Blink2000's Hanging Tips
Revised Hanging Guide 1.1
Going through this guide, inserting commentary, and organizing it has been a nice refresher course on hanging for me. I'm reminded of how very important it is to learn to record details including what we are feeling each day with our PE / hanging routines (aside from the weight & number of sets), so we can learn to replicate our successes and avoid repeating our failures. So if you're going to hang, educate yourself on the proper techniques and procedures, then make sure you reach fatigue and ride it responsibly.
Why Make a Hanging Guide?
I often found that information I needed on hanging was scattered throughout too many different places & threads. My goal was to hang with excellent technique and reach proper fatigue; however I was having trouble putting everything into action when I started hanging. I decided to compile information together in one place as a series of notes to create a quick reference to the most important points of hanging. Originally, this was just a series of personal notes to myself that helped me remember key terms or concepts that I felt were critically important and/or not well explained elsewhere.
After extensive research including thousands of hanging threads, I hit a wall with some questions to which I could find no authoritative or satisfactory answers. Also, at times I had trouble applying what I read. In cases where I found answers on my own here on bib's forum, thunders & elsewhere, I include quotes or excerpts. When there was no answer to be found, I asked asked Bib / Bigger directly (on this forum).
I believe there is no shame in asking a question you do not know the answer to, as long as you make an honest effort to study & find the answer on your own. Now, as I continued to study & learn (and watch the forums), I observed that often people were asking the SAME questions over & over (on Bib's forum and here on Thunders as well)! I believe this guide can preemptively answer many of those questions...
Who is Bib & Why Did I quote Him So Much?
As most reading this post will already know, Bib/Bigger created the Bib hanger, which is by far the best non vacuum hanger available. Bib himself gained over 4" by hanging, and Bib/Bigger has helped many hangers gain 2"+ and just a few hangers (out of many thousands) have achieved gains of over 3". Much of this guide is Q&A between Bib aka Bigger & me (Blink2000). Although much of this is personal advice to me, I hope other hangers (especially new ones) will find this information useful. I found Bib/Bigger extremely insightful at identifying my misconceptions and incorrect technique and his concise replies have truly helped me improve my hanging.
With that in mind, I hope the hanging community finds this information useful. The intent or purpose of this guide is two-fold:
1. To teach good hanging technique and methods to avoid injury and assure good gains
2. To answer some difficult and obscure questions, where answers were nowhere to be found
Blink's Hanging Q&A With Bib
Contents:1-Warmup and Cooldown
2-Hanging: The Wrap
3-Starting Routine
4-Hanger Settings and Technique
5-Restoring Circulation
6-Angles of Attack
7-Suspensory Ligaments
8-Hanging Fulcrums
9-Hanging Fatigue
10-Hanging Success
11-Bib Hangers
12-Hanging Glossary
13-More Related Hanging Threads
1-Warmup and Cooldown
HeatQ:Bib, had you been heating/warming up before your sessions and if so what method did you use and how (just once before 1st set or before/during every set)?
Bib / Bigger: I used a rice sock with moderate heat for ten minutes before my sessions, and for the first half of the first half of my sets. IOW, I would use heat in the morning sets, and no heat in the afternoon sets. I did this most of the time. I do believe it makes it easier to stretch the tissues. Not anything remarkable since heat does make almost any material more malleable. I also believe it leads to more micro tears and reduces the potential for macro tears, injury. For me, it was important. Others seem to not find it as important. Heating is a critical element of success in PE (partly because it prevents injuries and in PE injury=failure). I tried many methods myself and ultimately I feel a rice sock heated to the perfect temperature (this happens to be 2 minutes, 15 seconds in my microwave, this will vary depending on the power of your microwave) is the most effective (at least for me). Heat lamps can be useful, but I've read many reports of injuries from guys literally cooking their penis with the heat lamp. For me, traditional physical therapy heat pads were ineffective (I tried ones made of clay and ones made of other materials, but I could not get them to the proper temperature). Heating the tissues makes them more elastic and easier to stretch and deform. This also prepares your nerves and blood vessels for the stresses to come. We want to elongate and micro tear, while avoiding macro type tears (injuries). I have read reports of veterans that don't warm up or cool down. I believe newbies that don't warm up or cool down are more prone to injury. Personally, I'll take whatever measures needed to avoid injury and facilitate gains. A nice warm-up is well worth the averted risk and increased chance of gains.
Cold/Cooldown
Q:Should a Cooldown or Ice be used with PE workouts and how long should you cooldown if you do one?
Cool down
[quote]I suppose that's the million dollar question, eh? My guess is one to two minutes. In large part because Dustpan reported roughly 2x2.5" gains and followed that cool down routine. His method was to put a ice pack in the FRIG (not freezer) and then apply that to his penis for one to two minutes after his workout.[/i]
[quote="Dustpan"]I have been using cold tap water on a cloth. Using a ice pack is to harsh on the penis.[/i]
[quote="Big Girtha"]Every morning after all PE sessions I end up jelqing and stretching in the hot tub right outside my apartment by the pool. After the final stretching and wet jelqing in the 104 degree water I slip on 2 pounds of lead pe weights and swim laps cooling the ligs while they are still held extended in the chilled 50 degree water. (Wintertime in Texas)[/i]
Big Girtha was cooling down while doing an ADS type stretch (e.g. golf/pe weights)
[quote="Iguana"]This study used the application of ice with success. Granted, excessive cooling will produce turtling. No doubt about it. Connective tissue will shrink up under very cold temps. I only apply ice for 2-3 minutes and I have never experienced any turtling. It only hangs longer and fuller. But to each his own. The key is don't over do it. But, as I always say, do what works for you.[/i]
The consensus seems to be this: A proper cooldown only lasts 2 minutes, and it's important to keep the penis from turtling (keep in elongated state). Also, out of the few veteran PEers that actually do a cooldown, most only do it if they feel close to an injury or if they are more sore than normal.
2-Hanging: The Wrap
The WrapQ: Are you tugging the skin back toward the base with each pass of wrap?
Bib / Bigger: (Bib/Bigger) Many times, if not most times, I stayed wrapped after hanging for a while. Sometimes for hours if I did not have much fluid buildup. Had to play that by ear. I do not think an ADS will contribute much to gaining, but most of the time it will assist in keeping the tissues in the extended state while healing. This makes it easier during the next hanging session. Not as much pulling out of the folds, squeezing out fluid from the collagenous matrix, etc.
Q:Do you think there is a better grip and pressure on collagenous tissues when no under wrap is used and tband applied directly to skin? I tried so and I think there is better grip that way, I did sets without discomfort.
Bib / Bigger: Tband (theraband) alone was always the best wrapping configuration for me. It always gave the best grip. But it is an individual thing. Next best was the 2"x6" piece of SS material as the first pass, with Tband over the top. Personally I use HTW under + Theraband over. I have found this to be very effective for both comfort, quick wrapping, and easy slippage prevention. My wife sewed a seam around the edge of the HTW (hair tie wrap) which has really helped prevent my HTWs from unwravelling.
The Wrap: How Much Theraband Should I use?
Q:What wrap do you use?: "The wrap I use is 6 inches of sweatshirt and 6 inches of theraband all a half inch behind the glans."
Bib / Bigger: That is probably not enough Tband. Try a piece 1.5-2 inches wide, and 15 inches long, spiraled down toward the base. That will not be too much. It will also make it easier for you to adjust the inner hex nuts. Have them further out. It might also help with that pinching, whatever it is.
Loose is relative. The question is, how loose? The first couple of passes, that which will be in front of the hanger, between the hanger and head, should be extremely loose. You should not tug on the wrap at all when making the first 2-3 passes. Then, in subsequent passes, you can tug a bit, making them just a little bit tighter. In all, the wrap should simply make a solid bundle, just tight enough so that it does not come apart. I have noticed that changing the length & width of theraband has a major effect on how thick the wrap is, allowing me to adjust things for comfort and prevent slippage.
The Wrap: Skin Stretching
Q:How does skin stretching relate to hanging and how do I do it?
Bib / Bigger: The key is to stretch skin first. Perhaps moving the hanger attachment point a half inch toward the base. Then after stretching skin, you move the hanger attachment point back to the normal position, an inch and a quarter behind the coronal ridge. Then hanging BTC, you will affect the ligs in a dedicated fashion. First, you must realize that you have to stretch skin in the beginning. You want to stretch enough skin, so that in later sessions, the stresses are on the internal structures in a dedicated fashion.
Divide and conquer. Skin first
Please understand the following: The goal is a bigger penis, right? Obviously, you MUST have more skin to cover that larger penis, right? It is much easier to stretch the skin first, in a dedicated fashion, then move on to the inner structures in a dedicated fashion. The converse would be to try and stretch everything at the same time, which would require a lot of stress.
Don't Overstretch the Skin
Having said that, you do not want to overstretch the skin. Start your wrap at least one inch behind the coronal ridge of the head. Make one or two passes on the same track before starting to spiral down toward the base. The key to keeping the skin straight and not bunching is to pull the skin toward the base with every pass of the wrap. Just pull down a bit on the scrotum, and on the top and sides of the base skin. Then make the next pass of wrap.
The closer toward the base you start the wrap, the more skin you will stretch. The closer toward the head you start the wrap, the less skin you will stretch. Starting at least one inch behind the coronal ridge will give you one inch of internal shaft upon which the hanger can grasp.
Q:Also, how many layers of each wrap did you use mostly
Bib / Bigger: With the padded Bibs, usually two. Either a double layer of Tband, or a layer of SS material and a layer of Tband.
Now, when I say layers, I mean passes. In the case of just Tband, that is one piece of Tband. I would make two passes for my first pass, then spiral down about a half inch on subsequent passes. So, under the hanger, perhaps three layers of Tband.
With using the SS material, I would make one pass of SS material, 2 x 6. Then I would start the Tband about half way down the SS material. One pass around with the Tband, then spiral down in half inch passes. I would then attach the hanger right at the leading edge of the Tband. So maybe three layers of wrap under the hanger.
With the hardcore [Bibs], perhaps an additional layer or two of wrap is needed. Remember, the less wrap, and the less bulk of the wrap, the easier for the hanger to grasp the internal structures. Be SURE the wrap you use is not very bulky. The SS material should be VERY thin. Not T-shirt material, but not the thick jersey material either. With standard non vacuum hangers, I think most are using HTW and or theraband these days. Some hangers use 2x HTW's, although personally I did not find it comfortable. The way you wrap doesn't matter as long as it allows the hanger to grasp the internal structures of your penis without slipping.
The Wrap: While Resting
Q:In one of previous posts you said you had used to stay wrapped after hanging for hours most times, how could it help I mean what's the benefit of just being wrapped while resting?
Bib / Bigger: I did not always stay wrapped. And it usually was not for hours.
I am not sure whatsoever of the benefits. But it is a cheap, fairly safe ADS system, that helps the tissues heal while in the extended state. It may help lead to gains, or it may not.
The Wrap: Shaft Rotates Inside Hardcore Hanger (Problem)
Q:During my hang sessions the shaft will rotate inside the hanger either to the left or right and the hanger will be seated almost inverted on the shaft.
Bib / Bigger: No, it is not the wrap, but rather the hanger adjustment and/or attachment.
You are not seating the shaft in the shaft well properly. The hanger is designed for the bottom chamber to be in the bottom teeth. The inner fingers of the hanger push into the top sides of the two major chambers. The top of the shaft, dorsal vein and nerve, should be in the top blood channel.
Therefore, the hanger must be adjusted correctly, with the top teeth almost completely meshed when the hanger is very tight. When the hanger is tight, the inner fingers should be like this, / \, not like this \ / or this [ ]. And the shaft must be as low in the shaft well as possible.
3-Starting Routine
Starting Routine
Bib / Bigger: As far as time goes, I hung as privacy dictated. As far as weight goes, I hung the amount my body told me to hang.
The highest weight I used, hanging for gains, was 45 lbs. I limited sets to 20 minutes, but that could be 15-23 or so.
Yes. I hung all day, from 7:30AM till 4:30 PM, five days a week. Then a couple, 2-4, sets at night seven days per week. I believe that was probably overkill, and I believe my results would have been similar with only four hours per day or so. But this is just theory.
(18 sets per day.. 9hrs/ 20 on, 10 off = 2 sets pr hr)
Four hours would be 12 sets per day.
Three sets at ten minutes twice a day works out to what I recommend to start. A total of an hour a day at low weight. I recommend that you only move up in sets (one per week) till you reach your available privacy time limit, then begin going up slowly in weight. When you have adapted to the stresses, I recommend at least ten hours of hang time per week.
Please don't start out at high weights. The soft tissues, skin, nerves, blood vessels, smooth muscle, must have time to adapt. Further, you must learn how the hanger works, and it is much safer, and easier to do this at lower weight. You can then adapt your technique as weight goes up.
I recommend you concentrate on one target tissue set, in a dedicated fashion, at least at first. Work that angle, or related angles, until you have stopped gaining, or need to tweak your program.
Starting Routine: Skin Stretching
Bib / Bigger: To begin, it usually takes 1-2 weeks of dedicated skin stretch to get enough skin to work with. After that, you simply play it by ear. As the internal structures grow, the skin will become tighter. Then switch to dedicated skin stretch for a few days to a week to even a couple of weeks. How do I know if the skin is stretching?: Reach down and feel if the skin is very tight while the set is going on. If it is, then the skin is taking a good portion of the stress away from the inner structures. When hanging, you'll learn that skin stretching causes a bit of a burning feeling, and feels significantly different in contrast to pulling on internal structures. When skin stretching be sure to use vitamin E or cocoa butter to avoid getting stretchmarks or tearing the skin. Although skin stretches much faster than your penis can grow, it does have limits. You don't want to stretch things faster than your nerves can grow. An obvious sign that you're going too fast is tingling or numbness, caused by large spaces between the nerves.
Starting Routine: Skin Stretching/ New Foreskin
Q: I read that while you were hanging you got your foreskin back?
Bib / Bigger: Not actual foreskin, but just as good as far as protecting the head. I stretched extra skin.
Q: If you hang BTC does your penis exit lower in your scrotum because you are not pulling the scrotum down, only the penis? (i.e. does BTC hanging cause your package to look funny)
Bib / Bigger: No. The mid line of the scrotum attached to the fundiform ligament, which goes around each side of the shaft of the penis at the base. As the susp ligs and skin are stretched, pulling the shaft lower, the fund lig is also stretched, allowing the scrotum to hang lower. The entire package drops, not just the penis.
Starting Routine: Skin Stretching/ Turkey Neck
Q: Does the skin on the bottom side of the scrotum move up the shaft as it comes down from the stretch creating foreskin and turkey neck from the skin moving up the shaft?
Bib / Bigger: I believe you have this part correct. The way I say it is that during any of the stretches, the bottom shaft skin "borrows" skin from the scrotum, rather than stretching bottom shaft skin.
To combat this turkey neck, you must learn to wrap the scrotum while hanging. It does not take long to stretch the bottom shaft skin, so you do not have to do it very often.
Many guys wrap the scrotum while hanging at any angle, including BTC. I did not like it at all. I only wrapped the scrotum while hanging OTS. That was enough time, even with limited sets, to stretch the bottom shaft skin. On a side note, many guys are reporting good bottom shaft skin stretch while using the RSDT fulcrum.
4-Hanger Settings and Technique
Pulse Push
When tightening, you push forward in a pulsing manner as the hanger gets tight, feeling the hanger grasp the internal structures, and forming the shoulders of the head. This way you can confirm that the hanger is tight enough, and will not slip. Always start out by setting up your environment to make it easy and comfortable to hang. You want to be able to multi-task, and be able to concentrate on the other task(s).
Swinging (While Hanging)
Q: Swinging? Are you serious?
Bib / Bigger: I used to swing side to side while hanging BTC. Very intense. The plus for doing this is that it tends to bring on fatigue much quicker. As the shaft and weights swing in a pendulum motion, different tissues, fibers take the stress in a more dedicated manner, than when just hanging in a static fashion. This is particularly effective when hanging BTC, because the swinging motion affects each of the lateral susp lig bundles, plus the median susp lig. By bouncing, you are effectively increasing the stress, without adding more weight. Gravity is a wonderful thing. When the weight hits the bottom of the bounce, it provides a great stress to the target tissues. If you stand and swing while hanging SD, you are simply increasing the stress to the entire lig area in a pulsing fashion. As the weights swing back, the stress is increased. As it swings forward, the stress is reduced. It is probably the swinging back that is bringing on the good stretch.
Prevent Hanger Rotation
Bib / Bigger: Wrap as normal, open the hanger wide, place your shaft in with the leading edge of the wrap at least a quarter inch in front of the hanger.
Close the hanger, putting the top bolt over. Then you can run the top wing nut in till it meets resistance. At that point, place your left thumb on the shaft right behind the head, and push down while you lift up the bottom of the hanger with your left hand. This effectively pulls the shaft down in the well, while your thumb keeps the one plus inch of gap between the head and the hanger.
Then tighten down the top wing nut, till the shaft will not move. Then, just push out on the hanger a bit, pulse push feeling the hanger grasp the internal structures, while you finish tightening.
That should place the shaft in the correct position, make it easier to tighten, and keep the wrap out of the top teeth.
As far as adjustments go, if your shaft is wider, rather than triangular, try running the bottom adjustment hex nuts out more, and seat the wide-top-two chambers at the bottom of the inner fingers.
New Issue: Engorged Glans (Rotation Problems Continued)
Q:Using the prescribed method above I still had problems in the middle of a set. Although things were much straighter this time, the shoulders did not form as easily as in the past and I'm having mild slippage. Also, the glans is also engorged more than usual.
You may have gone to far with adjustment. It is a trial and error process.
Bib / Bigger: Did you still have room in the top gap to tighten more? Did you tighten a couple more times after applying the weight?
Head being engorged should have nothing to do with this. Just be sure the majority of blood is out of the head before attaching. Also, when pulse pushing forward, you should feel the shoulders form. This is when I learned that it's very important to push all the blood out of the glans before the hanger is tightened. This prevents discoloration due to engorgement (because it wont get engorged when all the blood is pushed out). Forgetting to push the blood out of the glans can also cause major discomfort (bad technique hurts!).
Adjust Hanger Settings to Prevent Rotation
Bib / Bigger: OK, try one other thing. Try to attach the hanger back a quarter inch and forward a quarter inch. It may be that you are simply attaching on a particularly sensitive inner structure. I have one of those, that I always had to avoid. Even moving the hanger a bit as you tighten might bring relief. As you pulse push forward, see if you can lodge the hanger in a comfortable spot.
Many guys experience attachment point discomfort at the beginning of a set. The tissues are essentially resting peacefully, and then you place 20 lbs of stress on them without even buying dinner. Many changes occur quickly under this stress, such as collagenous tissue matrix fluid being forced out. This means the shaft becomes thinner, and you need to quickly tighten a bit more to keep the hanger from slipping.
Out of the thousands of hangers I have observed, I have never seen a single case of "tissue death". Except of course for those guys that have actually died. But then, cannot blame the hanger, or PE, for that.
Toe-In vs Toe-Out vs Parallel Hanger Settings
Q:I had adjusted the bottom two cranks such that the hanger looks this way --> | | (parallel). I finally only just understood what you meant by / \ bigger. (is this correct?)
Bib / Bigger: OK, that does not sound right. The bottom two "cranks", actually wing nuts, are just to give easy access to the inner hex nut adjustments. The outer wing nuts should always be snug before attaching the hanger. Adjusting the inner hex nuts is a trial and error process. If you do not understand, please ask questions.
I found that at least for me, parallel hanger settings worked best. Major toe-in \ / or toe-out / \ settings were causing my hanger to slip. This is something everyone needs to figure out on their own when they first start hanging.
Q: This is how I set up my hanger: The top teeth mesh together tightly, and when I say that I mean I tighten the top cranks to the tightest they can possibly go. (is this proper technique?)
Bib / Bigger: No, no, no, no. The bottom inner hex nut adjustments should be set so that the top teeth ALMOST mesh completely when the hanger is very tight. But you always want a bit of room to tighten more after beginning the set. Just pull up the weight and take another turn or two.
Hanger Tight / Wrap Loose
Q:How long should my sets be and is it OK if the hanger is a little loose?
Bib / Bigger: Limit sets to 20 minutes. Just the act of stretching to and past the marginal stretch will decrease blood flow. A tourniquet should never be left on for more than 17 minutes. You should never restrict blood flow for any great length of time. The reason for the difference, 17 vs 20, is that under the worst of hanging conditions, the hanger will provide some blood flow to occur. It is restricted, not cut off as with a tourniquet.
The Bibs will provide more blood flow when tight vs when loose. When loose, the hanger will slip toward the head, forming a noose out of the front of the wrap, which chokes off blood to the head. Wrap loose, hanger tight.
Next, it will take a bit of time for the soft tissues of the body to adapt to the stresses. It is a great thing. Your body will actually be able to better pump blood to the stressed tissues over time.
Also, hanger adjustment issues can play a part in this, so I want to address that also.
This is an acquired skill. Believe me, you cannot attach the hanger loose. You will just be effectively making a noose, which is guaranteed to cut off circulation to the head. The hanger must be tight, and fairly close to correct in adjustment. I would just comment that you don't want your wrap extremely loose. I believe comparatively speaking the wrap shouldn't constrict you at all when compared to the hanger.
Q:I can get the top gap teeth to mesh completely when i hang, usually within the first 3 minutes or so of the set. Is that ok?
Bib / Bigger: You do not want the teeth to mesh completely. You always need a bit of extra room to tighten more if needed.
The top teeth should NOT be completely meshed. Very easy to see with the hardcore. You always want a bit of room to tighten further a minute or so after applying the weight. You may even want to re-tighten a couple times during the set.
Hanger Settings: After Attaching Weight
Bib / Bigger: The hanger should be tightened just up to discomfort when you first attach. But collagenous tissue matrix fluid will be forced from the collagenous tissues when they are stressed. This is a normal process for collagenous tissue under stress. This lessens the wrapped flaccid girth a bit. So, you should re-tighten after applying the weight.
Did you pulse push to see if the hanger was grasping the internal structures? Are you pulling the skin back toward the base a bit as you wrap?
When I use the term sliding, I am referring to the inner shaft being pulled through the skin, wrap and hanger. A bit of movement is OK, but not all the way to the head. The hanger inner fingers should grasp the internal structures of the shaft, and should form the 'shoulders' of the head upon which the front thumbs of the hanger lodge. Think of squeezing a hot dog, with part of the hot dog pushing forward.
Hanger Settings: Where to Attach
Q: Thanks - by the way one thing I noticed was by putting the hanger about 1/2 inch more towards the glans seemed to play a part in the comfort of the hanging.
Bib / Bigger: Yes, moving the attachment point around a bit can make a big difference in comfort.
Never be afraid to try different things, experiment.
Q: I attach my hanger about a half inch behind the glands at my circumcision scar on the shaft. Then when weight is applied it does go forward until it gets behind the head and then it stops. (Is that OK?)
Bib / Bigger: You must attach at least 1.25 inches back from the coronal ridge in order to grasp the internals of the shaft.
I say this over and over. You must start your wrap AT LEAST an inch behind the coronal ridge, and attach the hanger at least a quarter inch behind the leading edge of the wrap. A half inch is NOT enough room for the hanger to get a good grip on the internals.
Where The Hanger Attachment Point Should Be
Q: This is what I was referring to above. When I pull the hanger down to seat it I can really feel the internal structures of my penis as at slides just a hair and seats about a half of a inch behind my glans.
Bib / Bigger: That actually sounds good. So, if you attach 3/4 inches back further toward the shaft, you will stretch an extra 3/4 inches of skin. What in the world is that going to hurt? I do not see the importance. In fact, I stretched a couple of EXTRA inches of skin, regrew my foreskin, in order to protect the head. Much more sensitive now.
How to Fix Hanger Slippage: Dragon Story
(--Broken Links--)
5-Restoring Circulation
Between Sets 10min rest
Bib / Bigger: The key is to allow for the return of full circulation each rest period. Slapping your penis on your leg, BTB jelqing, etc, will help with this. I recommend at least ten minutes between sets, but many guys get by with even less. You can take as much time between sets as needed. IOW, if you have to take a longer break, it is no problem.
I recommend that in between sets, you slap your unit against your leg, and do BTB, behind the balls, jelqing to return circulation.
Restore Blood flow: Always Jelq After Sessions 10-20
Bib / Bigger: Always remember to jelq for 10-20 minutes after a session, with fair wood, but not with great intensity. You want complete restoration of blood flow. This will also allow the urethra to recover, and allow for normal urination. There are other health benefits to Jelqing, including plaque removal from veins.
Source: Blinks Guide on Bib's Forum
(I include the source even though I am the original author mostly because this article is based on quotes from Bib / Bigger)
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