Heavier Stock

Pictured here are the victims of my bending efforts for the last two days. I had taken a little time off from bending because of some soreness in my left shoulder and elbow, due, I think, to some technique problems and too little recovery time between bending sessions. As usual, my zeal for a new activity and my high pain tolerance outran my common sense, and I tweaked my left arm trying to bend an IronMind (from henceforth, referred to as "IM") blue nail (1/4" diameter, 6 inch length). While I was waiting for it to heal I watched a ton of bending videos, read the Diesel Crew's E-Book on bending, and mentally practiced proper form.

As you can see, I was able to do pretty well. Wednesday, I began by killing off these two IM blue nails. This was the stock that had put a stop to my bending, so doing two of them back to back was my way of asserting that I was healed up. They are still tough for me, but I have really improved my technique on the initial kink, and that made it much easier to get these done.

I also tried my first stock from Fat Bastard Barbell Company ("FBBC"). I was able to bend a few of the 3/16 x 7" square rods, but I kept getting asymmetrical bends. That's not a huge issue, but it does indicate another form problem, so I stopped after the third one to figure out where I was going wrong.

Thursday after my kettlebell workout, I decided to give the square stock another try. I added chalk to my wraps, and worked on getting them a lot tighter on the stock - a problem with cordura wraps. (A lot of guys who do short bending use wraps made of suede or other leathers, but I am sticking with the blue IM wraps - even in bending, must maintain my vegan street cred. Most benders agree that leather bending pads wrap more tightly, reduce the pain, and lessen the danger of puncture wounds associated with bending, but to certify on the IM red nail you have to use the cordura only, so I am just planning ahead.) With my tighter, chalk-filled wraps I was able to get a nice even bend in the middle of the bar.

After bending three bars of square stock, I decided to try a 1/4 x 7" hex bar. It was tough - almost as hard as a blue nail - but I was able to get it done.

I feel pretty good about these efforts. I was able to make some very tough (for me) bends, and I did so without re-injuring myself, or going crazy and making 25 bends in one day. That's a very real temptation, as I have all of this IM and FBBC stock just sitting here, waiting to be mangled...



I've decided to make Saturdays my bending day. Sunday is usually a day of complete rest for me, so I'll still have a full 24 hours to rest up before my "heavy" workout with the kettlebells on Monday morning. I would like to bend more often, but I know now that my body needs longer to recover from bending than from any other exercise I currently do. Perhaps after a few more months, I can move up to twice a week.

Long-time readers of the Ministry may have noticed that I am not proselytizing for bending like I have for so many other physical activities (like handball, badminton, kettlebells, boomerangs, yo-yos, running, kiting, etc.). This is decidedly NOT for everyone. It is painful, dangerous, and possibly pointless and stupid in the eyes of many, and I freely confess that I like it in large part due to those very qualities...