Interview - 011 - Cody Christensen

Cody is the man behind the Beyond the Bend Podcast, which was started in 2020 and which is a really great project to give all the benders a speaker for the rest of us.

I personally thank Cody for doing this and offering a lot of time and work to support steel bending in the right matter.

Also I am happy to work together and to support each other, so if you want to save some money in the shop and support with this the podcast you should hear or watch some episodes to get the code for this.

But Cody is not just the man behind the micro or the camera, he is also a good bender in many aspects and could get some very good bends in the books in a very short active time. When it comes to snapping or braced bending he is a guy you should know.

Make sure to watch some of his bends via his channels:

Instagram

YouTube

The links for the Beyond the Bend Podcast you can find here:

Instagram

YouTube

Spotify

Thank you Cody for all the stuff you are doing for steel bending. Here is the interview:

Name:

Cody Dylan Christensen

Year of birth:

1985

Height:

5’7” (170cm)

Weight: 165lbs (74.84 kg)

Location:

USA - Red Hook, NY

2 hours north of NYC along the Hudson River

Occupation:

Administrator for a Psychotherapy Group

Relationship Status:

Married with two sons, one is nine and one is eleven months

Question 01:

What does steel bending mean to you?

On one hand it’s a test of my strength. On the other hand, and maybe more importantly, it’s a method of developing strength for my grappling.

Question 02:

When and why did you start steel bending and what does or did your active time look like?

Last March I was sidelined from grappling due to covid so I dedicated myself entirely to getting stronger. I received my bag of nails at the end of May 2020. I saw “The Raspberry Ape” Dan Strauss bending on Instagram and I also saw David Horne on Dan’s podcast and knew I wanted to try bending. I figured if I can bend a piece of metal, I can definitely bend a limb easily.

My short time actively bending has been amazing. I think I started at a really good time with a lot of people bending and interacting online. I’ve been able to witness the evolution of bending and snapping. The bar is being raised, sometimes day to day, and it’s great to see.

Question 03:

What do you love about steel bending?

I love the feeling when the steel starts to move in your hands. I feel like you get so much feedback from that moment and, at that moment, the seemingly impossible feels possible from there.

Question 04:

What do you hate about steel bending?

I hate the amount of rest I need to have to complete the bends and snaps I want to achieve at this point. Rest is the secret weapon for me and I don’t like it. Haha.

Question 05:

How does your training for steel bending look like?

I’ve tried a lot of different things in frequency and quantity. I’ve also trained every style. Currently 2-3 times a week is working well for me. I also really only do a few bends and snaps those days. This leaves me energy for the other strength training I enjoy.

Question 06:

How does your other training look like (strength or other)?

Right now I am mostly focused on deadlifting. I do one hard deadlift day and one hard axle and saxon day. Then squatting and pressing on other days. I also work some rolling handle, stones, and sandbags in there.

Question 07:

What goals have you set for yourself?

Short term: 405 deadlift double overhand with no hook or straps at the end of March. Snap 10.9 in time. Goliath bar.

Long term: 3x bodyweight deadlift , 2x bodyweight squat and bench. Cert every horrido style. Bastard in every way in singles.

Question 08:

What was the most impressive bend you ever saw (live or on video)?

My favorite bend ever is Don Cummings doing the double giant killer braced spike bend. That’s two grade 5s and two 6” nails taped together.

Others that stick out are:

Dave Nisbet’s sub minute horseshoe snap.

Dan Dring’s record red nail snap.

Josh Goldthorp’s 10.9 bolt.

Devin Hoover’s 80d unbraced

Gil Goodman’s Goliath bar

Question 09:

Why did you started the beyond the bend podcast?

Podcasts are the way I ingest information about the things that I’m interested in. When I became interested in steel bending I asked around if there was a steel bending podcast and it turned out there wasn’t. I’d wanted to do a podcast for a long time, but didn’t think another jiu jitsu or music podcast was needed. I seized the opportunity to be The Steel Bending Podcast. Thanks to Derek Graybill for being my first guest.

Question 10:

Have you any future plans for the podcast?

T-shirts will be available soon.

An online competition for a cash prize will take place in April and May. This will include snapping and bending divisions. Steel will be purchased from me ahead of time in March.

I also plan to start a patreon and continue to book the best guests possible.

Question 11:

Rapid stuff – choose one

Bolts or steel?

Bolts

Unbraced or braced?

Both

Singles or doubles?

Singles for snapping. Doubles for bending.

Chalk or not?

Chalk for sure

Beer or water?

Water or coffee. I quit drinking back when I was 29.

Cordura or leather or both?

Leather / Suede

Short bars or long bars?

Short

Horseshoes or flat bars?

Probably horseshoes

Chips or chocolate?

Chocolate

Question 12:

The last words belong to you. What do you want the reader take away? Let us know your poems of steel!

Thank you to everyone who has supported the show so far. It’s been very rewarding and a lot of fun for me. Play the long game. If you enjoy this, train in a way that you’ll be able to keep doing this for years. There are enough facets of bending/snapping where you can stay inspired if you’re open minded. You don’t have to get every cert done in your first year. Don’t neglect your general strength training. Stay strong in all ways. Listen to guys that have been around for years like David Horne, Carl Donati, and Adam Glass.