When you feel like it, when ever you feel like it, and at no other time. Bend in the morning. If you feel like it, bend that afternoon. If you get home and feel strong, bend that night. If you wake up the next morning and feel good, bend something. If you don't, don't. It all comes down to feeling strong and confident that you can bend a certain nail. If you feel you can and want to do it, then bend away. If you aren't up to it, don't. In this manner, I bent three times a day nearly every day. Then, I'd take a few days off, and start over. Each time after the rest days, my bending strength would skyrocket. Now, I find that I can't bend every day after bending a large piece of steel. I still find my self bending twice a day for a week, but every time it comes when I am motivated to do so. On the other hand, never bend for ego or for some personal reason. If you don't feel like it and don't feel strong that day, you are just looking for disaster. Train smart. Listen to your body.
For my work outs, I bend "when I feel like it", play with grippers every other day, and pick up block weights many times a day. In almost all cases, it's done when I feel like it. A schedule will limit you and will force you to bend when you aren't ready.
-How did you get started with nail bending and grip strength training?
It started in college when my thin friends and I would all go out rock climbing. I was good enough, but I found that my body weight made grip a major factor. I knew I needed stronger hands. Then, when I started competing in Army Combatives (Jiu-Jitsu), I realized I would be much better if I had stronger hands. Before all of this ever happened, I just had a fascination with breaking sticks and bending steel. Ever since I was about 8 years old, I thought it was "cool", but never dreamt I could ever do it. Then, I found IronMind.com mentioned a number of times on the internet and then stumbled onto Tom Blacks web site, and was hopelessly addicted.
-I can't bend using your style, but I can bend better with an overhand grip. I want to bend the BLUE and know that I can if I learn your form. What am I doing wrong?
If you can bend better slim-style, keep bending that way. I've seen 17-year-old kids bend a Timber Tie slim-style on their first try. I can "U" a grade-5 carriage bolt in about 30 seconds, but can't even kink a Timber Tie using slim-style. We all have different bodies, different leverages and strengths. Find what works for you, and stick with it. If you can bend more with a certain style, that's your style and don't ever change. You will slowly alter it as you fine-tune it to your body, but generally that style is for you.
-What should I do if I injure my hand while bending?
Stop bending. Continue to train your grip in other ways, if it doesn't cause you pain. Don't push through any type or real pain. There are times you'll have soreness and stiff hands, but if you ever feel a twinge in a joint, stop right then and there. Ice it, and then keep it warm. If the pain goes away, try an easy bend in a few days when you feel like it. If the pain is still there, ice it, keep it warm and take a few weeks off from bending. The tendons in your hands are very small. Sure, they will get very strong over time, but the potential for injury in a beginning bender is high.
-I can mash the #3, but I can't bend the GREEN Nail! What am I missing?
Wrist strength. Bending is all about transferring body strength through your wrists and hands onto steel. Grippers are all about the crushing force of the hand by using the muscles in the forearm. There is NO, ZERO, Not-even-a-little carry over between gripper strength and bending strength. Well, maybe a little hand tendon strength, and tissue firmness, but no wrist strength at all. The only real way to get better at bending is by bending. Just like grippers: the best way to get better at grippers is closing more grippers.
-How do you work out with a sledge hammer?
I twist the head of the hammer back and forth for about 5 reps to each side. This is done with the arm bent, the elbow at the side, and the hand in front of the body. The hand and wrist strength gained by this movement is incredible. I also raise the hammer to the front with each hand, and enjoy tossing the hammer from hand to hand. I also raise the hammer to the rear, or hold the hammer straight up and lower it to my head using muscle strength instead of tendon strength. Over all, just find every way to lift it, twist it, and raise it, and you'll get stronger.
-What other grip work do you do?
I focus mainly on block weights, sledge play and a little gripper work. The sledge and bending toughen my hands and wrists, but the blocks really attack the thumb. I would say they are vital to having truly strong hands. John Brookfield even said that training with block weights is the best way to get strong hands. Besides these, I play with my gripper collection. They are by far the most entertaining grip toys. The only other grip training I do is the occasional wrist roller, evening cool-down sand grabbing, and tearing a phone book when I can find an old one. I also train for one other feat, but won't share it until I can do it. I've only heard of one other person doing it, and I know I will someday be able to perform this feat... Some day...
-You're lucky, you're a natural bender. I'm not, so how can I get better?
This bothers me when people say it. First off, I do not have large hands, I do not have thick wrists, and I have never been known for any type of hand or wrist strength. I've never been good at arm wrestling, I've never worked manual labor for longer than an afternoon, and the only wrist work I did before I started bending was stupid bodybuilding exercises. I can't plate curl well nor do barbell curls very well, and even still I don't have any type of noticeably large forearms. Can we go on? I've generally had weak hands through out my life, have sprained my fingers non-stop in basketball, have dislocated two fingers in football, and have always have a problem with weak and sore wrists in the Olympic lifts. Shall we continue? I have never benched over 300 lbs, and generally speaking I have small arms.
Every last gain I ever made came through an intellectual understanding of steel bending. It came through a deep realization of how the steel bent and how I can best use my body to bend. On every big bend I paid close attention to how my body felt, and slowly altered my style over time to maximize my strength onto the steel. I'm also the only person I know of who bent for volume, which allowed me to perfect my form. Every gain I made came through hard work, determination, and a near unhealthy obsession with short-bar bending.
Also, if the KTA program is the super way of getting strong hands fast, why wouldn't it work for bending? It does, it did, and with dedication and the proper training, anyone can develop their bending power. The only other thing I can think of is my dedication to recovery. Besides that, I'm Joe-average when it comes to wrist strength.