Kc's Bending Log

[KRC]

Progress bending bigger bars has slowed to the point where I need to track type of wraps used, time to completion, etc. to see progress, so this will be my log for bending. I'll also log my bodyweight, kettlebell, conditioning, and other stuff here, too.

I've bent twice a week for the past six months consistently, and just took a two week break. Two main differences from that training to what I have planned for the next 6 months are more volume with medium-hard/working bars, and sticking to the program. Once I was near-bastard territory I got greedy and tried going for it on the second training day almost every session .

So, I copied my programming on one-IMP days exactly for my IMP's/BBW's day, because the one-IMP training has been progressing continuously without any interruption for the entire six months. I'm trying to keep my ego in check by training with a lot more bars in the 75-90% range with minimal wraps, and see what effect that has on testing.

The past two weeks weren't exactly the best for recovery so I expect it to be a bit slow going at first, but I'm looking forward to getting back in the groove.

Best bends from last 6 months:

one-IMP: "J" DR

IMP's no bands: 9/32" DR in under a minute

IMP's: 19/64" in under a minute

BBW's: 9/32" stainless

Doubles: 6" SS Square, "N" DR (to 2 3/4")

Goals are to stick to the program and bend anything harder than the above in each wrap.

[KRC]

1.4.15

Bending - all in one IMP

6x1 @ 5/16" HRS

4x1 @ "I" DR

3 sets of hammer holds

DR times were 3:14, 2:59, 2:24 (PR) and 10:15. Ripped open the skin on my middle knuckle of my middle finger (again) and wrap was super loose on the last one. The whole session was more painful than usual which is to be expected after 3 weeks w/o any one IMP bending. Might do some chest crushes with a gripper or something during my next deload, my hands/palms felt really soft and weak.

Calisthenics

5x1 pushups

5x2 inverted rows

Rowing

16:00 total row time

4:00 medium-hard/3:00 easy intervals

20-22 SPM

2:36.4 avg 500

3096m

Bailed 2 minutes into 3rd interval when back started to feel tweaky. Mobility will need huge improvement, especially after hobbling around w/o good range of motion after tearing two ligaments in my ankle running in November.

RHR @ PWO: 150

RHR @ 2min: 102

RHR @ 10min: 84

Contrast baths after everything.

[vickg]

Good luck on your goals what are some of your favourite exercises for bending?

[KRC]

Good luck on your goals what are some of your favourite exercises for bending?

Thanks. The only non-bending exercise I do is sledgehammer holds in the front, rear and side positions for time. Static, usually 10 seconds for each position over 1-5 sets of increasing intensity.

[KRC]

1.8.15

BW: 225

Bending

6x1 @ 17/64" DR - IMP's

4x1 @ 1/4" SS Square - IMP's no bands

Time for square bends: 3:35, 1:04, :18, :17

The no bands dont really have a training effect on a square bar, but fun nonetheless

Calisthenics

6x2 Inverted rows

6x2 Push Ups

Intentionally skipped rowing--this week was a nightmare at work and i've been pretty sick. Really looking forward to some serious rest this weekend.

[KRC]

1.9.15

Calisthenics

BW Squats: 1x20

KB DL: 1x20 w/53

Rowing

4x500m @ 3:00, 2:45, 2:30, 2:15

Starting everything very, very slowly. Body is super beat up and i'm in a huge caloric deficit.

[KRC]

1.11.15

Rowing

4x500m @ 2:52, 2:37, 2:24.5, 2:07 (5 seconds @ 1:36 pace at the end of last 500)

HRR

PWO - 164

2 min - 116

10 min - 88

(HRR last time was 164, 120, 96)

[KRC]

1.11.15

Bending - all one IMP

5x1 @ 5/16" HRS

3x1 @ "J" Drill Rod

Times for DR bend: 2:53 (PR), 3:33 (beats previous best by 1:25), 6:19

Calisthenics

Push Ups - 7x3

Inverted Rows - 7x3

Rowing

4x500m @ 2:39, 2:36, 2:29, 2:08 (+10s @ 1:37)

HRR 164, 116, 96

[KRC]

1.14.16

Rowing

4x500m @ 2:42, 2:28, 2:24, 2:05 (+15s @ 1:40 pace)

HRR 172, 116, 92

[KRC]

1.16.15

Rowing

4x500m @ 2:29, 2:26, 2:16, 2:05 (+20s @ 1:40)

HRR 164, 116, 88

[bencrush]

Good work here!

[KRC]

Thanks Ben! You're posts and the few bending vids of yours that I've seen have been motivational for me. I'm planning on big things (for me) this year in bending!

1.17.16

Bending - all in IMP's

5x1 @ 17/64 DR

3x1 @ 9/32 DR

Times for 9/32 - 1:34, 2:15, 1:03

I've found one or more, or all, of the following four things to be true:

1. I've been underestimating 9/32 DR for the last 7 months

2. I have a harder than normal batch of 9/32

3. I've been overestimating 1/4 Square

4. I have an easier than normal batch of 1/4 square

I can finish 1/4 SS Square in less about 15 seconds, but don't recall ever having bent 9/32 in less than a minute (but regularly bent 19/64 DR in under a minute in the same pads lsat fall).

Calisthenics

Push Ups - 6x4

Inverted Rows - 8x3

No rowing as planned - back is feeling tweaky.

Off altogether tomorrow, and UFC at the garden tomorrow night - that was my GF's birthday present request!!

[KRC]

1.19.16

Rowing

4x500m @ 2:29, 2:15, 2:12, 2:00 (+25s @ 1:37)

HRR - 180, 148, 112

Not surprised at the HRR given the weekend I had and meal I ate a few hours prior to training. 1/4 SS Sq in one IMP tomorrow

[KRC]

1.20.15

Bending - all in one IMP

4x1 @ 5/16" HRS

1x1 @ 1/4" SS Square (lifetime PR in one IMP)

https://youtu.be/V1S5ptOTXXc?t=2m25s

You can't tell from the video but I was extremely amped up for this one. My middle finger knuckles have gotten pretty shredded lately and have been in a decent amount of pain for a while so I was mentally preparing for this one for several days, and it went a lot easier than expected. 1:28 total bend time (~7s to the crush). Very pleased. 9/32" DR next cycle.

Calisthenics

Inverted Rows - 7x4

Push Ups - 5x5

Rowing
4x500m @ 2:14.9, 2:13.2, 2:11.4, 2:04.4 (+30s @ 1:37)

HRR - 176, 136, 104

[KRC]

1.23.16

Rowing

4x500m @ 2:15.2, 2:15.2, 2:11.4, 2:08 (+45s @ 1:38 [should have been 35s, miscalculated])

HRR - 168, 132, 100

Dinner with the girlfriend for her birthday, including lots of (very expensive) chocolate cake tonight

[KRC]

1.24.16

Bending

4x1 @ 17/64" in IMP's

2x1 @ "L" DR in BBW's

Time for L bars - DNF, 2:23

Iso's - 2 kink, 2 crush, 6 end range sweep @ three different lengths in leathers over BBW's

Calisthenics

Inverted Rows - 6x5

Push Ups - 4x6

As usual, crush to 90 or less in a few seconds, rest of the time getting from end sweep range to beginning crush range. That half an inch or less is where I win or lose. I didn't finish the first L bar after I passed 5 minutes. I experimented with pacing my bend, i.e. hitting big, taking a few breaths (~10 seconds) and hitting again. This is in contrast to my normal style of bend as fast as possible. It didn't work this time, at all.

Also, I must be doing something wrong with my BBW's. Everyone raves about them, but they've done nothing but give me trouble. Much harder to get a tight wrap than IMP's and when trying to crush they slide around like you wouldn't believe. I need face time with an experienced bender for this, and other, reasons.

[JHenze646]

Good log. I look forward to some great bends for you.

[KRC]

Thanks man, I appreciate it. Hope your training's going well.

[KRC]

1.28.16

Peak for January cycle

Finally bent a piece of 5/16" steel.

https://youtu.be/bdteUXXNjWI?t=1m

I think lowering the intensity session-to-session really payed off; I felt fresh and ready to rock going in to this. I don't know what generic CRS rates, but I imagine it's over 400, even if only by a bit. Thinking about going for the IG 145kg bar next cycle or, if things are really clicking, the bastard.

Good progress on the sweep to crush zone. Again, kink to sweep in like 10 seconds. Thinking about ditching kink iso's altogether, or maybe 1 per cycle, kink feels ultra strong right now, and although I got through the 3.5" to 2.5" zone eventually, it shouldn't have taken that long. On sweep, the open hand post technique works best for me, and for crush, the gripper hold with forearms vertical to the ground works best too. Need to practice these moves over and over.

If I can get my crush, and especially my sweep up to my kink strength, big bars are gonna fall.

[Anthony C.]

Hey man congrats on the PR with the 5/16!

My two cents...I'm not a fan of the BBW's. Like you, I can never seem to get a good tight wrap on them. I think a pair of IMP's with maybe another 1/3 layer of IMP's over that are superior to the BBW's. Also, since they're thicker, some of the force you apply on the crush is lost in the cushion of the pads. For guys like me and you where the kink is our strongest spot and sweep/crush is the weakest, we can't afford to lose any strength on that part of the bend.

Looks like you can use some more chalk on both the wraps and your hands as well. Good stuff and happy bending bro!

[KRC]

Hey man congrats on the PR with the 5/16!

My two cents...I'm not a fan of the BBW's. Like you, I can never seem to get a good tight wrap on them. I think a pair of IMP's with maybe another 1/3 layer of IMP's over that are superior to the BBW's. Also, since they're thicker, some of the force you apply on the crush is lost in the cushion of the pads. For guys like me and you where the kink is our strongest spot and sweep/crush is the weakest, we can't afford to lose any strength on that part of the bend.

Looks like you can use some more chalk on both the wraps and your hands as well. Good stuff and happy bending bro!

Thanks man, I appreciate the comments.

That's a really good point about inefficient transfer of power through the squishier BBW's, I wondered if something like that was at play. Similar to this is the lack of "feel" on the bar, especially at the crush. I never have trouble crushing in one IMP or single IMP's because I always have a great a feel of the bar in my palm, but not so with the BBW's. That being said, although you can see the wrap slips around right at the first big sweep hit (twice), the wrap I got today with them was much better than before. I'll play around with them and my IMP's and see how I progress.

And good to know I'm not the only one with a kink-sweep imbalance!

Hope your training's going well.

[JHenze646]

Congrats on the 5/16.

Some of the supposedly HR I bought from a hardware store was much more difficult than the reds or Bastards I had. It is the hardest steel I have successfully bent so far.

It might be the angle of the video but you look low with your elbows down on the crush. It may or may not be an issue just trying to help.

[KRC]

Thanks Josh, I think you're right on my elbow placement on the crush. I don't know if it's my leverages or what, but I don't have an easy time with chest crushing. If it's 80%-ish I can do it there, but I always get the most movement on posting crushes. Something to work on for sure. I'm really looking forward to hammering my weaknesses.

And about the steel strength, yeah who knows maybe it's stronger than I think!

[KRC]

2.2.16

Bending - all in one IMP

5x1 @ 17/64" DR

Worst session of the 7 months I've been bending. First bad one at all, really. Everything went wrong today, lol.

First I want to publicly trash Grainger for horrible customer service and quality control. The long and short of the impact that had on my session today was that I thought I was bending my first 17/64 warm up, but it was really 9/32, which would be a PR and is scheduled to be my PR attempt at the end of this cycle. This really messed with me mentally and physically--I gave it a few attempts thinking I was just slow to get back into 1 IMP bending, and the pain was extreme.

Also, I think I did something inside my hand. Right where the bar end hits my left palm and I press to start the bend has been a bit sore lately, but it's really very painful and bruised after tonight. After the 5th warm up bar (was supposed to be 6, followed by 4 J bars) I called it despite really not wanting to stop, but I honestly couldn't bend anymore--wasn't able to even get past the kink on a 17/64" bar.

Anyway, I'm gonna do what I can to speed this healing along, including maybe modifying my bending stile for the one IMP days to not put so much pressure on the bar ends and use the wraps more for leverage. Bad days happen, I just hope I'm not injured.

[KRC]

Forgot to give my full Grainger rant...

tl;dr -- don't buy DR from Grainger, buy from someone that will get you Precision Marshall.

So I ordered a 4x3' sticks of "M" drill rod, and they sent "N". I called to notify, and the agent had absolutely no clue what I was talking about. I had to direct her to the website and have her follow the links one by one and she still didn't know what I was saying. I should have lead with this, but I ended up just giving her the product SKU, and she said they would ship it out for free, and I could keep the N which was great. When it got here, 4 3' sticks of M came in an 8-foot tall cardboard cylinder which took considerable effort with a sturdy pocket knife to open.

Later, I revised my programming, and made a purchase from them for 6 months worth of drill rod, so multiple quantities of multiple diameters, with some that were a single stick due to the quantities I already have on hand. First, those sticks that were single 3' lengths came in 3' x 3' x 6" square cardboard boxes, and the others I ordered were all individually sleeved and just mixed together in a giant 8' tube. Fine, once I got them all straightened out, I tested a few with the micrometer to make sure I had what I ordered, and then hand cut about $200 worth of drill rod with 24" bolt cutters over the course of a day, organized them all, and then picked all the bars for my training cycle this month, organized by session. You can see where this is going--in my stack of 6x17/64" drill rod today, I had 1x17/64", 3x9/32" and 2xJ DR. Now I have several hundred 7" bars all presumed to be organized by diameter that I now have to remeasure one by one because their QC is garbage.

This was my first time buying from Grainger as my normal source doesn't work with PM anymore apparently, and it will also be my last.