super strong ligs to start?

I built the captains wench device and love it. Built it last night and started hanging with 3 then 5 lbs. Tonight I’m doing 5 and I feel like I could do 10.

I have two questions:
1. If my early hangings are easy, does that mean I’m not going to benefit as much from hanging (ligaments) as much as exercising my inner penis (tunica)?

2 if 5 lbs is easy first week can I bump it up as I am comfortable or is 5 first week standard?

I apologize if this post should be in the newbie forum but I felt as though my first and primary question pertained mostly to this forum. Also, love the site, I already feel a lot better about myself because of you guys. Thanks guys! :)

Try 10, I really doubt that your skin could take it at this point. It is the skin that is the limiting factor first, that is why newbies start with low weights. I just started hanging, and I am at 6 lbs now, and 8 is uncomfortable. 1 or 2 lbs can make a big difference.

I should mention that my hanging position is standing upright

Hmmmm maybe that’s it….I already have a bit of loose skin, especially just near the head not the glans but just below it

Mach,
>1. If my early hangings are easy, does that mean I’m not going to benefit as much from hanging (ligaments) as much as exercising my inner penis (tunica)? <

Easy is good. You never want to feel pain or too much stress when hanging. That said, whether you realize gains from lig stretch has more to do with your own unique physiology than the ease or difficulty with which you are able to hang. Familiarize yourself with Bib’s LOT theory and use your findings to plot your strategy.

> if 5 lbs is easy first week can I bump it up as I am comfortable or is 5 first week standard? <

You can, but keep in mind what Philly said about how big a difference a few pounds can make. Gains are made over a period of time; Time being an integral part of the hanging process. Some, myself included might argue that time is even more relevant than weight.
As an example - I have been hanging for roughly six months straight, yet I have never had to use more than 12lbs in my routine. In fact, just yesterday I could hardly handle 6lbs BTC for more than 10 minutes - such was my state of fatigue. How I got to that point was by hanging many sets through the course of the day, using 12lbs until I hit fatigue and riding my fatigue down through subsequently lower weights.
Of course, I have the time to take this approach - because I am a pirate - but it is proof that when used properly time can be just as, if not more potent than weight. And when you take into consideration that less chance of injury exists at lower weights the “time is more” approach becomes even more appealing.

Move up in weight as needed, but resist the temptation to let it supercede the amount of time you use to hit and take advantage of fatigue.

One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned was through something BigBlackStick once said (paraphrasing): If you are hanging properly, other than an unmistakable tugging sensation it should almost feel as though there is nothing there. If you cannot function (read, write, concentrate) without being distracted you are likely hanging too much weight. Using this approach, when you hit fatigue, you will have no problem recognize it for what it is, and can then take full advantage of it.

-Cap

Excellent reply Cappy - something I needed to hear again. I believe that I was trying to rush fatigue when I was hanging - never a good idea, or even an effective approach. Thanks.

Thanks Captain! For the reply and an EXCELLENT device. Thing works like a charm, instructions were great and like I said above, it felt so irritation free that I felt like I was doing something wrong :) guess that’s a strong credit to your design.

I just did LOT’s theory and I’m somewhere between 9-8 if I’m correct this is the lowest you can be and still make gains from lig stretches? And this number will change in time with hanging work and gains, correct?

Great words of advice - Thanks Captn + BBS. I think the reason I chose to try hanging was the multi-tasking facet, but often I think I get too wrapped up in thinking about hanging rather than just “fire and forget”, and consequently end up doing a little too much work. I definitely needed this reminder, you rock!

Mach,

>I’m somewhere between 9-8 if I’m correct this is the lowest you can be and still make gains from lig stretches?<

You can realize very nice lig gains with a LOT of appx 8:30 - but I’m sure that even with a lower lot there is room for gain.

>And this number will change in time with hanging work and gains, correct?<

Yes. But that is a two sided coin if there ever was one. By stretching your ligs, naturally you will lower your LOT. Things get interesting though when you take into consideration one of the more significant ideas to come out of Bib’s LOT theory - something proposed by Hobby that will almost certainly give you something to think about.

Here is a thread where Hobby goes into it:

Discouraged by LOT theory…

And this is a nice diagram of the ligs to help make visual sense of it all:

tunica&ligs.jpg

Thanks for the kind words, Mach
-Cap