How to Bend the Red Nail™

• "The Slaying of Goliath: Bending a Red Nail" by John Brookfield. Reprinted with permission from MILO: A Journal for Serious Strength Athletes, March 2004, Vol. 11, No. 4.

Print a copy here of John Brookfield's
article on how to bend a Red Nail.


For additional training information, see:

• The Grip Master’s Manual by John Brookfield

This book contains an excellent chapter on
John's specialty, short steel bending.


• "Progressions in Steel" by Tom Black,
MILO: A Journal for Serious Strength Athletes,
June 1999, Vol. 7, No. 1.

This article takes you to bending a 60-penny nail and beyond.

Rules for Bending a Red Nail™

There are several recognized methods for legitimately bending an IronMind Red Nail:

• hands at waist level, bending the nail downward into a U
• hands at chest level, bending the nail downward into a U
• hands at head or chest level, bending the nail upward
   into a U

Other variations of these are acceptable, so long as:

1. Only your hands are touching and bending the nail.
2. You are not pushing the nail against any other body part
    or other object.
3. You are not using any other materials or devices, except
    for a pair of IronMind's Hand Pads, which can be folded to
    pad the palms or simply wrapped around the entire nail.
4. The bend is completed within 1 minute.
5. You are bending an authentic IronMind Red Nail™ that
    has not been modified in any way.
6. You bend the nail into a U shape.


WARNING:
As John Brookfield has noted more than once, bending (or any other grip exercise or feat of strength) can be dangerous if proper technique is not used, and accidents are always possible. In the case of bending nails, for example, directly pressing the points or ends of the nails into the palm of the hand can cause severe nerve damage to the soft tissue, which may be irreversible, and you might puncture your hand. Be sensible in whichever bending style you use and always follow the generally accepted principles of safe training. If you have any questions about what you are doing, seek the advice of someone with the appropriate expertise.

Bending nails is a fun and effective way to strengthen your grip and demonstrate your wrist, hand, and upper body strength. Please use caution when bending nails, and always train with safety and good sense first and foremost in your mind; your hand health should always be your primary consideration.

How to Get Certified for Bending a Red Nail™

First, review the Rules for Bending (above) just to make sure that you are bending the Red Nail under the proper conditions.
When you are ready to be certified, you will need to do the following:

1. Contact IronMind Enterprises, Inc. at sales@ironmind.com or at 530-272-3579 and let us know that you are ready to be certified. We will find a judge/witness who is in your area to verify the bend, and notify you of that person's name and contact information. This may take several days. You will contact the judge, who will be expecting to hear from you, and set up a mutually convenient time to get together.

Note: Please contact us only when you are ready to be judged—that is, when you can consistently bend the Red Nail according to the Rules for Bending. Also, please do not line up your own judge as we will not be able to use the information. One of the ways we maintain the integrity of the certification process is by using objective, credible contacts to be witnesses.

2. Print out a copy of the Rules and Verification form and take it, with a stamped padded envelope addressed to IronMind Enterprises, Inc., PO Box 1228, Nevada City, CA 95959, to the meeting with your judge.

3. We will send three Red Nails to your judge. At your meeting, you will bend at least one of the three Red Nails according to the Rules for Bending. The judge will return your verification form along with the Red Nail(s) that you bent.

4. Send a photo of yourself and a brief bio, including your age, weight and height, your training goals and successes, and anything else you'd like us to know about your strength journey. We'll feature you in our next issue of MILO: A Journal for Serious Strength Athletes.

When we have received your signed verification form, the Red Nail(s), and the photo and bio, we will process your certification. You will receive your certificate, and your name will be added to the Red Nail Roster on our website.

Best of luck with your training!