I haven't been training my crushdown of course since I've only been DU and Reverse bending this month. And it showed too. It didn't completely let me down but I was noticeably weaker on that for most of my bends.

Did a 6" Grade 5 after the Hard 60D Nail for a warmup. Then went right to a Red Nail. Smoked that. Not a surprise since it hasn't been that long. Figured the real test would come with the Huge or Grand.

But then I set my sights higher because Matt Cannon joined my webcam conference. So I tried a Mag in Ironmind Pads. Nothing. Zero. Gave it my all. Kind of embarrassing since I invited him to watch. Thanks for not laughing Matt.

Well that failure sobered me up and I switched to leather pads. Eureka! Took down the Mag in 1 minute and 46 seconds with Matt looking on. Then a few minutes later took down a 5" old Red Nail, that was actually for a client-sorry I'll get you some more buddy, in 57 seconds, again with Matt watching. I think I was just getting warmed up but at that point I had to leave which sucked. Thanks again Matt for the encouragement. Always helps man.

After a while I got back on and this time it was Liam that joined up and guess what happened...you guessed it. I asked him if he would like to see a Mag bent "live" on video. Answer was a resounding yes. We chatted a bit and I got fired up thinking of how far along I'd be if I started where Liam is at already strength-wise, and then knowing that he'll be climbing the list himself soon was enough to want to give him a goal to shoot for.

So I wrapped another Mag and smoked it in 27 seconds! That's actually faster than any I bent before the retirement. Thought what the hell and went out to the garage and cut an old Red Nail to 4.5" and rested to give it a shot. Well that one stopped me cold at 47 degrees. Couldn't fight my way through it at that point. The Mags had finally caught up to me. Thanks Liam. It was good chatting with you man.

And now my palms hurt because they've already become deconditioned to the crushdown phase of the bend. The body is such a wonderful machine. Things like this really bring it home.

I'm not coming out of retirement but this sure was a good day for DO bending. Props again to Matt and Liam for cheering me on and their patience with me while I either answered my phone or checked on my rowdy animals in between a few bends.

Considering "testing" (some might call it training but at that frequency I sure don't) myself once every 4 weeks or so just to chart the downward decline I guess. Use myself as a Bending Guinea Pig and see how much the Reverse and DU bending stave off the Deconditioning Juggernaut. Then hopefully put it in chart form in a year or 18 months just as some more info for those benders wanting to try out other things. You can never have too much information.

[acorn]

Nice job Ben! Beast!

- Aaron

[Alawadhi]

The Mag in 27 seconds???!!! Thats magnificent bent Ben

[bencrush]

Nice job Ben! Beast!

- Aaron

Thanks Aaron! But on my "beast" days I feel like you'd walk right through my best bends for your warmups. Another thing I noticed is that my short bending felt fine but the 7" stuff (Red Nail) was awkward already. I still have good flexibility but I had to really focus on keeping it high. It used to be that it just went there of its own accord once I got the form down and my flexibility issues resolved.

Just went out to the garage to test something out. Bent a 5/16"X7" CRS but deliberately kept it from rising above nipple level. Wasn't too bad either. It almost felt like a decline bench makes my shoulders feel. Unless Jedd has changed his bending style, that's about where he keeps his bar the entire time. Wow, try it guys if you haven't already. It takes a LOT more strength that way. Props again Jedd.

[bencrush]

The Mag in 27 seconds???!!! Thats magnificent bent Ben

Thanks Alawadhi. There are guys here who could do that in their sleep. No kidding. But I was pretty pleased with it. I feel like a hippo when I mentally compare myself to Gator's explosive bends. And Eli. And pretty much every other big bender.

[acorn]

Nice job Ben! Beast!

- Aaron

Thanks Aaron! But on my "beast" days I feel like you'd walk right through my best bends for your warmups. Another thing I noticed is that my short bending felt fine but the 7" stuff (Red Nail) was awkward already. I still have good flexibility but I had to really focus on keeping it high. It used to be that it just went there of its own accord once I got the form down and my flexibility issues resolved.

Just went out to the garage to test something out. Bent a 5/16"X7" CRS but deliberately kept it from rising above nipple level. Wasn't too bad either. It almost felt like a decline bench makes my shoulders feel. Unless Jedd has changed his bending style, that's about where he keeps his bar the entire time. Wow, try it guys if you haven't already. It takes a LOT more strength that way. Props again Jedd.

Ben, although I appreciate the kudos I think your crazy. IMHO on your beast days I don't think I could keep up with you. I need more training time while your doing reverse and DU to get strong enough to keep up

- Aaron

[jad]

It's not too late Ben, this post shows there is still some good in you, come back from the dark side

[liam.mccaffrey]

thanks for that ben, really enjoyed watching the mag go down in 27. Its got me so fired up its unreal

I was going to put a post up saying i saw "someone" smoke a mag in 27 seconds live but you beat me to it. It was a pleasure to watch mate

hopefully soon you can watch me mash something respectable on camera

[pdfk20]

Brilliant bending session ben, i especially like the 5" red nail, thats awesome!

[Booyah!!!]

On your declining side, your bends are still just a twinkle in my eyes. Great bends Ben!!!

[Cannon]

This was great to watch. Ben freakin U-N-L-O-A-D-E-D on the Mag in IM pads and it didn't move. Maybe a testament to the level of this bar. I think there is more BALLS in trying a Mag in IM pads than shame because it didn't go down.

The follow-up bends in leather were quick, clean, and looked powerful. "Retirement" my ass. I look forward to your PRs next week!

[climber511]

It will be interesting to follow Ben's decline over time. I believe his strength and technique will decline much more slowly than you think if he continues to train in other ways and does not suffer an overall decline in strength or fitness. My guess is that the flexibility to assume proper positions will go first, followed by the ability to "explode" into the bars, then the crush down and lastly the kinking ability - even with somewhat compromised positions. We'll see how close I come in the coming months as we track Ben's workouts. This is just based on what happened to me when I quit bending and went to Olympic lifting for a few months.

[JoeGrip]

I bet youll have it in you for a while Ben!

[gazza]

Nicework Ben i think the tendon strength will be retained for a while and maybe even with a few days technique priming you might be back at the top.

I am gonna do a similar experiment soon i am just going to do ISOS nothing else not even DU or Reverse just ISOS on springs and various bars i will try it for 1mth at 1st then i might do a 3monther.

And oh by the way Ben when you posted about you quitting DO style you mentioned underwater bending in a tonque in cheek sought of way well last week i tried that at my local swimming baths and might even be arrangeing an underwater bending bendathon for charity were i only come up for air inbetween bends and to be passed stuff i am in negotiations with my local swimming baths about it i also have a charity bendathon planned under a waterfall which will really test ones spirit maybe even a bunjey jump bend i am looking at broadening my bending abilities and challenges.

EXTREME BENDING sounds good to me

[David Horne]

Gazza,

Some superb ideas there!

David

[gazza]

Ha you wana try bending a bastard bar whilst going down a watershute its very interesting

I have been called a nutcase by my last employers Then the swimming baths manager said to a lifeguard is he a fruitcake but he wasnt laughing when i bent a ? underwater i have an article planned on my trip to the swimming baths.

The manager of the baths was that impressed he is gonna try and get me a day were i have the whole baths facilities just to myself for the day for a charity gig.

[David Horne]

Best story of the year!

[bencrush]

It's not too late Ben, this post shows there is still some good in you, come back from the dark side

LOL Josh. I know what you mean. It'll be sad on one hand to witness the decline and interesting on the other hand to see if I can slow it down with hard work on some other things I've got planned.

My left thumb pad is black and blue today. Haven't had that happen before. I've had a bit of bruising before with some of the harder crushdowns, but never really bruised. It was so swollen this morning (left hand thumb and palm area) that I had a very hard time getting my and through the sleeve of my dress shirt! Felt like the guy from "Mask." Course I'm kind of proud of it and the wife is just baffled by that...hahahaha!

[bencrush]

thanks for that ben, really enjoyed watching the mag go down in 27. Its got me so fired up its unreal

I was going to put a post up saying i saw "someone" smoke a mag in 27 seconds live but you beat me to it. It was a pleasure to watch mate

hopefully soon you can watch me mash something respectable on camera

You're very welcome Liam. It's always nice to have someone watching who knows exactly what bending is all about. That makes all the difference in the world. You'll be killing the big steel soon because you're already starting at a level far above what most of us did. Plus you've got the motivation to take it to the limit. So bang it out of the park.

[bencrush]

Brilliant bending session ben, i especially like the 5" red nail, thats awesome!

Thanks a lot Pete. You'll be here with me in a few more months the way you're progressing with that DU! I still marvel over the vbar lifting that you did at my house back in December by the way. I knew right then that you'd be a good bender. Not that vbar has any kind of carryover to bending. It's just the fact that you kept pushing the limit and didn't care if skin or bones were compromised in the process. Hell yeah!

The 5" Red Nail was an old one, so not like the mutant batches that are coming out of IM these days.

[bencrush]

On your declining side, your bends are still just a twinkle in my eyes. Great bends Ben!!!

That means a lot Booyah! You ask my wife what video I've shaken my head over almost as much as Gazza's monster bends or Gator's super explosive nuclear bomb bends and she'll tell you it's your 5.5" Red in Ironmind Pads. I saved it to my desktop and used to watch is so many times she was convinced that you'd eventually have to have a restraining order put on me. That was a big time world class bend and still is.

Now I get to shake my head and study your Reverse and DU videos as well. You might look into that restraining order after all.

[bencrush]

This was great to watch. Ben freakin U-N-L-O-A-D-E-D on the Mag in IM pads and it didn't move. Maybe a testament to the level of this bar. I think there is more BALLS in trying a Mag in IM pads than shame because it didn't go down.

The follow-up bends in leather were quick, clean, and looked powerful. "Retirement" my ass. I look forward to your PRs next week!

Hahaha! Brilliantly said Matt. If I were you I might have laughed my ass off though when I failed on the Mag. But you didn't, and that's pure class. It was not a good omen when I was unable to kink the Mag though with the IMP. I thought maybe I wouldn't even be able to kink it with the leather then...because not too long ago I took an Insane past 45 in IMP. I'm not planning for this to be some kind of Michael Jordan retirement special.

[bencrush]

It will be interesting to follow Ben's decline over time. I believe his strength and technique will decline much more slowly than you think if he continues to train in other ways and does not suffer an overall decline in strength or fitness. My guess is that the flexibility to assume proper positions will go first, followed by the ability to "explode" into the bars, then the crush down and lastly the kinking ability - even with somewhat compromised positions. We'll see how close I come in the coming months as we track Ben's workouts. This is just based on what happened to me when I quit bending and went to Olympic lifting for a few months.

Good thoughts Chris. I think you're exactly right and it'll probably progress (or regress) just like that. I don't think there's any way to actually keep the same level of DO ability without actually bending bars. As much as I've said I'll miss it, I think I'm finally adjusted and okay with the fact that I'm going to get weaker on it. I temper that with the knowledge that hopefully I'll be getting stronger on DU and Reverse and maybe pinching. That might help ease the pain a little.

I fully expect to be able to bend a Bastard in a year, even with the complete absence of DO bending. That is if I continue training the other facets of grip. Time will tell. And it will be a neat story.

[bencrush]

Nicework Ben i think the tendon strength will be retained for a while and maybe even with a few days technique priming you might be back at the top.

I am gonna do a similar experiment soon i am just going to do ISOS nothing else not even DU or Reverse just ISOS on springs and various bars i will try it for 1mth at 1st then i might do a 3monther.

And oh by the way Ben when you posted about you quitting DO style you mentioned underwater bending in a tonque in cheek sought of way well last week i tried that at my local swimming baths and might even be arrangeing an underwater bending bendathon for charity were i only come up for air inbetween bends and to be passed stuff i am in negotiations with my local swimming baths about it i also have a charity bendathon planned under a waterfall which will really test ones spirit maybe even a bunjey jump bend i am looking at broadening my bending abilities and challenges.

EXTREME BENDING sounds good to me

Thanks Gazza! Those are some great ideas too! I was relatively serious about wanting to try the underwater bending though.

Definitely looking forward to hearing how your ISO experiment works out! That should be wicked.

Here's another eccentric bending idea: A 5K Bending Walk/Run. Each contestant would have a "helper" that would run or walk beside them. The helper would have leather pads that are already rubber banded and set up for whatever diameter CRS the contestant has chosen. When the starting gun goes off, the contestant and the helper each start jogging towards the finish. The helper's job is to hand the loaded (with the CRS bar) pads to the contestant. The contestant then either bends the steel while still jogging, or slows to a walk. There is no stopping allowed during the entire 5K race. A judge would also accompany each pair along the entire course.

There would be a method of scoring in place that would not allow for a guy to bend 1 Bastard to win even if he ran a 15 minute 5K. Same thing for a guy who bends 50 Bastards but finishes in 90 minutes.

[Tim71]

Ben,

I'll predict that you won't lose near as much as you think. Look at how quickly Arnold Schwartzenegger got back in shape for the last Terminator movie? Yet you could've trained some other almost 60 year old guy 10 times as hard and he'd never looked like that or been as strong. The body I believe has a way of remembering what it is and was.

I think you could sit on your but and eat pork rinds and watch TV for a year and still bend a bastard. Then with very little training rocket back up to where you once was. I bet what would get you more than anything is not having the calouses and having to rest because you wasn't used to it.

I can say for myself once I gain something I dont lose much of it very quick. My first bending love was long bars and it took me a couple months of hard ISO work and lifting specific styles to be able to bend a 3/4 inch bar. The it was a few weeks later before I could do the second one. Now I haven't been bending long bars much lately and haven't done the big 3/4 in probably 6 months but I'd bet the farm I could do it as easy if not easier now. Somehow you can just feel it and you know. Like you said the body is a wonderful creation capable of so much.

I bet if you do just a few decently hard DO bends a month you'll lose almost nothing. But, I'm no docter or trainer and I'm no expert.

Tim