Yes, DLD was a madman and did this routine multiple times per day along with other PE stuff. He was PEing 8-10 hours per day. I would recommend starting with doing it once daily and get consistent with this then add in the other parts of SRT once you are in a groove.
I used to worry about this a lot as well. I used a shoelace for a while and I would constantly be checking it and retying it to make sure I was fully expanded the whole time I was wearing it. This was too much work so now I just put on a hair tie and leave it alone. It stays pretty well expanded...
I've started recently using latex gloves for my manual stretches. They apply a good grip but are more delicate. Also could try ripping off some TP and using that for a grip. Baby powder works well too. Hope this helps!
5 minutes pump x 5 minutes SSJ x 3 rounds
For warm up, You should definitely at least do 4-5 minutes of bundled stretches before every workout even if you are only focusing on girth. It pre-stretches the túnica so that your session brings maximum expansion.
Welcome! Sounds like you are setup for success with all that equipment. Now you got to put in the work. I second what 49er said. Get a thread going in the routines and progress forum and post everything you do in there. It's the best way to stay motivated.
Starting stats were:
EL 6 1/8
EG ~4 1/8
I started off with the newbie routine for about 6 weeks, mostly focusing on length and less on girth. It worked well. Then I started switching to an SRT type routine and added expressive stretches, fulcrum stretches(these work very well), erect stretches...
PE is going great right now. I'm coming up on 3 months in PE on May 12th and ive been holding off on measuring until that time. I know I have gained a fair amount but not sure how much. I'm excited to measure and see where I'm at.
Keep at it man. Looks like you got a good routine going.
I've noticed the "rope" feeling that you referenced earlier on. Usually notice it when I have stretched intensely for a few days in a row and I'm really fatigued. When I would try to stretch through the feeling the workout seemed...