Why is 2 on 1 off so popular?

Hey guys, I was thinking… It’s commonly accepted that the principle of PE is breaking down tissue by micro tears and healing afterwards. Correct?

It’s basic tissue property, we gain muscle the same way. So why is 2 on 1 off so popular? Or 3 on 1 off, or any other basic routine with multiple consecutive days on? Of course, ADS’ and hanging fall into a different category, pumping, however, seems to rely on the same basic principle, so the same goes for pumping routines.

Why do I say that - well, you won’t see a fitness instructor make someone do the same routine 2 days in a row (well, that’s not completely true, but the exceptions are people who are training in a specific way). Shouldn’t the same go for PE? Isn’t it better to do a heavier routine every other day, rather than 2 ligther ones followed by a day of rest? That way you can get the necessary micro damage in one day and heal on the other. Furthermore, the micro tears produced by the two or more consecutive days of PE are hardly additive.

So, what am I missing?

P.S. I’m short on time now, but I’ll be sure to check in later. :)

Not by me.

As for 2on/1off, I think it boils down to a psychological effect. It’s a nice middle ground between including rest in your routine and still feeling like you’re putting in a decent amount of work. Conversely, 1/1 might feel a little lax. Truth is it’s probably just as effective.
That and the fact that it just happened to be the schedule that the guy who wrote the newbie routine liked - everyone has their own preferences when it comes to PE, his became famous.

What do you consider to be the reason behind gains? :)

Oh well, I’ll try both (well I’ve tried the classical 2 on, 1 off already) and see how it goes. In the meantime, if someone wants to share his insight on the matter - feel free to do so. :)

I’m willing to bet if you didn’t go at it too hard, you could do PE every day.

I’m considering a small stretching routine on my off days.

Sure you can, but what’s the best option?

That’s the essence of my question. :)

The real answer is nobody knows. PE has no set principles which work for everyone, it seems something which may work for one person has no effect for another. That’s why you see people at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, some gaining from 5+ days a week ADS/stretching, or the “less is more” guy who has great gains from 1 on 1 off routines. PE has general guidelines to follow, after which you have to experiment for yourself through self-exploration :(

Yeah, I’ve learned that for 3 years of being here. :)

I started the thread so we could theorise a bit, however pointless it may be. :p

I can’t say exactly.
I believe the two most commonly held theories at this point are:
(1) Plastic deformation
(2) Stress induced cell division

(note that one does not exclude the other)

As far as (1) is concerned, it’s usually applied purely on a macroscopic scale. Proponents believe that the tunica structure as a whole undergoes general plastic deformation when stress is applied. The biggest problem with this idea is the irregularity of gains. It’s not sufficient to explain why people sometimes suddenly start/stop gaining. Personally, I think it’s futile to try to explain PE this way.

(2) is likely a more accurate description, but also more vague. I think I recall Firegoat once writing that mechanical stress can induce collagen growth that start up to 48 hours (or maybe it was more) after the stress was applied, and that the process would be “reset” if additional stress was applied before this time. I’ve read a decent amount of research that supports the idea that mechanical stress can indeed cause collagen formation. But then, does it really lengthen the structure, or just thicken/strengthen it? I know some people are of the belief that the additional collagen created will only contribute to a length increase if the whole structure is held extended while the formation of new tissue occurs.

What I’m trying to illustrate is that there are probably as many theories as there are PE practitioners.
Personally, I don’t have a conclusive opinion, though it is something I think about a lot.
If I had to give an educated guess, I’d say that for one, growth likely happens mostly close to the base, specifically were the suspensory ligaments attach to the deep penile tissue. This seems logical since the force of a stretch is transmitted through the ligaments. Unfortunately, the weakest point in the chain seems to be the attachment to the pubic bone. Stretching would be more efficient if we could grab the ligaments.
If this is true, there should be some easy gains to get from fulcrum stretches moved up through the shaft since these parts of the tunica are comparatively unstressed in a normal stretch. Problem is, fulcrum stretching doesn’t focus the force the same way normal stretching does to the attachment points. Creating as high a degree of bending as possible should be key, though. So twisting your shaft 180 degrees around a fulcrum would be ideal.
.. and now I’ve started to ramble.
I haven’t actually addressed the problem of “how” growth occurs, I realize that. I don’t think I can do that at this point. But from a mechanical perspective, progressing from straight downwards stretching to fulcrums along the length of the shaft makes sense.

When it comes to choosing a routine scheme (1/1, 2/1 etc), it would help greatly to know what was actually going on.

My guess would be that 2on/1off and 3on/1off routines are optimal for most people when it comes to balance between making progress and maintaining good EQ. If you do PE every day, you will likely overdo it and lose EQ because of lack of resting days. On the other hand, 1on/1off is probably too light.

Also, you can’t compare PE to building muscle, the same principles don’t apply.

@serenity
[(2) is likely a more accurate description, but also more vague. I think I recall Firegoat once writing that mechanical stress can induce collagen growth that start up to 48 hours (or maybe it was more) after the stress was applied, and that the process would be “reset” if additional stress was applied before this time. I’ve read a decent amount of research that supports the idea that mechanical stress can indeed cause collagen formation. But then, does it really lengthen the structure, or just thicken/strengthen it? I know some people are of the belief that the additional collagen created will only contribute to a length increase if the whole structure is held extended while the formation of new tissue occurs.]

I’ve always heard how great collagen can be for ligaments, cartilage and repairing seems like everything in the body. If you took minerals, vitamins, amino acids and different diet to increase collagen, would it help penis size especially with doing PE? I’ve taken zinc the past month and I’ve gained steadily. Nothing crazy but I definitely noticed having a heavier dick everyday.
I’m going to stick to PE with a couple more off days but do a couple other new things that might help. Possibly added amino acid or two. I’m going to try to eat more fish and meat. Start doing heavy weights(squats, cleans, bench) to try to increase testosterone levels. Also thinking about taking tribulus. I heard that available free testosterone is what causes the penis to grow. A lot of people with big dicks masturbate a lot and I think doing that is the same as a tough workout. I might start jacking off 3 or 4 times on my off days. Sorry for the rambling and being so unorganized, it’s tough on my phone.
I would really appreciate some feedback. Thanks

Hmm..
I’ve had a long, weird experience on the PE road. Many months with no gains, and then I gained an inch in about 3 months. I’ve tried a lot of different techniques and supplements but the thing I didn’t realize until a while back was..
Protein.
I can stretch and fuck up my dick and bruise it to all hell but if I ain’t got the building materials in my bloodstream when it comes time to repair it, it doesn’t make a damn difference.

Until we get someone who does the actual hard science behind PE, we won’t know anything for sure. But one thing that I’m sticking to is this: one scoop of whey, one scoop of casein as I do my workout at night. Then another scoop of casein when I go to sleep.
There is absolutely no way that you are going to create new tissue without a heavy supply of protein around, especially such dense proteins as collagen.

Dymn, I think a guy would have to be malnourished for protein to be the reason he is not gaining. The whole body only needs about 30g of protein per day, perhaps double if you’re weight-training. The penis on the other hand is just a tiny portion of your overall body, so to say it wont grow unless extra protein is added to the diet sounds dubious.

Actually, average person needs closer to 60-80 grams of protein a day, while those who lift weights need 2-3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day.

I personally try to eat 210 grams a day (I’m currently about 70 kg).

I believe there are two classifications of exercise, 1) concentrates on the connective tissues, and 2) concentrates on blood carrying tissues. Also, I am convinced that rest days are critical for growth, but even more critical for the connective tissue. As you build size and resistance you can lengthen your rest days since this will actually enhance penis health and incremental growth.

The penis recovers very quickly from a workout except in the case of long hanging sessions, so a person does have to get in touch with the body and its response to exercise. I don’t really think anyone is wrong in their forecasts of work vs rest, since the penis recovers quickly and a nights rest will pretty much do the job. But, I do believe you can be ineffective in your approach or wasting your time with over-exercising since you cannot rush the gains. In muscle growth you can rush the gains since there are so many muscles you can augment. In PE the penis is a small nothing compared to the rest of the body. So, find your spot. I have always believed in high stresses verses the “all day” variety of nothing.