This week, Allen Heineck and Jedd Johnson begin the process of catching up from the last 2 weeks. Plus, we interview a mystery guest. Can you guess who it is, before he comes on?

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This Week in Grip

This week, Allen Heineck and Jedd Johnson discuss what went down at the North American Grip Sport Championship, also known as Grip Nationals.

Feedback on this episode: “Great episode guys! couldn’t make it to nationals, but felt like I was there with Jedd’s recount.” – Tom Scibelli

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This Week in Grip

This is a SPECIAL edition of the show today – episode 18, the day before a SPECIAL holiday here in the United States and around the world – Memorial Day, and the week before the North American Grip Sport Championship – Allen and I are ready to serve YOU and cover the LATEST in This Week in Grip!

How to Lift the Inch Dumbbell

(L to R) James Fuller, Jedd, Luke Raymond, John Stepien

A few Saturday’s ago, John Stepien from New Jersey, and James Fuller from Maine, swung up for a killer workout.

We got started about 10AM and everyone was gone by 3PM.

Yes, by the time the dust settled, we had been training for a solid 4.5+ hours.

While not the norm, every so often, I love hitting a GIANT session like that. It’s almost a guarantee that within a week, you’ll hit a MONSTER PR, and this time around was no different.

Here’s a look at many of the things that we did that day, although it was impossible to get everything on film.

Deadlifts

The main movement for the day was Deadlifts, and we did several variations, but mainly we stuck with Double Overhand. Not everything got filmed, but most of it did.

Round Robin Deadlift

One particular Deadlift feat I wanted to isolate was the Round Robin Deadlift that James Fuller did. With 495lbs loaded, he hit the following reps in quick succession: 1 – Sumo Style, 2 – Jefferson Style, 3 – Hack Style, 4 – Conventional Style

Luke Raymond Curls a 62lb Anvil

The feats began early on, and continued throughout the day. Luke got the ball rolling by curling the 62lb anvil I borroed from my Dad’s place.

Double Anvil Clamp Lift

I was happy to complete this feat, so quickly after getting the new addition anvil in. This is a pretty darned tough feat with one 55lb anvil, let alone 2, and the 7 pound jump, plus the different shape, made it even tougher!

Double Anvil Key Pinch

Key Pinch is done with the thumb and the side of the first finger. As far as I know, no one ever lifted a 55-lb anvil with a Key Pinch prior to December 2015, when Eric Roussin and I did it. It took many tries, but I finally was able to Key Pinch 2 Anvils at the same time, during the Epic Grip Session.

James Fuller – 127lb Turkish Getup

The Turkish Get-up is an excellent test of full body strength. Here, James Fuller hits a new PR, lifting 127lbs on a nearly 2.5-inch handle, shot-loadable dumbbell.

100lb Plate Hub Key Pinch

An old challenge that got started, right here, at DieselCrew.com, is the 100lb Plate Hub Key Pinch. You should definitely give this a try when you cross paths with a 100lb Plate.

127lb Slater Bell Clean Attempts

Next, we had to try some Dumbbell Cleans with the Slater Bell, which weighs 127lbs with a nearly 2.5″ handle.

4 Inch Dumbbell Medley

Another thing we each did was take Medley runs with 4 Inch Dumbbells. Starting with the hardest, and working down in difficulty, we did our best to lift them as strictly as possible. The guys who aren’t Inch lifters yet stopped the rotation of the bells with a finger from their off-hand. Unfortunately, I didn’t get all of the dudes taking their runs.

Axle Clean Workout

With James Fuller being such a fan of the Olympic Lifts, we couldn’t go through the day without hitting some Axle Cleans. John Stepien handed me my ass in this lift, without a doubt. James Fuller had the absolute BEST technique though. I was pretty sore after this, due to the dynamic nature of the lifts.

Grip Rush #1

Next, it was time to finish the workout with some Grip Rushes, 60-second AMRAPS with various Grip Implements, usually lifting them to Lockout over and over.

Grip Rush #2

Grip Rush #3

Grip Rush #4

All the best in your training,

Jedd

On August 24, 2014, I did a Strongman Show as part of the Mason’s Hope SuperHero 5K, a fundraiser for Mason Barto, a little boy with CDG (Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation).

Here is a short news video that talks about Mason’s story.

It was my pleasure to be a part of such an awesome cause. I was hoping to have Mason stand on my chest while I performed the Bend of Nails, but in the days leading up to the event Mason was visiting more specialists and ended up having to stay there longer than planned.

I look forward to meeting you, buddy!

On top of the great cause, I was particularly excited about being able to put on this show, because my parents, my grandmother, my wife and my daughter were all there. You see, I rarely do a local show – most of my stuff takes place in other states, so none of them have ever watched me perform live.

Below is the show I put together.

Watch each feat separately:

Frying Pan
Horseshoe
Cards
Phone Book
Kid Lift
Anvil and Blob
Bed of Nails
Wrench Bend
Hammer Bend
Hot Water Bottle

If you’ve ever wanted to do feats of strength like bending a wrench, a horseshoe, a hammer, or rolling a frying pan, this DVD can show you how to do it.

Braced Bending DVD

Make it a Great Day!

Jedd

P.S. During the show, I pulled off a feat I have never been able to complete, if memory serves. I lifted a 55-lb anvil by the tail and then picked up a 50-lb Blob and curled it. It was quite a rush to do it during the show, although most of the audience probably had no idea how hard it was, ha ha ha.

If you are working on Lifting the Blob, here is the best resource for you:

I am really getting pumped up.

The project that Bud Jeffries and I have been working on for a while now, our DVD on Scrolling Steel, is almost complete!

I have a pile of them in stock. They look awesome!

Now, we are down to the last few behind-the-scenes things and we will be ready to put this thing out for you all.

Don’t miss this. Grab it right when it comes out so you can get it at the best price possible.

Sign up for the update list today, so you get notification RIGHT when it is available.

Thanks and all the best.

Jedd

That may seem like an odd title when so many people spend all their time with new training plans and the hottest supplements to add muscle to their frame. But what can I say? I’m unconventional.

My goal is performance, that is what I can lift, rather then looking bigger. Although I’m tall I’m not a very big guy. At 6’2″ I tip the scales at about 185 right now. The biggest I’ve ever been was just over 190. Since a lot of what I do is bodyweight training adding mass doesn’t really help with those goals. Thus I choose to stay small. But I also like to lift heavy stuff.

It’s because of my size that I commonly hear the phrase, “You don’t look strong.”

But what does strength have to do with looks? For the average person the appearance of muscles means strength, but that’s only a piece of the puzzle if you want to become truly strong. In fact it’s not even near the top of the list of necessary things. And just because someone is muscular doesn’t necessarily mean they’re very strong either.

How do you get stronger without adding lots of muscle? There’s a few ways.

A muscle can learn to contract harder without the cells being any more in number or size.

Use your mind to access more of the strength you already have.

And the main method I want to talk about today. The muscles are just one of the things that are used in lifting. Sure they get the spotlight and all the publicity, but for the super strong you’ll want to focus elsewhere. I’m talking about the tendons, ligaments and bones themselves. Supports and partials are two ways to train them.

Supports

Did you know that famous strongman Louis Cyr (whom a movie is being made about right now) back lifted more than 4000 lbs? If you don’t know what the back lift is, its a support where a platform is placed across the back. The legs and arms are straightened to lift the weight only about an inch or so. This was also a favorite of Steve Justa. This position is sometimes held or just done quickly.

Louis Cyr Back Lifting

Think about this for a second. If you tried to support that weight what would happen? I don’t know about you but it’s likely my bones would break under such a load. Perhaps your femur my snap or more than likely a joint would give out. Yet in working up to this feat Cyr was able to handle massive weights. I’m not sure if this made his bones any thicker in dimension but certainly denser and stronger.

There are several old-time lifts called supports because you support the weight rather then lifting it. Though often in order to hold a support you need to do a lift to get it in place which requires a short range lift. Here’s a list of a few of them besides the back lift:

Leg press support (like in a leg press machine but just supporting the weight. Some of the old-time strongmen would support a plan of wood on their legs which people would sit on while they laid on their backs)

Overhead support (This was a favorite of John Grimek and it is said he worked up to supported 1000lbs in this position. They would support a barbell from chains hanging off the rafters and then lift it up into the support position.)

Standing support (Think of the top position of a squat with the barbell across the shoulders. Just try this with a heavy weight and whatever you’re use to squatting will feel very light in comparison.)

Wrestler’s bridge support (This is a personal favorite of mine as a neck strengthener. Get in the wrestler’s bridge position and lift a barbell or have someone sit on you to add resistance.)

There’s many more possibilities. You could do a one arm overhead support or a zercher squat support. Use your creativity.

Anton Riha is shown here supporting 1400 lbs in quite the standing support.

The bones are much stronger at supporting weight then the muscles are in lifting, especially through a full range of motion. Which brings me to the next subject…

Partials

Partials get their name from doing a partial range of motion instead of the full range done in most lifts. Depending on what range of motion you work these in, you’ll typically be stronger than the full range.

These are also great for people engaged in any sport or martial art. How many sports involve even parallel squats? Very few. Instead you can get stronger just in the top quarter range of motion which will translate over to more speed, bigger jumps, etc.

(As a side note the full range of a lift is quite arbitrary in some cases. A full range deadlift is only about half the available range of motions for the muscles involved. For a true full range of motion you’d have to be on a platform with your arms going down much lower than shin level.)

Look, full ranges of motion are great. I highly advise you to do them. But if that’s all you do then you’re missing out on some of the best training possible to strengthen your connective tissues and bones. If you only ever lift the comparably light weights that you need to for full ranges then you’re not going to build these areas to as great of a degree as you possibly could.

You can work different partials like a quarter, half or three quarter squat. You can make even smaller jumps doing progressive distance training. There are many benefits and different ways to use partials.

One of the simplest in my opinion is working the top quarter range of motion like in this rack pull here, a recent PR for myself. You can not only use really heavy weights but partials tend to be even safer than full ranges of motion.

This can be done with any exercise though they’re typically done with the big compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press and sometimes rows.

Supports will not add muscle because the only work they’re doing is to support keeping the bones in place. I suppose for a completely untrained individual they’d get that effect, but not for your average trainer.

With partials it will depend on how you train them. More reps and volume could add muscle. But if you do them in my preferred way, working at high intensity, you’ll get stronger but without much size.

All of these lifts will strengthen your bones, tendons and ligaments. You don’t need to do them all. Just pick one or a few to start with. As with everything you’ll want to build up to this slowly. Don’t’ go too far too fast as you body may not be ready for it. But you may surprise yourself in a short time just how much you can handle.

For more information check out my newest book Deceptive Strength available here. Right now you can grab it along with a bunch of bonuses.

–Logan Christopher–

Horseshoe Bending may sound crazy, but indeed, people all over the world are doing it. From shoes made to outfit small ponies to shoes designed for larger animals such as draft shoes, tough dudes around the globe are mangling them – twisting them from their characteristic U-shape and into a flattened S, or even completely around on themselves until they resemble a heart!

Bending Horseshoes may just be one of the most beneficial types of bending. Many of the benefits are listed below.

Why Bend Horseshoes?

Now, you may be wondering why the hell someone would want to bend a horseshoe. Well, if you are a student of the art of feats of strength, then it is a natural progression from regular steel bending such as bending nails and bolts.

However, if you have a more traditional strength training or muscle building background, then you may need some more reasons to try horseshoe bending. So here’s a few right now:

Benefits of Horseshoe Bending

Conquering the Impossible:
Horseshoes are made to be durable and resist wear, so to be able to straighten them and tie them into a knot, it’s as if you are defeating the undefeatable enemy! Nothing gives you a bigger rush than finally taking down the next level of shoe, especially if you’ve missed it a couple of times already!

Excellent Core Strength Builder:
While the hands, and arms are extremely important for horseshoe bending, the level of core strength needed to bend horseshoes is unparalleled by other strength feats. You must be able to send shock-waves into the shoe with explosive core power in order to make the shoe start moving in the sweep and crush and you have to be able to maintain longer durations of straining in order to keep the legs moving. NO other feat of strength matches this level of intensity.

Horseshoes Build Horseshoes on Your Arms:
The straining and dynamic effort associated with horseshoe bending can’t be beat, even by the most rigorous of conventional bench pressing programs or the most demanding bodybuilding routines. Your triceps blow up seriously blow up from this kind of work.

Builds Character and Mental Toughness:
Horseshoe Bending takes hard work, dedication, a strong will, and a remarkable heart. You have to be able to deal with struggle and with failure, but the feeling you get when you bend that next level of shoe for the first time is indescribable. This kind of tenacity carries over to other training as well, and bending horseshoes can revolutionize the way you approach the iron in the weight room.

Incredible Grip and Wrist Strength:
It was once an accepted belief that Bending would take away from your Grip Strength, but with the increase in benders participating in horseshoe bending, we are seeing more and more often that this is untrue. Your hands and wrist have to be strong in order to bend shoes and with the force required to excel, you end up building hand strength that carries over into many other types of Grip Training. And it goes without saying that stronger hands and wrists will be mean bigger lifts in the gym.

Chicks Dig It:
Just imagine how impressive it will be to the girls in your class or the ladies in the office when you wrap up a horseshoe and bend it right before their eyes. Horseshoes bent into a heart shape are second only to chocolate as a gift on Valentine’s Day! Screw tearing a deck of cards or a phone book! Who’s impressed with ripping paper? The ladies want to see you mess up the hard stuff, brother!

Tendon Strength:
Horseshoe bending requires high tension throughout the body, and with this comes tendon strength, the kind of strength that will set you apart from others at the gym and will keep you injury-resistant in your workouts. This kind of strength can’t be produced with conventional lifting means. This is something that only comes about from battles with horseshoes.

Technique over Force Production:
This is actually reason number eight, and it is the most important reason of all. Horseshoe bending is heavily dependent on technique. In fact, some of the best horseshoe benders in the world are under 200-lbs and can’t lift much more than 300-lbs on the bench press. This is because while full body strength is important, technique is what sets the biggest horseshoe benders in the world apart from the rest of the pack. This is why horseshoe bending is one of the most skill-dependent feats that there is.

For more information on horseshoe bending, check out our DVD, Hammering Horseshoes. I worked on this with Mike “Rindo” Rinderle, the first ever US Steel Bending Champion, and crazed steel bender.

Hammering Horseshoes is by far the most detailed resource on horseshoe bending that exists today and we will show you everything you need to know to get started kinking, sweeping, crushing and hearting big horseshoes.

Get the Hammering Horseshoes DVD and get started bending horseshoes. Right away.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Happy Hammering Horseshoes Customers:

“I bought the hammering horseshoes dvd before I even had a shoe to bend,they give everything you need to know to get going no question about that. Well worth the money.”
David Mitti
Recreation Horseshoe Dominator

“The DVD is well worth it! I tried to bend some easy shoes before watching the DVD and didn’t do anything but bruise my leg up. After watching the DVD about halfway through, I tried the same shoe and finished it off with a lot less effort than the first try.”
Jason Bergmann
Professional Strongman Competitor

“If you are really interested in progressing on shoes, use the money you would spend to buy some easier shoes to buy Hammering Horseshoes….watch that a couple times and you will bend your DC0. All bending is technique, but it’s almost impossible to just muscle a decent shoe, you HAVE to have some technique and strength too. Don’t waste a bunch of time like I did. The info wasn’t readily available when I started bending shoes but anyone wanting to start out today should watch Hammering Horseshoes. I am in no way associated with the DVD, and I paid full price for it. It will teach you an efficient way to bend shoes for sure.”
Andy Thomas
Competitive Steel Bender

Dennis Rogers stops a 100-horsepower Harley Davidson Motorcycle with his Grip on Stan Lee’s Super Humans Show

This week, I have a brand new Diesel Iron Master Nomination to pass along – Dennis Rogers.

This nomination came in from one of the visitors to our site and RKC-certified Kettlebell Instructor, Eric Moss.

If you have never heard of Dennis, just read the note I got from Eric below, and you will understand how impressive, inspiring, and awesome Dennis Rogers is!
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