You’ve probably seen quite a few emails for it from other people. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about it too.
My buddy, Jedd Johnson, who has the world’s strongest thumbs, has put together a new video that shows you how to build all kinds of grip training equipment for pennies on the dollar.
And this is some truly innovative stuff that will be sure to build up a super strong grip.
I’ve watched the videos and read the manual and I can say that it is awesome. If you are the do-it-yourself kind of guy this is definitely for you.
A couple items are a bit more intensive including some welding but the majority are really simple. So easy a caveman could do it.
You can get the full details here.
Not only that but I just heard through the grapevine that Ryan Pitts is making 6 custom made Napalm’s Nightmares. This is a special tool designed by Jedd that will work your grip like no other.
Anyone that orders Homemade Strength 2 will get their name in a hat for one of the exclusive pieces.
I already have the product and I’m thinking about ordering just for the chance to win.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. This video is really cheap but the chance to win and discount goes away after Friday. So be sure to check it out today.
Filed under Hand Strength by on Mar 16th, 2011. Comment. 
Jedd’s delivered another terrific article on steel bending, how it balances the power you develop in other ways. Well worth reading. Of course, this is in promotion for his new DVD – Nail Bending: How to Melt Steel with Your Bare Hands. If nail bending sounds like a good idea to you (despite others calling you crazy) I would highly recommend it.
Hi, my name is Jedd Johnson, and I bend steel with my hands.
That’s right, I take steel bars, wrap them in suede to prevent a cut to my hands, and bend them into a U-shape.
“Why the hell would he want to do that?” you might ask…
I’ll tell you straight up…
Because it makes me feel like a friggin’ animal.
It makes me feel like I am a 800-lb rain forest gorilla that can destroy anything put in front of me.
And I like that feeling…
Maybe that description is too wild, and you can’t identify with it, so let me describe it a little differently…
A PR Bend is like adding 50 lbs to your deadlift, and holding it there while you scream before dropping it back to the platform like a bomb from an airplane.
Completing a bend you never were able to do before is like hitting 100 snatches in 5 minutes for the first time ever, and letting out a warrior cry because it took so much hard work and determination to get there.
Much like the landmark feats described above, I love taking a perfectly good nail or bolt and making it completely useless.
Some people think this is ignorant, but they don’t realize that BENDING IS THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT to movements such as the kettlebell snatch and the deadlift…
Now, you’re probably thinking: What!?!? How in the world could bending steel compliment my snatch and deadlift work?
The answer is the principle of Antagonistic Balance.
“Antagonistic” means opposite, against, contra-indicative.
Think of a Broadway Play. The agonist is the main character and the antagonist is the character that plays opposite him or her. Many times these two are enemies, or their views are somehow contra-indicative of one another – they are opposites; they disagree.
So what is Antagonsitic Balance, then?
Well, your body works the best, improves its performance, and is at its healthiest when the antagonistic muscle groups in the joints and opposing sides of the body are within a reasonable balance.
Think of the shoulder. If you do too much bench pressing and not enough rowing, pull-ups, retractions and other opposite movement patterns, you can really do harm to your shoulders, messing up the posture, pinching off nerves, and thus ruining progress on the bench.
You’ve heard of this before probably a hundred times and you are well aware of it in your training, right?
And you know, if you do too much pushing and not enough pulling, you could be setting yourself up for a serious fall down the line.
Now, where does this come into play with respect to the relationship between steel bending, the kettlebell snatch and the powerlifting deadlift…?
To fully understand this, let’s look at the movement patterns of these movements individually.
KETTLEBELL SNATCH
The Kettlebell Snatch is marked by Extension throughout the body.
The athlete starts in a flexed position with the knees, and hips bent. The bell is swung back through the legs, loading the hamstrings.
The momentum of the bell is reversed with controlled violence and then extension begins throughout the body. The hips and knees extend to give momentum to the bell. The spine is lengthened.
And finally, the arm punches itself into a straight, extended position.
DEADLIFT
The Deadlift is very similar.
The lifter starts out in a crouching position, grasping the bar as it sits on the floor.
From there, the lifter pulls the weight up along the body, extending the knees and the hips.
Once the bar is pulled to its highest point, the lifter further extends himself, pulling the shoulders back into a position of pride.
COMMON THREADS
Upon analyzing both of these movements, the action that is repeated time and again is extension: extension in the knees, hips, shoulders and arms.
So, what is the natural antagonistic balancing action for the movement pattern of Extension?
There has to be some kind of contra-indicative movement pattern that essentially will negate these two big lifts, right?
The answer is Flexion.
To repeat, we are looking for an antagonistic, or opposite movement pattern, and we already said that KB work and Deadlifts involve a lot of force into extension, so the natural antagonistic movement pattern would be flexion.
BUT WAIT – I thought that, just like the ghost busters crossing the streams, having your “body in flexion” was bad!?!?
Sure, sitting at your desk all day in flexion is BAD. In can have a huge toll on your body over the years, so let’s try to avoid that…
How about Crunches?
SCREW THAT! BORING!!!
There has to be some other exhilarating strength training practice that involves flexion, while also requiring the same level of dedication, the same level of discipline, and the same level of technical precision in order to succeed that the Kettlebell Snatch and the Deadlift require. But what is it???
The answer – STEEL BENDING.
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at steel bending, now, and the movement patterns involved.
STEEL BENDING
The athlete starts out by grasping the nail high up under the chin with the spine, hips, and knees extended.
From there he takes a small step forward, initiates pressure into the steel and begins to lean forward into flexion.
As the steel heats up under the pressure, he feels it begin to move and puts on one last pulse of flexion as he “crushes the can,” compressing his abdomen down and further bending the nail.
Hit after hit on the nail, he does the same thing, flexing his body, until the ends of the nail are within two inches.
Flexion.
Being stuck in it at an office desk or behind the wheel of a car all the time is a bad thing. It makes you tight in the hip flexors, it can weaken the glutes and it can hurt your posture.
However, performing flexion in order to translate the power from your core and torso into your hands and to make the steel tap out to your strength is a good thing.
And not only does it help balance out all of the other training you do all the time, it makes you feel like you are a monster with green skin that can smash through concrete walls.
I’ll warn you right now, though…
As fun as it is, Nail Bending isn’t easy.
If it were easy, everybody would do it. The hard is what makes it great.
If you want to learn how to bend nails the right way, I’ll show you.
Check out my killer DVD, Nail Bending: How to Melt Steel with Your Bare Hands.
All the best in your training, my friends. Now go get your SAVAGE on!
Nail Bending: How to Melt Steel with Your Bare Hands <= Click that link right away!
Jedd
Jedd Johnson is a certified Red Nail Bender, a CSCS, RKC and Captain of Crush. He is a World Record Holder in the Two Hands Pinch, AND he likes to bend sh*t.
Filed under Feats of Strength, Hand Strength by on Dec 3rd, 2010. Comment.
I’m sure you’ve been inundated with Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials. I know I have. I’ve also gotten in on some sweet deals.
I don’t have a special for you but I just have to tell you about this new product release.
As you know on my site I’m a big fan of feats of strength. I received questions all the time about how to get started with them. One of the favorites was always bending, especially the short or nail bending.
Don’t know why, except to say in my case it’s a lot of fun and gratifying to destroy steel.
So when someone asked me about getting started I would point them to THE resource on the subject. That was the Bending eBook put out by Jedd Johnson.
The book is great in that there is tons of details, a myriad of exercises and really no stones left unturned when it comes to bending.
But I always asked myself why hadn’t someone made a DVD? With exercise nothing beats actually seeing the exercises done.
Finally that has happened.
And the same person who put together that awesome ebook has put together an awesome DVD. I haven’t seen it yet, but I know Jedd always puts together high quality stuff.
You can read more details about what it covers here.
I’ve been bending for years and I’m sure I’ll learn some new helpful info when I get to watch it.
Obviously this isn’t for everyone. But it is for those who’re into bending and those interested in starting.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength, Hand Strength by on Nov 30th, 2010. Comment.
The following is a guest post from Jedd Johnson. If you’re not familiar with Jedd you should be. He’s the co-founder of DieselCrew.com which is one of the best strength site out there. He’s also a CSCS through the NSCA, and recently got his RKC through Dragondoor. Here he’ll be talking about the benefits you can gain from bending nails (something I love to do as well).
Over the years, my favorite facet of strength training has been Grip Strength and I compete in several competitions every year. Grip Competitions involve Crushing, Pinching, Support lifting and other forms of hand and lower arm strength.
One of the coolest parts of the sport of Grip is Nail Bending. Bending nails, spikes, bolts, steel stock, drill rod, and other things is one of the most exciting and obsessive types of strength training you can do.
Up until now, Nail Bending might be one of the last things you would ever think of doing in your program, but there are actually a ton of benefits that you can get from Bending. Check these out…
1. Forearm size
Nothing has built my forearms over the years like Bending
Nail Bending involves a great deal of tension in the hands, wrists and forearms which leads to major forearm muscle development. Often, forearm work at the gym involves movements like wrist curls and other simple variations.
While wrist curls and similar classic forearm exercises bring about results, they pale in comparison to the bulk build by bending. The sustained tension of nail bending causes growth in both the flexor side of the forearm and the extensor side of the forearm, creating an impressive look of balance and control.
In short, your forearms will probably BLOW UP!
2. Mental and Physical Toughness
Bending nails, bolts and other items involves taking a perfectly good nail and twisting it into a shape that makes it completely useless for any of its normal industrial applications. You’re doing something that was never meant to be done, and to do this requires you to focus all of your strength and your mental power into the bend. A lack of commitment from either end of the spectrum will end up in your inability to finish up the bend.
In order to Bend Big Nails, you have to work hard and be mentally strong
When you become proficient in harnessing your mind’s and your body’s power in nail bending, imagine the results you will see in your other lifts or in the sport you play. You’ll be unstoppable compared to everyone else who has never truly tested themselves in the ways you have after taking on the challenge of bending.
3. Make an Impression!
Take Note: Nail bending is NOT some form of trickery or slight of hand like magic is.
However, it DOES bring about much the same reaction from a crowd.
Imagine talking about this new sort of strength training you are doing and when they ask you to show them, you bust out a nail, wrap it in a towel and bend it right before their eyes.
How awesome will that be?!?!
You could use this classic feat of strength of Bending to set yourself from everybody else at school, at the gym, or at your place of work. Instead of just blending in with the rest of the people, you will automatically be set apart from everybody else.
Instead of just somebody in the crowd, you’ll become the Strong Guy/Gal (Yes, ladies bend too!!!), or The Nail Bender.
Every time people see you, even if it’s only occasionally, you’ll be burned in their mind as somebody with a strong grip – nobody to mess with, that is for sure.
4. Get Your Name “Up in Lights”
Nail bending has been growing in popularity exponentially. In fact, you can now get certified for Serious Nail Bending.
The first widely known certification system for Bending was the IronMind Red Nail, a 7-inch long, 5/16-inch thick round piece of steel bar. This bar takes over 450-lbs of strength in order to bend.
Other sites have come on board with certifications of other pieces of steel stock, including Fat Bastard Barbell and Bender’s Battlefield. The numbers of people bending challenge bars steadily increases each day.
5. Fun
Isn’t one of the reasons you train in the first place to have fun? Well, the best thing about nail bending is that it is good pure fun. You are able to test yourself and see improvement in your technique and strength while seeing increases in confidence and mental edge.
You can crank up the music and go for a new personal best.
Over the course of time, all of the nails, bolts, and stock you bend can be saved for posterity. You can see how you progressed over the years.
One day, you’ll be able to tell your grand kids about when you first dominated the 60-penny nail or the grade-5 bolt. And maybe you can even log them onto one of the certification sites and show them the certifications you were able to acquire.
In short, nail bending is one of the most exciting parts of the sport of Grip Strength. For me, the physical and the mental benefits I have seen from nail bending are outstanding, not to mention the friendships I have made with some of the top nail benders in the United States and around the world. I
In fact, I love the challenge of Nail Bending so much I recently put together a DVD showing you everything you need to know in order to get started. This DVD contains info on Bending Techniques, Strength Building, and Hand Health so you can continue to bend and enjoy it for years to come.
This DVD is coming out soon. Look for an email from Logan very soon because he will going to tell you when it is available.
Until then, all the best in your training, and get ready to bend some steel!!!
Jedd Johnson, CSCS, RKC
Red Nail Certified – 2007
The Diesel Crew
Filed under Feats of Strength, Hand Strength, Mental Training by on Nov 29th, 2010. Comment.
I wanted to let you know about a resource my friend Jedd Johnson just came out with.
It’s called Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball. But the truth is it’s much more than that.
While it is targeted for baseball players, with sport specific exercises and training tools, the majority of the information could be used by anyone wanted to get stronger hands and grip.
While it’s targeted towards the hands and forearms the truth is there is plenty of information and exercises and full body training.
If you play baseball I’d say this is a must. But if you don’t it’s still worth checking out.
I haven’t read the entire thing as it’s over 400 pages (and that doesn’t even include the bonuses). If there is a fault here it’s that it would take 3 printer ink cartridges if you wanted to print it out.
But by skimming through it I was amazed at the plethora of exercises. Many use specialized tools but many do not. It’s guaranteed that if you don’t have some of the equipment, there are other exercises in this manual that give you the same work with equipment you can find (or make yourself). I’ll be going through it again to add a couple exercises to my current routine.
Plus one of the most impressive things to me was all the recuperative tools and methods found within.
I know Jedd puts out great stuff. This one is no different.
You can read more about it and make your decision by clicking here.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Due to FTC regulations I must remind you that I will make a commission if you buy Jedd’s material through the links found on this page. But you know I would never recommend something that I did not feel was well worth the price. And to prove it to you here are two links.
Affiliate Link (I get a few bucks if you buy)
Non Affiliate Link (I get nothing if you buy)
Filed under Clubs, Hand Strength by on Jun 18th, 2010. Comment.
Grip training is important for everyone, not just strongman and grip athletes (and for obviously reasons its extra important for them.)
You can do just the basics. For many people, swinging a thick handled kettlebell is going to give them more hand strength then they’ve ever had in life.
But the hands are amazing in what they can do. There are so many exercises available for each and every area of the body, and for the hands I’d say there are three times as many. This is because of all the functions the hands can do.
Hand strength is more than just closing grippers
Looking at the hands from a physiological stand point. You also have wrist flexion and extension, radial and ulnar deviation. The fingers flex, extend, adduct and abduct.
Are you training all these movements?
Luckily you don’t need to isolate each movement pattern, as in all effective training, when integrated you get better results as that is how we’re suppose to move.
However, many trainees do neglect some part. A common example is working that crushing and support grip (the flexion of the fingers) but never going in the opposite manner (extending the fingers) under resistance.
When you work everything, you’ll enjoy greater strength and health. This is because you are bringing up the weak links in your chain that allow the stronger links to get even stronger.
If you’ve been doing grip training for awhile then this may be familiar to you. If not, I may have lost you back near the start, but that’s okay.
Do you want to know more?
One of the top trainers out there, especially when it comes to grip is Jedd Johnson. He has written THE books on Bending Nails and Card Tearing. Highly recommended if you want to get started in those feats.
And recently he re-opened the site The Grip Authority as an inexpensive membership.
If you are working on your feats of strength or competing in grip contests you need to check this out. There’s been detailed videos on phonebook tearing, anvil lifting, the rolling thunder and more. Just a couple weeks ago he released videos on horseshoe bending. The accessory exercises alone were worth the price of admission.
I tried one out the other day and absolutely loved it. He guarantees that you have never seen this one before and he’s right. It’s unique and it works very well.
For the average person you’ll learn more about grip then you possibly need (like all the different gripper certifications). But there is tons you will use. Each month he gives you workouts you can do or learn from to make your own.
With The Grip Authority you’ll become an expert in grip training fast.
But be prepared when you sign up as there are several hours of video up. You’ll may have to set aside some time to watch it all.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength, Hand Strength by on May 28th, 2010. 1 Comment.
More updates to the Feats of Strength Index. Plenty of new videos featuring Jedd Johnson, some random woman, Chris Rider, Dennis Rogers, Slim the Hammerman, and yours truly. You’ll have to check them out to see the feats though.
At this rate, if I can keep it up, the index will be done in a month or so. Be sure to let me know what you’d like to see added. And keep spreading the word.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength by on Mar 18th, 2010. Comment.
