Interview with Diesel Crew’s Jedd Johnson- by Eric Moss
ByWhen I left the gym and started looking for new ways of training that didn’t require gym memberships there were a ton of sources on different methods of training. As time went on I gradually fell out of favor with certain things and kept coming back to others that always appeared interesting. One of the things early on that caught my attention were the youtube videos put out by the Diesel Crew. The Diesel Crew are guys that are strong and make others strong. In the world of strength these two have achieved a bit of celebrity status among us for their contributions. I actually had a mini debate with one of them when I called him a legend and he tried to deny the fact. I actually won that one 
So one day on the Diesel Crew site I saw a post where they wanted to know who we thought should be nominated for the Iron Master’s hall of fame. A correspondence with Diesel Crew’s grip expert and strength guru led me to both nominating my favorite strongman (Dennis is the best IMHO). It also led us to having discussions about grip strength, the upcoming movie Thor, learning about his Steel Bending DVD and now I have the honor of interviewing him.
Now if you don’t know anything about him, I’ll let you in on the facts.
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist since 2001
Competed in Grip Contests since 2003: US Champion in 2005, 3rd in 2006, 2nd in 2007, 2nd in 2008, 2nd in 2009, 1st in 2010
He was certified Captain of Crush in 2003 for closing #3 Gripper
Certified Red Nail Bender in 2007
Competed at Mighty Mitts in 2010
He has put nearly 350 pounds overhead and lifted 400-pound Atlas Stones.
Don't put that in your car ladies and gents.
He has mastered various feats of strength including Blob, Glob, Inch (As in the old time strength feat from Thomas Inch which is nearly impossible), 55-lb Anvil by Heel, 510-lb Double Overhand Deadlift
First Person to ever bend Red Nail with a full Kink done Reverse Style:
His Nail Bending eBook has produced more Red Nail Benders than any other resource in the world.
His Nail Bending DVD has been bought in not only the United States, but also the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Sweden, France, Thailand, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland
So Jedd I am somewhat new to bending and even before I began with kettlebells I found videos by Diesel Crew that had badasses doing crazy things like lifting up Atlas stones and training with sledgehammers. Getting stronger from kettlebell and bodyweight strength training has given me a hunger and there is something so badass about melting steel with your bare hands. How did you get started with this and how long have you been training like this?
I found out about nail bending in 2002 when I was preparing for my first grip strength competition, and I started doing it right away. I started out by going to the hardware store and picking up various types of nails and then soon graduated to hot and cold-rolled steel. From there, I picked up the stock being sold by IronMind and FBBC as well as graded bolts, the kinds used in various industrial applications. Nail Bending was at one time a major part of Grip Strength competitions, so it was just one more thing I trained for in order to go to the contest and put myself in a position to win.
Now I saw in your DVD that you teach the “terminator bend” as well as a couple others. What other types of bending are on this Steel Bending dvd that people can learn about and which do you think is the best one?
There are many different techniques for Bending steel and nails. The three main types are Reverse, or Terminator, style, Double Overhand and Double Underhand. I cover these three types because these are the styles that are most often used by benders to slaughter big steel. Depending on individual differences in body make-up on technique might favor a person more than other techniques.
Bending to someone who doesn’t know any better seems like a pretty straight forward thing. What most people don’t realize is that there are multiple stages in a bend and each have to be given attention. What are the different parts of a bend and what you think are the best ways to train for them?
Very good observation, Eric. Bending a piece of steel involves many different angles, with force being driven into the nail in many different ways. The initial part of the bend is called the kink and involves bending the stock about 30 degrees. From there, the bend transitions to the sweep. This is where the bender tries to take the bar down under 90 degrees. Once there, it is time to finish the bend, and that is called the crush-down.
Naturally, the further you can kink the steel, the easier it will be to push through the sweep, and the deeper you can sweep the bar, the easier it will be to crush it down to the required distanced, with is 2 inches between the ends of the bar.
Like I said earlier there is something really awesome about being able to take something that shouldn’t be bent and bending it to your will. I just think it’s plain AWESOME which is why I want to get into it. Why do you think others get into it and why should people get into this?
The internet is probably the main way that someone finds out about Bending. Whether it is a strength forum, a blog, or on YouTube, Bending can be found all over the internet. Some people continue to do it because they are interested in competitive sports like Grip Contests and Bending Challenges. Others do it in order to strengthen their hands and wrists while also keeping their mind strong at the same time.
Why should someone get involved in steel bending?
There are many reasons, but it comes down to two main factors: Strength and Fun. Bending gives you a kind of hardcore strength that bodybuilding and powerlifting can not give you. You essentially go into bending with the mindset to DESTROY. There aren’t many sports where the objective is to ruin something, and that is essentially what you are doing. Every bending session, you come away with a trophy to remember that workout by. You can label the nail or bolt with a marker or sticker and put it on your dresser and be able to remember it forever. You can also continue to push yourself to new heights bending harder steel and different looking bolts. Challenging yourself and being successful like this is an awesome feeling!
pushups wouldn't give you a trophy like these bad boys
(Read that last line again “Challenging yourself and being successful like this is an awesome feeling!” Strength and doing things you couldn’t do before leads to a kind of satisfaction that nothing and I mean nothing else can provide. I have seen it time and time again.)
I am familiar with the red nail cert which I know you have done but what are the others and how do you get certified?
The Red Nail Roster is a certification that is driven by IronMind Enterprise. The Red Nail isn’t truly a nail. It is actually a 7-inch long and 5/16-inch thick piece of cold-rolled steel. Cold Rolling is a form of temperature treatment for steel that helps make its strength level more consistent. The opposite is hot rolling, which still produces strong steel, but the strength levels can vary more.
There are also other certification systems out there. For instance, Fat Bastard Barbell Company maintains several different lists on their website. The FBBC equivalent of a Red Nail is the Bastard Bar. As half inches are cut off the Bastard Bar, it qualifies you for another list, such as Huge Bastard and Magnificent Bastard. They have the Shiny Bastard, which is 7X5/16 piece of Stainless Steel which is even tougher to bend than cold rolled steel. They have many other lists on their site.
Other sites also have their own lists, and in 2011, we will be introducing the Diesel Bar Certification Lists, coming soon to DieselCrew.com.
I think for me along with the exercises with the sledgehammer and info on bending itself I think my favorite part of this dvd is the methods of recovery which is missing from some of the similar dvds. Which part do you think is the most valuable for people that want to add this to their collection?
Yes, recovery methods are very important, and I cover many methods in this DVD. He two most important strategies are also the most simple –Warm-up, and Stretching. Benders are usually pretty good about bending consistently, doing extra work to strengthen their hands, and working on their technique to get the most mechanical advantage on the bar they are bending, but taking care of the soft tissues and the muscles in the lower arms is something that seems to slip their minds. I put a lot of effort into including plenty of information about this into the DVD. And it’s not like it’s complicated stuff. Heck, one of the methods you can do right in your kitchen!
What makes this different from the nail bending ebook?
That is probably one of the most common questions I get about my Nail Bending DVD, and rightly so. A lot of the products I design the articles I write, etc, are driven by the correspondence I get at the website. After writing the Nail Bending eBook, people would often write me asking for more information about this technique or that technique. I wanted to shoot a DVD on bending for a long time but just could not get it done with the time I had. Finally last Fall I was able to get the time to shoot the DVD and cover what needed to be done. Now, people can go to Home Depot and pick up some nails or stock, pop in my DVD and follow me every step of the way from Wrapping the bar all the way through the big three techniques. I go slow and commentate throughout the bend, but if something slips by you, just hit the rewind button on the remote and you can go right back the point you missed.
Yeah I really also enjoyed the fact that it is a dvd. A little while ago I had a friend over my new house for the first time and he was cracking up about how contrasting the decorations and other stuff are between my wife and I. Let’s just say that when you see this DVD cover you know that it doesn’t belong to my lady
Jedd I appreciate your training advice and for you taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview. Before we wrap it up do you have any tips for people starting out training?
Grip Training should be a staple in everyone’s training. There are many ways to do it, but the most important thing is to get started. Once you bring your hand strength up, all of your other training will improve. You’ll pull more in your deadlifts, you’ll press more weight, and you’ll perform more repetitions before hands tire out on you. I put together a free PDF and video that covers 8-full weeks of Grip Training Workouts that your readers can begin implementing today, and it is available here.
Eric, thank you for taking the time to shoot me these great questions. The last thing I want is people rushing into bending without the proper instruction, then having trouble getting some momentum, getting frustrated, and then quitting and missing out on all the fun. All the best in your training!
Jedd
Jedd it was my honor to be able to do this interview with you.
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