Why we don't gain from hanging

>All of this talk reverts me back to my own thinking, how could more weight cause you to gain less?

Too much stimulus for strengthening without getting the best stretch in the process. What we want is a long duration stretch of moderate intensity. The more time spent hanging, the better, in general. But, most can’t sit around hanging all day. Hangers should allocate as much time as possible, and then adjust the weight accordingly.

Consider the factors at hand:

Time
Weight
The amount of tissue supporting the load

Hanging heavy weight for short time is a big mistake. So is deliberately trying to increase the weight beyond what is required. Instead, try to get the best stretch from using the least weight necessary.

Manipulate the other variables as best you can before increasing weight. Stay on the ball. Don’t take rest days. If you take time off to allow everything to heal and strengthen, you’ll require more weight to get back to the fatigue level you had previously built up. IMO, days off from hanging are counterproductive. Eventually, you must take a break, but a month or two straight is a good way to keep the stress on.

You will reach a plateau after thoroughly working a given angle, but returning to it later won’t likely result in easier gains.

Hobby when you switched to OTC, what was your routine? Weight? I hung BTC for 2 years, took a month off, and am now doing SO (since early April). I feel it a bit in the root, one the underside of my unit. The reason I switched to SO is because I had foolishly been continuing BTC despite not making any gains. I added weight and added weight and nothing was changing. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do OTS. It’s so awkward. Curious what your set up was…

Here’s where I posted during that period: Another break and more progress

I gained 3/16” that January, and another 1/16” when I measured at the end of February.

I hadn’t hung in months. I worked up to about 2 hours per day of hang time, split into morning and evening sessions. Usually I soaked in a very hot bath to thoroughly warm up for the morning sessions. I also maintained the heat the best I could using a rice sock, even between sets. Generally, I did fulcrum hanging (hanging over a rod in my lap) in the mornings, then OTS in the evenings. The angles were complimentary. I limited the total amount of fulcrum hanging because I’d start losing sensitivity toward the end of sets if I overdid it.

For weight, I started with 5 lbs., which wasn’t enough to provide my expected post-session temporary 1/8” increase in BPFSL. Moving up to 6.5 lbs. did the trick. By the end of the two months I was up to using 10 lbs. for fulcrum sets and 12.5 lbs. for OTS. OTS was actually a bit more tension that that because you can lean back using the strap’s friction against your shoulder to increase the pull, which I did. I only took a total of 3 days off during that time.

That sounds like a quick weight progression, and it is. But, the months off allowed me to get a good stretch from using lighter weight than I would have required had I not taken a break. I had been hanging 15 lbs. or so BTC before.

For equipment I used part of an old broomstick for the fulcrum rod. I wrapped the middle with some padding and taped it in place. OTS was a nylon strap with a loop tied at one end and a metal hook on the other. Nothing fancy. I used a towel folded over several times on my shoulder to prevent the strap from digging in.

Thanks for the info, Hobby. I know exactly what you mean about OTS and how you can lean back + get more pull from the friction.

Also, on your other thread I saw that you would strive to get 1/8th of an inch post hang BPFSL…is that what you consider necessary for growth? I get about that, maybe even 3/16th of an inch, but I’m not convinced it means I’m growing. I guess it depends how elastic you believe the tissue gets before deforming. What are your thoughts?

Pretty much at least with the bigger bib, but my thinking is if you quit hanging for a while you may be able to go back and get more. I noticed my lot was shit after hanging but than after stopping it has returned to a higher point which leads me to believe I may be able to get more bib gains. I do think the hardcore bib hits some tunica not all ligs.

The hardcore DEFINITELY hits tunica. I like that thing.

I can only hang 5 days a week. Do you think that if I supplemented with manual stretching on my two off days it would be beneficial? I wonder if having a different type if stimulus will be beneficial as far as keeping my dick guessing, or if it will aid in toughening it up. What do you guys think?

I don’t know what it means, if anything. The temporary 1/8” would usually show after hanging my first two sets, then stay the same through the session. It slowly retracted back to “normal” over many hours after hanging.

Are you tracking your BPFSL? It’s common for BPFSL to increase before the erect equivalent shows up. For example, just before I stopped hanging my BPFSL had increased a bit. A BPEL gain was surely on the way.

The difference between my BPEL and BPFSL when I first started measuring BPFSL (I should have from the beginning) was 1/2”, and they increased together for a while. Then, the gap widened to 3/4” and again that held through more gains. Odd. Now, after years off, the difference is back down to 1/2”.

I’d be inclined to do some stretching on those days.

What about those light weights that Monty sells? I think monkeybar has something similar now as well.

They’re ADS weights, I’d guess.

Wouldn’t that sort of thing be valuable on an off day?

How many hours a day did you hang?

Not hanging enough.

True story: I just got fired, so I sit at home all day and do nothing but hang. I’ve been clocking in at least 20 sets per day for the past 2 weeks.

I gained a quarter inch since the first, went from 8.0 BPFSL to 8.25.

Hang more.

~L

20 sets at how long per set?

20 minute sets. Sometimes I’ll do 10 minute sets with 5 minute breaks, in which case I’d be hanging 40 sets a day.

Yes, I’m hanging like ALL DAY and NIGHT.

Time under tension. There is just NO SUBSTITUTE when hanging for gains.

~L