2xthevol,
Sorry to respond to a PM publicly, but I think it’s good for the masses of dick pullers to read this. The mods are obligated to advise people of certain risks, but I’ve been assured that an open discussion of high intensity methods is welcome on the forums.
No problem. I think it’s great and more newbies should be studying Bib’s theories.
The “wait a year” or several months to see if a technique is working does have its basis in reality. The advice is repeated a lot because few people have the patience to do 6 months or a year of work for a result.
The vast majority of post-newbie gains rates are in the range of 1-2 cubic inches per year for guys who are pursuing this with full dedication. So it can be several months between undeniable measured gains. It is worth trying for higher gains rates, but many have tried many things, and very few have gotten the transformational gains rates that Bib experienced.
One way you can make sure what you’re doing is working is to take measurements under stress. So for clamping, you would track your max clamped length and girth, and go for new maxes. Length in the pump is another easy way. And when I was hanging, I would take BPFSL measurements immediately after sets to check for gains. Gains under stress or immediately after stress are reliable predictive indicators that eventually lead to normal erect gains.
You understand the active phase of PE very well. Almost all PE techniques work, provided they cross the elastic threshold as you mentioned. The biophysical mechanism of gains is a repair response to doing enough damage to the target tissues. The growth is assured once the work is done. A great model of understanding for the tissue repair and growth mechanism is the IPR model of wound healing.
While some guys like Bib were able to get their gains with no rest days, many others needed the rest, some for EQ reasons, and some because it was actually physically necessary for their gains. Once you understand the resting phase of PE and how the body repairs and grows, then you’ll have all the knowledge you need. Successful PE is doing enough damage, and getting enough rest. With the subjective interpretation of “enough” being different for everyone, and different at various stages of one’s journey.
Guys who gained with zero rest days likely mastered staying just past the elastic range, so that their body could continuously repair small amounts of damage each night.
Exploring higher intensities is a good idea for those who can do it responsibly - gradually and cautiously testing every new level of intensity. True long term penis injury from PE basically does not happen to guys with healthy dicks. Sure there’s stuff that can cause negative PI’s for a few days. Burst blood vessels is common. But actual fibrosis, scar tissue, permanent nerve damage - there is no medical basis for these things happening from squeezing and pulling on the penis within the range of standard PE practices. Extreme erect bending would be the only thing I can think of that would have any potential for real injury. In my opinion, most of the long term injuries that are attributed to PE are from pre-existing conditions or gross misapplication of forces. Pre-existing Peyronie’s probably being the most common culprit.
I spent several years testing the upper limits of intensity. Somewhere along the way I’ve learned to “feel” the elastic threshold and I no longer need to push the limits so far anymore. I don’t go as intense as I used to, although certainly still more intense than most. Luckily there is a huge range between going beyond elastic and the point at which real injury or macro-level structural failure occurs. It’s almost impossible to miss the correct range of intensity once you can identify it.
I can’t pinpoint the exact reasons for it, but so many guys have gained girth from moderate intensities while maximizing their EQ, that there must be something to it. Keeping the penis healthy, with lots of bloodflow, frequent erections, good EQ, rest days - these things do seem to matter for girth gains. Staying above the elastic range, and then maximizing time - that seems to be an effective approach. Then again, Xeno gained by going way above the elastic range, and minimizing time. There’s a case of successful parameters everywhere, and no definitive answers of the fastest way to gain.
Well I’ve gotten on to blathering. As you said, at the end of the day, we’re not doctors and this is all anecdotal. So do explore higher intensities - it ensures you’re doing enough damage and the gains are inevitable at that point. But do it incrementally. Conditioning is real, and sudden leaps in intensity can set you back a few days or a week and take you out of the game for a while.Intense PE can have some negative PI’s with it - but I think Bib’s old advice applies very well - if you can still get an erection and have sex afterward, you’re OK. That said, rest if you need to. Rest will heal any problems. You will heal and grow and gain while you’re resting.
The vets know that time and effort = gains. And that the gains rate is realistically capped around 1-2 cubic inches per year. And that most any technique that crosses the elastic threshold will work. So that’s why they advise taking it easy, not letting it take over a healthy sex life and a healthy penis. Whether we go about this hobby with full power and incredible zeal, or at a calculated relaxed and consistent pace - the end result is about the same.