A cool feat of strength that you can do is rolling up a frying pan. If you want to learn how to do this, pick up the November issue of Men’s Fitness and check out the short “How-to” piece I put together for them, on page 24, called Roll Up a Skillet.

Like many feats of grip strength, this is one where if you learn to engage the rest of your body with Radiant Tension, you will be able to perform the feat better.

What’s Radiant Tension?

I talk about Radiant Tension in this kettlebell press article I did last fall. (Here’s the accompanying radiant tension video).

Radiant Tension is a skill. It’s not as easy as clenching your teeth and squeezing the bar as hard as you can. That’s not what it is about. You have to be able to turn it on and off as you need to.

Here’s an example with a feat you might have a bit more experience with than rolling up a frying pan…card tearing.

When ripping a deck of cards, you want to use radiant tension when starting the tear to keep the cards tight together, to get the initial tear started, and to involve the larger muscles of the torso in the feat.

However, once the tear is started, if you are too tight, it can be tough to keep the tear going. What results is you get the initial break going and then stop. The. you throw another jolt of power into it and it tears a little more, and you essentially keep starting and stopping over and over until you tear the whole way through the deck.

Through practice, however, you can understand how much Radiant Tension is necessary to grip the cards and get the torso muscles involved, and also to keep the tear going fluidly.

If you need help learning how to tear cards, no resource on the planet will give you the level of detail my Card Tearing eBook gives you. From Techniques, to Progressions, to Exercises, I’ve got everything you need to know in order to start “cutting the deck” with extreme vengeance.

In a much more standard form of lifting, such as the Bench Press, Radiant Tension can instantly increase your bench by 10 to 20 pounds by learning to manage the tension. Like I said before, it is a skill that needs to be practiced.

Often when I see it discussed in other locations, Radiant Tension is described as “squeezing the bar as hard as you can.” While a new person who has never tried to employ Radiant Tension may indeed end up putting forth that kind of exertion in order to build a connection between the mind and the body, I think squeezing at that level of intensity all the time is actually a waste of energy and at the very least an unnecessary distraction.

I actually used to “squeeze as hard as possible” on many lifts when I performed them, but after playing around with this concept in the last year or so I’ve found that I get just as good if not better results by moderating the level of exertion and changing it depending on the movement I am doing and how much radiant tension I need on that day.

For instance, on the bench, if I squeeze too hard on the bar, it feels like I have trouble lowering the bar and my shoulders end up hurting. Whereas if I just tense my hands slightly, I can begin to feel that familiar sensation of tension radiating back and forth from my core and torso out to the bar and back in, feeling more stable, stronger in the movement, and having less stress in the shoulders.

Like I’ve said a couple of times, tension is a skill that needs to be practiced. This past summer, I was training a dude named Jim who would get on the bench and the bar would be all over the place. The first day I mentioned squeezing the bar, his form improved greatly and he was able to repeat the form much more easily. Gradually we worked outward away from the torso and began using systematic pulsing of the glutes in order get even more confident with the bar, perform more reps, and pack on more muscle.

Remember, tension is a skill you can practice to help you out in all of your strength endeavors, whether you are tearing cards, bending a frying pan, or powerlifting, there’s a place for it. You just have to use it and practice it in order to make it work best for you.

Incidentally, in this issue of the magazine, on page 20, there is another short piece by Ben Bruno called, “Curl More Weight, Increase Your Strength Immediately” that pretty much covers the same principle of Radiant Tension. I will let you check the magazine out yourself to see what I mean.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Similar Posts:

• Classic Strongman Month – Week 2
• The Secret Key to Finishing a Deck of Cards – Adjustment
• Productive Variety: Why I Tear Cards
• From The Mail Bag – Card Tearing Feedback
• Card Tearing Twitter Chat TONIGHT!

Check out the results of the Classic Strongman Feats Tournament…

Week 5 Bracket Video

Ending Score Totals

David Wigren – 7 Points * WINNER – $100
Cameron Bailey / Darrin Shallman – 5 Points – * WINNERS – $50 Each
Mike Rinderle – 4 Points – * WINNER – $50 worth of Steel from SteelBenders.org
David Horne – 3 Points
Richard MacLean / Jason Steeves – 2 Points
Daniel Reinard – 1.5 Points
EJ Livesey – 1 Point
Christopher Smith – .5 Points

Winners, please send me your paypal addresses so I can get your prize payments to you!

Jedd

• Classic Strongman Feats Tournament – Week 2 Submissions
• Phone Book Tearing Submissions
• Man of Steel Winners Announced!
• Classic Strongman Month – Week 2
• Diesel Grip Challenge: Week 10

Partially torn deck of cards

Week 2 of the Classic Strongman Feats Challenge is in the books! Last week the challenge was to rip a deck of cards in half and then quarter one of the halves!

This week’s winner is Cameron Bailey.

Check out how the tournament rolled out for this past week:

Scores from This Week:

• Bailey – + 3
• Reinard – + 1.5
• David Wigren – + 1
• McLean – + 1
• Steeves – + .5
• Rinderle – + .5

Scores from Last Week:

• 1 – David Horne – 3 Points
• 2 – Mike Rinderle – 1.5 Points
• 2 – Jason Steeves – 1.5 Points
• 3 – Richard McLean – 1 Point

Standings after Two Weeks:

• Cameron Bailey / David Horne – 3 Points
• Richard McLean / Jason Steeves / Mike Rinderle – 2 Points
• Daniel Reinard
• David Wigren – 1 Point

As you can see, the standings are VERY CLOSE!

Even if you have not submitted a video yet this month, with three weeks left to go, it is not too late to start submitting!

Don’t have the hand strength to rip a deck of cards? I’ll show you how to build the hand strength to make short work of any deck standing in your way. Check out the Card Tearing eBook.

Click the image below…

Check out last week’s submissions for quartering a deck of cards!

Daniel Reinard

Richard McLean

Darrin Shallman

David Wigren

Jason Steeves

Mike Rinderle

Adam Glass

David Horne

Cameron Bailey

Next week’s challenge is Phone Book Tearing.

If you don’t know how to do this feat, then you should check out Phone Book Mass Destruction.

All the best in your training!

Jedd

• Phone Book Tearing Submissions
• Results of the Classic Strongman Feat Tournament
• Classic Strongman Month – Week 2
• Grip Strength Challenge Week 9
• Building Freaky Forearms – Method Number 73

I’ve done a great deal of steel bending in my time. I’ve bent nails, bolts, steel stock, horse shoes, widow makers and more. I’ve bent alongside some of the best steel benders in the world in grip contests.

How to Improve at Bending

When it comes to building strength for bending, there is no doubt that the best option is BENDING. Buying the piles of nails, ordering the stock , wrapping the bolts, and bending the hell out them all on a regular basis. This is the number one way to get better because it is the only specific type of training for it.

CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP

However, improving in bending doesn’t always have to be about making consistent jumps up in steel. It also has to do with longevity.

Let’s face it, for most of us, it takes months if not years to make huge jumps up the bending ladder. It’s tough enough to set new PR’s when we are healthy. If we experience injuries along the way, it just makes it harder for us to progress.

This is where isometric hammer work can be so valuable.

Sledge Hammer Training for Bending

Sledgehammers have been a popular cross-training method for benders for years. For many benders, hammers are what they start out using in order to prepare for bending. I know I did.

Hammers are great for getting the lower arms, wrists and hands used to the stresses placed on them, and now they can also be used to keep people in top bending form.

Sledges are so great for this because we can use them to work a variety of joint angles. We can pick a sledgehammer up to the vertical position, then lower it slightly and hold it there, all the while isometrically strengthening that point in the wrist movement, plus or minus 15 degrees (research shows isometrics effectively strengthen the joint angle over that range).

Important Points for Hammer Training

A few things to remember going in:

• Make sure you are warmed up before doing these lifts. They produce high levels of stress, so prepare for the work sets with some lighter work ahead of time.
• Train throughout the range of motion, not just at the extremes. Stop and hold half way through from time to time. Get strong at all angles.
• If you can’t get the hammer in position by concentric wrist strength only, then use your other hand, momentum, or a training partner to get it there.
• If you can’t hold the sledge in position by gripping at the end of the handle, then CHOKE UP. Do what you need to get the benefit of the training stimulus. These are not official attempts, so don’t treat them that way.
• Work both of your hands. You bend with both hands, so make sure to work both hands as well.
• Know when you are done. If you’re feeling serious fatigue, don’t push through it. Remember, these lifts are for keeping you away from injury, not to bring you closer to it.

Hammer Isometrics

Here are a handful of movements that can be done with sledgehammers isometrically that will both build strength for starting and keeping a bend going, as well as keeping you resilient and safe, and maintaining your momentum in your bending training.

Partial Hammer Deadlift

With the sledge laying flat on the ground, bend down and grip it by the handle and pick it up, but stop half way and hold it there. It can be a lot harder holding a hammer in the parallel position, when you are bent over like this.

Weaver Stick Row

The Weaver Stick involves picking a stick with weight hanging from it up off a surface parallel to the ground and breaking parallel with it. We can do it with a sledge hammer as well, but in this case, pick it off the ground and hold it level with the ground and then slowly move the arm back and forth, all awhile controlling the momentum of the sledge.

Multi-Stage Front Nose Lever Hold

With this one, raise the hammer up to the vertical position, then lower it. Every few inches, hold the hammer for a few seconds, then let the hammer ride down a bit further and hold it in that position. Turning it “on and off” like this resembles what goes on during a bend with the joint angles constantly changing and how the hands shift from being and anchor hand to a driver hand.

Front Hold

This movement is great because not only do you have to hold the weight of the hammer out in front of you, but you also get a great stretch through the top of the wrist and forearm.

Taking Action

These are just a handful of ways to use this isometric concept in your training that I shot over the span of about 5 minutes, and they only cover ulnar and radial deviation movements. You can also use sledge hammers to train wrist flexion and extension as well as forearm rotation (pronation / supination). The only limit is your imagination.

If you’re looking for more guidance with your bending, my Nail Bending eBook is the best place to start. I’ll show you a ton more exercises for nail bending as well as a ramp-up program to get your strength levels up to speed, plus all of the techniques you need to know to put a hurting on steel. Pick it up here = = > How to Build Hands Strong Enough to Bend Steel

As always, I welcome any questions you might have, so feel free to contact me through the form at the top of the page, or leave me a comment below. I check the comments added to the site each day, because they are important to me, so fire away!

For more updates, subscribe to our newsletter in the box above and to the right so you get notified about each new article that goes up here on the site.

Otherwise, check out the related articles that appear in the links below – we’ve got tons of information up on the site for you to enjoy!

All the best with your bending,

-Jedd-Similar Posts:

• Hammering Strength into the Wrists – Part Three
• Dessert For Your Workout – 5 Finishers to Work Your Grip
• Jedd’s Training Update – Fire Walk with Me
• This Week’s Challenge – Sledge Hammer Deadlift
• New Way to Swing a Mace?

If you didn’t get a chance to see the show, sign up for the Grip Strength newsletter below because I will be sending out links to download it either today (Sunday) or tomorrow.

Thanks everybody!

How to Bend Nails | How to Tear Cards | Feats of Grip Strength Explained | How to Build Your Own Equipment | How to Lift Atlas Stones | The Sh*t You’ve Never Seen | Sled Dragging for Athletes | The Road to the Record DVDSimilar Posts:

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