Tim71 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 This is only the 2nd time I've bent since I kind of quit it a couple years ago. Biggest thing for me is not a loss of strength, rather I need to toughen my hands and legs (braced bending) because that's the big one. Started out with unbraced warming up with 6 inch pole barn nails in overhand, underhand and reverse. Once that was done, I knocked out a few 40ds in each style which you can see pictured in one row. I used single pads, starting with my crazy thin ones for the lesser 60ds then my medium ones for the higher bends. Toughest 60d I bent was a crazy Sivaco that Eric Milfeld calibrated at 445 pounds. Feels about like a G8 without the spring. Then I hit a G5 and G8 then I went for my unbraced goal. A 5/16 inch thick 70d spike that took me a couple minutes but it was an enjoyable fight. Then to experiment with the style, I hit the spiral 80d unbraced. Awkward but not a real tough bend. Then I hit some braced bending. Started with the 12 inch spike, then the 10 incher which was surprisingly tough. I hit a medium 80d next which calibrated around 500 pounds then went for a goofy tough Canadian 80d that I've had put back for years. Never was calibrated but it's way tougher than the 575ish keystones. Along the way, I "fished" a 1/2 inch by 3 foot square, and tackled some long bar with a 5/8 square by 48 inches. Really cool thing is halfway through, I tried 101 pounds on my thick handled dumbbell (old record was 96) and got it easy and backed it up with 106. Failed on 111 but all in all, I'm enjoying this again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shartak Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hi, Well done! But pretty high volume for the first session after such a long time? Do you experience any problems in your wrist/fingers ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Nice to see you back Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 No problems at all. Most of these bends are not that hard for me though. Climber, good to be back and good to see you still at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickr104 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Good to see ya back at it!! Tim is a monster braced bender! I still have a rough time with 80D spikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertmiller67 Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Strong bends Tim! Any horseshoes in your future!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I've not done any shoes since I've been bending again. I never was as good a shoe bender as some of these others. Just never really pursued it much but who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Hey, Tim! Good to have you around again. That 3/8" green grade 5 bolt you provided as a prize for one of my contests still proudly hangs in my garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Hey Eric, glad to see you still at it. Your calibrations still live on in my steel stock and it's odd, I can still remember most of them in my head. The G5 you mention I remember calibrated in the mid 700s. I think 765 but I'd have to check. Glad you still have it but I'm not quite ready to tackle something like that just yet. I've had 2 more bending sessions since the one in this post and if you remember calibrating a monster 80d that hit 645 - well, that one fell again. Really rough on my hands and inner thighs but I got it. As a matter of fact, I've got it in my pocket at work right now ha ha! I get myself toughened back up and get some new wraps cut (old ones sorta dried out in the basement) and I'll be in business. Is Timmy still bending any? Like most kids, mine didn't stick with it very long. They'll hit a bend ever so often but not much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Lol. I guess Timmy and your boys are alike. He occasionally joins me for some pullups or something, but that's about the extent of his strength training. But, man, you sure didn't lose much with your lay off! Any time the subject of braced bending comes I inevitably mention the man from Missouri, slight of build, but heavy on the strong. I haven't been following bending all that close lately, but I'm unaware of anyone whose matched your leg crush power. Are you aware of anyone, Tim? Not to put you on the spot... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Eric, Like you I haven't followed bending much. Someone did finally beat my spike record on David's list but it was long after I "retired" - I believe it was Carl Ansara. All I really wanted to do was be the first to get a 9/16 inch "spike" length bend so once I got the 13.5 incher, I stopped. Not to take anything away from Carl - he got the #1 spot and deserves it. But to answer your question and try to be modest about it, I honestly think my thigh crush is probably the best. It can certainly out power my hands and pain tolerance. Any bend I've ever done, once I get it moving in the thigh crush it's pretty much done. The worst was probably an 8 inch by 1/2 inch steel bar that I think you cal'd at 910 pounds. I've always been blessed with being able to sustain my strength through long lay offs. To come back and set my record on my dumb bell really surprised me though. We'll see where it takes me this time around. Main thing is I want to have fun with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Tim, do you plan on training any other pure grip movements besides your thick bar? A 1/2 x 8" bar is nutso! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Eric, Thanks for the comments. I don't have any distinct plans for other grip training however, I do some impromptu grip feats at work. We have a powered piece of equipment called a tugger that weighs something like 2600 pounds or so. A couple guys like to get a workout by getting behind it and pushing it but I've pinch gripped the steering post (about 4.5 inch by 4.5 inch smooth steel square post) and pulled it with one hand. I've done it with a person riding it for probably 15 feet or so. Doing goofy stuff like that has slowly built my grip to a decent level. We were at a toy museum on vacation a year or 2 ago and they had this grip machine tester. I got like a 194 pound rating or something like that and the guy that ran the museum told me that if I'd hit 200 pounds, that was the max of the machine and I think he'd only seen one person do that. Of course out comes another quarter and with that prodding and 2 boys to impress, I pegged the machine. So to answer your question, yes I do some grip stuff but nothing structured or ordinary. Pallet lifts, tugger pulls etc.. Do you still do any bending at all? I think way back when you were the first person to suggest spike bending to me when I was starting with long bar bending. I've also been doing some world's strongest man style bending. Nothing too hard because the risk of injury is pretty good if you over do it but it's a fun workout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I guess a 2600 pound single hand pinch is pretty ok, but let let me know when you can do 3000. Other than the rare reverse grip bend or random horseshoe, I really haven't been bending. I've been hitting the grip pretty hard, though. And the kind of gripping you've been "training" sounds like a lot of fun, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Nothing that elite. Kinda like a strongman pulling a semi. Yeah the semi may weight 20,000 pounds but in actuality it takes a few hundred pounds to get it moving on a flat surface. Important thing is, it looks cool. Now that I think about this, I may go try it again. How long has it been since you calibrated anything? That contribution you made was invaluable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 It's been a couple years since I've calibrated. In fact, my device is currently disassembled. The main reason I all but gave up bending was the lack of interest amongst the benders to compete, if even on line. Grip's a little better in this respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 I hear you on that. This time around though I'm doing it for me so I don't think I'll be as deterred about it this time. Biggest thing for me was always living in the country and having garbage for internet service. I always had to mail DVD's here and there and it was a huge pain. Oh yeah - and this is coming back to me after today's bend - my local steel supplier started getting in crazy mutant stock every time I bought something. Even the 12 inch bend I did today looks nothing like the ones I did several years ago. I've still got a little steel put back from a couple other benders so I'll hit some of that when I get my style down and my hands built up. That's why I'm mixing it up now. Little scrolling, little long bar, little unbraced etc.... I'm trying very hard to NOT think about what I used to bend or I know I could get discouraged or injured. Well, I appreciate the work you did on all that steel. Even now, it gives me "points of reference" and your numbers still live on. I've got boxes and cases of nails and bolts (wife loves it) with labels with the poundages on them. Later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 You're very welcome, Tim. Hey, if you come across any 70D nails that you suspect would calibrate at about 400 pounds or less let me know. I'd like to have a stock of something like that for "just for fun" reverse grip bends. Or really soft 3/8" hrs in the same calibration ballpark. That would look impressive to bend reverse grip. I know it exists somewhere. I calibrated some for Chris Rice in 2007. Really I'm just looking for something that looks tougher than it actually is, for the fun factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Tim where is Missouri are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 I'm in the southeast corner of Missouri. I work in a town called Cape Girardeau and live about 30 miles southwest of there. Eric, I'm sending you a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I was born in Cape and most of my family still lives around Sikeston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Small world. I was born in Sikeston and now work in Cape. My family also still lives in and around Sikeston. I probably don't get back there once a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Same here, family and Lambert's are the only things that keep me coming back 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim71 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 I hear you. I've ate at all 4 Lamberts locations in Sikeston so I remember them when they were in the little tiny building. Actually, there's 2 other little eating places there that I crave from time to time. Kirby's, which is famous for their burgers and a little Mexican place called John's Mexican Villa. You really get your money's worth at the mexican place and the same guy has owned it for almost 40 years now. Lamberts of course is legendary but you may have to wait a while if it's the weekend. There's a great steel supplier there as well. Steward steel out past Minor. Craig is the name of the guy I always dealt with there and they have a great selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I haven't been in years but Kirby's is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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