I am following the path from Zsolt since 2016 as we both certed the red nail in this year and so our journey in steel bending was beginning.
It was a great time to see lots of very hard bends from him. There are really a lot of them in double overhand style. No matter the length and / or pads, he has some great bends in singles done and some motivated me to do them also, like the CRS Square 8mm x 7" in Iron Grip Pads for example.
He is a very nice guy and we traded some steel and bolts in the past, which is common under us steel benders, but every time it´s still something special, at least for me personally.
Not only in double overhand Zsolt is a beast, he has also some good numbers in grip sport and especially very hard gripper closes. But when it comes to horseshoes, he is in an absolute demolition mode. Zsolt is on spot number three under the worlds top 20 horseshoe benders with the following horseshoe under the official rules: Kerckhaert DF 10x22 #1
You can see the full list here
As you can see there are big names with really big shoes. To place there on spot number three is an absolute hard feat and needs elite strength in bending.
Make sure to watch some of his past and present bends via his channels:
Thank you Zsolt for taking your time for the interview my brother in steel!
Name:
Zsolt Hornyak
Year of birth:
1977
Height:
190cm
Weight
115kg
Location:
Hungary - Budapest
Occupation:
system administrator
Relationship Status:
single
Question 01:
What does steel bending mean to you?
Challenge and amusement.
Question 02:
When and why did you start steel bending and what does or did your active time look like?
I have seen the first videos (Paul Knight, Booyahbender, EJ Livesey channels) around 2010-2011 and I instantly liked it. The start was difficult,
because I knew nothing about bending, but the more I learned the better I became.
Question 03:
What do you love about steel bending?
I like as the steel is melting in my hands.
Question 04:
What do you hate about steel bending?
People think it is nonsense and valueless.
Question 05:
How does your training for steel bending look like?
When I was an active DO bender I bent steel three times per week. I trained two times per week with steels suitable to my actual strength level and the third time I focused on my weaknesses (kink/sweep/crush).
Unfortunately I already stopped DO bending, nowadays I bend only horseshoes two times per week.
Question 06:
How does your other training look like (strength or other)?
Every week I do conventional strength training two times and one time kettlebell exercises. I always finish with some grip exercise.
Question 07:
What goals have you set for yourself?
I have no exact goals in steel bending, I do it, because I like it. In other grip things acquiring a CoC 3.5 cert would give me satisfaction.
Question 08:
What was the most impressive bend you ever saw (live or on video)?
Booyah 5" RedNail IM Wraps GripBoard Cert
I have seen a lot of videos about bigger and heavier steels, but I was impressed by the intensity of this video.
Question 09:
Rapid stuff – choose one
Bolts or steel?
Steel
Unbraced or braced?
Both
Singles or doubles?
Singles
Chalk or not?
Chalk
Beer or water?
Beer
Cordura or leather or both?
Cordura
Short bars or long bars?
Short bars
Horseshoes or flat bars?
Horseshoes
Chips or chocolate?
Chocolate
Question 10:
The last words belong to you. What do you want the reader take away? Let us know your poems of steel!
Steelbending is a great sport, but you have to be careful! Don't push yourself too seriously, just enjoy it.
