matthcarl Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Hello everyone, very nice to be here! My name's Joe. I work with Ben (bencrush) and after seeing some of his YT videos I wanted to give bending a try and got hooked right away. He's kind of taken me under his wing-which is cool-and is helping me with bending stuff. I don't have any big PRs yet but that'll come with some time. I'm 6'1" and 225 right now, but a little fat. He says I have good potential so that's all I needed to keep working on it. Double overhand is how I'm doing it right now but that may change. I have crushed a 7" bastard from 3" to 2" a few times now. But my best full bend is only a 6" grade 5. The kinking is my problem on most stuff. I actually started after watching his square leather bend video. I liked the idea of carrying something around with me and doing it on break if I wanted to. That hurts though so I don't do much of it. I bent a green nail and almost got a blue the other day. I don't have much goals just want to get strong. Good to be here. Welcome! No big PR's? Some of us worked a long time to make it to a G5. You strong guys always have something to complain about (*shakes head*). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killer-of-steel Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Welcome! No big PR's? Some of us worked a long time to make it to a G5. You strong guys always have something to complain about (*shakes head*). Sorry if it came off like that. I should have said no big PRs compared to Ben. I have bought quite a bit of steel the past few weeks and he has shown me how to cheat bend it with pipes. I read about you guys doing the grade 5s so I bought a dozen 6" grade 5s of those from a hardware store but they were way too hard. I guess they're the edgers cause he said they're nasty hard. But he cheat bend a few to about 3" between the insides for me to work on. They don't ever move for me is that normal? It's weird because I'm strong at some things naturally and he showed me how to crush bend the steel with those square thick pads that fit in his palms. He said he's not working out much but I watched him crush bend one of the cheat bend 6" edger from a little over 3" to a little tighter than 2" yesterday. That seemed crazy when he did it. I have to be admit that it first I thought it was a trick. Now I don't think so at all. You ought to teaze him about his bowflex workouts because I do. But apparrently they're working for him cause he's still pretty strong I think. Sorry again for the misunderstandings. I thought that grade 5 was the standard level for a beginner. I don't train with Ben except for every once in a while so I don't know a lot yet about the bending but I'm researching stedily. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackstriker Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Hello! My name is Jack and i´m from Sweden. I´m 41 yrs, 6"4', 240 lbs. I havn´t been exersising at all for the last 10 yrs and after this x-mas i was up to 260 lbs. I decided to change so now i´m running 2-3 times/ week. I wanted to do some more and i remembered that i was strong in my hands 20 ysr ago. I wanted something to train my hands and found grippers. I ordered my first Coc #1 and #2 and recived them 2 days ago. I could closed #1 10 times and tried #2 but it was a bit to go. Today 2 days later i have been playing with them and i closed #2 (right hand) I have not tried max yet with the #1. I have been looking for some training instructions for grippers. I found KTA-Program and have ordered it today. I will order coc #3 and start training the KTA-Program as soon as i get my #3. I have been reading a lot here on GripBoard today and it is a nice place. Thanks for all information. Hoping to close #3 soon. Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Welcome! No big PR's? Some of us worked a long time to make it to a G5. You strong guys always have something to complain about (*shakes head*). Sorry if it came off like that. I should have said no big PRs compared to Ben. I have bought quite a bit of steel the past few weeks and he has shown me how to cheat bend it with pipes. I read about you guys doing the grade 5s so I bought a dozen 6" grade 5s of those from a hardware store but they were way too hard. I guess they're the edgers cause he said they're nasty hard. But he cheat bend a few to about 3" between the insides for me to work on. They don't ever move for me is that normal? It's weird because I'm strong at some things naturally and he showed me how to crush bend the steel with those square thick pads that fit in his palms. He said he's not working out much but I watched him crush bend one of the cheat bend 6" edger from a little over 3" to a little tighter than 2" yesterday. That seemed crazy when he did it. I have to be admit that it first I thought it was a trick. Now I don't think so at all. You ought to teaze him about his bowflex workouts because I do. But apparrently they're working for him cause he's still pretty strong I think. Sorry again for the misunderstandings. I thought that grade 5 was the standard level for a beginner. I don't train with Ben except for every once in a while so I don't know a lot yet about the bending but I'm researching stedily. Thank you. I'm just kidding around. I guess the Internet doesn't get my dry humor across. But seriously, while some are faster than others I wouldn't consider a G5 a beginner's bend. I went up through White nails, 3/16" square, 1/4" round, and 60d's before I got to the G5. And was stuck there for a long time before I got 1/4 square, 5/16 G2's and bastards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hello everyone, very nice to be here! My name's Joe. I work with Ben (bencrush) and after seeing some of his YT videos I wanted to give bending a try and got hooked right away. He's kind of taken me under his wing-which is cool-and is helping me with bending stuff. I don't have any big PRs yet but that'll come with some time. I'm 6'1" and 225 right now, but a little fat. He says I have good potential so that's all I needed to keep working on it. Double overhand is how I'm doing it right now but that may change. I have crushed a 7" bastard from 3" to 2" a few times now. But my best full bend is only a 6" grade 5. The kinking is my problem on most stuff. I actually started after watching his square leather bend video. I liked the idea of carrying something around with me and doing it on break if I wanted to. That hurts though so I don't do much of it. I bent a green nail and almost got a blue the other day. I don't have much goals just want to get strong. Good to be here. Good to see you here Joe! I just got word that he took my advice on how to dial in his form a lot quicker and got some big PR bends in about 30 minutes ago. He's on vacation for a week so I'll list them and he can comment on what he did when he gets back. 6" G8, 5.5" G8, 1/4"X6" Square (failed on 7" square?), fail on 7" Bastard, Big Bastard, Grand Bastard to 2.25", Mag to 70 degrees, Insane to 27 degrees!, Shiny to 3" (probably getting tired, haha!), and a prekinked Hex from 25 degrees to under 2". Great job man!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alawadhi Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Just wow man And he just started bending???!!! He only needs to get better at 7" and he will kill every steel he touch Congrats Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Just wow man And he just started bending???!!! He only needs to get better at 7" and he will kill every steel he touch Congrats Joe. Yeah, he just started around the first of the year actually. And has been half heated in it until a few weeks ago when he realized he had some potential. I've also been using him as a bending guinea pig and wow it's neat. His palms are already starting to look like mine. The crush pads are almost "burned" into the flesh of the palms. No joke, ask Jason and Scott, it's pretty visible in my palms still. Lots of crush pad work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redmaster Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Hello everyone. I have used to powerlift but had a layoff of about 10yrs. I have gotten back into throwing the iron around about 4 months ago and I am determined to build my grip strength as well. The only formal grip training that I currently do is not using straps on my deadlifts, shrugs, and chins. I know that what I am doing now is not sufficient to build the hand strength I want and it limits my lifts. I can pop off 6 reps with 415 deadlifting but the reason I have to stop is not because of my back but because my grip gives out. I thought that refusing to use straps would work but it has not. I will be ordering my grippers this week and look forward to getting some guidance from you seasoned crushers. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John4cars Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Hello everyone. I joined this site a couple of weeks ago and just wanted to introduce myself. My name John and I stumbled upon this site when searching on how to strengthen my wrist and have since read as many posts as I could possibly do in my free time. I took peoples advice and purchased the book Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield and have read it twice already, nice quick read. I have since purchased a couple of items from Iron Minds. I have an issue with the bones in my left wrist that has hindered me for the last 4 years or so. It has gotten better but I wanted to take control of things and rehab the crud out of it. I have had 5 shoulder surgeries as well, 3 on one and 2 on the other. But my recent rehab lead to drastic improvements that allowed me to work out again for the first time in 10 years. I am taking things slow as to not injure my left wrist. Some of the items I have purchased are the Extensor Bands from Iron Minds, the 2 1/2 inch dumbbells, and a COC trainer and some dumbbells to cut off for block weights. Seeing how strong some of the people are on this board I am truly impressed. With my left wrist being so far behind the right I'm not sure I will ever be able to bend a nail or tear a phonebook. But what I would like to do is strengthen each and every aspect of my wrist and forearm from my elbow down. It seems like most have mentioned what their hand size, weight, height, area etc. So I guess I will too. Height 5 11" Hand: 7 1/2 Weight: 180lb From: KC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big nasty Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Welcome John hope your rehab goes well I blew a wrist Armwrestling a couple year's ago toke 9 month's to heal. I know where your coming from lot's of heat and ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadlifterfromberlin Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Hello everyone, i'm a powerlifter (184cm=6'2/5", somewhere around 125kg). Beeing strong allround is my main goal and my reason for strengthtraining ( and gripping of course!!! ). Read you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florian Kellersmann Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Hello everyone, i'm a powerlifter (184cm=6'2/5", somewhere around 125kg). Beeing strong allround is my main goal and my reason for strengthtraining ( and gripping of course!!! ). Read you soon. Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petski Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Hi ! My name i Peter and i´m from Finland.Just got past my 39:th birthday :ohmy ,have been training with gripppers 3-4 years,but not as my highest priority,there have been several months in betveen when i haven´t touch a gripper .Current best close is coc 2.5(rated 2.5 measured by a member here )and at the finnish forum where i also is a member.A few day´s ago i got my rb260(rated 2.89) as close as 3-4mm from beeing closed so my goal to get #3 before my 40:th birthday(in 11 ½ month´s) is getting closer . Other things i train is rt and some pinch and then regular gymworkout to keep in shape,in the summer i like to paddle my kayak here in our beautiful archipelago in southern Finland. Well this is a nice board and i´m sure you fellow grippsters can help me reach my goal. (sorry if the writing is not compleatly correct) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscar4883 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Welcome Peter! Good luck with your goals with the 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big nasty Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 You got good start going welcome and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymowat Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Hi Guys, I'm Jerome (but call me Jay), 19, 6', 165(ish)lbs, from London, but studying in Loughborough Uni. I was linked to this website from beastskills.com, which I find very inspiring! My aim is to do a one arm pull up, and I've been working it for about 6 weeks now. I don't expect to get it for another half year or so. I'm a climber, and as grip is a fundamental strength in the sport, I want to improve it. I also want a handshake of steel!! I don't know anything about the sport, In fact I didn't even realise it was a sport until this forum! I find all the facts and figures quite confusing actually! I've got a lot to learn, and am generally thrilled to have found this forum! Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinisternix Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 (edited) Hello everyone! My name is Jesse, and I hail from the Northwestern Chicago Suburbs. I am hopelessly addicted to developing hand strength, and have made it my #1 priority, along with developing my nervous system through Z Health. I would really like to hook up with some like minded individuals in the area to train with. My goals for the next 2 years include the COC#3 and the Red Nail, as well as Dragon Door's Beast Tamer (that's this year's goal). My other strength interests are kettlebells and hand balancing. I am a RKC instructor as of April '07, and an currently studying for the Z Health R-Phase certification which will be completed in April of '08. I am 6'2", 228 lbs and @19% BF (and dropping!) As far as training goes, I have been trying to keep it light and varied to condition my wrists and hands before progressing to any real strength development training, generally 2x per week. I have been able to close the COC#2 consistently for 2 years, and just started bending 5 weeks ago. I can bend 1/4"x7 HRS fairly easily now. 2-3 sets 3x5 reps COC#1 for warm up, 3-5 easy bends,various movements w/Indian clubs 2-3 sets of 3 COC#2, 2-3 sets of 2 w/homemade pinch block w/@ 28 lbs, 2-3 sets of 3-5 8 lb f/r sledge levers w/hand @ 7" from head of hammer(measured and marked), crushdowns w/ COC#3, 10 bends ea (3/16"x5-6") DO,DU,reverse. Finish with 1-3 bends 1/4"x7" DO/DU or both, bottoms up clean and hold w/32 Kg kettlebell, and extensor work(sand bucket). Z drills interspersed throughout. Other grip/nervous system work involves a piece of 3/8" nylon rope under the strings of my bass guitar (ala my best friend Bill "The Buddha" Dickens) and practicing 1/4,1/8,and 1/16 notes at 40BPM while chromatically ascending and descending, plus phrases, chords and scales. Whew! Thanks to everyone for the great forum, and all the great information!!! Edited February 29, 2008 by Jesse_S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big nasty Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 WELCOME! From a fellow addict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deputycox Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Hi all, I'm Dan, and I'm a deputy sheriff in MN. I got started in grip training/functional strength by a co-worker and I've been sporadically plugging along for about 2 years. I've just gotten fully back on the grip wagon now 6 months after being back from Iraq with the MN army National Guard. In any case, I'm on a CoC #1.5, trying for the 2 soon and the 3 down the road. I just got the bag of nails from IM and have been battling the steel addiction since! I can get a white in about 3 seconds, and a green in about 6, most of the time being wasted in transition from OH to crush. I've played with some 1/4" HR plated stuff from Home Depot, but it's a bit beyond me yet (at least un-braced). I haven't tried the yellow yet - trying to get the technique down. My goal is to make the Red Nail roster eventually. Also been working with a sledgehammer (levers and rotations) and kettlebells (16 and 24kg) doing swings, get-ups, snatches, C&Ps, etc, and I'm just getting back into deadlifting after a year layoff. So, that's about it. I'm also deputycox on the DragonDoor forum. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Hi all,I'm Dan, and I'm a deputy sheriff in MN. I got started in grip training/functional strength by a co-worker and I've been sporadically plugging along for about 2 years. I've just gotten fully back on the grip wagon now 6 months after being back from Iraq with the MN army National Guard. In any case, I'm on a CoC #1.5, trying for the 2 soon and the 3 down the road. I just got the bag of nails from IM and have been battling the steel addiction since! I can get a white in about 3 seconds, and a green in about 6, most of the time being wasted in transition from OH to crush. I've played with some 1/4" HR plated stuff from Home Depot, but it's a bit beyond me yet (at least un-braced). I haven't tried the yellow yet - trying to get the technique down. My goal is to make the Red Nail roster eventually. Also been working with a sledgehammer (levers and rotations) and kettlebells (16 and 24kg) doing swings, get-ups, snatches, C&Ps, etc, and I'm just getting back into deadlifting after a year layoff. So, that's about it. I'm also deputycox on the DragonDoor forum. Thanks in advance! Welcome! I'm sure the yellow will fall soon with that kind of speed. I love bending and I'm a confirmed addict. Good luck with all your goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABPL Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Hello everyone, I'm 32, 6'0, 245. I have done a bit of work with Ironmind grippers, getting 2 reps with the #2. Other than that my grip work was primarily from rope work doing tug of war. My goals are to increase my ability with grippers and learn about bending. Looking forward to learning from everyone's training and accomplishments. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingsrule62 Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 (edited) This is Wesley Graybill, Derek's father. I live in Tucson, AZ and train with Aaron, Brandon, John and some others every so often. Some of you may have heard of me, I competed at the Arizona Cactus Grip Showdown and have had some decent accomplishments. I've closed a #2, bent a Big Bastard among other things, lifted 185 on the 2" Vbar, 2HP about 160 among a few other accomplishments. I need to start training seriously and hopefully I'll start a log here soon. I hope to talk to many of you here in the future. P.S. As you can see my name is vikingsrule62 because Derek's is vikingsrule92 for both of our birth years, try not to mix us up Edited March 4, 2008 by vikingsrule62 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odin Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 This is Wesley Graybill, Derek's father. I live in Tucson, AZ and train with Aaron, Brandon, John and some others every so often. Some of you may have heard of me, I competed at the Arizona Cactus Grip Showdown and have had some decent accomplishments. I've closed a #2, bent a Big Bastard among other things, lifted 185 on the 2" Vbar, 2HP about 160 among a few other accomplishments. I need to start training seriously and hopefully I'll start a log here soon. I hope to talk to many of you here in the future.P.S. As you can see my name is vikingsrule62 because Derek's is vikingsrule92 for both of our birth years, try not to mix us up Welcome Wesley! You performed extremely well in your first competition. Look forward to seeing your log. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 This is Wesley Graybill, Derek's father. I live in Tucson, AZ and train with Aaron, Brandon, John and some others every so often. Some of you may have heard of me, I competed at the Arizona Cactus Grip Showdown and have had some decent accomplishments. I've closed a #2, bent a Big Bastard among other things, lifted 185 on the 2" Vbar, 2HP about 160 among a few other accomplishments. I need to start training seriously and hopefully I'll start a log here soon. I hope to talk to many of you here in the future.P.S. As you can see my name is vikingsrule62 because Derek's is vikingsrule92 for both of our birth years, try not to mix us up Welcome! Derek has posted quite a bit about your accomplishments. He himself is quite a source of inspiration for me...having someone that age show me up every day lights a fire under me, if you know what I mean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingsrule92 Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 hey Dad, welcome to the board. Maybe this will inspire you to finally train *cough, cough* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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