Waffles,A few responses, and again, most of these are just my opinion and lots of guys have different views and experiences:
1. I started, in earnest, near the end of 2012. I had tried a bunch of random things in the past but until I found Thunders, I didn’t really make any headway. Started with the no-joke dedicated newbie routine and the mem’s mementous rapid gain mechanism. You should be able to click my “stats” and see that it is a steady growth over time. Small newbie jump in size but generally everything trending together over time. I will say that I go through periods (like a solid year) of PE, get gains, then enjoy those gains for a while, then when I feel up to it, do it again. All the while, I am keeping general jelquing and shower “maintenance” (very low key) and I have never really “lost” gains that I’ve gotten.
2. IMHO, decon times are when you need a break, and not even when your dick needs a break. Your dick needs a break, or a change in routines when you are doing the same workouts, but you don’t “Feel” the impact of those workouts. Just feels like you’ve done the routine again but your dick isn’t aching. I always look for the ache in the root of the dick to indicate that I’ve actually worked it, taken it past it’s current limits. Just like working out your muscles. You lift weights, your muscles are sore, they’re getting stronger.
3. Strongly suggest manual stretching for the 15-20 minutes at a time they recommend in newbie. I built my own stretching device that I’ve been using for years now. It’s a Between The Cheeks stretch (BTC) where your dick goes down underneath, and a strap comes Around The Leg (ATL) and pulls on the fulcrum point of the dick with a 2” diameter nitrile rubber o-ring (this happens to be a cock ring that comes in a set, but a standard nitrile o-ring would work too. This has a ring thickness of about 1/4”). The fulcrum is padded with a folded up sock, which I leave a length unfolded to wrap over the shaft in order to reduce friction that the medical tape has against the legs. I like it because I can reposition the fulcrum, and I can increase the tension just by adjusting the strap, very easily. I can even have sessions where I start with high tension to get the unit aching, then lessen the tension with everything still attached to extend the duration under load.I agree with Edub, and I think it gets down to those that figure it out and those that don’t. It really is a process to see what your dick needs to get it moving in the right direction. I’ve hurt myself a few times and gotten total turtle recall LOL. That kind of thing *should* be temporary if you’re listening to your member.
Commitment is key, and the only way to gains. With that, anything is possible!
Wow, thanks for that extremely comprehensive reply. In regards to your homemade stretcher, did you start using it as a newbie along with those 15-20 minute daily stretches you mentioned? Or was this some time afterwards?
I’ve found a decent vacuum grip stretcher online but its a little on the pricey side for something I am unsure will work or not, or if I even need it right now. Perhaps I will follow in your footsteps and try to make my own, but I’ve never been much of a DIY expert so probably not.
There’s some very cheap traction stretcher devices I have seen online that I’m sure you are aware of but they look really awkward and more like torture devices lol. Do you have any opinion of that type?
Again thanks for the reply man. Not just from yourself but from everyone that has given input as well.
