Feats of Strength Thread: What we do for fun

[Sistersteel]

Ok boys! Let's show them how it's done. Post all your little party tricks in here. I'll go first :)

Bending Nails Technique

Bending nails using your hands is a pretty good way to show off your strength. It’s one of those things that most people just can’t do. There are even some fairly strong guys out there that cannot bend nails either because their grip strength is not really that strong or they do not know what the correct technique is.

You have got the grip and forearm strength and you want to measure your strength by bending a nail. There are a few different grips you can try, one may be more comfortable or easier to use than the others for you. These grips are usually called the double overhand, double underhand and the reverse. Using a piece of leather or some kind of heavy fabric that you can wrap around the ends of the nails will help protect your hands. There is the possibility of damage to your hands so start bending with easier stuff at first to get used to it.

For the actual bend technique you will use your whole body not just your arms. Place the pointed end of the nail in the hand that will not do the actual bending. Hold the other end of the nail with the other hand in close so the two hands are close together. Put your elbows into your sides to make it a little easier to do, and squeeze your hands really hard.

You next just kind of tense up your back and shoulder muscles to assist your arms in the bend. Lock your wrists so that your forearms are like one unit. Then bend the nail with your bending hand putting everything your have into it. If it won't bend just back down to something that is easier and practice about once a week.

[Ninja Loco]

Oh that's what you meant....... damn, I was going to say I do flags and other stuff but that's not what you're talking about.


Pretty impressive, bending nails!

[Sistersteel]

Another one I am really good at :)

How to Rip a Phonebook in Half ;)

1- Use your thumbs to bend down the center of the phone book. Put your thumbs close together in the middle (though still along the top edge) of the book. Push down with your thumbs so that the center of the book bends down to form a sort of crease.

2- Place your index fingers to the sides of the fold. While your thumbs will be on the top side (the front) of the book, your other fingers will all be folded over the edge so that they grip the bottom side (in other words, the back) of the book. Your index fingers should be right against the sides of the fold your thumbs have created.

3- Bend the side edges of the book downward with your fingers. Keeping your thumbs (and the crease) in position, begin to bend the corners of the book down while also pushing inward on the crease. You'll feel your pecs being used if you're doing it right. The crease in the book will become more accentuated, and if you look carefully at the crease, you'll be able to see pockets of air form between the pages.

4- Rotate your hands to tear the book. Twist the right side of the book up with your right hand while twisting the left side down with your left hand (this can be reversed depending on what's comfortable for you). Maintain a firm grip on the book at all times, and use your pecs to keep firm inward pressure on the book. The book should begin to tear.

5- Tear through the book. If you're strong enough and maintain a good grip on the book, you may be able to rip the book all the way down the center of its length in one shot. Otherwise you may need to reposition your hands and continue ripping less gracefully. Either way, it's a lot of fun :)

[robert da strongman]

i have bent nails and rolled a frying pan.
still working on the phone book.
license plates are fun too!

[robert da strongman]

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs105.snc1/4589_1183963561869_1311646547_487808_4193976_n.jpg

[exit2010]

I don't do anything except lie in bars that me and my juicehead friends are the "Strength for Jesus" Team. It is my favorite story to tell that is absolutely false.

[Sistersteel]

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs105.snc1/4589_1183963561869_1311646547_487808_4193976_n.jpg


Holy shit Rob! You really are DA MAN! :)

SS

[dublin-lifter]

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs105.snc1/4589_1183963561869_1311646547_487808_4193976_n.jpg

thats some good shit man fair play

[Sistersteel]

How to Tear up a Deck of Cards:

Tearing cards has been a feat of strength for well over a century, and the most famous professional strongmen at the turn of the century could stack 2, 3, and even 4 decks of cards together and rip them in half!. Tearing a deck of cards will definitely make people’s eyes pop and jaws drop. I am going to explain the different techniques in tearing a deck of cards with some suggestions on how to work up to your first full deck of cards and beyond. Tearing a deck of cards is equal parts technique and strength. I've included pictures for visual assistance.


Look at this hand placement with the hands on the same side of the deck is probably the best tearing method.
http://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/d7/Image002_969.jpg/180px-Image002_969.jpg (http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Image002_969.jpg)

Learn another method of tearing the deck. This tends to give less power at the beginning of the tear than the first image. You may feel that this is easier for you.
http://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/67/Cards3_972.jpg/180px-Cards3_972.jpg (http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Cards3_972.jpg)

Know that this is yet another grip. With this method you will need a very powerful index and middle finger. Play around with the different grips during the different phases of the tear to find out where you are the most effective.
Note that you will need strong thumbs, index fingers, and middle fingers to hold onto the cards as you are twisting, and strong enough wrists to twist and tear the deck. Your ability to pinch relatively narrow objects firmly will come in really handy here. There are several exercises to do that will enable you to develop strong enough hands to tear a deck:

Tear with intensity to slowly rip through the deck rather than blast through it. It is much more satisfying to “feel” the deck tearing and then separating.
Your thumbs, index fingers, and middle fingers will play the biggest role in tearing the deck, so the whole time you are grasping the deck in your hands, squeeze very hard as if you were trying to fuse your fingers to the deck.
Imagine that you’ve a pair of vice grips for hands and clamp down on those cards. It seems that the heaviest burden of the deck tear lies with the thumb being strong enough to pinch the deck.


http://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/d5/Image005_286.jpg/250px-Image005_286.jpg (http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Image005_286.jpg)

Sledgehammer levering – hold a sledgehammer out to your side and, using only your wrist, let the hammer head slowly make its way down to your face and then back up again. Do this slowly and with a light weight (6-8lbs) at first just to get the feel of it and start adding weight to make it heavier. You can do this by either sliding the weight down the handle of the hammer or duct taping it to the end. If you’re already levering a 16lb sledge or heavier, stop reading this article and go tear some cards! You can also lever the sledge to the front of you and side to side.
Narrow pinching – Not everybody has a narrow pinch block to lift, but if you’ve got a block of wood less than 3/4” thick and can attach a chain and weights to it, then you’ve got a worthwhile homemade training tool for tearing a deck of cards. A narrow pinch block is valuable for your grip training anyways.
Know that if you’re a beginner, practice tearing your pre-determined number of cards, sledgehammer levering, and narrow pinching only a few times a week for a couple weeks. Then start to do higher volume, more cards, and heavier weight gradually. The hands and wrists are remarkable in their ability to recover quickly, but you don’t want to overdo it at first. As you become an advanced grip enthusiast, you can make good gains training your hands hard 4-7 days a week. A typical day’s training would consist of:

25 card stack tear
Another 25 card stack tear
Sledgehammer levering – 6lb hammer held by end of handle, levered down to face 5-6 times with each hand
More levering – 6lb hammer held by end of handle, levered side to side 5 to 6 times.
NOTE: if you cannot completely lever the hammer down to your nose safely and under control, choke up on the handle so it becomes a little easier, then work your way towards the end of the handle as you get stronger.


Narrow pinching – load up some weights on your apparatus and do 4-5 lifts with each hand. You can also do timed holds where you hold the weight in the air for 7-10 seconds. These are lots of fun and more and more pinch grip enthusiasts swear by them. Total time: Approximately 20-30 minutes with rest time between sets.
http://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/dd/Image006_766.jpg/180px-Image006_766.jpg (http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Image006_766.jpg)

The Twist- This is the initial tear. Grip the cards and take a deep breath and begin the twist. Now you’ve worked up to thicker stacks of cards and are ready to tackle an entire deck. Take what you’ve learned, grip the cards..
Continue and as you can see that this step shows the deck mostly torn. Keep twisting, and your deck will tear in half.

[robert da strongman]

Holy shit Rob! You really are DA MAN! :)

SS


thats some good shit man fair play

:beerbang:thanks
it was an easy pan. and i was training for it.