Using Isometrics for bending (advice and recommendations please)

[Briso]

Hi Everyone 

I was wanting to get some feedback or recommendations from those of you who have integrated isometric training into your bending workouts.

Im just starting back into bending after a break of 3 years since my last bending cert (scary how time goes by!)

I do recall though that when I was at my “peak” so to speak I was looking into isometrics to help kickstart my progress past certain plateaus. However I then injured my shoulder in a completely unrelated event which led to the time off. 

Anyway, I’m curious as to how those who implemented isometrics and achieved success, did the following:

- How often did you do the isometric sessions and for how long each session

- What duration did you do each hit for. I’ve seen various recommendations from 5 to 10 seconds in the past.

- Did you create iso bars for all angles of the bend or just your “weak points” or “sticking points”? For me my sticking point always seemed to be when bar ends are 10cm apart, as it’s the angle I struggle to generate maximum power or achieve a good grip for the crush. 

- Did isometrics become a permanent fixture in your training or is it something you implemented as and when you began to plateau in your progress?

Would be really interested in learning more about this as it’s something I haven’t done myself to date. 
 

Thanks 
Brian 

 

 

 

 

 

[Donc101]

I don’t have time to do full reply right now, but good info here from @David_wigren. Tons of great info about training in there. I read it probably once every 6 months. I will try to do full reply soon.

 

[Briso]

Just now, Donc101 said:

I don’t have time to do full reply right now, but good info here from @David_wigren. Tons of great info about training in there. I read it probably once every 6 months. I will try to do full reply soon.

 

Thanks a million! Appreciate it!

[wobbler]

I always have a bar in rotation that I can barely move, so I get some isometric work that way, and find where my sticking points are. On a good day with great technique, it will move at least a little bit.

I've tried getting bars that are way out of reach cheat bent to certain angles using pipes, but something about knowing there's no chance of it moving, messes with my head and it just doesn't work for me personally. It could even reinforce bad technique, and you'd never know because it ain't moving either way.

So that's my 2 cents

Edit: I will add, if you find a bar like that, don't be tempted to use bigger wraps and finish it off. Those bars right at/beyond your current limit are super valuable training tools.

Edited June 20, 2020 by wobbler

[Horrido]

I tried the iso stuff several times over the last years. Result: it's absolutley nothing for me. Don't work for me and it doesn't feel good so I won't try it again. Maybe I have done something wrong with it, but it's also not a thing that fits in my training philosophy. I am a big fan of volume bends and this works fine for me and helped a lot of another guys in their journey.

But as always it depends on person to person and I know world class benders who do it for years and make great progress with isos. So I think everyone has to test it by himself to find it out.

[Fist of Fury]

Isn't bending isometric enough as it is? I mean, why not just attempt a challenge bar instead of hitting a bar you can't move at all. You can still pre-bend the bar to the desired angle and start from there.

[Briso]

5 hours ago, Horrido said:

I tried the iso stuff several times over the last years. Result: it's absolutley nothing for me. Don't work for me and it doesn't feel good so I won't try it again. Maybe I have done something wrong with it, but it's also not a thing that fits in my training philosophy. I am a big fan of volume bends and this works fine for me and helped a lot of another guys in their journey.

But as always it depends on person to person and I know world class benders who do it for years and make great progress with isos. So I think everyone has to test it by himself to find it out.

Hi Jan, when you mention "volume bends" what type of numbers are you talking about in a workout here?

[Briso]

54 minutes ago, Fist of Fury said:

Isn't bending isometric enough as it is? I mean, why not just attempt a challenge bar instead of hitting a bar you can't move at all. You can still pre-bend the bar to the desired angle and start from there.

Yeah, I was planning on using bars just outside my reach currently and hitting these at various points during the week for multiple hits of say 5-10 seconds etc. Like you say, these would be bars I either had not been able to finish originally, or which I have prekinked to my sticking point. Thanks!

[Horrido]

5 hours ago, Briso said:

Hi Jan, when you mention "volume bends" what type of numbers are you talking about in a workout here?

With Volume I talk about 5 -15 bars. You start your first workout with 5 bars and add one bar every workout till you reach 10 or 15 bars in one workout.

This system helped me a lot. I started with it at the beginning of my bending journey and I stick with it till today.

I reached the following goals with it: Red Nail, CRS 9mm and CRS 10mm - just to name the simple progression within.

[Fist of Fury]

16 minutes ago, Horrido said:

With Volume I talk about 5 -15 bars. You start your first workout with 5 bars and add one bar every workout till you reach 10 or 15 bars in one workout.

This system helped me a lot. I started with it at the beginning of my bending journey and I stick with it till today.

I reached the following goals with it: Red Nail, CRS 9mm and CRS 10mm - just to name the simple progression within.

How much rest do you take between each bend? Are you going by feel or do you set some type of goal to complete the workout in a certain amount of time?

[Horrido]

2 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

How much rest do you take between each bend? Are you going by feel or do you set some type of goal to complete the workout in a certain amount of time?

I set a time Limit for each bend. For example: the bends should not take longer than two or three minutes. Between each bend I rest like in a normal strength exercise set, around 3-5 minutes, but also going by feel because no day is like the other.

In the past it was very simple. I started with 5 bends of CRS 8mm x 7" and add every workout one bar till I reach the 10 bends. Then I take one week off and tried the CRS 9mm Bar with success. The Volume over the weeks have made me gain strength and sharpened the technique.