I recently had the opportunity to have some great email and phone conversations with a great American strength athlete, Jason Bergmann.

In case you are not familiar with Jason, here are some of the highlights from his Strongman competition career, which I pulled from Wikipedia:

• A 3rd place finish in the All-American Strongman Challenge 2007
• In 2008 came in 2nd in the America’s Strongest Man competition
• In the 2008 World’s Strongest Man he made the final ten (coming in 9th overall)
• In 2010 (after recovering form injuries) he made the top 10 of the 2010 World’s Strongest Man

As you can see, Jason has proven himself one of the best in the world, having made it to the finals on two occasions Of World’s Strongest Man.

Recently, he said he was looking for some different types of training he could do, as he was dealing with a pec tear. He also said he had begun doing some strongman performances and wanted to add some new feats to his repertoire, and eventually found our Hammering Horseshoes DVD.

Here is the first note I got from him:

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“Jedd,

I came home from strongman training and saw the DVD arrived today! I was going to wait to watch it and maybe try some shoes tomorrow since I had already tried to bend a few before watching the DVD (didn’t even nudge a diamond classic #2). But after watching about half the dvd on wrapping technique and learning more about the kink I gave it a go.

After giving it a few tries on the lightest shoe I had bought (St. Croix Forge polo #0) I knew something wasn’t right. Repositioned the shoe and followed the tips in the video and started to bend the shoe!

I will admit that I used a towel on my leg to get it past 180 degrees and I’m sure I will have a bruise or two. After about 5 minutes I had to see if I could do it on my right side too (torn pec on that side) and after getting everything set up right that went as well.

Without the tips and technique on your DVD it would of taken me a lot longer to figure it out if at all. I can say after bending my first shoes that it is not a trick. Getting the leverages right yes, but trick no!

Thanks for putting the DVD together and putting so much information in it. Well worth the money and when I’m looking to try another feat of strength I will be checking out your other products. Thanks.”

Jason Bergmann

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Well, Jason wasn’t just blowing smoke. He also got the desire to try out short steel bending as well as Braced Bending, and picked up both the Nail Bending DVD and our Braced Bending DVD.

He says that while he enjoys Nail Bending and Braced Bending, Horseshoe Bending has been his main focus. He recently sent in some video clips of him bending some very impressive shoes he bent, the Kerckhaert SSP 10×22 #5 and the SCF Plain #3.

“Jedd,
Sending the link to me bending the Kerckhaert SSP 10×22 #5. My
technique is getting better as this shoe I was only able to kink a
month ago. Thanks again for all the help. Now it’s time to get some
bigger shoes!”

“Jedd,
I was able to bend the SCF plain #3 last night. Just for kicks I tried
the AB#6. Needless to say that is going to take some work to move that
big SOB!”

Now, if you are not familiar with Horseshoes and their level of difficulty, I grabbed the ending portion of the “Advanced Section” from our Horseshoe Strength Progression List and pasted it below.

As you will see, the first video above, the Kerckhaert SSP 10×22 #5 sits at number 29 out of 37 on the list. Pretty deep, but then in video, he wipes out the St. Croix Forge Plain Regular #3, which is number 30 on the list as well. And while these bends are not official certification bends for any competitions or lists, they are still extremely impressive. Given the fact that Jason has pretty much just started doing this, you can describe his progress as nothing less than meteoric.

Advanced Level Horseshoes

23. 5/16×7/8 healed
24. Wide sliding plate
25. Kerckhaert SSP 8×22 #1
26. st croix forge regular plain 000
27. Kerckhaert SN 8×25 #3
28. Diamond special 5
29. Kerckhaert SSP 10×22 #5
30. St. croix plain regular #3
31. SSP 8×18 #000
32. SN 8×20 #000
33. Kerckhaert SN 10×22 #3
34. Kerckhaert SSP extra 8×22 #0
35. Unmarked healed shoe 3/8×3/4
36. AB #6
37. Kerckhaert WH 10×28 #6

 

However, despite Jason’s progress, his strength levels, his determination, you HAVE TO KEEP ONE THING IN MIND – the most important part of Horseshoe Bending or any type of steel bending, is TECHNIQUE.

Jason said it himself, without the instruction, it would have taken him much longer to learn the proper technique or might not have gotten if at all. When a sheer Power House like Jason says something like that, you know it’s true.

And because he has started out in the right direction from the beginning, Jason has been able to consistently progress AND avoid injuries, allowing him to enjoy every single PR he establishes.

No matter what level of strength you have, when you combine that power with the right technique, you are able to take your bending to an even higher level. Once you dial that technique in, get ready to blow through shoes that previously seemed out of reach.

And for the absolute best instruction on technique for Horseshoe Bending, you have to pick up Hammering Horseshoes. You can get it by clicking on the banner below.

Write me a note when you start destroying shoes!

All the best in your training,

Jedd

This is a guest post by Mike Rinderle, the winner of the first annual Beast in the East Championship, steel bending phenomenon and Horseshoe Dominator. He and I partnered up to shoot our instructional dvd on horseshoe bending.
Once you try horseshoe bending, you will see right away, that it is a feat of strength that in a whole other world from other strength feats. So it brings about the question, what is it about horseshoe bending that sets it apart from other feats?
This is what Mike has to say about it…

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Mike Rinderle, the Beast in the East

What makes horseshoe bending so special?

What sets horseshoe bending apart from other great feats of strength like phonebook tearing, card tearing, and license plate ripping?
I believe it’s a few different things.
Maybe it’s because horseshoes are made to be indestructible?
I mean, these things are made to be walked on by half-ton animals without bending or twisting! Everyone knows how strong these things are and to see a human bend one in his or her hands blows people away!
I’m not downplaying other feats but let’s face it, a phonebook doesn’t quite have the air of indestructibility that a big steel shoe has!
Or it could be the familiarity people have with horseshoes and horses.
Most people have tossed horseshoes in the back yard. It isn’t a strange object like a kettlebell or something people can’t comprehend the weight of, like a big stone or barbell.
It’s “real.”
People understand how ridiculously strong these things are and have probably held one in their hands at the last family picnic.
Perhaps it’s because there isn’t any trick to it. Period.
It’s all technique and brute force. Feats like phonebook tearing and apple crushing have been ruined by youtube. People figured out parlor tricks to make these things easier, posted them on the internet, and pretty much ruined the legitimate feats for all of us.
I think all those probably play a part in it, but for me it is the fact that it is one of the great historical feats performed by the legendary strongmen.
It is a feat made famous by strongmen of the past like Breitbart, Marx, and the Mighty Atom to today’s great shoe benders like Wigren, Povilaitis, and Milfeld to name just a few.
Did you know that DaVinci bent horseshoes?
Neither did I, until my good friend “The Horseshoe Destroyer” David Wigren gave me a little history lesson on this great old time feat of strength.
I asked David to send me a brief history on shoe bending and I was completely blown away by how far back it went.
Here’s what he sent me:
“The act of bending horseshoes has more than likely been around ever since they started forging horseshoes. You’re probably not going to be able to pin point the exact person who originated the idea of bending horseshoes. Indeed, if you start to dig in the history books of local strongman performers you will most likely find at least one or two relatively unknown performers bending horseshoes.”

Sixten Landby
“I know here in Sweden, I’ve heard of several performers such as Starknings Petter and Sixten Landby, to name just a few, who were bending horseshoes back in the day. And if you look as far back as the late 1400’s you’ll even find stories about Leonardo da Vinci, the famous painter and inventor, bending horseshoes.”

John Grunn Marx
“Approaching modern times, with the birth of the camera, we begin to see pictures of performers bending horseshoes. There is a picture of John Grunn Marx from 1905 bending a horseshoe using the exact kinking technique that we use today. And if you travel to the city of Mondorf in Luxemburg, you’ll find a monument erected in his honor, also displaying the kinking technique we’re talking about.”
Here is a picture of the famous statue:

Monument erected for John Grunn Marx in Mondorf in Luxemburg
And more recently, all it would take is a trip to the York museum to see incredible bends by strongmen like The Mighty Atom.”

The Mighty Atom
Perhaps nobody knows more about horseshoe bending than David, and Jedd and I were incredibly lucky to have him help us with our new Horseshoe Bending DVD, HAMMERING HORSESHOES!
– The Beast in the East, Mike Rinderle

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As you can see, DIESELS, Horseshoe Bending has quite the history. From the heroes of the past to the modern day legends who continue the legacy, like Dennis Rogers, David Wigren, Pat Povilaitis, Dave Whitley, Adam Glass, Tom Kelley, Steve McGranahan, Chris Rider, Erik Vining, Mike McKenzie, John Beatty, Dan Cenidoza, Mike Bruce, and many, many more – horseshoe bending is one of the most alluring feats of strength that can be done.
And soon, you will know how to do it, legitimately, and in honor of all those who have paved the way.
Stay tuned, and all the best.

Jedd

This is a guest post by Mike Rinderle, the winner of the first annual Beast in the East Championship, steel bending phenomenon and Horseshoe Dominator. He and I partnered up to shoot our instructional dvd on horseshoe bending.

Once you try horseshoe bending, you will see right away, that it is a feat of strength that in a whole other world from other strength feats. So it brings about the question, what is it about horseshoe bending that sets it apart from other feats?

This is what Mike has to say about it…

---

Mike Rinderle, the Beast in the East

What makes horseshoe bending so special?

What sets horseshoe bending apart from other great feats of strength like phonebook tearing, card tearing, and license plate ripping?

I believe it’s a few different things.

Maybe it’s because horseshoes are made to be indestructible?

I mean, these things are made to be walked on by half-ton animals without bending or twisting! Everyone knows how strong these things are and to see a human bend one in his or her hands blows people away!

I’m not downplaying other feats but let’s face it, a phonebook doesn’t quite have the air of indestructibility that a big steel shoe has!

Or it could be the familiarity people have with horseshoes and horses.

Most people have tossed horseshoes in the back yard. It isn’t a strange object like a kettlebell or something people can’t comprehend the weight of, like a big stone or barbell.

It’s “real.”

People understand how ridiculously strong these things are and have probably held one in their hands at the last family picnic.

Perhaps it’s because there isn’t any trick to it. Period.

It’s all technique and brute force. Feats like phonebook tearing and apple crushing have been ruined by youtube. People figured out parlor tricks to make these things easier, posted them on the internet, and pretty much ruined the legitimate feats for all of us.

I think all those probably play a part in it, but for me it is the fact that it is one of the great historical feats performed by the legendary strongmen.

It is a feat made famous by strongmen of the past like Breitbart, Marx, and the Mighty Atom to today’s great shoe benders like Wigren, Povilaitis, and Milfeld to name just a few.

Did you know that DaVinci bent horseshoes?

Neither did I, until my good friend “The Horseshoe Destroyer” David Wigren gave me a little history lesson on this great old time feat of strength.

I asked David to send me a brief history on shoe bending and I was completely blown away by how far back it went.

Here’s what he sent me:

“The act of bending horseshoes has more than likely been around ever since they started forging horseshoes. You’re probably not going to be able to pin point the exact person who originated the idea of bending horseshoes. Indeed, if you start to dig in the history books of local strongman performers you will most likely find at least one or two relatively unknown performers bending horseshoes.”

Sixten Landby

“I know here in Sweden, I’ve heard of several performers such as Starknings Petter and Sixten Landby, to name just a few, who were bending horseshoes back in the day. And if you look as far back as the late 1400’s you’ll even find stories about Leonardo da Vinci, the famous painter and inventor, bending horseshoes.”

John Grunn Marx

“Approaching modern times, with the birth of the camera, we begin to see pictures of performers bending horseshoes. There is a picture of John Grunn Marx from 1905 bending a horseshoe using the exact kinking technique that we use today. And if you travel to the city of Mondorf in Luxemburg, you’ll find a monument erected in his honor, also displaying the kinking technique we’re talking about.”

Here is a picture of the famous statue:

Monument erected for John Grunn Marx in Mondorf in Luxemburg

And more recently, all it would take is a trip to the York museum to see incredible bends by strongmen like The Mighty Atom.”

The Mighty Atom

Perhaps nobody knows more about horseshoe bending than David, and Jedd and I were incredibly lucky to have him help us with our new Horseshoe Bending DVD, HAMMERING HORSESHOES!

– The Beast in the East, Mike Rinderle

---

As you can see, DIESELS, Horseshoe Bending has quite the history. From the heroes of the past to the modern day legends who continue the legacy, like Dennis Rogers, David Wigren, Pat Povilaitis, Dave Whitley, Adam Glass, Tom Kelley, Steve McGranahan, Chris Rider, Erik Vining, Mike McKenzie, John Beatty, Dan Cenidoza, Mike Bruce, and many, many more – horseshoe bending is one of the most alluring feats of strength that can be done.

And soon, you will know how to do it, legitimately, and in honor of all those who have paved the way.

Stay tuned, and all the best.

Jedd