matthcarl Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 Is that 2- 45 pinch with one or two hands?? Are you kidding? 2 hand. I can't even do 2 25's one handed. Yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilkaz Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Great bending !! Are you going to send off that Big Bastard vid to John Beatty for a cert ? Strong squatting...275 x 8 at the end of that workout, I can only dream about doing that Re: your 1HP...perhaps do negs til failure with the two 25's. Lift a bit off the ground with the aid of the other hand and hold til you are losing grip. They don't have far to fall so hopefully you gym owner won't mind. Or get two 25's for the home (used at Play It Again Sports for example) and practice above an old couch or chair or bench or something to pad the floor. Also you may be able to find 2 10kg plates (22's) .. neilkaz .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crobb1320 Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Is that 2- 45 pinch with one or two hands?? Are you kidding? 2 hand. I can't even do 2 25's one handed. Yet. I thought 2,but if it was one I was gonna say WOW,cuase thats a heck of a pinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 Great bending !! Are you going to send off that Big Bastard vid to John Beatty for a cert ?Strong squatting...275 x 8 at the end of that workout, I can only dream about doing that Re: your 1HP...perhaps do negs til failure with the two 25's. Lift a bit off the ground with the aid of the other hand and hold til you are losing grip. They don't have far to fall so hopefully you gym owner won't mind. Or get two 25's for the home (used at Play It Again Sports for example) and practice above an old couch or chair or bench or something to pad the floor. Also you may be able to find 2 10kg plates (22's) .. neilkaz .. Thanks Neil. I am sending John the vids. Squats are my best lift, for sure. I feel I could up the weight a bit from there, actually. I think my thumb is the weak link for pinching, and I can't figure out any exercises that help a whole lot...any advice? I think I could pinch some narrower 25's, though, if I could find them. These Ivankos seem pretty wide to me, but they still shouldn't be impossible. I'm going to have to start introducing more cardio exercises. I hate it, but I want to lowe rmy bodyfat % by a good margin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilkaz Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Matt for thumb training I suggest going to Home Depot or Lowes and buying 3 spring clamps. Dimensions are the appoximate width of the fully opened clamp part. Get the 1",2", and 3". 3" is really good for very wide pinch and I make it very hard by adding lots of elastics and doing wide partial range negs. Your thumb strength will improve with these 3 clamps and you can work things dynamically or do negs and add elastics to make it harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odin Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 I'd suggest blobs or block weights and a thickbar (or thick DBs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 10, 2008 Author Share Posted February 10, 2008 No serious workouts for today. I did some snow shoveling cross training and I wrapped up a partially bent 5" G8 and have been hitting it for a few isos per Gazza's advice. I also put in an order to Ironmind for some of their pads and red nails. I want to work down to thinner pads and cert on the red nail one of these days, but I know it will take a lot of work. I also ordered a hub device. I hubbed a 45 lb plate the first time I ever tried it, but I haven't been able to practice since then. I want to see how much more I can do and eventually go for the double 45 cert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Mathison Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Seated Calf Raise:6x45, 15x90, 15x115, 15x140 I have huge calves already, so I guess I don't take training them seriously. Im in the same boat. Aint it nice! honestly I think calfs are like forearms mostly genetic. BUT! train them hard and get them really huge!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 Today was decent. This afternoon after work I tore the Saratoga phone book (only 1" or so) lengthwise grip and rip style. It's the first time I've pulled that off. There are a ton of extra phone books at work, so hopefully I'll be able to practice a bit. We also get the Albany book, which is more than twice the size, and I want to work up to that. Then I went off to the gym... Started with 10 minutes on recumbant bike for warmup. Bench: Barx8, 95x8, 115x8, 135x8, 155x8 Incline: Barx8, 65x8, 95x8, 105x8, 115x8 Military: 95x8, 105x4, 95x5 (was getting a little fatigued) Close Grip Bench: Barx8, 65x8, 95x8, 105x8, 115x8 Rope Tri Pulldowns: 70x10, 110x10, 120x10, 130x10 French Press: 45x8, 75x5, 95x1 (last single was kind of a cheat. Just wanted to see where I was with this exercise) 1" Vbar: 90x5 both hands, 135x1 both hands, 180x1 both hands. Failed on 205. I did better on Saturday. Maybe I was too tired today. 2H plate pinch: 2 45'sx3 1H plate pinch: finally got 2 25's. Left was a perfect full lift. I got them up with my right, but dropped them at the top of the lift. This is still a PR and I'm also surprised my left hand is stronger for pinching. It certainly is not with grippers. Just for fun I tried 2 35's one handed, but they were prety much glued to the floor. Weight after workout: 206.6 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 I bought 20 decks of cheap playing cards to practice tearing toay. They are not bicycles, but they are plastic coated. I did 34, I think, and hope to work up to the full deck soon. It's fun. The lady at the dollar store probably thought I was nuts, though. We are supposed to get 8" of snow tonight. Looks like another lovely day of shoveling tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 Did a little bending. Put some hits on the Huge Bastard I kinked last week. Only got it to 45-50 degrees (guessing, no protractor) so I need a lot of work. I also tried a little speed bending with bolts, but a 5" G5 put an end to that. I'm resting the hands until Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 For good measure I got a massive skin tear on my right palm from bending. Never happened before and I'm not sure how much it'll slow me down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 I haven't worked out seriously since Monday. Today I went to the gym, but kept it short. I did some curling and plate pinching, but focused on overhand deadlifts. I got 325 up for a PR, but failed on 345 and 335. I also cleaned and strict pressed a pair of 60 lb dumbbells. I know this isn't much of an achievement for some people, but I was pleased. Today would normally be a bending day for me, but I am still recovering from the skin tear on my palm. Seems like such a stpid thing to get in my way, but no sense complaining. On the bright side, my hands should be really rested when I do get to bend again. The huge is going down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killer-of-steel Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Nice bending man! I'm relatively new also but have a good trainer (bencrush) so it'll be neat to join you guys soon on the top 20 lists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Nice bending man! I'm relatively new also but have a good trainer (bencrush) so it'll be neat to join you guys soon on the top 20 lists. Thanks. You can't ask for a better teacher. I've seen some of Ben's videos and he is a master of steel. As for me...I'm just average around here. I'm not on any top twenty list, and the way things are going I'll bend an Edgin and still not make it. Way to go Adam/Jeremiah/DavidW Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 (edited) Tried some bending this morning, but it was nothing special. I am still working on the huge bastard, and took the prekinked one down to 3.5" and it got stuck again. I tried the 5" square and couldn't even get it to 90 degrees. I have such a hard time with short stuff and need to practice it more. I also did a 5/16x6 G2 to convince myself I could still bend after a couple of failures. This is a new brand for me with just a "J" on the head. I took a picture of it crushed down to show how much easier they are for me than a bastard. G2 Edited February 18, 2008 by The Writer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 Did some grip work at the gym this afternoon. IM Hub device: I just got this and I'm not sure I like how slick it is. I barely lifted 35 lbs with my right hand and couldn't get it up at all lefty. Vbar: miserable. I did 160 each hand and called it a night. My PR is 220. Just not feeling right. Pinching: 2hand holds with 2 45's. Also, I managed a full lift with 2 25's RH for the first time. I've done it with my left before, but tonight my right was stronger. I did a few kb snatches afterward, but all in all nothing felt right. My hands might have still been out of it from bending earlier, but they didn't hrt or anything. Just a lousy workout I guess. The good news is thr skin tear on my hand seems healed and didn't give me any trouble for my maximal effort bends this morning, or anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big nasty Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Tried some bending this morning, but it was nothing special. I am still working on the huge bastard, and took the prekinked one down to 3.5" and it got stuck again. I tried the 5" square and couldn't even get it to 90 degrees. I have such a hard time with short stuff and need to practice it more. I also did a 5/16x6 G2 to convince myself I could still bend after a couple of failures. This is a new brand for me with just a "J" on the head. I took a picture of it crushed down to show how much easier they are for me than a bastard. G2 I fly by the seat of my pant's half the time and I am know expert but you my try backing down to stuff you can just mash and work on your mental game a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Tried some bending this morning, but it was nothing special. I am still working on the huge bastard, and took the prekinked one down to 3.5" and it got stuck again. I tried the 5" square and couldn't even get it to 90 degrees. I have such a hard time with short stuff and need to practice it more. I also did a 5/16x6 G2 to convince myself I could still bend after a couple of failures. This is a new brand for me with just a "J" on the head. I took a picture of it crushed down to show how much easier they are for me than a bastard. G2 I fly by the seat of my pant's half the time and I am know expert but you my try backing down to stuff you can just mash and work on your mental game a little. Yeah, good point. You may say you're no expert, but after your last video you could do a good job masquerading as one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 No serious bending today, but I did want to try my new IM pads. I did a 6" and 5.5" G5. I'll post the video link when it finishes processing. It wasn't nearly as painful as I was expecting. I like the feel of the pads and they hold chalk better than suede. I might try a red nail with them on Saturday if I'm feeling up to it. I also got my huge bastard down to 2 7/8" with isos, but I still cannot crush it completely. Somewhere between 6.5 and 6" I hit a serious wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 I had to go in to work and shovel snow yet again. I don't mind it too much, but it does take away from some of my workouts. I did a little "shovel levering" and some weaver stick type moves while I was out there. Sure, it doesn't weigh much, but the handle is long and I have weak wrists anway. Later I tried some bending. Most of my strength was expended on a golden bastard, which I only got to 2.5 inches. Here the Video I cut off a few minutes where I'm still hitting the bar, but it doesn't move significantly. I also tried 1/4x7 square in IM pads...it started along the flat, but it hurt too much and I gave up. I also tried a hex for good measure. It didn't even wobble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alawadhi Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Well done! Where do you rate it? I have a couple on my way already but I can't wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 Well done! Where do you rate it? I have a couple on my way already but I can't wait I didn't think it was a lot harder to kink than a bastard, but the crush down beat me. It is extremely springy. Even more so than a G8 in my opinion. I haven't tried a shiny, but if you've bent those this should be no problem for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Matt, great job getting your first one to 2.5"! The Goldens are worth a place in everyone's training I think. I bought 10 of various lengths and they'll give anyone a workout if you go short enough. I just managed a Mag Golden earlier and taped a slow Grand Golden afterwards. You'll be there soon man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 24, 2008 Author Share Posted February 24, 2008 Matt, great job getting your first one to 2.5"! The Goldens are worth a place in everyone's training I think. I bought 10 of various lengths and they'll give anyone a workout if you go short enough. I just managed a Mag Golden earlier and taped a slow Grand Golden afterwards. You'll be there soon man. Thanks, Ben. I think brass is a little expensive for doing a ton of volume, but it sure is different and fun. Wih any luck I'll get it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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