Why Bending Steel Could Be the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Your Kettlebell Snatch or Deadlift

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Hi, my name is Jedd Johnson, and I bend steel with my hands.

Five Reasons to Start Bending Nails

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Why on Earth would you want to start bending nails? Jedd explains.

Three Technique Corrections for Tearing Your First Deck of Cards

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What I want to do today is let everyone know that it does take some time to adapt to the card tearing learning curve, but you can make that learning curve much shorter by employing a few easy technical tweaks. By making these few technique improvements, tearing a deck of cards can be "within your grasp".

Diesel Steel Bending Basics

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There are many benefits to bending steel.

Hammering Strength into the Wrists Part II

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Jedd discusses several extremely creative sledgehammer exercises. Excellent.

Hammering Strength into the Wrists

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The importance of wrist strength, and a great way to get it - with a sledgehammer.

Pinch Grip Training - Hub Lifting Implements

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Jedd takes a great look at hub lifting for training the pinch grip, including instructions for building your own hub. Excellent.

Hub Lifting

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Jedd takes a detailed look at a great area of grip training - the Hub Lift. Good fun.

Shot Tossing for Dynamic Grip Strength

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This is a particularly innovative style of dynamic grip training - Shot Tossing. Enjoy.

Choked Gripper Training

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Heavy hand grippers are great for building crush strength. This article will show you how to use hose clamps to choke the gripper, enabling you to work on your crush from a variety of depths.

Kettlebell Training for Grip Strength

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Looking to add a kettlebell to your grip-training arsenal? Here's how.

Pinch Grip Training & Athletic Carryover

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How does Pinch Grip training carry over to athletic performance? Jedd Johnson explores.

Getting the Most out of Your TTK

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Thumb training is very important for a well rounded grip, and can be broken up into at least four different types: Dynamic, Static, and Extensor, and Multi-Planar. This article explores the training of each of these aspects using IronMind's Titan's Telegraph Key.

The Many Types of Blobs

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A Blob is simply the head cut from a 100 pound cast iron dumbbell. Though as Jedd shows, it's a whole lot more than that. Superb.

Advanced Nail Wrapping

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When you bend nails with sheer power, you need to know how to wrap them correctly to reduce the chance of injury, and to get the most out of each bend. This article series will give you the information you need!

7 Reasons to Start Bending Nails

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If you are looking for something to spice up your training routine, nail bending might just be the thing for you. Let's take a look at several of the benefits nail bending can bring you.

Last Two Finger Training - A Key to Success with Hand Grippers

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In the Grip Master's Manual, a book I think anyone interested in grip strength should read, John Brookfield mentions that one of the secrets to closing heavy grippers, especially the IronMind Captains of Crush grippers, is strength in the last two fingers, or the ring and pinky fingers. He says that strength in these two fingers is what finishes off the close when making a big attempt. I fully agree.

Grip Chronicles

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The emails are pouring in. It seems everyone is getting excited about building their grip strength these days - and why not? It's fun and it makes sense. The stronger your hands get, the stronger the rest of your lifts...

Grip Training on a Limited Budget - Softball Implement

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There is some outstanding equipment out there to help you build your hand strength to inhuman levels. However, sometimes price tags can intimidate athletes who are just discovering the importance of specialized Grip training.

Grip Training - Lifting the Inch Replica Dumbbell V - Reducing Rotation

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In the last part of this series, we looked at the pull path of the various implements we can use to mimic the Inch Dumbbell and ways to modify those pull paths for the most benefit towards increasing our thick bar strength.

Grip Training - Lifting the Inch Replica Dumbbell IV

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In the last article on Lifting the Inch Dumbbell, I looked at varying the percentage of 1-rep maximum, and the speed of the repetitions we executed. This variety will keep your grip workouts interesting, and keep the increases in strength coming.

Grip Training - Lifting the Inch Replica Dumbbell III

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Now that we have an understanding of some of the quality implements out there that we can use to train to lift the Inch Replica Dumbbell, we need to think about how we can use them to make sure we get the most out of them in our time training with them. The following tactics can be used for a thick loadable dumbbell or a Rolling Thunder Revolving Deadlift Handle.

Grip Training - Lifting the Inch Replica Dumbbell II

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In part one of this series, I introduced you to the Inch Replica Dumbbell, a 172-pound cast iron dumbbell with a 2.38-inch diameter handle that literally tries to rip your fingers out of their sockets when you try to pick it up. These Inch Dumbbells are lurking around the countryside, so you must begin preparing now so that when you are confronted with the challenge of lifting the Inch, you will be ready. Here are some of the ways I have prepared to lift the Inch in the past.

Grip Training - Lifting the Inch Replica Dumbbell

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The Inch Dumbbell is named after the inventor of the implement, an old-time performing strongman named Thomas Inch, from Scarborough England. He would travel about the country challenging bystanders to lift the globe dumbbell, offering prize money to anyone who could do so.

The Gripper Hierarchy - Where Do My Grippers Lie?

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Have you wondered: What is the hardest gripper? Where do my grippers lie? What grippers can I get to bridge the gap between what I am closing now and my goal gripper?

Straight to the Grip Contest

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When it comes to grip training, Jedd Johnson's a goldmine of information. Over on the Diesel Crew site they've just wrapped up his excellent Straight to the Grip Contest series into a single PDF document [392kb, .pdf]. Download it, print it out and share it with your friends. It's a great read.

Straight to the Grip Contest VI - Specialization with Grippers

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We have covered the gamut of established set techniques for grippers that are currently used in certification systems and in grip contests. Now we need to talk about how to prepare for these certs and contests.

Straight to the Grip Contest Part V - The No-sets

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Up until now, we have covered the gripper setting techniques that are most widely known in Grip Sports. While these sets, allow for the athlete to pre-position the gripper before making the attempt to close the handles together, there are some other techniques that are practiced in which a pre-closing of the gripper is not permitted. These methods are called "no-sets".

Straight to the Grip Contest Part IV - Current IronMind Set

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In case you haven't seen my previous instalments in this series, let's recap. The one-inch-set rule eventually became a problem for both the Gripboard and IronMind itself. Like we covered last time, not everyone's definition of one-inch matched. With that, the Gripboard decided to change the legal set depth to parallel, leading to the current definition of the Mash Monster set. However, the inconsistency in setting the gripper for IronMind's certification also is what spawned what is referred to as the Credit Card set.

Straight to the Grip Contest Part III

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I certified as an IronMind Captain of Crush on the #3 Gripper at the end of 2003. In 2004, the IronMind certification was still the only one that existed. In order to get your name 'up in lights,' you had to do so through the IronMind certification. Click to go to IronMind's Captains of Crush Certification page. To this day, IronMind remains the gold standard in Grip Strength equipment.

Straight to the Grip Contest: Pt II

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Thank you all for your interest in this series. Again, the idea behind this series is to give you information that will help you get ready for the next Grip Strength Contest in your area. Since Grippers are usually the first event in a Grip Contest, I am starting off with information on Grippers with this segment.

Straight to the Grip Contest

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Right now, Grip is still in the infancy of the sport, but I think with more information it will some day blow up, just as Strongman has done over the last few years.

Want more?

As you can doubtless see, I love talking about training. Becoming stronger, bigger and faster; using any number of styles and techniques. If you share this passion, grab the newsletter. Absolutely free.

what we're saying

how to

• Bending (Nails, Horseshoes)
  Easily one of the most rewarding ways to train.
  
• Clubs & Maces
  A great way to get a top workout in, without wasting time.
  
• Grippers
  I love training with grippers. Beautiful things.
  
• Kettlebells
  Fantastic.
  
• Ropes (Climbing/Dragging, Battling Ropes)
  Have you got what it takes?
  
• Sandbags
  If you're ready to take your conditioning workouts up a notch, grab one of these.
  
• Suspension Training
  Perfect for outdoor sessions.
  

»» Want more? They're all here. »»

 

images of strength

Want to see (and learn) more Feats of Strength like this? Dive in.

popular articles

Welcome. Here you’ll find everything that grunts, groans and ticks in the world of strength training. To give you an idea, here are just a handful of this site's most popular articles :

• DIY: How to Build an Olympic Weightlifting Platform [Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker]
  Beautiful.
  
• Building A Neck Of Steel [Mike 'The Machine' Bruce]
  So you want a strong neck? It's actually quite simple.
  
• Straight to the Grip Contest (part II, III, IV, V and VI) [Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson] Getting ready for your first grip contest? Here's what to expect.
  
• A Little Yoke Work : 10 Exercises for a Bigger Neck [Scott Bird]
  Traps maketh the man.
  
• 29 Things to do with a Barbell in the Corner [Jason Kirby]
  This is absolutely superb.
  
• Get Mental! The Psychology of Strength [Josh Hewett]
  The thinking side is half the challenge.
  
• Small Victories [Josh Hanagarne]
  Improve what you can improve, every day.
  

If you enjoyed these, check out the complete 'Best Of Straight to the Bar' list. Fantastic.

recommended

It'll come as no surprise that we've reviewed many, many products over the years. Everything from books, magazines and DVDs to racks, benches and complete home gyms.

To give you an idea :

• You Need More Drugs
• Isopure Protein Powder - My Review
• Hercules for a Day
• CRUSH DVD Review!
• A Critical Analysis: Reaction Ball
• Mizuno Wave Enigma Running Shoes Review
• Review : StrongerGrip Loadable Blob

NB : if you'd like to review a product for Straight to the Bar, I'd love to hear from you. It's fantastic to see how other people put things to the test.

also learning from

join the discussion

Straight to the Bar is very much an interactive website. In addition to the articles here, there are a number of ways to share your passion with other lovers of the iron :

• Seen something cool? Send us a tweet
• Discuss it in the forums
• Join the Gymchats on Google+.
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• Add training and comp pics to the Flickr group
• Submit articles on styles and techniques
• Subscribe to the tutorial videos on youtube

Incidentally, for updates whenever new articles are published (as well as lots of other top strength-related stuff), follow me on twitter :

Follow @scottbird

the team

There are some superb writers here, looking at the world of strength training from a number of angles. The regulars :

• Scott Bird (@scottbird)
  Writer and Fitness enthusiast
  

NB : It's a big team - full list here.

In addition, articles are submitted from across the globe. Got a piece you'd like to share? Let us know.

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(how to use the converter)

elsewhere

In addition to the articles on this site are a number I've written elsewhere. Including :

• Paleo Diet : Increased Mental Clarity
• The Art of Working Out Alone
• The Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food (part II)
• Rock the Kitchen: Plan for Diet Success
• 10 Challenging Bodyweight Exercises
• Buying Your First Kettlebell
• Switching to Biphasic Sleeping? Start here.

reading

Want more? Try these :

The Diesel Crew Bending eBook

If you're new to the world of nail bending, this is the perfect book to get. It'll show you the exact techniques you'll need to get started right away. Written by world-class bender Jedd Johnson.

The Diesel Crew's Card Tearing eBook

This is a fantastic book. If you've ever considered learning this incredible strength feat, the Card Tearing eBook is the perfect place to start. Love it.

Functional Correction Manual

If you ever wake up with that 'just run over by a truck' feeling, you need a copy of Tim Hull's Functional Correction Manual. Not only will it help you to locate and repair the problem, it'll help prevent it happening in the future.

Precision Nutrition

When it comes to body transformation - whether that's an increase in strength, packing on a bit of muscle or losing a bit of excess fat - this is the perfect place to start. Dr Berardi's Precision Nutrition.

Strength Training Anatomy

This is a fantastic book. As Josh explains, it superbly shows what's going on while you train. Love it.

101 Fitness Myths [Kindle Edition]

A superb combination of fitness mythbusting and no-nonsense advice. If you're not quite sure where to start, grab this.

The Art of Expressing the Human Body

If you've ever watched a Bruce Lee film and marveled at his strength, speed, agility, endurance, flexibility or muscularity, this book should take pride of place in your collection. Unlike many other writings covering everything from Lee's training methods to nutrition, this book is based not on the recollections of people around him; but on Lee's own notes. Brilliant.

And if you're a strength coach or personal trainer, check out the books Derek found invaluable when setting up his (commercial) gym. Fantastic place.

Over to you. What are you reading right now?

technique

Welcome.

If you’ve just joined us, I’d highly recommend checking out the ‘Start Here’ page - which takes a thorough look at what this site’s all about. However, if you’re more the ‘dive right in, read the manual later’ type, you may wish to check out the articles I’ve highlighted below. Just a few personal favourites.

Straight to the Bar copyright ©2004-2012 | Scott Andrew Bird

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