Increase Time Or Vacuum?

I’ve been pumping for months and now I currently stalled. I would do 2, 15min sets at 5hg in both the morning and night. Now I’m trying to figure out where to go from here. Should I add time to each set or increase vacuum?

Hey BvckWood,
As long as you’re not getting massive edema or otherwise negative PI’s, which in 15 minutes you shouldn’t be, up the time.

If you wanna stick with a split schedule
5inhg 2x20 for a week
5inhg 2x30 for a week
Until PI’s say enough.

If you start hitting a time/PI wall reduce vacuum and keep going. Any less than 3inhg, in my opinion, you’re wasting your time. Find the balance. There’s no real need to go above 6inhg unless you’re adventurous and well experienced.

-Stay safe

Edit: I should add, just because you can do 60 minutes total, split, doesn’t necessarily mean you can do 60 minutes all at once. Just to cover bases.

I used to go for the highest vacuum I could tolerate for a session - usually 20 minutes - before edema became a problem.

The converted aquarium pump I’m using now maxes out at 4.5”, and I have the bleeder valve set at 4” at the moment. Since it won’t pull higher vacuum, I’ve gone with extending time. I have a pushbutton timer with presets at 15 and 30 minutes. 30 minutes is no problem now, and slapping the 15 button immediately afterward is usually OK, but I need to give it about a ten minute break before hitting the 30-minute button again, or edema will occur.

I’m going to have to upgrade to a pump with more cowbell someday, but for right now it’s working for me.

Note: back in the 90s when I first discovered pumping and had no idea what I was doing, I used *much* higher vacuum; apparently I was exceptionally resistant to blisters and petechiae. However, that is no longer the case. I had to work up from about 1.5” Hg when I restarted a couple of years ago, far below what most newbies can easily handle.

BvckWood, are you using heat?

Always!

I tried pumping for more time at medium Pressure 5-7 INHG and permanent gains did not occur for 6 months. No gains. After that I gave pumping a month rest and restarted using the highest pressure I can tolerate for 2 sets of 10 minutes a day with a minimum 10 minute rest between sets. And suddenly gains started to come. For me higher pressure and no longer than 20 minutes EVERY day is pretty good for gains.

I’d recommend time. Increase by 5 mins every couple of weeks. After extensive reading I felt there was consensus from vets that 30-35 minutes was about the sweet spot.

Just one minor comment, sometimes I think ‘stalls’ just need to be ridden out until the gains come again. I think of it as cementing what I’ve got rather than stalling. The mind is a powerful thing 😉

I just finished my 73rd session (after almost a decade off of PE). I’m only pumping and settled on this being my only PE. As a middle aged guy my priority is satisfying erections (ideally big ones). The below routine is doing the first part fantastically and I’m content with the progress on the second. Consistency over intensity has in my life always been the secret to success. I see this exactly the same way.

I built up over the first 30 days to
10 mins @ 4hg,
10 mins @ 5hg,
15 mins @ 6hg.

I have no more time than this so some days I just go 10 mins at 5hg to get it done and call it a back off day.

Hope that helps and gives another idea to play with.

This is solid advice and another great way to work up. I’ve done this style a time or two myself.

“Tolerate” in this context is perspectively charged. Going to the highest pressure you can “tolerate” is a good way to bruise and discolor, among other things. Pumping already has its own set of risks, choosing to overdo it, is generally an unnecessary one. I can’t agree with you, but to each their own.

-Stay safe

I have been wondering the same thing actually. Been doing a workout that consists of 15 min warmup -> jelq 12 min -> 15 min pump at 5 inhg -> jelq 10-12 min and then finish with 20-25 minutes in the pump at 5 inhg for 15 minutes then upping it to 6-7 and maybe 8 depending on how I feel. I want to reach a specific length in the tube but I can’t help to think that I can’t reach it without going over the 7-8 inhg threshold. I tend to get some edema aswell if I go over the 30-35 minute total time. I want to be safe while pumping but I also want to see the results. Feels like I’ve stagnated somewhat.

I will follow this thread to check the comments!

I completely understand, been there. Pumping for ITL -in tube length- is the wrong way to do it. Change your pumping from static, dynamic, maintained, pulsing, whatever; adding vacuum to hit a mark and holding it comes with a cost. Believe me, I’ve been there, and it didn’t work for the best. If pumping is your only means, add time, and keep the vacuum reasonable. If it’s a true stall, add manuals or more of them. Don’t over-pump.

-Stay safe

Hmm, yeah I’ll try. This thread got me thinking and I remembered that I had subbed to a thread about a guy that pumped. Check it out, I had completely forgot about it.

Pump routines

That thread kinda went off the rails after page 8. He did say one smart thing:

I believe he was making gains, but his claims were kind of outlandish. Most of the thread was commentary, barely a word from him more than “thanks”.

Yeah you might be right. Just trying to gather as much information I can to succeed in making those noticeable gains. Since I bought the pump I haven’t really been active for many months at a time, maybe just 2 months then I quit. The problem with that is that I feel like I don’t get the same experience compared to what I could’ve had if I continued for say 3-6 months without deviating.

What is your recommended strategy for pumping that I should try to gain the length? How much time and hg? How many sets? I am willing to try.

What I ultimately settled on for length was a shit ton of manual stretching, about 60 minutes total throughout the day sometimes more as an opportunity exercise (ABS - Always Be Stretching) not sitting down and stretching as a regimen all at once; and pumping 2x30 at 6inhg in a snug naturally packed cylinder. Usually 30-40 minutes between pumps.

That’s where I got the bulk of my gains after doing the newbie routine. All documented in my stats and progress report.

-Stay safe

You hit the nail on the head. I remind myself it’s years not months. Stick to something, ride out the boredom, be patient through any cementing phased (that others call plateaus). In 365 actual sessions of a consistent approach take stock and I doubt you will be disappointed. Then tweak the routine with the knowledge you’ve built about yourself (if you need to) and keep at it.

I’ve seen some length gains along with the expected girth from pumping. It’s not normally considered the choice for length. Personally I don’t sweat it. I take the stats that women prefer thickness over length. I focus on having a health member. Oh and did I say patience and consistency?