Hanging or Pumping?

I’ve been doing PE for a year and have only done manual PE. Started out with newbie routine and then went on to an advanced routine. Right now my routine is 60 second stretches in 4 directions (2 cycles) and 320 jelqs, 1 ON 1 OFF. I’m feel like I’ve plateaued (going for length) and I’m trying to get into either hanging or pumping. I’ll probably end up doing both eventually, but I’m not sure which I should start first. Should I hang for a year and then get into pumping? Or should I pump for a year and then start hanging? Or would combining both be even more effective?

For hanging I would vacuum hang with mb’s vachanger (once it becomes available), and for pumping i would purchase a velseal pumping set from pumptoys. Thoughts?

Id say go hanging. For me hanging gives me much more perm. gains then pumping.

Although I enjoy pumping more, I feel like I wasted a year doing it. Limited to no real gains during that period. Earlier this summer, I started to hang with a Bib starter, and gains have resumed. The only downside of hanging that I have found is that it really requires large blocks of time.

Hanging.

Until something better is invented, hanging is the ultimate length exercise. It gives added base girth which will make it easier for you to reach your girth goals without the dreaded baseball bat effect.

Later on, pumping combined with jelqing & other manual work can help with your girth goals. I may actually pump in the future, but I wont start until I reach my ultimate goals with hanging.

I purchased a ‘bib starter’ in 2008 & I am very pleased with the quality & durability of the device.

Another vote for hanging. Make sure you read up on both, though, whichever you use.

I hang but I have never used a pump (I’m saving that for my “old age”). Maybe that means I can’t really give a considered opinion, but I would also say go with hanging.

Even the guys who claim to have made permanent gains with pumping seem to indicate it is more effective for girth than length. I agree with Blink that the BIB hanger is excellent but it has a learning curve.

In fact, hanging period has a substantial learning curve and you may have to commit months of experimentation hanging at low weight without any gains to work out the bugs. As SSN indicated, for most guys effective gains with hanging require substantial investments in un-interrupted time and considerable privacy requirements. If you don’t have these as well as a lot of patience and a willingness to experiment, you may want to reconsider hanging.

Hanging it is! :)

Now I’m also conflicted in which hanger I should purchase. Based on extensive research, it seems like the bib hanger (or bib starter) has been the most effective and has the capacity for large gains. However, I am uncut and I have read that it is a bitch to hang uncut with the bib. This realization led me to research vacuum hanging because it is supposedly far easier to hang uncut. Monkeybar’s vacuhanger seems like a viable hanger, but I have read mixed reviews about its ability to generate gains. So, based on reviews it seems like bib > vacuhanger, but I also need to take into consideration that I’m uncut. I have no idea which I should purchase. Also, the bib is available right now, but the vacuhanger v2 is STILL not available and might not be for a period of time. Thoughts?

Bib Hanger
If you have trouble with the Bib hanger, there’s support from Bib on his forum. There’s also posts & threads from guys that are uncut like you, so you can see what they did to get the wrap working for them.

Bib does provide excellent support, so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

VAC Hanging
VAC hanging is great too. Like Bib, Monkeybar does provide excellent support for his product.

Pro's Cons (VAC vs Traditional Hanging)
VAC hanging is more comfortable, requires less rest periods, but sometimes guys can get a raised whitish circle on the glans. The limit is about 20lbs with the red sleeves & the blue sleeves allow about 15lbs (monkeybar sells these).

Traditional hanging has a longer learning curve, but no real limit on the weight. Maximum time with sets are 20 minutes, and you need 10 minute rest periods between sets. This type of hanging also requires more effort with the wrap, while with VAC hanging, a wrap is not an absolute requirement. There’s a relative degree of comfort with a traditional hanger (e.g. the bib starter), but it takes a long time to achieve this, and some say it is never as comfortable as a VAC hanger.

So the real downfall of VAC hanging devices is that you can’t go beyond about 20lbs or the silicone sleeves just rip. I hear long term the cost of those sleeves can be expensive (reaching your goals could take a few years, so you might rip several sleeves, who knows). While 20lbs may sound like a lot you might need more than this amount of weight once you’ve been hanging for more than a year (when you reach advanced levels). I.E., you might need more than 20lbs to break through a plateau (then again, you could just switch to fulcrums, or use a new angle, but the 20lb maximum weight could be a real limitation).

One solution is just to add hangtime, but eventually you’ll reach a point where you can’t add more time.

If you decide to go with VAC hanging, I read the 3M Micropore Medical tape is great because it leaves no residue & it can protect your urethra, coronal ridge & frenulum. Some guys also spiral it up their shaft too (this helps prevent fluid buildup, or unnecessary discomfort).

My Opinion
Go ahead & use whatever makes the most sense to you. A lot of guys have just purchase both types of hangers & try both. I got the bib hanger & I’ve been pretty happy with it, so I have not tried anything else. I think either VAC or Standard hangers are a fine choice, and in the end, its mostly a matter of personal preference.

Maybe I’m crazy, but the Bib hanger seems just fine in terms of comfort (but I’ve probably had more than a year of experience with it now). So maybe I’m just used to it…

A wrap is not an absolute requirement for the BIB hanger either, at least not the regular BIB, or the BIB starter with the gel padding. I have been using a regular BIB without a wrap for about a month now (hanging up to 2 hrs/day but more typically 1 hr/day) currently at 16.25 lbs. I haven’t experienced any ill effects from lack of a wrap, but like anything else with hanging, it takes a little getting used to.

I would go to BIB’s forum and ask him about the relative merits of his hanger vs a Vac hanger for uncircumcised guys. He really is not going to be that eager to try to sell you a hanger, and has given a lot of uncut guys advice regarding the use of his hanger.

I have only seen a few guys doing this, but yes, that’s true. (good point)

I thought about removing the gel inserts to try out some hardcore hanging. I can’t get a clear answer though on how hard it is to get the gel inserts back in if I change my mind. I partially removed one of the gel inserts & now it falls off a little—so I am thinking, if I remove them, I wont really be able to put them back in (it will make things sloppy).

I may try hanging without a wrap at some point, but it does frighten me a bit (I worry about getting injured, especially after a lot of sets).

I’m also going to be using a wrapping method to prevent turkeyneck; so I’ll have to keep wrapping until I get that under control (my top shaft skin has grown, but my bottom shaft skin has not & its becoming way too noticeable).

I’m also hanging 2 hours+ per day (6x+ sets), but my maximum weight is just 10lbs BTC. I believe only hanging BTC has kept my maximum weight lower. For whatever reason, my body can only take a small amount of weight at this angle.

Or you can use your own hanger, Mamba. One of the biggest guys around used an AFB hanger, which you can build at near $ 0.

If you gained with manuals, before jumping on something else you could try raising frequency - say 2on/1off or 3on/1 off.

BIB has indicated that if you mail a hanger back to him, he can replace the gel padding. I don’t know how much he charges for this. As for hanging without a wrap, it takes a little while for the skin to get conditioned but it really doesn’t feel that different to me. You need to be careful that you don’t get skin pinched in the hanger hinge but it is easy to figure out how to avoid that. I used to get skin caught in a little pleat in the wrap frequently, and I feel I can avoid that more easily with no wrap since I can see the skin.

I got some skin discoloration from the wrap becoming to tight in only one set over a year ago. It is now almost, but not completely gone. I feel I can avoid having that happen again more easily without a wrap since I can see most of the skin and there is no wrap to tighten up and strangle the skin.

I bruised the underside of my penis in 2008—the discoloring is still there. I have started trying to use the ‘firegoat roll’ on it… Its such an old injury though, I think it will take some effort to get rid of that discoloration.

If you’re going to pump I suggest clamping and edging as soon as you exit the tube. It’s doing wonders for me and I’ve never had much luck with girth.