How To Set Up A Bending Program

[Mark]

I really can not afford to get one of the grip books for steel bending. I know the technique no problem. I just don't know how to set up a routine. I know what wroked for me. Plate pinches, wrist curls, sledge leveraging, and bending 3x a week.

But how often should you bend, how much steel should you bend a day, etc. I think I was overdoing it before. What steel should I bend to get back to bending my blue nails again right now only kinks.

[luuc]

I know what wroked for me

That's all you need to know to set up a programm, there are no rules about the amounts or frequency's.

If you were overdoing it before, you should do less now.

For some, volume bending works, others only do a few (or one) hard (!!) bends in 1 training.

[ewokhugo]

agree with Luuc!

for me the key its to bend with passion trying to beat one P.B every bending session(PAul Knight ,and Boyaah did the same in the beggining)

I know this sounds crazy but it works for me maybe it can work for u.

2/3 days a week trying all the 3 most "important" styles.

[Benedikt Farsmann]

http://www.dieselcrew.com/ There is a good article from Greg Amidon and Steve Morton about unbraced bending including two routines.

[bencrush]

I wrote a beginning bender's article a while back for the Crew. Not sure if it's still on their site or not. Some have had success with it.

[bencrush]

Found it Mark - if you're interested: http://strength-oldschool.com/forum/index.php?topic=688.0

[yohechris]

That looks like a great program.

I've been bending for a little while now but I'm totally haphazard about how I approach it and I need a program. I had looked for yours before but couldn't find it, I think it was off the Diesel site for a while. Anyway thanks a lot for posting the link I am going to give it a go. I'll let you know how it goes.

[ewokhugo]

Ben,

the program u gave me helped a lot !

not only because the iso's training but also because the great advice toward : how to wrap etc ... i almost bend the shiny other day (actually 4"-4/12" from it but i run out of gas)and this with 2.5 months of training. thanks.

[Benedikt Farsmann]

http://www.dieselcrew.com/ There is a good article from Greg Amidon and Steve Morton about unbraced bending including two routines.

The link wont work for me, but dont you mean Dave Morton?

Of course.... silly me

Found it Mark - if you're interested: http://strength-oldschool.com/forum/index.php?topic=688.0

Thanks Ben! I couldn't find it.

[Mark]

I am going to start Ben's Program in a few weeks after I get enough money to get all the steel I will need. I have tons of blue nails and red nails so tons of 1/4 CRS and tons of 5/16 CRS but I need the other nails.

I will use a wrist specialization program until I can afford all the nails.

[bencrush]

Glad you like it guys! Mark, you can substitute other steel if you need to. My examples were just that - examples that people could use to design their own program.

[gazza]

Ben,

the program u gave me helped a lot !

not only because the iso's training but also because the great advice toward : how to wrap etc ... i almost bend the shiny other day (actually 4"-4/12" from it but i run out of gas)and this with 2.5 months of training. thanks.

BEN is second to none at bending regardless of the wrapping used hes also probably bent more steel than most so knows his stuff there and any advice he gives out will be worth useing.

What stops most on the stainless[shinys] is the 90degrees to the crush but mostly the crush.

When i 1st started bending shinys i quickly realised that this was the stuff that i needed to train on alot more and that working with this more than other steel would make me a better stronger bender.

Once my 1st shiny went down under the 5mins and i was kinkinking the big and huge shiny but could not finish them i quickly realised that i was running out of steam/endurance/strength on the second half of the bend so by the time i hit the crush zone i was wasted and thats were the stainless is at its strongest so i thought why am i trying to finish a shiny in its hardest range when i am spent this not only invited injury but was also demoralising.

So i decided to train it the opposite way round i would cheat kink shinys to 2 1/4 2 1/2 2 3/4 and 3inch then i started carrying these around with some crush pads and would just throughout the day hit on these i also started incorporating isos into my bending more seriously i would carry aroung 2 pieces of plastic rod one cut to 7.5inches the other cut to 8inches these were my straight iso pices i decided that i was going to work the beginning/kink and the end/crush of the bend.

I soon was crushing down these pieces to under the 2inch mark and once i got to were i was crushing down huge shinys under 2inches despite at the time i was not able to complete a full one but i was crushing them from 3inches to under 2inches i new in my mind it was only a matter of time and that the crush was my strong piont and the kink my weak piont.

I started to do more work on the kink what i did was i got hold of various springs to push against i figured that a good/strong spring will always push back this would be great for isos as you can feel yourself exerting pressure more than against a straight bar,so i used the springs more often.

The other thing i did was i got hold of some weaker 304 grade stainless it was about 10-12percent weaker than my 303 stock and what i did was infront of a mirror i would get set in the high DO style and in one hit try and see how much i could bend the 7inch 304 shiny i was soon putting a 50-60degree kink in these with one hit so i cut them down to 6.5inches and worked on the one hit again till i could put a 50degree kink in those then i swopped over to the 7inch 303 and started on that.

I soon realised that working the kink and the crush that if i got a good 50-60degree kink in the bar then i would have enough gas to finish it and thats the way ive worked ever since just doing the same with shorter or thicker stock.

Once i was killing 5/16 and 8mms stainless 304 and 303 at short lengths around the MAG i started working with 9mms stainless on the crush and once i was putting a hurt on this in both the crush and kink i new it would only be time before a 3/8inch shiny fell.

Then i was sent some 10mms stainless from DUNKSTER on the gboard so i started useing 11mms as isos pieces and also prekinked,ive always used a harder or shorter or both pieces of steel to conquer the piece im after.

The MIND 2 me is the most important ellement so when i am after say a KOASB and i am moving a 10-11mms piece in the kink and crush zones i already no in my mind that im gonna be able to defeat the KOASB because im training and moving stuff thats harder this is the way that ive always trained with the stainless especially.

When i was after the 6inch edgins i was useing big g8s,when i was after the 6inch big g8 i was useing a couple of the 3/8inch g5s as well as cut big g8s and a couple of 5/16inch F911 bolts so again i was useing the next hardest or a shorter piece or a combination of both to defeat the target piece.

Nothing has changed there is always bigger or shorter steel get ya head right and get 2 it?

[ewokhugo]

i only read this today Gazza ... thanks for sharing! really good info here!!!)) THANKS.

[David_wigren]

Read it first now aswell. Great info!