ianders1 Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 In honor of what I hope to be a change from newbie to something else with my 100th post, I wanted to ask all of you grip gods a question. I'm wondering when to start bending. I read on bender's site to wait at least 6 weeks, but up to 6 months. My upper body is quite strong from 11yrs of weights, but I still can't completely close the #1 (1/8" to go), but I've been doing that and tons of other grip work for the last 2 months. Because of my carpal tunnel-like condition, my progress has been relatively slow, though. Also, I'm only plate curling 2 10s. Should I wait till my hands are stronger to start bending, and if so, what criteria should I use to know when to start - when I can plate curl 3 10s or something? Thanks in advance for your advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeP Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 My answer would be to start bending right now, even if it is just a cut piece of coat hanger. Seriously. It has made my wrists much stronger, as well as overall & grip strength. Just start real slowly and don't go to a max or failure. I would get a piece of 1/8 or 3/16 HRS and cut it to like 7 or 8" and just work it back and forth til it snaps. This will toughen your hands, wrists, and condition your upper body as well. I used to wear wrist wraps when powerlifting because I felt I had weak wrists, now I figure, why not just make em stronger... I hear ya about the carpal tunnel, I type & do 10 key alot so I feel it after awhile, I try to take breaks from long typing sessions to save my wrists. Good luck and keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMunger Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Never know til you try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisof4 Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 I think you should try right away, but I also agree you should start slowly and work up to the point where it gets really difficult. If you are unsure, I think the idea about long pieces of coat hanger, or 1/8" HRS is a great idea. Stick with Bender's recommendations for gradual progress. I also STRONGLY recommend the sledgehammer exercises. I have been doing these religiously, and I have seen tremendous improvement in my forearm and wrist strength. Keep us informed of your decision (to bend or not to bend), and also of your progress. Keep grippin! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bender Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Start when ever you want. Just start slow and enjoy your self. Go for PR's as much as you want, just know your body and know your limits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Crusher Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 There's no time like the present. Look at The Holle brothers-not big guys, and not strong in the powerlifts, but they do top level stuff when it comes to bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt76 Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 don't go overboard like I did. My wrist have hurt for 2weeks now and nothing I do makes them feel better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amaury Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 You can start now. I had the grip of a dead fish (and still have) when i started bending and never really injured my hands. Just go slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianders1 Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Thank all of you guys for your responses. I tried to bend some steel I found out in the garage and felt some pain in my shoulder. Duh, I forgot that I screwed up my rotator cuff 2 weeks ago doing some heavy nose-breakers. I'll have to wait until my shoulder heals up, but maybe I'll do the hanger thing that MikeP suggested. Nice shot in the IM catalog btw - I bet that was the best-tasting pint you've ever had! I'll definitely follow benders progression from his site - it's nice that you guinea pigs have mapped things out for us new guys! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeP Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 A nice guiness after some lifting is always nice. one of the best days of my life. here's to many more for all of us. Another suggestion that might help with your bending, I have increased considerably in range of motion/flexibility since i started training with cables. You can really help your strength in odd angles with the cables. I always stretch and do some cleans, or benches w/db or something before i bend, even if it is "just" a bending day, but I usually bend after my cable workouts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irrepressible Monkey Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 You can start now. I had the grip of a dead fish (and still have) when i started bending and never really injured my hands. Just go slowly. I would have to ditto this. I haven't even started training my grip yet, and I'm a 100% newcomer to the arenas of grip and bending. I don't even do a lot of weights. However, yesterday I watched some bending videos after reading stuff on here, and for a laugh I thought I'd go out to the garage and get a nail. I had some 4" household nails, so I grabbed one and wrapped it in a flannel and had a pop. OK, it took me about a minute, and my palms were a bit tender from the effort, but I managed to do this to it. As you can see, my hand is a little red. I've no idea how hard the nail is in terms of the stuff you guys can bend. It's jsut a hardware nail from a DIY shop. I was psyched though, because I'd never even considered trying to do something like that before. It's inspired me to start training my grip (I bought two 10kg flat-backed plates today, and have some RB grippers on order). Anyway, like the guy says, I reckon it's never too late to start. Just take it slowly and don't overdo it. Let your palms and wrists particularly recover between sessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Edgin Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 If you have the wrist strength to turn the key in a car's ignition, you're ready for bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Congrats on your first nail bend, Monkey! Now it's time to pay a visit to the hardware store. And let the fun begin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.