Guest Bullitt Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I am brand new to bending. The only other bends I have done were a 60D nail reverse style and a braced trotter horseshoe bend. I bought some 1/4" HRS at the hardware store and cut it into 6" lengths. Here is my first ever DU bend. I know 6X1/4" is nothing, I'm just looking for some feedback from you experienced benders if it looks like I am doing this correctly. Any help is much appreciated. The reason everything is DU and reverse is I cannot get the dang metal up under my chin for a DO bend. Messed up shoulders from too many years of hockey. I can already tell this is going to be as addictive as grippers! I also bought some 1/4" square steel. Not sure if it is HR or CR. It's very shiny if that makes a difference. Going to try that over the weekend. I'm assuming that the square will be tougher than the round. Correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewokhugo Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 congrats Mike! Your hands seems to be VERY strong no doubt! u can use single wraps or Im wraps instead of fat pads for DU , small size doesnt affect Du so much. Try to bring the bar high .. Adam Glass just to pick a name does it perfectly , this way u are not using your wrist power but all your body. i had the same prob about DO bend because it was a matter of lack of flexibility; try shoulder dislocates and after this try to put the bar under your chin and use all your back to bring the bar down. i used 1/4"x6" hrs and it worked for me. best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 congrats Mike!Your hands seems to be VERY strong no doubt! u can use single wraps or Im wraps instead of fat pads for DU , small size doesnt affect Du so much. Try to bring the bar high .. Adam Glass just to pick a name does it perfectly , this way u are not using your wrist power but all your body. i had the same prob about DO bend because it was a matter of lack of flexibility; try shoulder dislocates and after this try to put the bar under your chin and use all your back to bring the bar down. i used 1/4"x6" hrs and it worked for me. best of luck Thanks Hugo. I'll try it with single wraps next time out. Yea, I have NO flexibility in my shoulders at all. Something I definitely need to work on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpmmkrahling Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Welcome to the club, and your right it is addictive. I have never tried DU but it looked easy for you. Try cutting it down in 1/2" increments. If you look at the attached link you will be able to figure out a good progression of steel by strength. It will help you make progress. (Thank You again Eric Milfeld for the list) And you can buy more stock from Fat Bastard Barbell Co. They are a Grip board sponser listed at the top of the page. The reason i recomend them is because they smooth out all the edges of the metal, and have alot of different levels of metal to progress with. Just me personal preference. Plus they have a certification listing of bends, whick some of like. http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?showtopic=10343 As far as DO, Like Hugo said, the 7" can cause problems because of lack of flexibility. It still is my weakest length. But you can try shorter lengths so you can still do DO. It works for me. Good luck with you future bends, and keep posting to show your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumpster Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Congrats on the DU bend! Looked alright to me, though it did slip once which looked to be from pushing your hands towards each other. Try keeping your hands close to your body as you press down and really drive through pushing the bar lower (down near waist level). I think Ben Edwards has some good videos on the technique. Check this out - Ben doing a DU You should be able to try a 60d nail as a step up from the HRS. The square you got is likely CRS and (if it's anything like FBBC stock) may be a huge jump from round HRS. Keep at it and you'll get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Thanks guys. One question: How often do people bend typically? Once a week, twice a week, all the time? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturalstrength Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Thanks guys. One question: How often do people bend typically? Once a week, twice a week, all the time? Thanks! Listen to your body and it will let you know. Grip training is like any other form of exercise-you can overtrain-not a good thing, at least not if you want to avoid injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewokhugo Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 there are no rules Mike. i like to train 3 x week but sometimes only have the time to do 1 x. even with 1 x week progress happend. Some guys likes to do volume work(easy bends almost "every" day". i go by feel but if am mentally strong and relaxed i try to beat my P.B every time. This works for big benders namely p:Knight , Boyaah just to name a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booyah!!! Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Nice First DU Bend You will quickly improve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Nice First DU Bend You will quickly improve Thanks Mike. I still have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm having a great time and am already hooked! I'm going to cut some of this stock down to 5 1/2" and 5" and see what I can do this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 That's a good first DU bend Mike! You'll progress quickly from what I've seen of your strength level. You've likely heard it all before - because we harp on it a bit - but experiment with different pad sizes and materials, different lengths of bars, hand positions, bending styles, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 That's a good first DU bend Mike! You'll progress quickly from what I've seen of your strength level. You've likely heard it all before - because we harp on it a bit - but experiment with different pad sizes and materials, different lengths of bars, hand positions, bending styles, etc. Thanks Ben! I really enjoy it. I am going to try some single wrap stuff and cut some shorter lengths of the 1/4" stock i bought. I would really love to figure out a way to bend DO with my inflexible shoulders, but so far, no luck. Maybe I'll be able to handle the shorter pieces better or just start lower since I can't come close to getting the metal up under my chin. We'll see. Even if I have to stick to DU and reverse, I'm hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cberg Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 nice dude thats a solid first DU bend. I couldnt even dent the 1/4'' stuff DU when i started thats for sure. from my experience anyway, if its shiny its CRS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 So I did a little bending tonight after some gripper work. Gave the 6" X 1/4" square CRS a try DU, but couldn't get it. Took a bit out of me, but I thought I would try a piece of the 1/4" round HRS I had cut down to 5 1/4" with single wraps. Not sure how far you have to bend it DU to make it count as a successful bend. Got it to about 80 degrees with two hits (not even sure it moved on 2nd hit). Was going to crush it down, but as you will see in the video, I had nothing left to give. Anyway, here it is, 5 1/4" X 1/4" DU, single wraps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_xiPHYJ6-4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Couldn't find any grade 5 bolts at Lowes over 4" long so I got some standard grade 1/4" bolts in 5" and 4 1/2" lengths. I also picked up some 60D nails. Looks like I am improving as I was able to successfully bend all three DU with single wraps. The 4.5" was a little tricky getting a good handle, but it was ok once I got a good grip. That was the first time getting a 60D with a DU grip which was cool too. Where do you guys get 6" grade 5 bolts? I have been unable to find any. I still have not been able to bend anything DO. I gave the 5/16" X 6" bolt a shot tonight, but no dice yet DU. I'll keep at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewokhugo Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Mike, before thinking about the 6" square , try the 7" square first:) there's a big difference. i think its time to try some DO bend ...if u dont know how ask your daughter:-)LOL U need to practise DO with some easy bar... the bar should be up high under your chin then use your back to apply force. Shoulder dislocates helps to get some extra flexibility. My first bar was one 6" x 1/4" hrs ...2 weeks after this one red nail I have no doubt u can do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Mike, before thinking about the 6" square , try the 7" square first:) there's a big difference.i think its time to try some DO bend ...if u dont know how ask your daughter:-)LOL U need to practise DO with some easy bar... the bar should be up high under your chin then use your back to apply force. Shoulder dislocates helps to get some extra flexibility. My first bar was one 6" x 1/4" hrs ...2 weeks after this one red nail I have no doubt u can do the same. HAHA, yea, she and my son have both done more DO than I have. I got them some 3/16th HRS today for them to try. I'll start with that and then try some 1/4" X6. Also got some 5/16th HRS today I am going to try DU. Still can't find any G5 1/4" bolts longer than 4". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I bought some 5/16" HRS round at home depot. Cut a 6" length and was able to wobble it tonight DU. I will be on the road all day tomorrow with the kids, but will try and finish it off Monday. I was finally able to bend something DO. I bought some 3/16" stock for my kids to bend. I know it is less than nothing, but it was nice to actually make something go overhand. I really need to work on the dislocations to get some more flexibility. I can't even get the metal up under my chin my shoulders are so stiff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewokhugo Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 congrats Mike for making damage to the 5/16x6" hrs! some hrs at 6" are around red nail level. try some g8 if u can:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 congrats Mike for making damage to the 5/16x6" hrs! some hrs at 6" are around red nail level.try some g8 if u can:-) Thanks Hugo. Still a ways to go but it is bent about 8-10 degrees. Will give it another shot today or tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 You seem to be progressing well. I would say try to work on you flexibility for DO. But if it doesn't work don't worry, cuz DO is not the only way. There are several benders that have the same problems that even experience pain if they try DO. And they do fine sticking with DU and reverse bends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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