Interview - 026 - Emanuel Hommerich

Emanuel is the latest newcomer here in germany, but the word newcomer isn´t right, because after a short time in the game he is bending big stuff and I am sure that he will get better and better in the future. So more to come...

He dominated the 8.8 Bolt and is reaching his hands to bigger bends.

In the meantime he took some time to write down some points for the interview.

Thanks Emanuel for taking part in the interview:

Name:

Emanuel Hommerich

Year of birth:

1987

Height:

198cm

Weight 123kg

Location:

Germany

Occupation:

Guitar teacher/salesman

Relationship Status:

Married

Question 01:

What does steel bending mean to you?

Bending steel is a constant battle on many fronts, balancing technique, strength and being in the right state of mind is crucial. For me it is a mayor driving factor to keep training, to see what can i bend next. The anticipation of feeling the steel move and deform, to know I have conquered the next bar.

Question 02:

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

Fall 2020, I bought some used grip tools on ebay from Richard Siebels, and after that we talked and he said: "I'm selling this stuff to focus on getting better in unbraced short steel bending." So I Looked it up and was intrigued. I have been watching WSM in the 90s, so men bending steel was not new to me, but bending smaller bars or nails, was unknown to me. So I phoned my cousin, who is always my partner in crime, when I want to start something new and he just said: "I'm up, we can start in 3 weeks, when we meet for our next beer tasting." So the very next day, I went to the hardware store and bought 40 7mm roofing nails 200mm long. Next stop was a leather worker, where I got a lot of leather scraps to cut pads out of and I ordered a large sheet of black cordura online, also to cut pads out of. I tried almost every evening for 2 weeks, looking at videos online and just working on my technique, until I bent my first 7mm/180mm nail. After that when I met up with my cousin he just needed 2 hours for his first bend, since I could teach him in person. After that i quickly made my way to a red nail in doubles, then the horrido A2 cut down to 5,5". 8mm hex and finally in april 2022 the horrido 8.8. 7"

Question 03:

What do you love about steel bending?

Feeling the steel move and getting closer to completing the bend.

Question 04:

What do you hate about steel bending?

There is nothing that I "hate". The wrapping is tedious and I try to avoid it for my warm up pads, as long as possible and cutting material is not fun but necessary.

Question 05:

How does your training for steel bending look like?

I was bending 3 times a week DO with varying intensities, until June, but I cannot recover fast enough with that much volume right now, so I try cutting down to 2 sessions a week and I really miss the 3rd session. I always start with some kettlebell training to warm up and then 2 easy bars to transition into a volume or max effort training.

Question 06:

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

Some powerlifting, some strongman, some gripstrength, and at least 50km of cycling every week

Question 07:

What goals have you set for yourself?

The 8.8 in 6.5" and in the future the 10.9

Question 08:

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

The 6" 12.9 horrido cert by Derek Graybill

Question 09:

Rapid stuff – choose one

Bolts or steel?

Steel

Unbraced or braced?

Unbraced

Singles or doubles?

Doubles

Chalk or not?

Chalk

Beer or water?

Beer

Cordura or leather or both?

Both

Short bars or long bars?

Short Bars

Horseshoes or flat bars? will try horseshoes sometime just for fun

Chips or chocolate?

Chips

Question 10:

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

Always try differnt things, it doesn't matter if it's a sport or other activity, a beverage or food. If you don't leave your comfort zone, you never experience life at its fullest.