Few things make me happier than seeing my students reach their goals.

I know how much work they have put in, the sacrifices they have made, and the battles they have fought.

Today, one of my members at The Grip Authority, Adam Moyers, appears on the IronMind website for his official Red Nail certification.

Here is a picture below. Adam is the one with the Red Hillbilly Jim Beard (blue shirt). My friend, Sean Dockery was his witness, as the feat went down in Columbus this past Saturday night.

What is the Red Nail?

If you aren’t familiar with the Red Nail, it is the primary steel bending certification that is out there.

The Red Nail is actually a cold-rolled steel bar 7″ long and 5/16″ in diameter.

So, it’s not really a nail, as in something you would use in carpentry, but it is still given that name.

In case you are not altogether familiar with steel bending terminology, think of a steel bar about the length of a pencil, but about as thick as a Sharpie marker.

The Red Nail – The Primary Bending Feat

Bending a Red Nail is quite an accomplishment.

When I first started bending back in 2002, there was only 1 person certified for bending a Red Nail.

He did it in 1995 and nobody else did it until 2003!

Since then, on average, only about 6 to 10 guys get certified each year for bending these bars.

So, you can tell, it is quite a legitimate feat of strength.

Red Nail Bending Rules

There are a few rules for the official Red Nail bend.

First, you can only wrap the bar to protect your hands with the cordura wraps that IronMind sells.

These wraps, called IMP’s or IronMind Pads, offer great protection for your skin so you don’t drive a bar through your skin, so that’s great.

However, they do very little in the way of padding.

Using something like suede leather pads the bend and reduces the sting.

Believe me, you EARN your Red Nail bend when you go with IMP’s.

Next, you have to take the bar from perfectly straight to a U-shape with less than 2″ of space between the bar ends in less than 60 seconds.

That means, you have to be explosive in the bend. If you take your good old time bending it, you might miss the 60-second cut-off, and have to try to bend another one.

You also have to perform your bend before a witness of IronMind’s choosing.

IronMind will assign you a witness, and then you must contact them to line-up the specifics of your certification attempt.

Of course, the bar also has to be an official Red Nail from IronMind. They send 3 of them to your witness for the official attempts.

Red Nail Bending Technique

Naturally, just like any other sport or execution of strength, there are rules for how you bend it.

For the Red Nail bend, no bracing is permitted. Do so, and you get disqualified.

So, you have to know the ins and outs of proper bending technique.

That’s where I come in.

Instructional Bending Resources

Before 2005, there was very little information on bending. I decided to fix this by publishing my Nail Bending eBook in December of that year.

This eBook covers everything you need to know to bend the Red Nail and other challenging bars, nails and bolts.

Of course, some people learn better from video than still-shots like are in my eBook. So, by popular demand, I put together another resource called the Nail Bending DVD in 2010.

I would estimate that over 50% of the people who have certified on the Red Nail did so after studying at least one of my resources on bending.

Naturally, having the how-to information in front of you isn’t going to guarantee an instant Red Nail certification.

You still have to hone your technique.

You still have to develop your strength.

You still have to put the work in.

But, one thing is for sure, all other things being equal, those who utilize at least one of these resources will have a much easier time of accomplishing their goal, than the person who just tries to figure everything out on their own.

So, if the thought of bending steel interests you…

If you’ve ever wanted to try feats of strength…

Or if you want to see your name up in lights, like Adam Moyers, John Manna, Trevor Lainge, Adam Glass, Carl Donati, and many of the other benders who have tackled this elite feat of strength, your best bet is to get my products.

Nail Bending eBook

Nail Bending DVD

I look forward to seeing your name on the Red Nail Roster sometime soon down the line.

Happy bending,

Jedd