Elastin

I have been doing some research on penis-specific ligaments and fascia and was surprised to learn that these tissues have more elastin than collagen, the opposite of what I had learned about the rest of the body. This makes sense since the penis has to stretch more than any other anatomic structure :D

Anyway, this information answered several questions for me and lead me to develop a clearer hypothesis of what goes on while stretching and, hopefully, how to do it more effectively. Basically, in order to permanently increase the length of a ligament or stretch a fascia, the collagen must be extended to just beyond its normal length in order to cause microtears in the fibers. The damage is rapidly repaired by a non-cellular, enzymatic process.

The elastin issue is this: with a little bit of elastin in the tissue, you would be stretching mostly collagen from the beginning and so see results easily. Conversely, with a lot of elastin in the tissue, you would be stretching mostly elastin from the beginning, potentially putting little or no stress on the collagen. This may explain why some guys can pull and pull and pull, and never see any gains or see their gains rapidly disappear.

A reasonable solution is to stretch these structures in such a way as to fatigue the elastin to its maximum length and apply enough force to the collagen to lightly damage it, without causing so much damage that the collagen thickens up. It seems to me then that this is more of a technique issue and less of a strength issue, since the goal is to allow time for the elastin to fully relax, followed by a slightly stronger tug to lightly tear the collagen.

This makes sense from a personal perspective, as I have seen the best gains by applying long, slow stretches with increasing force. This method ‘felt’ right. Obviously, hanging is a natural choice to achieve this type of stretch, but I have used nothing more than a reverse okay grip and talcum powder to achieve most of my Penis Enlargement gains. As for my FR gains (the stretch here applies to the dermis of the skin, which is [surprise!] also high in elastin), I use firm manual tugging to stretch the fauxskin as I am applying my o-rings, and leave the o-rings on for several hours afterward. Both of these techniques fatigue the elastin, followed by sufficient tension to remodel the collagen.

Great stuff Doc

Very interesting , i must have a lot of elastin in my dick !

Priapologist,

I just wanted some clarification from you on what stretching technique you reccomend to stay consistent with your hypothesis. Basically you are saying that slow, long stretching sessions in which you slowly increase the intensity of the stretch is best for deforming the collagen/elastin?? Or am i wrong in my interpretation?

Thats how i read it ozzy and tried it last night , holding my stretches for about 50 secs instead of 30 makes a bit of difference if you ask me but to early to tell.

Yah, given that I"m a hardgainer when it comes to length so im receptive to any advice that will get me gaining. I guess ato incorporate this, is to hold a stretch at a 100% intensity for the elastin to relax for a few seconds, and then to pull a bit harder to go beyond to 110% or 120% and then back to say 100% and then back to 110% or 120% in almost like a tensing motion. What do you guys think?

I think an easier way of applying this theory is to hang... start with something like 10lbs for the first set and then increase the next set to 12lbs, and so on...

Great stuff! I think we should start calling P the Professor!

Guys, check on JAI stretches.

From what Pri is saying, I would think they "work" the elastin preety good. Maybe that's why I've always felt it makes a good difference when I do them before hanging.

ozzy83 said:

Priapologist,

I just wanted some clarification from you on what stretching technique you reccomend to stay consistent with your hypothesis. Basically you are saying that slow, long stretching sessions in which you slowly increase the intensity of the stretch is best for deforming the collagen/elastin?? Or am i wrong in my interpretation?

Click to expand...

Yes, that is what I am saying. I am working the suspensory ligaments almost exclusively right now. Using talcum powder and a reverse 'okay' grip, I slowly stretch them for a minute at a time, or longer if my grip holds, then switch hands and stretch somemore. After 5 minutes of single-handed stretches, I either do double-handed stretches for the extra pull, or put my heel on the wrist of the gripping hand and push gently. I can always feel a burn in the ligs and often have little lig pops.

ozzy83 said:

...hold a stretch at a 100% intensity for the elastin to relax for a few seconds, and then to pull a bit harder to go beyond to 110% or 120% and then back to say 100% and then back to 110% or 120% in almost like a tensing motion. What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

I've done this in the past, but I find that the several minutes of steady pull, capped with a harder pull of 10-30 seconds gives even better results.

You could always hang if you're looking for total time under tension for tissue deformation. It works very well and always leaves my penis feeling very loose and flexible. Just my two cents but if you're doing manuals you may want to do a combo of basic manuals, tub stretches, and anything using a fulcrum for increased tension.

sikdogg said:

I think an easier way of applying this theory is to hang... start with something like 10lbs for the first set and then increase the next set to 12lbs, and so on...

Click to expand...

I agree (although I don't think that it is necessarily easier, just another way) that hanging with increasing weight is a great way to achieve this effect.

millionman said:

You could always hang if you're looking for total time under tension for tissue deformation. It works very well and always leaves my penis feeling very loose and flexible. Just my two cents but if you're doing manuals you may want to do a combo of basic manuals, tub stretches, and anything using a fulcrum for increased tension.

Click to expand...

Yes, with the kicker of adding additional weight in the latter-half of the stretch to challange the collagen fibers.

And, I do the entire newbie routine along with A-stretches and clamped girth work, but I am focusing on the downward and BTC stretches because I have really tight suspensory ligaments. I get a much better workout in all other areas if I get the susp ligs really loose first.

Cheers!

Priapologist,

Thanx for your clarification for my questions. This is definetley useful to know as I'm one of those guys that pulls and pulls and pulls without any result. One more question. How does one cause tearing that results in the thickening of the collagen? Or is this a side effect of getting longer and thus unavoidable? Thickening would be a major impediment for further micro tearing to take place and a major hinderance on growth so whats the remedy if any to avoid this.

ozzy83 said:

...How does one cause tearing that results in the thickening of the collagen? Or is this a side effect of getting longer and thus unavoidable? Thickening would be a major impediment for further micro tearing to take place and a major hinderance on growth so whats the remedy if any to avoid this.

Click to expand...

Thickening of the collagen from injury is akin to forming a scar on the ligs; it is uncontrolled depositing of collagen at a tear. Thickening also occurs from consistant, increased load beyond the normal seen by that ligament. In other words, lifting light weights will not thicken the ligaments of your arms, briefly lifting heavy weights every once in awhile will lightly damage the ligaments, but not thicken them (generally), but continual lifting of heavy weights will cause the ligaments to thicken in response to the increased burden. This is not a perfect analogy, but it works, I hope.

My working hypothesis: following the elatin fatiguing, a gentle collagen stretch, just enough to feel the stretch in your ligs, should provide enough damage to cause 'fill-in' growth. This should be followed with a period of light traction on the penis, to keep those fibers stretched out for awhile.

So, long (time; several minutes) stretch at minimal required to fatigue the elastin, stronger stretch to gently tear collagen, and long (15-30 minutes?) stretch at minimal required to keep the collagen extended, allowing initial repairs.

A stronger stretch, enough to feel uncomfortable (not pain!) and cause lig pops, should accelerate the rate of growth, but more care must be taken after the stretch, i.e. the ligs must be stretched out to avoid scaring.

I normally get a lig pop while doing footlong stretches, but last Friday I did the stretches more aggressively and had six lig pops. I also felt the soreness up into my abdomen (more on that later). In order to apply the post-tear stretch, I rigged up an elastic band that I can attach behind my glans and loop over my feet. This frees me up from having to manually pull on the glans during the recovery period.

One other thing to take into consideration is that there are actually two suppensory ligaments. The first attaches directly to the pubic bone, while the second is an extension of the abdominal fascia. This is important because the position of your body affects the intensity of your stretch. In my experience, anything that tightens up the abdominal muscles results in a less effective stretch of the ligs. I get the best results from leaning over, either standing or sitting, and bearing my weight on the non-pulling arm. This allows me to completely slacken my abdominal muscles. For footlong stretches, I lie down flat and fold both legs up toward my body.

Hope this helps
Pri