Here are a few post by Bib from his forum. Sounds familiar and he used his Bib hanger.
Re: Skin Stretching ?
pseudodong,
>I’m using a rice sock for warming up but i didn’t realize that some guys continue to hang and use this as there heat source. I guess i could warm it up again and continue using it.<
Yes. I heated it up before the first set, and used a rick sock for the first half of the first half of my sets. So for ten minutes of my morning sets. But many guys have had success without using any heat. So I cannot say it is a necessity. It is comfortable though.
>I read something very interesting tonight on the Forum that there is a correlation between knee and elbow injuries and easier length gains? Let’s hope thats true cause my knees are shot and so are most of my joints and i’m 35 and not over weight. Maybe there will be something this tired body is good for.)<
It means you and I have weak collagenous tissues. Generally not a localized situation. I have had issues with all my joints, and was an easy gainer.
Bigger
Re: lostracco’s back
lostracco,
>Checking in with some good news.. ruler is showing 8 3/4 this week. So.. we are gaining.<
Congratulations.
>It would seem that when the area is heated, the tissues are more malleable, and perhaps tissues deeper in the body that weren’t drawn on as heavily to resist the weight in the past are now involved in the resistance of the weight due to the increased flexibility of the more protracted tissues.<
The science says collagenous tissues, weaken at 103.5 F.
>There seems to value in not only heating the area, but cooling it down within the same session in the protracted state.<
I heated for ten minutes before each session, and for the first half of the first half, of my sets. So ten minutes of each of my morning sessions. None in the afternoon.
>This technique is no doubt easier with a BTC routine. You aim the heat lamp at the pubic pad. OTS hangers would presumably have a more difficult time since pointing infrared at your testicles probably isn’t a great idea.<
A rice sock works great for the top of the shaft, so between the abdomen and top of the shaft. Then you can put another rice sock on the bottom of the shaft, while hanging OTS.
>I need to invest in some kind of ice pack or something else that could dramatically reduce the temperature of the area rapidly.<
A lot of guys have tried that over the years. I have never read a report of it doing anything. I would recommend just cooling down at room temp.
Bigger
Re: lostracco’s back
lostracco,
>So I guess the question is, is the infrared lamp heating the tissues above 103.5.<
I am sure the lamp is well above that. We are only writing about 4-5 degrees above normal. So it does not take that much heat. Should be able to do it comfortably.
>Maybe that explains why it feels deeper in the body. If the tissues farther out and closer to the heat source are weakening, perhaps the body draws on the strong ones for support against the 23 lbs.<
Surely.
>Thanks for the tip about the guys trying the ice pack. Makes sense.. as long as you’re dropping it below 103.5 I imagine the effects are the same.<
Ice is just not going to do anything beyond reducing inflammation, which in our case, is not bad.
Bigger
Re: Grotesk’s thread
Grotesk,
>Is it possible that we underestimatw heat?<
No idea. I used heat for ten minutes before starting a session, and for the first ten minutes of the first half of my sets. Many guys use heat. Some do not. It is a personal choice.
Bigger
Re: Ironwill’s thread
ironwill,
I NEVER used a heating pad. I could not find one that had enough variability in settings. They were either much too hot, or not hot enough.
In my experience, a heating pad set as hot as it will go could very well cause blisters.
For me, a microwaved rice sock cannot be beat.
Bigger
Re: Does A Heat Pad Actually Help With Making Gains?
nwa,
Studies have shown that heating collagenous tissues to 103-104.5 will make them easier to stretch.
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Re: Does A Heat Pad Actually Help With Making Gains?
gmarc,
That is a great question.
On one hand, the more the collagenuos tissues are heated, up to a point, the more they should stretch. But that does not inherently mean they deform.
On the other hand, heated collagenous tissues, up to a point, are much less likely to tear than cool or cold tissues.
The question is, would the slight warming we are talking about make it more or less likely that the tissues would deform, rather than just stretch.
I suppose you can only find that out through trial and error, individually.
Perhaps differences in the reaction to heat, is the reason some guys find it useful, while others do not.
Bigger
Re: Does A Heat Pad Actually Help With Making Gains?
Gmarc,
>That’s what I was getting at- you’ve stretched out farther, but what has it really done to the structure? I’ve made gains without heat.<
That is why I say it is an individual thing, to be tested by each guy. Many guys swear by heat. Others do not.
I am sure it has to do with the individual makeup of each guy’s collagenous tissue. Some are more malleable to begin with, and some are more brittle.
The malleable tissue will be more likely to just stretch, and will probably not benefit from heat, as far as deformation goes. The brittle collagenous tissue would withstand a higher stress level, but be more likely to tear, suffer major deformation at much higher stress levels, rather than stretch, and will probably benefit from heat.
>Since I’ve got you here, bib, is it necessary to feel strands of fibers breaking away or is it enough to just feel fatigue in the tunica? There was a point where I could feel individual fibers giving way like crazy- one strand failing after another. I feel it sometimes now, but is it just one indicator of gains?<
I would think that during the times you can actually feel the fibers giving, you are breaking through first limiting factors. At times where you just feel good fatigue, it is the stress working on stretching fibers, without the telltale feelings of actual fiber failure. But that is just a wild ass guess.
For me, I felt both. I might feel the actual parting of fibers, not only at times of increased stress, or changing of hanging angles, but even later after becoming accustomed to new stresses. I could feel ‘just fatigue’ at any time. There never seemed to be a rhyme or reason as to when or if the stress I was using would lead to the feeling of actual fiber seperation.
Therefore, I would say that both feelings are part of the process, and both lead to progress. The fibers popping just seems to be more productive as it occurs.
If I always shot for fatigue, I would make progress, whether I felt fiber seperation or not.
One other thing: Pulling out the crinellations during the first and/or second set, I would often have that feeling of fiber seperation. But I realized that was not new deformation.
Great points. You ask the best questions.
Bigger
Re: Using Heat, not using heat
NF,
>I know you used a rice sock for heat. I have tried this numerous times and find that my skin becomes significantly more irritated when using heat versus not. What I mean is that when I keep myself warmed via a rice sock I cannot hang for more than 3 or 4 sets without my skin needing a major rest (maybe 6 or 8 hours). (I do keep myself warm with a blanket and such just not a rice sock or similar.)<
OK, probably the biggest problem with the rice sock is the difference in temp between when first taking the RS out of the microwave, and say ten minutes later. The research I have seen says that you only need to heat collagenous tissues between 103-104.5 degrees to significantly weaken them. That is not a lot, and is relatively easy to do since even with the largest penises, there is not that much tissue to heat. Normal body temp is 98-99 degrees. Genitals a bit less.
When I used the rice sock, I always had a hand towel to put between the RS and myself at the beginning. As the RS cooled, I would remove the towel. Also, you need to use Vaseline, or a good Vit E lotion, to help mitigate the heat a bit. You also probably need to heat the RS a bit less.
>Now for the question: how significant do you believe the heat was in your case?<
I used the RS most of the time. I do believe anecdotally that it helped deform collagenous tissue, as the research says. But this is all relative. There are plenty of guys that have deformed the target tissues without using heat. Relatively speaking, they probably needed just a bit more stress to do so.
Look at it this way: If you are significantly affecting the thin skin in the area, then you are probably affecting the ligs and/or tunica more than is needed. Cut back on the heat.
Great questions,
Bigger
Re: Using Heat, not using heat
WTBM,
>Would using a heating blanket on top of the penis/hanger during each set work just as well?<
I could never find a heating pad that I could get to the correct temperature. It was either too hot, or not warm enough. Also, the heat from a heating pad is dry heat. The moist heat of a rice sock feels better, and is relatively easier on the skin.
If you can find a heating pad that has truly variable temps, please let us know the brand and model.
Bigger
