So with the above questioning (and complaining), I will attempt a “general participant guide” that hopefully is enough to get started, but can be improved upon by anyone and everyone as we learn more.
Read, learn, go slow, start out with a mindset of easing into things while you are figuring out what techniques and conditions work best for you. Consider your age, physical conditions, body type, muscular response and commitment level. Tailor your initial routine(s) to these. More important than any other metric is consistency. Gains will come if you are consistent, so stay motivated. If gains are “too” slow, look at your health and your program.
Most likely this will be a slow process. Write down what you are doing and keep records of your results. Adapt your training only after you have data and have seen a clear trend. Gains can and will come in different areas; length, girth, flaccid and erect. These will likely be different for participants based on the above conditions and the effectiveness of your routine. There may be significant differences in gains based on your classification of “Grower vs. Show-er”. Grower gains may initially translate more to erect gains and gains from show-ers may translate more to flaccid gains. Over time, growers transition to show-ers.
Gains can follow this general pattern from a non-conditioned state:
As a Show-er, I first experienced stretched gains, then un-stipulated flaccid gains, then max flaccid gains, then erect gains. My gains followed this pattern without skipping any phases. I targeted erect gains, but had to work into and through these phases. “Growers” may differ in phases and experience erect gains, stretched gains, un-stimulated flaccid gains, then max flaccid gains.
Rates of growth roughly will be (for a show-er): stretched gains: moderate (1-4) months, un-stimulated flaccid gains: fast (1) month, max flaccid: moderately fast (1-2) months, erect: slow (3-6) months. Gains will occur concurrently, so for example, you will still be seeing stretched gains when you are experiencing erect gains. You won’t stop gaining in one phase so that the next one starts.
Gains will generally follow the focus of your routine length vs girth. They are normally regular, but will at times jump significantly and unexpectedly. All of this assumes you are consistent. Missed days and lapses as short as even a couple of days seems to reset everything then it is almost like starting over from the beginning. Gains tend to slow over time, but can also go on for many months.
If your experience is different, please share.