Two Bent Shoes by Jason Bergmann

Bending your first horseshoe is one of the milestones you will never forget when you practice feats of strength. After all, these damn things are made to go on the feet of horses and ponies and to take a freakin’ beating.

Bending horseshoes is no joke.

I recently got an order from one of the members of the Diesel Universe, for the Hammering Horseshoes DVD. Shortly afterwards, I got an email from him as well. His name was Jason Bergmann, a Strongman Competitor who does strength demo’s for youngsters in his area, and he said he was looking to add Horseshoe Bending to his repertoire of grip strength feat.

Check out the email he sent me below:

I just ordered the Hammering Horseshoes DVD from your site. Since it will take a few days to get the DVD I really wanted to order some horseshoes as well. Since that info is in the DVD could you give me a few suggestions for beginners? I currently compete in Strongman and my brothers and I do demo’s for k-8 schools and I would like to add this in to my program along with a few other grip feats. So If I can order some shoes and get them around the same time as the DVD it would save me some time. Thanks, Jason Bergmann

Ordering horseshoes ahead of time actually seemed like a damn good idea, so I pointed him to this post, Horseshoe Progression List, and told him to check out Ken-Davis.com to pick up some shoes.

Well Jason Bergmann is a true action taker, because he jumped on the Ken-Davis site and had the shoes at his house before the DVD even got there! And I don’t wait when I send in these orders. I could see right now that this dude was serious!

Today, I got another email from Jason and this time, and this time I could tell he was excited. Check this out:

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 as well (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 have 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

The Hammering Horseshoes DVD, Two Slain Shoes, and the Wraps Used to Slay Them

DIESELS, this kind of stuff gets me pumped up!!

I love hearing about success stories such as this one! Being a part of their success is even more awesome. That is why I put together these instructional videos – I know how cool this stuff is and I want you to experience it too.

That is also why I partnered up with my buddy, Mike Rinderle on Hammering Horseshoes and Braced Bending – he gets pumped up hearing about new benders’ success every bit as much as I do.

If you want to see what it feels like to have the crafted steel of a horseshoe bend to your will, make sure to get our DVD, Hammering Horseshoes. We’ll get you going on the right path, just like Jason Bergmann is doing now.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

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

One of the topics you been asking about lately is “how do I get started with 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.

Braced bending Basics

Why This Video is Awesome

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.

Plus it costs you nothing – $0.

All the best in your Feat of Strength training,

Jedd

One of my long-time friends in the world of Grip is Dan Cenidoza, a CSCS and RKC from Baltimore Maryland. He and I first met at another good friend’s Grip Contest in 2003, at Rick Walker’s Battle for Grip Supremacy. Ever since, I have continued to be good friends with Dan, attending conferences with him and occasionally competing in Grip or Strongman against him.

Dan recently landed a studio in Baltimore and is starting a business there called Art and Strength, which will showcase some of the biggest passions in his life. He recently sent me a little write-up regarding his studio and the Open House he is holding on October 15, 2011.

When I first heard about this, I asked him, why Art and Strength, and his answer made it clear as day. Check it out below:

Art

There are two kinds of art I do – one is a performing art and the other is a form of sculpture.

As a sculptor, I practice a form of art known as scrolling. Using no heat and no tools, I bend steel bars into tightly coiled designs I call Iron Bonsai. It is an art of strength.

As a performer, I do classic strongman feats of strength such as tearing decks of cards, bending horseshoes and breaking chains with my bare hands. My shows are usually coupled with a motivational speech on health and fitness. My aim is to inspire my audience to live better lives. The message is that everyone can Be-More and the pursuit of health and strength is a worthy one. The alternative is unacceptable. You either make an effort to get stronger or you will get weak and sickly.

Strength

Before I became a professional strongman, I was a trainer. I have worked with everyone from senior citizens to Baltimore Ravens. My clients goals have been as diverse as improving posture and flexibility, to increasing their number of pull ups. I’ve helped stay-at-home moms lose weight and teenage boys gain weight. Regardless of a persons goal or current level of fitness, there is an exercise prescription for everyone and everything.

When it comes to training, my focus is on getting results. I use what works for the task at hand and discard the rest. From bands, to bodyweight, to barbells; they all can have a place in the design of an exercise program. There is however one tool that stands above the rest in achieving maximum results in minimal time. It’s an ancient training method that far preceded barbells and dumbbells and has just recently found mainstream popularity in the last decade. It’s a weight the old-time strongman lifted and something that has lived quietly all over eastern Europe for centuries. The Russians call it “girya” and it’s roots run as deep as a national pastime.

We call it the kettlebell.

Kettlebell training is an exercise modality that combines strength, flexibility and cardiovascular conditioning simultaneously. It provides a fast, fun, full body workout and because of its effectiveness is becoming an increasingly popular way to exercise in both professional sports and recreational fitness. There is no better way to build muscle or burn fat than with kettlebells.

The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease, and the leading cause of heart disease is inactivity; so lack of exercise is the true leading cause of death. Unacceptable. Not only does exercise extend your lifespan but it improves the quality of life. When old age robs an individual from their ability to carry out their activities of daily living, it’s often their strength that is the limiting factor. The inability to walk, stand, bend over, carry groceries, get up off of the floor, etc. – a person loses their independence as they lose their physical strength. You are never too old to improve your strength and vitality. You are never too young to be physical. You have only one body and there is no greater knowledge than the knowledge of self. There is no greater ability than the ability to improve your health through proper living.

Dan is opening his studio and inviting everyone to his open house on October 15, 2011.

For more information on the Open House, check out: ArtandStrength.com

Also, the following day, Mike Rinderle and I are putting on a 100% Hands-on Strongman Feats Workshop. To find out more, check out this link: Strongman Feats Instructional Workshop.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Hello DIESELS!

Did you see how the first week in the Classic Strongman Feats Tournament panned out? If not, here is the video:

Congrats to David on the First Round Win in this Five-Round competition!

The standings from Week 1:

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

This week’s feat is Card Tearing.

According to David Horne, the earliest recorded Grip Competition was a Card Tearing contest featuring various styles of tearing a deck of cards.

After all, there are many ways to tear a deck of cards:

• Tearing a Deck in Half Vertically
• Tearing a Deck Lengthwise
• Tearing Multiple Decks in Half
• Cornering a Deck
• Quartering a Deck
• Tearing While Wearing Gloves
• And the list goes on and on

In fact all these techniques are explained in my Card Tearing eBook, and I can show you how to do all of that stuff.

Despite all of many ways to tear a deck of cards, we will focus on only two of them: Tearing a Deck in Half and then Quartering one of those Halves, as quickly as possible.

Now, there are many styles of Decks of Cards out there, and the difficulty of these different decks varies quite a bit.

With that in mind, the standard deck we are going to use this week is Bicycle Brand. If you tear a deck of Bicycles in half and then quarter one half, then you will beat anyone you face who does not complete this feat with bicycles or someone who completes it with non-Bicycles. However, if you do complete the full feat with a deck of non-Bicycle Brand cards, then you will beat someone you face who could only rip the Bicycles in half.

So, again, the Ultimate Goal here is to tear a deck of Bicycles in half and then rip one half into half again.

If you do not have access to Bicycles, just rip what you have.

Aside from this there are only a few other rules:

• The Full Tear Must be Non-Braced (no bracing the cards or the hands against your thigh or stomach
• The Deck must be a new deck, showing the plastic wrap and seal being broken on camera
• You may use chalk, but no adhesive on the fingers
• As much of the tear should be done on camera (to prevent someone potentially dropping the deck out of the screen and then picking up another doctored deck)
• Other rules will be added as they come to me – try to stick to the legitimate form of the challenge please!

I am currently on vacation and I have not had the opportunity to film a demonstration, but this will happen if/when I am able.

Otherwise, get me your video submissions by 8 PM on Saturday, August 13th, 2011.

Get to tearin’ and Get to filmin’!!!

Jedd

P.S. Thanks to the Bender’s Battlefield for donating $50 of Drill Rod!!!

P.P.S. Need to learn how to get hands tough enough to rip decks of cards in half like sheets of paper? Then get the ebook that shows you everything you need to know, SON!

We received one submission for the Home Made Strength Grip Challenge, but it was a strong one.

In the video below, Brian Lederman shows he’s a man who takes action.

He’s had the DVD for two weeks and has already built AND IS DOMINATING nearly half the equipment.

Great job brother!

Brian Lederman

Brian, thanks for the great feedback on the new Phone Book Tearing eBook, Phone Book Mass Destruction!

And, since you already have Dave Whitley’s Lessons of the Old-time Strongmen, I’d be glad to send you a Diesel Crew Shirt. Please email me your shirt size and I will get one right out to you, bro!

Check out the site on Monday for next week’s Weekly Grip Strength Challenge, everybody!

Jedd