Another strong steel bender from russia.
Sergey Kuznetsov a name I heard the first time when the steel bending russia project started amd from then I followed him in every aspect, because in a very short time he raised to an elite level in bending.
Very strong, very technically and methodically. All the things I like and I am sure that we will see some strong attempts from Sergey in the future.
Very informative is his youtube channel, where he give some good insights on his training. Check it out here
(Tip: with automatically translated subtitels it´s easy to understand for the nonrussian guys).
Thanks Sergey for the interview:
Name:
Sergey Kuznetsov
Year of birth:
1989
Height:
189cm
Weight
101kg
Location:
Russia, Nizhniy Novgorod
Occupation:
Automobile engineer designer, Sound engineer
Relationship Status:
Married, 3 children
Question 01:
What does steel bending mean to you?
At the moment, bending has become the main sports activity for me now. I think I can achieve very high results if I continue to thoughtfully train and strengthen the body for bending. Analytical bending is about me. I have been playing sports in general for a long time, and sports have changed from time to time depending on life circumstances. I have always been interested in a lot and sport was only part of this lot of interests. I think that's why I didn't make significant strides back then because there was no focus in one direction. Yes, the results were good, but it's like in the decathlon for each of the ten sports disciplines - good, but not excellent). In my school years, I was densely javelin throwing, then basketball and streetball were part of my life; after - just a gym and sometimes rowing.
 Now life experience has increased, training experience has also become richer on knowledge (21 years as I do sport ...) , so I think that it's time to become the best at something that I'm very interested in, what fascinated me and what I can always highlight time for now.
Question 02:
When and why did you start steel bending and what does or did your active time look like?
I started bending steel (different nails) from January 2019 and until early 2023g bending was both a hobby and a nice addition to the training process. Then I saw on YouTube the videos of one famous Russian steel bender and sportsmen - Victor Blud. I also wanted to try to bend the nail in half, make a heart or a knot of a pair of nails out of it. At first it was small nails, but then it became more and more interesting) and I switched to rather large copies of 300x8.8mm, etc.
I became professionally interested in banding at the beginning of 2023 with the active development of the SteelBendRussia project from Dmitry Anisimov. At first I was invited to one sports report on the Vkontakte social network and, communicating, I learned a lot of new things and became interested in bending much more, including calibrated steel  Well, it then dragged on in full, as they say . Therefore, now I bend regularly and quite a lot. I lead my YouTube channel, where I describe in detail and show my workouts both in bending iron and in the gym.
Question 03:
What do you love about steel bending?
Compactness is exactly how, in a word, I can describe the advantages of banding. Everything you need for banding fits into one sports bag of medium size. Everything is always at hand and I do not need to adapt to the opening hours of the gym. The kitchen is my training room . So I myself can choose the time when and in what amount I will train. And of course, the second plus is some special feeling from the fact that steel bends in your hands, what seems to bend should not bend bends. It's hard to put into words, it's more of a feeling. A sense of strength and calm; it's character and deep analysis of everything you do and how you do it. It combines everything: power, mind and soul.  Perhaps it's like meditation, but it's not a meditation - it's bending.  It is difficult to explain the taste of the apple to those who have never eaten an apple. So here - banding is bending, and I can only indirectly say what it is good and what it really is.
Question 04:
What do you hate about steel bending?
Crush pads . I can't learn how to use them correctly when I do chest crush moves. It seems that they do not help me, and sometimes on the contrary, interfere with ... But, I am sure that I have not yet found the necessary materials for myself and so far I have little experience with them.
P.S.: As my good friend says, the steel bender is also - "for those who came up with the crush pads there is a separate place in hell"Â .
Question 05:
How does your training for steel bending look like?
My training daily is flexible, and this is due to my marital status (three children, all under three years old - you know, they don't let you get bored ), so I bend mainly at night, when all the main things are done, the children are fed, washed and already sleep soundly. First I have dinner and after, at 23:30 approximately, the warm-up begins before the bending training. I usually do until 02:30 at night, but sometimes when training is very difficult, I finish at 03:30. Since I bend in the kitchen, after each workout you need to carefully clean up the scattered dust from magnesia. Unfortunately, she's everywhere... It takes half an hour to clean up for sure. Then - you need to eat , since the stomach is already empty by this time, and this is another plus half an hour by the time of my waking night. In total, at 4 in the morning I just go to bed, not before. At 6 in the morning I need to wake up to work, so the day at work is difficult.. But if you manage to achieve the goals set in training or train in one of the styles, it adds a lot of energy and the day is easier. I train once every 7-9 days, depending on the internal sensations, as many circumstances affect my vigor and recovery from training.
Question 06:
How does your other training look like (strength or other)?
In addition to bending, I visit the gym twice a week, in the morning, at other times there is no way to go to the gym. by 7am I need to be on the other side of my town in the hall. Nearby is my job. Therefore, immediately after the hall I go to work and the cycle of affairs flies until late in the evening). In the gym, I perform work on all muscle groups: squats, bench press, deadlift, work with weights, pull-ups, various pulls, strengthening the muscles of the bark. In total, not at all, but nothing unusual.
Question 07:
What goals have you set for yourself?
I want to become one of the best steel benders in the world! Not only in Overhand, but in all other unbraced styles of bending . This is if we talk only about bending steel.
In addition, I want to always be an excellent husband for my wife, father for my children, son for my parents. I want to be a good example. And I also want to always combine this feeling of happiness in my soul, which you feel when you do something right and see a positive result.Â
Question 08:
What was the most impressive bend you ever saw (live or on video)?
I saw the most impressive bends (yes, bends - not one bend) in the video from Gary Hunt. I know that many people are skeptical about his records and believe that he was deceiving people. But having some experience in bending, seeing how and what strains and works during heavy bends in different, seeing Gary's mental attitude - I'm sure it's all real . RedNail style heslep on fully outstretched arms in single protection is something! In general, a huge list of what he bend lies on the verge of what is possible. Amazing concentration and love for what he do!Â
Question 09:
Rapid stuff – choose one
Bolts or steel?
Steel
Unbraced or braced?
Unbraced
Singles or doubles?
Doubles
Chalk or not?
Of course chalk
Beer or water?
Of course beer
Cordura or leather or both?
Both
Short bars or long bars?
Both
Horseshoes or flat bars?
Horseshoes
Chips or chocolate?
Zwieback (my school-name)
Question 10:
The last words belong to you. What do you want the reader take away? Let us know your poems of steel!
Sport is a movement. Movement is life. Meaningful conscious attentive and competent movement is a healthy cheerful confident of the life. It doesn't matter what sport you play; it doesn't matter how long sport is part of your life - live it with all your heart, be sincere with yourself, be an open soul to those around you. If this happens, then you will live this time not only healthy, but also happy!  When you are happy, you have a lot of energy, good energy, and this also adds happiness to your loved ones.  What else is needed for a great life? - a lot of things).., but when there is a foundation, there are roots - you can move gory.
In general, go in for sports, guys, it's cool!
Terrific interview as always guys! I particularly enjoyed his response to the "most impressive bends he's ever seen". .. great stuff, thank you!