A Collection Of Good Habits For PE

Having a decent program and being consistent with it are, what I believe to be, the two biggest factors for success in producing gains in PE. Out of these two, I think being consistent is the hardest to master. However, most questions from the newer participants seem to focus on the “program” (should I pump, hang, jelq, what’s the fastest etc).

There also seems to be a lot who start out energized with a great goal, but then fade away. Is the fading due to the slow process of PE where day in day out activities produce no, or imperceptible results? Some then go on to say that PE doesn’t work or it’s not worth it. However, those that are able to battle through most often come out with 1-2” of gains (sometimes more) within a year or two.

So what can keep us consistent? What else can we do that may or may not facilitate gains, but can be a positive action or habit that keeps us in the game. For me, if I don’t see expected results, I find some solace in reminding myself that “good habits pay off”.

So what are good habits? Some of mine are reading this forum, taking measurements and notes, eating better and staying hydrated. Any vets have good habits to share?

Not a vet here, and I’ve certainly struggled with consistency. Otherwise, 20+ years after starting I’d be scaring horses away. That said, here are a few things I’m seeing helping me this time around: posting after each time I do some PE, and gamification. The posting makes me imagine I’ll have people asking where I went if my thread dies off, so I’m consistent to have something to report. Adding points to different exercises has allowed me to have a points goal for the day while offering flexibility in how I achieve it. It honestly helps me not go overboard, which contributes to maintaining positive PI and not burning out or injuring myself. I had so many times I’d end up raw or severely turtled or bad spotting because I went too hard too often. So I guess that’s item #3- focusing on maintaining positive PI is giving me a strong desire to continue because I’m so happy with my function.

Over the years I find that when I’m active on this forum my head is in the PE game, so it’s a huge support.

Keeping good records helps so I can feel like I’m accomplishing something just by logging the workout for the day. I don’t expect to increase size every week but I have enough experience to know that the journey of a thousand miles is made up of countless steps and eventually the work pays its rewards.

Finally I keep it fun. I enjoy the process and if it’s getting dreary I mix it up to keep it interesting and exciting.

This works for exercising in all its forms. If it’s fun and rewarding to train the gains come. If the motivation is some particular concrete outcome then enthusiasm and consistency fall away.

So while I have aspirations I keep them as a North Star and not a reason for walking the steps day after day.

Not a vet but good habits I usually try: Eating healthy, casual exercise, pelvic floor exercises, keeping an extremely alert eye for PIs.
The pelvic floor exercises are a game changer

Bad habits would be: Smoking, Consuming too much processed sugar, drinking too much alcohol, not getting enough sleep

I stick to the phrase "Pee-pee" or the 2 P’s. Patience and Persistence. I’ve gained 2 inches in length and .75 in girth in just over 2 years. You have to keep in mind that PE is a long-term commitment in the same way that an athlete will commit to training for a lifetime. I think people want growth fast. And sometimes it happens fast, but as others have stated, most of the time it’s slow and imperceptible.

I find it’s helpful to invest time in immersing yourself in the content - the theory, the methods, what’s effective/ineffective, Progress Threads etc.

I use Google Docs - Spreadsheets to keep my notes.
* Documenting methods - current, future, ‘keep in mind’
* Progress
* Supplements
* Reviewing the TP forums regularly

PE, in my opinion, is a long boring process and we need to keep the brain engaged. If your motivation begins to fade, I find it helpful to review progress reports and seeing where someone started vs. Where they are now. Heck, reminding myself where I started and where I am now isn’t as helpful as seeing other people’s progress. My first PE journey, I didn’t really stay immersed but I was making gains. But ultimately stopped and lost my gains ( I think. ). I started hanging a little over a year ago and probably added 1" to BPEL.

I haven’t measured in probably 30-60 days, but I trust the process now. If I measure soon and find I haven’t made any changes in the last 30-60 days, I’ll just shrug my shoulders and shake up my routine or take a decon break. But I can’t stress enough. Trust the process. It’s not about 3 months from now. It’s about 3 years from now. Anything worth having takes time and dedication - the same applies to PE.

Try to develop discipline and apply it to PE. For example. My discipline comes from boxing training. 2 hours a day, 5 days a week - no excuses. No "I don’t feel 100% today". No "I don’t feel motivated today". As soon as you hear that little voice in your head STARTING to say, "Well. Maybe we could. " - you immediately deny the notion and begin your preparation for your task. That’s discipline and it’s never contingent upon motivation. Ever.

I have a good, better, best program, so that I can still do PE when other things get in the way. I also have a stealth ADS weight that is pretty good at elongation even by itself. My PE devices are in a lockable zipper bag so that I can move them to a different room if required.

Rest, hydration, nutrition, exercise…anything good for the body will be “good” for PE. I try to limit sugars, alcohol, processed things etc. That is hard though, especially with a busy schedule.

Is there anything specific that improves PE recovery? I think I need to explore that aspect.

If you’re not doing it already, you can add intermittent fasting to your diet plan. Autophagy can be a miraculous thing.

Heat has been a good thing too. I have tried rice socks and heat lamp but mostly use a heating pad. I found a mini heating pad at CVS that is perfectly sized to wrap completely around, once. I also have a Total Man pad that I sometimes mix in. Interestingly enough, the mini pad gives off more heat than the TM.

I also do warm ups and cool downs with a weighted ADS. Aside from preventing injuries (IMHO) it increases the time under tension.

I am not great with my diet, but I am improving. My experience is the PE is adding mass. It is not a stretching out of existing, it is actual growth. So I try to make sure that I am always getting enough protein on a daily basis. I am not sure of the actual mechanisms for growth, but I alway want to be producing the right “conditions” for growth. So I try to get fruits and veggies, but always make sure to take a multivitamin and have protein. And as much as I can, I try to avoid sugars and processed foods.

I monitor 5 length measurements each session;

Cold bpsfl via hand stretch
Bpsfl via hand stretch after 30ish minutes with a weighted ADS
Stretched bpsfl with the glans hanger on
These 3 are the cold measurements through the “ warm up”.

After the program, I measure for bpsfl via the hand and the hanger.

My experience and going over the numbers in a spreadsheet give me insight to the program effectiveness and later bpel measurements. If I see the cold or warm up measurements too low, something is wrong so will look at dialing back or doing something different. Could be routine, health, life, etc. If the cold and warm up measurement are increasing, there is some growth taking place. This is a sign that always has translated into later bpel increases. When I see post program measurements stall, I re-evaluate everything. When I see post program bpsfl via the hanger stretch increase, the bpel has already gone up.

Just tips from my experience.

I evaluate measurement’s every 10 days. Due to the wonders of spreadsheets, I work all of the 10 day data into one number and I then can track good sessions vs. poor sessions. I then clearly have trend data to; keep going as is or make some adjustments.

It has been a few weeks with this post, so probably a great time to remind folks to take it easy with your PE. It is not a race. You can’t put a date on the calendar and say this big by, whenever. Injuries happen when you rush. Injuries mean time off. Time off facilitates give up.

Here are some hopefully fun motivators.

Holy crap look at all of this PE stuff.