Reflections and Progress: thoughtfulgold

Hey there, TG here. This is the ongoing log and PE journal of…well…me. However, let me get this out of the way first. As I’ve had folks ask me this many times and I don’t want people to read my story if they’re looking for something that isn’t here. This is a long post and there’s no way to compact it any further but…I can answer one question right now.

THERE IS NO SECRET TO MY GAINS.

This story began in August of 2009. I started with an extender, X4 Labs Gold Edition. Originally, I figured I’d post on the X4 Forum and put up things I had learned, in an attempt to be thoughtful. That’s where the handle came from and it’s my PE handle. When I first bought the extender, it was for curve reduction not size increases. I stand by this statement, as it becomes important.

My girlfriend at that time and I had just started having decent sex probably in the last two months prior to this and she didn’t want me to get bigger, as she had issues with my size prior or claimed she did. How, I have no idea looking back as I started at average length, low average girth and EQ was barely 50% and the level of friction I felt was more like warmed over oatmeal than…a love tunnel for better words. Knowing what I know about anatomy now and the sexual experiences I’ve had since then, she didn’t have trouble with my size at that time. 6.25x4.37" would not have been an issue if I were fully hard, much less something more like 5.2x3.9" (guesstimate) like my EQ tended to be with her. Additionally, I couldn’t get fully erect because of a skin tag that was pulling my glans very hard to the left and this is the source of the leftward curve I was trying to correct. She also was not a pretty girl and was extremely obese, which spoke to my confidence at that time and was based on my abysmal sex life and abilities.

Given that this skin tag had caused a developmental problem and was related to a botched circumcision I had actually a nerve damage problem from day one, this is one reason my EQ is always strange during sex (to say the least) and as it turns out, the extender couldn’t fix the curve while the skin tag was in place. But, none of those things were known to me then so I went on the PE journey, unbeknownst that the curve correction would later be the excuse I used to continue using the extender for 18 months, the relationship would die in 9 of those months around the time of the first inch gained and great EQ increases and she would actually have trouble with my size and I would see what vaginal tearing and blood during coitus was like a couple times before we broke up. It wasn’t something I enjoyed, but I did actually like seeing the effect of size. That there was an effect and friction at all were welcome changes; I had the distinct feeling of a bumblebee humping a humvee before (I was probably 170lbs and 5’ 10" at the time, which is a much smaller person than a 5’ 5" woman at 400lbs+). But this brought a quandary. How big could I get? What other means could I use?

This is where I tell you what devices I bought when and why. Unfortunately, the folder with the screenshots of everything I bought from that time was killed in a hard drive wipe two years ago or more. I cried but I cannot redetail it for you in perfect clarity. But this is where I learned how to do gadget PE; by buying every damn thing I thought would do something. I tried at least a dozen one piece pump setups. I was leery of any of the ones with the pro grade cylinders cuz I didn’t want to pay $100+ for a tube when an entire system usually cost less than that. I went through ADS systems, hangers, stuff from MOS (somehow I ended up with two LengthMasters), other miscellanious stuff that has been lost or broken or used up…I can’t remember it all. Also, keep in mind while I did moderate at X4 Labs forum (until the spam problem got out of control and I was banned for speaking ill of the product) I hadn’t actually gotten any advice and had no plan or knowledge of what the devices I was buying actually were supposed to be for. I just bought things based on advertising, tried them for a while, when they stopped giving me the feeling of gains they went into the old gear box.

This…was me at my lowest point. In what I would later call a rudderless and lonely time in my life; I had become obsessed with PE. Religiously doing something 3 of 5 days at the least and always trying to figure out how to work a new device into a routine and figure out how I can make new progress. Without any discipline at all, mind you. I just ran whatever I had just bought until I got tired of it. If I didn’t like it, if it didn’t seem to do the job, I just bought something else. Also, during this time I got the surgery to remove the skin tag and some curve correction was achieved from that and some from PE was able to take hold as well. I also gained some additional sensation back to the glans at this time. This is also where I found out what it felt like to have stitches put into the tip of my penis. On the short list of pain I don’t think I could withstand a second time.

I had been making mental notes of what devices seemed to do and I slowly did more research, finding out that the consensus on pumps was girth use and hanging was length use (despite my girth gains with the Bib at the time) and that manual exercises weren’t a crock, among many other conclusions I had drawn or reasonably assumed were true.

My lack of faith in manual exercises were because my wrist at the time was not willing to cooperate and I was never able to execute any of them with description alone. About 5.5 or so years into it, I actually reached out to Big Al Alfaro. He filled in tons of gaps after I became a subscriber. His site was the first where I saw videos of how to do manual exercises properly. Really opened my eyes. Daily I was asking him tons of questions, he was counseling me on my routine and gains/losses. He talked me out of more devices than I care to even think about now (though I still bought a Phallosan thinking it would do something more than it does). I like to think of him as a friend, even if he may barely or not remember me at all. I basically went through my gear box and through my device wishlist of things I wanted to try and grilled him until I got tired. His counsel allowed me to pretty much review every device I owned, try them again with fresh eyes and gain some value just from his clear and deep expertise in Penis Enlargement as a science. When I met Al I was just around 8.25x5.5" or so counting from midshaft (even though I was counting base girth at the time). The time of this writing, this post today I am 8.75x6" so in the last 14 months or thereabouts I can credit those gains to Al (even though we haven’t talked in about 6 months at this point), simply because he helped me become polished at PE and take an orderly approach to it.

Every question you see in the Penis Enlargement Basics that comes up regularly, I asked him. I mean I didn’t even know what a "rest schedule" was. I knew I didn’t have the time to PE more than 3 days at a time and some days I was too sore, raw or whatever discomfort to use a device. But that was all I knew. This is the same reason I patiently answer questions, even if they seem obvious or can be found with the search bar. If it comes up and I see the post and read it, I answer. Because when I was doing this, I didn’t use a search bar. I just gleaned what I could for the most part and guessed at the rest. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. It was a rough way to take this journey and this is why when people ask me the million dollar questions:

What is the secret to your gains?
What are the best exercises for length and girth in your opinion?
What devices do you recommend?

I just point to my signature and say that it took 7 years. That there is no single method that got me where I am now. That I tried almost everything and nothing other than the 1.3" length and .75" girth I got in 18 months or so from the X4 Labs Extender really can be accounted for. I don’t remember a lot of what I did, how or why. I kept no log and used no system or repeatable methods. I know there wasn’t a lot of rhyme to the reason, I just stayed at it and kept throwing money at it to try and keep the gains coming. And I would never recommend that to anyone, regardless of budget and time available. Those are the things I did and not only are they no secret, they are no way to do things.

I understand the things I’ve done now. I’m a device guy, they’re my area of expertise but I readily and will fervently recommend manuals over devices all day. Now, I can look back at some of my injuries and overtraining episodes and easily diagnose them but…all of that is trial and error. I joined Thunders to learn about pump sleeves and hone my technique. I stay to help people avoid the path I took. The path of wasted money, wasted time, and lonely frustration and desperation to get bigger with no real knowledge of how to make that a reality. I profess no exceptional knowledge of how to get you bigger. But I know the things that will hold you back; I’ve done enough of them and I won’t let anyone else do them if they’re asking me how to get their journey on the right track.

This log will talk about the things I do now for Penis Enlargement, some of the things I’ve done in the past as they are relevant and the memories return, and the reflections of how I’ve grown as a person (or immature things I used to do and think related to PE) to put in perspective the journey I’ve taken, not just the inches gained.

Thanks for tuning in. More to come if you’ve got the time to read.

I’ve made some significant gains as well. Not to the tune of yours but I still consider the gains significant. I too get a decent amount of PM’s asking similar questions. This is a great direction to point those people in when you get those questions in the future. Well said sir.

Appreciate the work, thanks.

I do what I can to help out.

I don’t look down on anyone that asks for advice. I just want them to realize that there is no big secret that I’ve found that I’m hiding from them. I can’t make them walk as far as I’ve walked and do the things I’ve done. They have to do them, on their own and willingly. Humans are lazy, we prefer the easy way when possible but that mentality simply doesn’t math out in Penis Enlargement. Additionally, everyone wants to get bigger and be bigger but…there is a cost associated with it and it isn’t the time to do PE or the cost of the devices used. The mind changes and adjusts. This is a thing I will cover in future posts, how my mentality changed and shifted in these 7 years and what that means.

Because last I tabulated, it was around $8000 I spent on gear and accessories. Probably closer to $9000 now but…that cost is small compared to what it cost me mentally and then what I was able to gain at this point is not measured on a ruler.

That is what my thread is for, I just mask it under a guise of eye candy. I enjoy reading others’ stories, accounts and experiences. There is something to be learned from everyone you meet. If I can help people here, I’ve won in some regard. I have learned a great deal, with much more left to learn, in regards to PE, life and relationships. I’ve noticed the same concerns, insecurities and depression over and over throughout posts. These are the exact same feelings I’ve struggled with. I’m here to tell men that they are concerned with the wrong things.

What’s odd is that it appears that in the real world, men work against each other and try to outdo each other. Here, we are like a brotherhood where we support each and encourage progress.

I get PM’s all the time. I appreciate seeing that I can help.

I’ll be tuning in to learn, help and encourage where I can.

I theorize PMs are based on what numbers people see in your signature line first, then what people see in your posts second. That said, the combination is likely the largest factor in why anyone gets a message. Personally, I like to get messages. I love to help guys out, especially if they’re going about it like I was going about it. As that path is just a poor choice and anyone I can keep from heading that route I gladly will take the time to do so.

Part of this thread’s purpose is to make people understand that my journey wasn’t simply a path to glory. It was filled with pitfalls of my own making and that the journey itself was undertaken with true mental anguish and terror at its heart and that I didn’t even begin to vanquish that until I stopped fighting with the ruler and started fighting with my inner demons of inadequacy at their sources. I can’t pretend my path is the common one, just that some of the agonies I’ve felt share many common threads. This is what I hope to shed light on.

In the real world men are threats. Plain and simple. They pose a threat to you physically and in the mate search if they are in fact superior men. But, I like to think that us as humans are not sadistic by nature and that when given the choice and chance we would help each other if it were not of significant inconvenience or danger to us. For me, I’ll put time and energy into this because if I can help one man avoid what I felt then I’ve fulfilled my purpose but…everyone here contributes in a big or small way to the brotherhood here at Thunders. Furthermore, I can’t say that in a face-to-face setting that such a thing would be even remotely possible, by any observations I’ve made personally thus far in my life and with a birthday having passed yesterday marking my 32nd year on this planet.

If this is the area we are given to work with to help each other, the most of it I will make.

Thank you, very much for your thoughts and sentiment. I look forward to you chiming in.

Good work TG, a really helpful post! My reasons for starting resonate with yours. Glad to say that things have picked up since.

thoughtfulgold Routine #1

I mentioned before that I can’t detail all of the things I’ve used and spent money on. While it is true I can’t dive far back into the PE past of thoughtfulgold I can keep you apprised of what I do these days as I push on towards "The Goal".

This is the nuts and bolts of how I do what I do. Below you have the entire session notes and guidelines I used for my last 6 week routine. Attached are pictures of the gear needed for this routine. At the bottom of this post this also are links to the supplies used for this routine. While I may not be the best in the PE game, if you want to try out what it is that I do and see if that’s the secret I am more than happy to share my methods.

Session Notes

This is a 6 day routine, done in a 2 on, 1 off format. It uses principles from thoughtfulgold’s Penis Enlargement as "Scheduled Trauma" theory (that’s me) and is adjusted for what I believe is optimum gains in a less complex routine.

I used this from approximately 7/29/2016 to 9/13/2016. Girth fluctuated from 6.125 to 6.25 and a bit higher then back to 6 flat again. This may be related to changing measuring tools during that time. EQ and frequency rose appreciably during this time and a longer feel was noted during the performance of this routine but hard to quantify due to ruler shyness.

Day 1: Warmup stretches (I vary it, sometimes rotary or JAI or what strikes my fancy but it is truly user discretion). V-Jelqs for 10 minutes, edging and warmdown. Optional but not required additional 10 minutes later that day or earlier, with at least 6 hour gap in between.

Day2: Warmup. Edge just a bit, 3 Clamping sets**, then slaps on the side of thigh or stomach, warmdown.

** Notes about the clamping routine- I clamp at close to 100% or 100% erection. If you do not have clamping experience and comfort levels to this extent do not exceed 70% engorgement until you understand how clamping makes you feel.

Blue, harder sealing sleeve is used for cushion. White one is too soft, will be damaged or ruined by being used as a clamp cushion.

Start with first 7 minutes. 3 sets of 7 minutes. As routine upgrades, move to 7, 7, 10 then to 7, 10, 10, and then to 7, 10, 13. In between sets, with silicone sleeve applied leave applied for partial engorgement. Do not remove sleeve for at least 2 hours afterward for partial engorgement benefits unless irritation or pain results (never had it happen).

No further Clamping seems effective. Fluid buildup will result, or has in my own experiences with Clamping in this format. Do not exceed 3 sets. Many times if fatigue sets in after the second set feel free to omit the 3rd entirely. This I freely do. I often do not get to the 3rd set. I do NOT stick to this routine verbatim. It is flexible. Stay flexible with it and your limitations.

Day 3: Rest- If EQ is high or persistent, edge for a bit. Orgasm if need be. On this day rest without edging may be recommended.

Day 4: Warmup stretching, V-Jelqs for 10 minutes, edging, warmdown

Day 5: Warmup massaging or stretching, ***Low Pressure pump use between 45 and 120 minutes (white sleeve is used but optional), slaps to restore feeling on thighs or stomach, edge just a little but if erection is not forthcoming do not worry, long duration pump use may make an immediate erection difficult and this is normal. Warmdown.

***Notes about the Pumping Routine-
Please note that the entire session does not have to be done at once. A break of 10 minutes outside of the tube is recommended every 20 minutes if you are new to long period pumping or not comfortable with the idea. You can do the entire set at once but this may be difficult or uncomfortable if you have not done this before. The varied duration signifies both working up to the 120 minutes but also not stressing if you do not have the full time available to commit to it. As even at the end of the 6 weeks I wasn’t 2 hours in the tube each time.

Also, this is based on my automated electronic pump and its automated settings. If you are using a manual pump you can approximate and adjust pressures accordingly. The principle I would recommend is staging each change in pressure by 2 HG upwards and 1 back down. You can play with that to the desired feel but do not go above 5.5HG if possible. I do NOT RECOMMEND USING SPIKING TECHNIQUES for this routine. My automated electronic routine is below, it cycles every 5 minutes.

1.5 HG 30 seconds
3 Hg 30 seconds
2 hg 30 seconds
4 hg 30 seconds
3 hg 30 seconds
5 hg 30 seconds
1.5 30 seconds
4 hg 30 seconds
2 hg 30 seconds
5 hg 30 seconds

Day 6: Rest- Edge for a bit if need-be. Orgasm if necessary, recommend keeping orgasm to once a week (but fully aware of how difficult that is and have failed that mandate many times spectacularly)

Other Session Notes:
1. Purpose of this routine is to prepare for more devoted and heavier practices. Adding additional exercises or workout days to this routine is needless, as a customized heavier routine can be more effective than this. Do not exceed the times suggested in this routine.
2. As noted above, the pumping routine does not feature any large pressure spikes and doesn’t go above 5HG. This is by design. The pumping for this routine is NOT DESIGNED TO RAMP UP. If you do ramp it up, you may reduce the effectiveness of both the pumping and clamping.
3. The V-Jelq can be substituted for your Jelq of choice or extended manual stretching. It is not recommended to use high pressure exercises like ULI, Sadsak Slinky, or Horse 440s (or other high tension or pressure manuals or devices period, as list is not exhaustive) on this day as by design it is a light workout day. This can mess with the level of conditioning you develop and how quickly and render the heavier parts of the routine less useful sooner.
4. Do not use an ADS with this routine. Using of an ADS between sessions can screw with long-term EQ throughout the week and leave you less refreshed for your workout days or condition you faster. Using an ADS is safe but may make your results spotty or limited.
5. It doesn’t matter if you work out on the 7th day or not, as you can cycle this in 6 day increments indefinitely but I do think that if you work on that day, stick to the schedule. Do not do half a work day then start on 2 days of normal work.
6.The design is for 6 weeks. Then take a week off or more.

You will need the following (9 items) to execute the routine as I do:

I originally purchased my clamp from Wal-Mart however this is the brand name and the variety pack it comes in. I believe I use a 2" clamp but the variety pack goes down to 1" and up to 4" so one should fit your needs. (If you need a clamp size greater than 4" in diameter I recommend using extra large handcuffs or a chain and padlock combination. *chuckles*
https://www.del city.net/store/ … CFRKUfgodgBcOcA

The blue sealing sleeve I’m using comes from when I purchased a Vac Extender conversion kit. Any blue sealing sleeve should be able to work the way the ones I am using work to protect your shaft skin from this clamp.
Autoextender Penis Enlargement Device

My pump is a DP 4000 made by CTC Company. It is programmable and hands free and how I game when I do PE. A computer is required to be connected at all times for the pump to function. The software is how you control it, no manual controls exist on the DP 4000 box itself other than to yank the power supply.
DP-4000 DIGITAL MAXIMIZER, penis enlargement products

The tube with the gasket cushion on the bottom is a Vel-Seal from Pumptoys. I personally have a 2.25" x 10" in the picture here. They come in much shorter and longer lengths and diameters. The link below is the long version, there is a normal and short version listed as well in different links on the site.
https://www.pum ptoys.com/catal … om-Long-34.html

The heating pad is a cordless model also carried on autoextender.com You charge it and then unplug it. It gets hot very quickly. It has liquid inside and something that moves and agitates it to generate the heat.
Autoextender Penis Enlargement Device

The white sleeve in the bag is from AB Silicone. It is their pumping sleeve. A comparable sleeve may be had on autoextender.com also, if you pick the thinner and softest version available. This suggestion is later explained with red text below.

My theory behind the use of this is to hopefully hold my form better while I pump. It does reduce edema to a point however I do still need to test this in an extended session. The routine above details that I use the pump from 60 to 120 minutes but the times I have used the sleeve I’ve only used it for up to 45 minutes at a time. The sessions where I have gone up to 2 hours without a break I haven’t used the sleeve so the effect of the sleeve at that time is not known and will be detailed in a future post when it becomes relevant.

Also, be advised AB Silicone takes an extended amount of time to fulfill an order and you will be waiting a minimum of 2 weeks regardless of shipping option you choose and you may have to send nasty emails to remind them to ship their product or give you a refund.
http://www.absi licone.com/peni … ing-sleeve.html

The Clamp Lamp pictured is from Amazon. I think you can buy a better one but you won’t find one for much cheaper than the ~$10 this is.
https://www.ama … /dp/B0061MZ4Q6/

The Ruby Lux Near IR red bulb is sold by the manufacturer or Amazon but I went to the manufacturer here.

Do not use IR products without some kind of goggles. Radiation can damage your eyes. Tanning bed goggles are suggested, these are the cheap ones.
https://www.ama … /dp/B007YT34YE/

Keeping perspective is key. Understanding when change is good and has happened and what changes to avoid are important. Because if you identify with some of what I experienced, you’ll agree that the biggest opponent we face in it is our own doubts and fears. That things are better now…is truly what matters most.

Thank you for the compliment.

Great post! I thoroughly enjoyed the read and it’s very informative to someone who is new to the world of PE like myself. Thanks for the time and effort you put in to writing it and the sharing of your journey insofar as you remember it!

Awesome and great thanks!

Thanks for sharing your experience, knowledge and delightful prose.

I’ll be adding to this as I go along. There’s a lot I found along the way that I want to share. Just as it comes and I recall it all is key. I still am learning, just like you, every day. About PE and myself.

Delightful prose? What’s delightful about it? This is probably the first time I’ve ever heard my prose described that way, thank you for the compliment.

It’s pleasurable to read and quite easy to comprehend without complicated syntax and pretentious word choice.