Since Mike Rinderle and I released the Hammering Horseshoes DVD, we have continued to receive outstanding feedback, and Mike and I really appreciate it when you all write in to us. We truly tried to put out a video that would break away all the chains that could keep someone from performing this awesome feat of strength.
We recently received this note from David Mitti through Facebook:
Hey Mike, Just bent my first horseshoe, a St. Croix Ultra Lite #2 the other day. A LOT harder than it looks, but I got it past 180. It was an awesome feeling. Just wanted to say thanks for all the info provided on the Hammering Horseshoes DVD. I now have the bug…LOL. Thanks again, David M. Peace – Out
Thanks a lot for the note, David – keep on slaying the shoes.
Occasionally, we not only get an email from the customers, but we also get a video – very cool!
This is performing strongman and missionary evangelist, Peter Mehl, bending his first horseshoe. Peter related to us that he had always wanted to include horseshoe bending in his act, but was unsure of how to go about doing it.
As you can see, Peter now has very good technique for horseshoe bending, to go along with his already present strength, so he was able to knock out his first shoe no problem.
From Peter’s YouTube video description:
Peter Mehl Bends a Horseshoe past [180] degrees and then attempts to bend it into a shape of a heart. Peter is a Missionary Evangelist in Ukraine and Moldova where he oversees more than 150 crusades each year. In many of them he does feats of strength youth outreaches. He also has a team of Ukrainians he has raised up to do the same feats.
Peter, keep up the good work with the feats, and much respect for the work you are doing overseas – very awesome.
If you would like to get started bending horseshoes, now is the time. All you need to do is pick up our DVD and we will tell you everything you need to know!
I have had lots of questions from people wanting to know exactly what braced bending is and what is covered in the Braced Bending DVD, so I wanted to answer some of those questions right now.
Here is some information about the practice of Braced Bending and our DVD.
Braced Bending Information
There is a lot that is involved in Braced Bending. Below is a list of common questions about Braced Bending. The list of questions and answers about Braced Bending below is really just scratching the surface. Our DVD goes into much more detail than this and covers much more information as it gets into the instructional portions and technique demonstration within the DVD.
What is Braced Bending
Braced Bending is the act of bending steel, tools, or other odd objects through the use of your hands and the rest of your body, except your feet (the feet are used for what is called Scrolling).
In this DVD, we show you the basics of Braced Bending, as well as many specific Braced Bending techniques. This DVD is packed with instruction, running nearly 2 hours of solid information, and no fluff or filler.
What Feats are Included in Braced Bending?
Braced Bending includes but is not limited to bending all of the following types of objects:
Short Bars: These are steel bars that usually 14-inches or shorter.
Mid-length Bars: These are steel bars that are usually 14 to 30-inches in length.
Long Bars: These are bars that are 30-inches or longer.
Wrenches: There are a LOT of different kinds of wrenches available to bend, combination wrenches, tappet wrenches, and adjustable wrenches, just to name a few.
Hammers: Framing hammers are the most commonly bent style of hammer, and many types are bendable.
Spikes: There are many types of spikes out on the market, especially if you include bolts into this category, along with nails. Their difficulty can vary quite a bit depending on the manufacturer and other variables.
What are the Basics of Braced Bending?
Wraps: The ends of the bars, tools, and other objects that are bent can often be very rough and possible cut you, so they are often wrapped as a means of protecting the skin. These are generally made out of suede, cordura, or towels.
Gloves: For some feats, such as Hammer bending, it can be almost impossible to wrap the object with wraps. In these cases it is more common to wear gloves in order to protect the hands.
Pads: Since these feats require you to press the object against a part of your body, padding is often used. Beginners will often use additional padding until the areas of the body toughen up.
Materials to Bend: As you can see there are many things you can bend, once you know how. Being able to bend a variety of objects of varying lengths and thicknesses will make you a more well-rounded bending machine.
Knowledge / Technique: Obviously brute strength will only get you so far. Knowing the proper techniques for Braced Bending makes an incredible difference in your bending success. That is especially where our Braced Bending DVD comes in.
On top of covering all of the above information in complete detail, Mike and I also take you through the proper Warm-up Techniques, Strength Training Movements, and other measures you can take to be a great bender, while remaining injury free.
Mike and I also have a little something special planned for those who pick up the DVD before January 26th, so make sure to check this out right now: How to Do Braced Bending.
Make sure your order your copy of Braced Bending today in order to take advantage of the special bonus offer and start your bending journey on the right foot!
When it comes to Feats of Strength, people know where to go in order to get the proper technical instruction they need.
They come to me.
They know I most likely either have an ebook or DVD showing them the exact techniques for the feat of strength they want to accomplish, OR I have explained it at The Grip Authority.
Common Questions about Performing Feats of Strength
You want to know what wraps to get for bending. This is very important because there are many options out there and some are better than others.
You want to know what kind of protection to use on their body, especially when doing things like braced bending or horseshoe bending which requires you to press the object against your body.
You want to know what kind of steel to buy. This one REALLY varies, depending on what kind of feats you want to do – Braced? Unbraced? Log bars? Mid bars? Short bars? When you get into shapes, then it just gets even more confusing.
How to Get Started – The Essential Basics
To continue with this tradition of being the go-to guy for learning feats of strength, I asked my good friend, Mike Rinderle, to put together something that will cover EXACTLY these principal topics:
What Kind of Wraps to Buy
Where to Go to Buy Your Wraps
What Steel to Buy for Bending
What Kind of Steel to Avoid for Bending (Safety-Wise)
What Kind of Odd Objects the Pro’s Bend
If you are into Feats of Strength and you want to learn the basics from one of the best all around benders in the world, then you need to check out the video that Rindo put together.
The best thing about this video is that it is no fluff. I do a quick Intro, Mike covers everything in about 8 PowerPoint slides, and then I close it to give you an important message, and that’s it.
Once it is queued up, it will take you like 5 minutes to watch it and take notes, then it is just up to you to get the stuff.
I have continued to train my ass off on the Inch Dumbbells the last few weeks.
Even though the Inch Dumbbell and Thick Bar itself was not an event that was part of Gripmas, I continued to train it hard because I was seeing a relationship develop between my performance on the Inch Dumbbell and my Two Hands Pinch lifting, as I highlighted in this article: Continued Progress with the Inch Dumbbell Deadlift.
Here is my first lift, which I luckily caught on tape.
The Inch Dumbbell is named after the traveling strongman, Thomas Inch, who used to take his challenge dumbbell around the country and defy others to lift it. Replicas of it these days are about 172-lbs with a handle approaching 2 inches thick. The implements are cast iron and one piece, so when the globe heads start to rotate so the handle tries to tear out of your hand.
I have since carried the dumbbells a longer distance, but I have not had the opportunity to cut up the videos yet. When I do another batch of editing, I will do my best to get more footage uploaded.
Training continues to go well each time I get to the gym. I have begun training specifically for the Arnold Sports Festival and the Sorinex Mighty Mitts competition. I have not actually been selected yet to compete, nor do I know what the events will be. However, if I wait to be told I am in, then I will be wasting time, and I have a hunch of the general idea of the events, so I am not wasting any time getting started.
If you have any interest at all in going to the Arnold Classic, which is the first weekend in March, then I hope you will come and cheer me on from the crowd. Having the support of the people watching when you are up on stage feels amazing.
I competed at the 2010 Mighty Mitts competition, and was selected to participate in the 2011 competition as well, but I had injured the middle and index fingers on both hands and was able to do almost no Grip Training from February to May, and so I had to write the organizers and tell them I could not make it.
This year, I am not even thinking about that. I am just focusing on training smart and staying healthy, which has been working very well for me over the last few months.
On the work side, I just went to Bucknell University yesterday and shot footage with my good friend, Head Strength Coach, Jerry Shreck. We looked at the system he uses to reduce and eliminate knee injuries in his collegiate athletes, especially his basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball players. I am anxious to bring this project out.
In addition, I am working as hard as I can to finish up Braced Bending: How to Destroy Everything in Your Path. Between computer snags, babysitter call-offs, and other commitments, my progress has slowed, but I know this one is going to be awesome for those looking to bend stuff like wrenches, short, mid-length, and long bars, frying pans, and other things. If this is something you are interested, make sure to get on my Feats of Strength Newsletter below.
Feats of Strength Newsletter
I am also in the planning stages of a collaborative effort with Rick Kaselj on preventing and eliminating forearm pain. We don’t have everything worked out yet, but we do have a general idea of what we want to do and we spoke on the phone earlier this week and he is just as excited about it as I am. While many gripsters, strongmen, and powerlifters come to me for advice on how to fix what they are feeling in their forearms, Rick, I am sure gets even more in his line of work because he covers a much broader scope. I think be working together on this we can really put something together that will help a lot of people.
Another iron I have in the fire is a DVD that I shot the footage for with Steve Slater when I was in Ohio on Strongman Atlas Stones. There was more to shoot when I left his place but we were not at the position to shoot it, so he had to shoot it a few days later. he will be compiling the footage on his end and sending it to me so that I can process the video and get the ball rolling. More on that down the road.
And, I think the last video project I am working on here and there is another documentary on my Two Hands Pinch Record. I had the camera running during every training session and you will be able to see everything I did leading up to the event, including many tactics I have never tried before, but have come to love very much.
That is enough of the updates for now. There is still a ton of stuff I am working on. I will share this at a later date.
The plan for the next post here on the site will be a Diesel Classic. This one has recently come up as a request from multiple people across the land, so I am going to dust it off and post it for all to see soon.
Thanks and all the best in your training.
Jedd
If you are into feats of strength, check out Hammering Horseshoes. It’s gotten incredible reviews from many satisfied customers. Click the image below…
Since the DVD HAMMERING HORSESHOES came out this summer I have had numerous people ask me what they need to start bending shoes.
Common Beginner Horseshoe Questions: Can you give me a good horseshoe progression for a beginner? What types of wraps should I use and where do I buy horseshoes and wraps for them?
It’s really pretty simple to prepare for successful horseshoe bending. You will need four things:
Horseshoes You Can Bend
Horseshoe Bending Wraps to Protect Your Hands
Padding to Protect / Desensitize Your Body
Proper Horseshoe Bending Technique / Instruction
Now, let’s take a look at each one of these in more detail.
Beginner – Level Horseshoes
The best place I have found to get a good selection of shoes is a local farrier supplier. These shops have a wide selection of shoes from most of the major manufacturers of horseshoes. If you don’t have a farrier supplier local to you, a great resource is www.ken-davis.com. They will have every shoe you need to get started.
Another option is Tractor Supply Co. They carry many of the Diamond Classic shoes. Many people will need to start with easier shoes than these though. A good progression of beginner to intermediate shoes is:
St. Croix Forge Ultralite
St. Croix Forge Polo
Diamond Classic
St. Croix Forge Lite Rim
Make sure you get different sizes to work on.
Wraps for Bending Horseshoes
Most people use suede/leather wraps to bend horseshoes. I purchase my wraps from the local Michael’s Craft Store. They are Tandy Leather suede. They come in 8.5” X 11” pieces and sell for around $6. Each piece will make one set of wraps. Just cut the piece up the middle in the longest direction and you have a great set of 11” X 4” wraps.
Make sure you feel the suede before you buy it. These pieces are remnants and some are thinner than others. You want the thicker pieces.
Padding for Horseshoe Bending
Padding for horseshoe bending is a personal choice. I recommend that beginners use padding when they start their journey for safety reasons. After you have bent shoes for awhile, you can decide whether or not bending shoes without any leg padding is for you.
What I have found works best is a folded up hand towel. You don’t want this to be too big or it will absorb too much energy and hurt your bending. The other option is a few pieces of the wrapping material folded up. The suede makes a good transition from using a towel to going with no padding as well.
Finally, you need to get our DVD Hammering Horseshoes. This DVD has helped countless people become horseshoe killers and has received great reviews from some of the best shoe benders in the world!
Now go kill some shoes!!!
Mike “The Beast in the East” Rinderle
Hammering Horseshoes DVD Reviews
Mike and Jedd have managed to condense the knowledge that would normally take years of potentially dangerous trial and error training to acquire into a concise and entertaining video package. I enthusiastically recommend this comprehensive tutorial for anyone interested in pursuing the rewarding and richly historical pursuit of bending horseshoes with your bare hands!
Eric Milfeld
(Captain of Crush #3 & Red Nail Certified / Horseshoe Bending Legend and Steel Benders Hall of Fame Member)
Bravo! Hammering Horseshoes was a pleasure to watch. The video is very structured and organized, how a training video / “How to” video should be, including step by step examples, some of which are even in slow motion. I especially liked the horseshoe progression ladder. I was impressed. I already know a thing or two about horseshoe bending and frankly I didn’t think I was going to learn anything from watching it, but I was pleasantly surprised. That being said, “Hammering Horseshoes” is good for beginners through advanced and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to make a name in the bending community or even if you just want to show-off your horseshoe bending skills to family and friends. Five stars Mike and Jedd!
Paul Knight
(Captain of Crush #3.5 & Red Nail Certified / Extraordinary Horseshoe Bender and Steel Benders Hall of Fame Member)
