The rules below shall be followed to the letter. Only official SSB steel is to be used. If a bend takes longer than twenty seconds, it is an automatic “fail.” We reward power, with its emphasis on force and speed, rather than an overall strength and endurance combo with its lax rules on time.

This isn’t a marathon here, people. It’s a violent sprint to the finish. How much force can you generate in the shortest amount of time? That’s what we’re here to find out! Please read every single step…as any deviation from these rules will result in a “fail” on your part.

(1) Turn on a camera and steady the video onto yourself.

(2) Choose the steel bar you want to bend and measure it lengthwise and widthwise. Keep this in the camera’s view.

(3) Pre-wrap your chosen steel bar and place it in on a small platform at about waist-height.

(4) Hover your open hands around six inches (about the length of your hand from wrist to middle fingertip) from the pre-wrapped steel as you await the starting notice from a third party with a stopwatch in their hands.

(5) When the pre-wrapped bar is touched, the “clock” starts. Try to bend it as fast as you can in the approved SSB manner. The use of your body (except extreme upper chest and neck area) as leverage is not allowed. Double hand wraps (with chalk) made of our own nylon or suede are allowed.

(6) Once bent (the ends of the bars are two inches from each other), take the bar out of the wraps and place it on the small platform.

(7) Once placed on the platform, stop the “clock,” record your time, and say it aloud for the camera’s audio to pick it up. Measure the ends of the bars and make sure they are two inches from each other. Confirm this again for the camera.

(8) Email this video evidence to marmiger@shortsteelbending.com or text it to 302-690-7039. You should receive a reply on its validity or not within a day.

(9) If the bend is valid and is also within the top ten bends for that particular bar, we will post the results in the rightful order within a day or so…and you will be notified. You will also be notified if the bend is a “fail,” and how we came to that conclusion.

(10) Only one individual bender per top-ten leaderboard. For instance: Mike Smith bends the 330 LBS bar in 6.45 seconds on December 23rd, 2024. Mike Smith then attempts a re-bend with another 330 LBS bar on February 3rd, 2025, at a time of 5.98 seconds. His old time will be updated with his newer, better time, and be put in its rightful place in the top-ten leaderboard (or not, if he finds himself kicked out due to other benders coming in with better times).