Any injury you create to a plant will take a bit of time to heal.
The more you break or tear your plant, the longer it will take to heal and get back into the swing of things, but even if you make a mistake, you'll usually be okay as long as you tape up your plants (and split them as needed for big injuries) and give them some time to recover.
You may also notice that that I left all the vegetation above the hub for now. A young clone like this needs all the energy she can get to continue building a substantial and healthy root system.
Remember: Clones often have weaker root systems compared to similarly sized plants grown from seeds. Therefore when main-lining clones, you must take extra care to reduce stress and give that root system time to develop.
Sneak peak: This is what the clone looks like after it's grown out after this step. Notice how the two branches are growing more evenly. That is the main point of the pinch/bend.
In a few days, we will top or prune clone again for 4 total colas, and then clean up some of this extra vegetation once we can see she is growing vigorously.
Step 4: Tie Down Your Mains (Keeping Bends At The Same Level on Both Sides)
If your plant was damaged during any of the previous steps, or if you're worried she needs time to recover, you may want to wait a few days until your clone is growing out its two main colas.
This is a matter of expertise. As a beginner, it's better to err on the side of waiting too long. If you have a lot of experience training/bending clones, then you may be more aggressive.
If you're unsure, wait until you see that your clone is growing healthfully. At that point it's time to top or prune again.
I gave this clone a few days to grow out her two main colas before I started this step.
Just to give you an idea, this is what my clone looked like right before I tied her down.
Before
Notice how I left all her extra vegetation. I will be removing this extra growth later, but I leave it on for now to help power the growing root mass.
Important: Tie Down Colas to Form 90 Degree Angle With Trunk & Keep Bends At The Same Level on Both Sides
You will want to use some slight bending/training/bondage to spread out your colas so they leave the main trunk at a 90 degree angle.
Make sure the bends are at the same level. This is very important! This picture of a
different clone better shows off what I mean by trying to
keep the bends at the same level: