EJ Livesey Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) I've had to learn a lot of stuff the hard way. Finding my niche with bending was one of them. From these items and the loosely followed train routine I made decent gains. So let's start with the items: 1: tuf foot- used to toughen k-9 foot pads. However it works the same on humans and will not cause a rash or allergic reaction. It will allow you to form callouses faster and thicker. 2: skin glue or nue-skin: it's a weaker version of super glue and has the same antibiotic properties. We will all get skin tears and splits eventually. 3: vitamin K: it will help get clean blood in and dirty blood out, heal bruises faster. It is not a heavy metal and is soluble in water. So taking a little too much won't make you sick. 4: some kind of oil: flaxseed, olive oil etc. this will help your skin keep it's elasticity and may lessen skin/ knuckle splits. I take a teaspoon of olive oil a day. 5: steel, wraps and chalk: goes without saying. 6: yellow tiger balm: stuff is amazing. Really helps beat and worn muscles Routines..... Some benders can just do it. Plain and simple. Others have to focus, like me. 1: have separate bending days: bending is like lifting. Most guys train separate muscle groups while lifting. So one day do kinks and sweeps, put steel down. Next day do crush work. You give your CNS, muscle groups and mind a break. For me I lift 3 days a week. The other 3 I practice bending or do isos with steel bend to different degrees. I have 35lbs of steel that needs to be crushed and over 50lbs of steel that needs to be kinked and swept. 2: volume: this isn't for everyone. When I was able to bend shinies, that's all I bent. Maybe 5-10 every other day. When I was able to bend edgins that's what I bent. The key to this is muscle memory, endurance, hand toughness and mental toughness. These things will help you push yourself to a new PR and let you fight until you're there. 3: expectations: keep them realistic and set little goals. This way you are constantly progressing and keeping the mental edge. The mental edge is the most important aspect of bending. Remember every bender had been where you are; The frustration, the pain, the need and desire for that next bend. 4: listen: listen to your body. It tells you to stop, stop. There is a huge difference between nagging constant pain and pain from bending and the pressure it causes. Do not do what I did. Don't push through the pain and don't bend in a cast or with fractures. I'm sure I'll have more later. But it's late and I'm at work. If this helps one person it was worth me writing this. Edited April 25, 2014 by EJ Livesey 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshW Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Good solid advice! I definitely need to change my routine with bending, swapping between reverse and crush down to kinks and just sweeps as I think that's what I need most and will benefit from most! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh O'Dell Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Very good info for the beginner and seasoned bender. Thanks EJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 All excellent advice. If I may throw a couple things in here. Experiment with wraps. My first leather was a joke. Didn't know what to buy and it's literally like some super thin leather that was really slick. Ran across those old wraps the other day and it blew me away that I made any progress with them. I wish I'd have started with ironmind pads quite honestly. Take the time to get a tight wrap. In my first year or so of unbraced bending, I just loosely wrapped the steel and didn't realize how important, and much safer, a tight wrap is. Chalk. First time I used a little chalk, I wondered where this had been all my life. You don't realize how much sweat and body oils leather soaks up over time and you lose a lot of power to the slickness that you don't even realize is there until you use a little chalk. If you can meet up with an experienced bender, it will save you lots of time and trouble. I had to experiment on my own but if I had been able to try someone else's wraps, I would've known right away that mine were trash. Plus the technique advice would be priceless. Don't get discouraged. I'm bending some decent steel now but I remember getting stuck and frustrated with a certain tough Mazel 60d. Seems like it took forever to get that nail due to the above circumstances. But when I finally got it, I got the G5 either the same session or really soon after. On that note, it's helpful and fun to go back and read some of the old posts. It may not look like it now, but there are quite a few old threads where we discuss some tough 60ds and such. Go back from there and there are some surprising people that had topic titles like "chasing the blue nail". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Well - this explains a lot . I did just about all of this stuff wrong when I started - I wish someone had posted all this way back when. About the only thing I might add is that chalk is not all created equal (and this goes for everything we all do with chalk). Different chalks have different characteristics - someplace on here I wrote something up on this that might be worthwhile for one of you better search engine guys to find. Thanks EJ and Tim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acorn Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Excellent tips EJ and Tim. When I started bending a few years back it seems like DO style was still fairly new and most of the technique and training ideas for bending that are common knowledge now were not then or were not even thought of yet. We had to figure things out as we went and that always takes longer and limits potential progress. Thanks for sharing these with the community. - Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickr104 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Good stuff guys!! When I started bending shoes back in 2006 2007 we had no how to info like now. I learned from watching video of Pat and Dennis. We are lucky to to have all this great info available to us now adays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Yorick Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 That's pretty useful information. Thanks EJ and Tim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Cashman Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Excellent advice and tips! Thanks for sharing. Bending has come a long way in a short time. The resources and exchange of good information has accelerated the learning curve. What helped me in the beginning was posting videos. The feedback and help I got from doing this was priceless. It improved my bending tremendously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 Since Tim brought up wraps, I'd like to touch on them. ( good info btw, I see this thread will have tons of helpful info in it.) Here is my theory and what I took away from IMPs vs Suede vs doubles. They all have their place in bending. A tight wrap is in fact paramount. Use a blob or pony clamp to clamp an edge to get that tight wrap. With leather and suede listen for the "squeak" of the leather and chalk against the steel. This ensures the tight wrap. With IMPs over lap the wrap to get it tight. My personal feelings on wraps is this. Less is more. I have always bent in IMPs or something close. I like the pain and the feeling of the steel on my skin. Maybe it's sadistic maybe not but it helped me greatly. I spoke earlier of hand toughness, the smaller the wrap the tougher your hand. Plain and simple. Doubles can help and add 50-75lbs to a bend. But what's the point if your hands can't take the pain? Doubles will help you become strong, but again what's the point if you can't drive that power into the steel. What I'm saying is smaller wraps WILL create that base. A base of mental and physical toughness, callouses, technique, tendon and connective tissue strength. After you have this base slap some doubles on and see some HUGE steel die. PLUS, and this is huge you will know your limit with IMPs or something similar. Like I said before this stuff worked for me. I bent a few decent things in about 3 years or so. Things may take others a lifetime or is out of their realm of possibilities to bend. I do agree with Climber. Not all chalk is equal. But I never paid much attention and never relied too heavily on the chalk. This is a huge mental game. YOUR mind can literally make or break you. Keep your mental edge. Don't get discouraged and don't compare yourself to the next guy unless you're competing. Thanks for all the positivity guys. Keep the info and discussion coming. I'll post more thoughts as you bring them up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I agree entirely EJ. I hate when somebody starts out with huge wraps. I started out on the opposite extreme but it helped me build the base. Now, like I said, I wished I'd have took the time to wrap a little tighter but I was totally on my own. Didn't mean to crowd in on EJ's thread. But anybody who remembers me back in 07 to 09 knows that I've always loved helping other people progress. Later guys. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 Didn't mean to crowd in on EJ's thread. But anybody who remembers me back in 07 to 09 knows that I've always loved helping other people progress. Later guys. Dude you're not crowding the thread at all. I appreciate the input. I started this so everyone could collaborate and share what works for them. No two benders are the same. And if a new guy takes a little from me, a little from you, a little from others and bends the red or whatever their goal was- it was worth it. We need to hear what works and what doesn't. We are the test subjects for the new batch of benders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sharkey Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Can somebody start pinning these threads? Alot of the pinned items on here are out of date and totally unnecessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 Can somebody start pinning these threads? Alot of the pinned items on here are out of date and totally unnecessary. Pm wannagrip. On a side note it's your turn to tell us what worked for you. Foods, exercise, vitamins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Some really good tips in this thread. Good job guys. So wrapping imp's in leather will add 50-75lbs to a bend?!?! That is crazy. How is that possible? I'm still waiting a bit to start bending again but have some pieces of leather cut to use to mix things up. One side is unfinished the other is finished leather, so kinda the slippery kind. Will it work? I cut it to 5"x12" I have a lot of drill rod O-1 to try now and some other bars. Not to mention red nails. Should keep me busy for awhile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 Some really good tips in this thread. Good job guys. So wrapping imp's in leather will add 50-75lbs to a bend?!?! That is crazy. How is that possible? I'm still waiting a bit to start bending again but have some pieces of leather cut to use to mix things up. One side is unfinished the other is finished leather, so kinda the slippery kind. Will it work? I cut it to 5"x12" I have a lot of drill rod O-1 to try now and some other bars. Not to mention red nails. Should keep me busy for awhile When I say doubles I mean leathers that are rolled up that are 1.5" in diameter. You will gain leverage. Have you ever put a pipe on a socket wrench or doubled up on box wrenches? It's the same concept. You can gain some by adding suede or thin leather to imps, but honestly I don't think it's worth the effort. With your leather finished and unfinished combo, roll the steel into the unfinished side. This way it "bites" into the leather. Use chalk on your hands that finished leather is slick. I've always roughed it up with sand paper or soaked it in a bucket of tide and water. What diameter O-1 do you have? And have you figured out or gotten the progression list to the red yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 The leather I was referring to was like leather used for women's dress gloves. Loosely wrapped around a 60d, it was about 1/2 inch wrapped. When I finally got some decent wraps though, I could really lay into it and it was like taking leg weights off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Some really good tips in this thread. Good job guys. So wrapping imp's in leather will add 50-75lbs to a bend?!?! That is crazy. How is that possible? I'm still waiting a bit to start bending again but have some pieces of leather cut to use to mix things up. One side is unfinished the other is finished leather, so kinda the slippery kind. Will it work? I cut it to 5"x12" I have a lot of drill rod O-1 to try now and some other bars. Not to mention red nails. Should keep me busy for awhile When I say doubles I mean leathers that are rolled up that are 1.5" in diameter. You will gain leverage. Have you ever put a pipe on a socket wrench or doubled up on box wrenches? It's the same concept. You can gain some by adding suede or thin leather to imps, but honestly I don't think it's worth the effort. With your leather finished and unfinished combo, roll the steel into the unfinished side. This way it "bites" into the leather. Use chalk on your hands that finished leather is slick. I've always roughed it up with sand paper or soaked it in a bucket of tide and water. What diameter O-1 do you have? And have you figured out or gotten the progression list to the red yet? I have I J K L M all cut to 7" but for the heck of it I either had to have nubs left or leave one longer so I have one piece at 7.5 and 1 at 8" for something different. I don't have or have not seen the progression chart, is it somewhere online I can see? Yeah I was figuring to roll the steel in the unfinished side and did think that roughing it up May help. Thanks for confirming that's a good idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sharkey Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 What diameter O-1 do you have? And have you figured out or gotten the progression list to the red yet? Someone might have shared that information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 (edited) In between those letter sizes you have are what I call bridge or gap steel. These are the pieces that are .01 to .1 inches bigger. If you get stuck say going from L to M or M to N or 5/16 to 8mm you can use this steel to get over the plateau. I have a list and I'll post it when I get home on Sunday. Just a few pieces will make a world of difference in your progression. And with the steel being 7.5" and 8" I personally would put that aside and not mess with it. If you want to bend 7" stuff stick with that. Your flexibility, hand placement, angles of your elbows, muscle tension will all change if you keep switching the length up. Some guys can bend whatever they touch, but they are few and far between. Get used to your goal length, then after you build a base experiment with short or long stuff. Edited April 26, 2014 by EJ Livesey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Cool thanks. Yeah sharky gave me the low down on drill rod and what to get. That site he recommended was top notch!! Faster then jimmy johns lol. And even send another receipt in the mail a few days later. I want to try bending again but want to make sure my hands are healed. That all over ache, almost a throbbing, they had after all those red attempts was a new feeling for me and even when it went away it would come back for awhile if I tried to use my hands to much. Like with dumbbells or whatever. They seem like they are pretty healed now though. Is there a way to know for sure? Anyone had that feeling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ Livesey Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 No way to know for sure, but to bend. Your body will adapt or break. That's just how it is. You should maybe see a joint doctor and get those hands x-rayed with an MRI. Sounds like possible arthritis. I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news, but it's better to know for sure. If the doc give a clean bill of health, you're just pushing too hard and your body is pushing back. Build a base with light steel you have no problem killing. Do volume work, by volume I mean 10-20 pieces every other day and bend them from straight to finish. You're looking to build a strong base not progress. After you are strong and pain free then look to progress. Do the kink sweep one day then crush the next method I described. If you are close to red level I would suggest working specifically with "K" drill rod. The average weight is 305lbs. You should have no problem with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSweden Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I love knowlageable guys who share their knowlage like this! That is how the grip community will grow and reach new levels. I hate notshavers who needs a dollar for every letter in the advice they wright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSweden Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Apart from the huge technique-help I got from Mr Wigren I contribute my firt red nail bend to EJ Livesey after getting these two advices: 1. Dont bend over too much when you bend. 2. Hold your hits longer. (sometimes the steel wont bend right away) A few things that really stuck with me after talking to David Wigren about DO bending was: 1. Dont chickenwing, i.e, dont move your elbows downward but rather against eachother. "Imagine that the elbows will touch infront of you". 2. Squeeze the wraps hard, really clamp down on them thru the whole bend. 3. Press the ends of the bar hard into your palm. Do 1,2 and 3 at the same time and the steel will die. But first inhale greatly and hold your breath, like before you deadlift or squat. Also, a tight wrap (like others have pointed out earlier) is crucial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh O'Dell Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Great stuff EJ, I can vouch for the imp singles, it was not till i starting watchin your bends that i decided im gonna bend every thing in doubles. I had no clue i would bend bars like the sexabastard or huge shiny let alone in singles! It really did toughen my hands and mind.. so stick with imp's guys there is no better feeling than knowing you did not cheat your bend in anyway. Sorry i ment bend everything in SINGLES! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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