Interview to Giorgio Giannico by Beyond The Bend (English Version)

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Whenever you speak to a steelbender or gripster it doesn’t take a long for them to give credit to “the community”. In order to have a great community you need those who participate but more importantly those who give back. Giorgio is one of those people. Through his website www.gripebenditalia.it . Giorgio gives our brothers and sisters in steel a place to sorce specific training tools and something more to strive for his international certification.

Grazie! – Cody

Where did you come from and how did you start to bend over?

I am Italian and I live south of my country, in the city called Taranto, an ancient Spartan colony. I got into bending and grip sport around 2010, also thanks to the very motivating videos of Jedd Johnson’s Diesel Crew. From there I began to try every aspect in the world of grip and therefore also the approach to the first  nails. I remember it was an incredible effort to bend one!

What do you do for a living and what kind of athletic training do you have?

I have been working as a skilled worker in a large steel factory since 1997. I don’t have a past as an athlete honestly. As a boy I was very thin and with kyphosis problems in my back and I first set foot in a gym in 1991 at 16 years old, motivated a lot by Sylvester Stallone’s iconic physique or by WWF heroes, especially Ultimate Warrior. I was very introverted and shy and the contact with cast iron immediately made me feel good and I understood that there was a feeling. Starting from that period I did bodybuilding until 2003, then I became passionate about Powerlifting, and then evolved into Strongman from 2007. With Strongman I discovered the old school and then, as already mentioned, from 2010 grip sport and old time strongman have absorbed all my interest!

What are some of the bending / showdowns you are most proud of?

I have the problem of never feeling strong and satisfied, but some satisfactions have arrived over time. In the bending, due to some shoulder and neck problems, I can’t apply much force in the Double Over Hand, so I worked a lot of reverse and was really happy the day I bent David Horne’s grade 5 bolt and, subsequently, my GBI 120 kg bar, in reverse. I am proud of the level reached with bare hands, a painful practice but which I consider a complete test of strength in every aspect. Great motivation comes from Russian friends who are amazing bare hand benders! As for other feats that I am proud of is having closed the CoC # 3 for which I worked so hard and the period in which I had great results with card tearing becoming the first to be able to tear a deck of Bicycle with two credit cards in the middle (parcel stored in Joe Musselwhite’s Grip Museum in Texas). In 2020 I conquered a really important load in lifting the Crabhold Logan Lift, a tool that I hated and loved and on which I have often left my blood!

What future goals do you have?

Constantly improving my state of general strength both for the body and in particular with the grip. What I would like to achieve in this 2021 is the closure of CoC # 3.5 and other grippers of similar toughness.

Training specifics: days per week, how many turns / sprints, order of turns, warm-up, specific exercises, sets and reps?

On average I train 3 or 4 times a week for about two hours per session. I always practice a good general warm-up, then specific for shoulders, wrists and fingers. In this period I don’t bend a lot of steel so I limit the attempt to maximum effort on a very hard bar for me to once a week. I do about ten series of work with Horne’s Wrist Developer with decreasing volume and increasing intensity of effort. I start from about twenty repetitions from the minimum level and as the spring becomes harder I go down until I perform several singles. I often like to introduce isometric strains and I never lack levering with the hammer, I believe they are important components to harden the wrists. I do not practice periodizations or predefined schemes, I prefer a working scheme that suits my needs and I try to increase gradually when I can. Work and family life always affect energy and recovery so much and these aspects are difficult to calculate in a programming.

Thoughts on the strength / functional strength of the farm?

I believe that strength is a beautiful path to walk that can last a lifetime. It is a continuous confrontation with our limits, which first of all tests our mind and our attitude. A strong and functional body and a critical and rational mind, for me, represent the maximum that a human being can aspire to during their existence. I see too many people who think about aesthetics and fill themselves with drugs to look like grotesque cartoons. Strength, functionality and strong forearms are poetry. In recent years, however, I have noticed a growing interest in the functional, I hope people begin to understand the advantages it offers.

What specific exercises do you recommend for bending strength?

Over time what worked well for me was hammer work, all kinds of levering and isometric contractions. Then a lot depends on the technique. For example, those who fold in DO will also have indirect benefits working with the bench press. The most important thing will remain that you bend everything that comes within range! 

Mental training / mental aspects of steel bending?

This is a fundamental aspect for me. Bending requires great concentration and willpower. It requires pain tolerance and visualization. Anger and aggression are excellent skills before facing a steel bar. Bending means that mind and muscles win over metal. If you don’t have the proper mental attitude, the bar will stay straight and cool.

Another area of ​​strength that you believe your bending has made you stronger?

I suppose the trunk and abs, good intervention is required, especially in the braced. Perhaps the muscles that have grown stronger since I bend are those of the jaw !!! Ahahahah the teeth almost explode!

Tips for bare hand bending?

It is a potentially dangerous practice, especially with nails, you must never push yourself too far, the damage can be important. The requirements are pain tolerance and great consistency to make the skin, tendons and bones adapt. It requires a lot of dedication, but I think it is the Bending from which you get the most satisfaction.

Medley Quick sequence of focused questions

Favorite material / object to bend?

Big nails with bare hands!

Do you like anything outside of training, flexion or strength sports?

Arm wrestling as another sport. My interests in life are to enjoy family, books, movies and then beer and whiskey (with caution means!).

What is the only push / pull you have tried and failed?

I am a serial bankruptcy collector. What frustrated me the most is not having bended the 10 inch wrench. Damn, why did you remind me !!!

Who is the strongest person you know?

Personally it is Manuel Pieroni, whom I nicknamed “Hurricane” is a boy with great skills and poeer! As an international reference there would be a long list of people who inspired my life, like Dennis Rogers, Robert Nejedly, David Horne, Here Johnson… But if I have to choose a superman, for me it is Adam Glass, a complete athlete who has shattered records in every test in the years. He is great!

The best advice you’ve ever been given?

My Doctor of Orthopedics told me “you have to forget about efforts and weights!” following my three cervical hernias.

I’ve never listened to it …

The funniest reaction a person had when they discovered that you bend your nails in your spare time?

I am very discreet about what I do, I hardly advertise it. It happened to me one day at work to bend a nail in front of colleagues and one of these in particular widened his eyes and opened his mouth, it looked like a meme! It was fun!

Tips for beginners?

Avoid excesses, especially drugs and medicines. Eat quality, train with patience and consistency and most important of all stay away from injuries.

Time will pay off for your dedication.

                                                                                     Cody Christensen