Big Al, of MaleEnhancementCoach.com, answers questions about the proper pressure to use in penis exercises, stop and start improvements, and more, in this Ask the Experts article.

If you have questions you’d like answered in an Ask the Experts article, please PM Kimberly at forum name – KMWylie – and she’ll have the experts here on PEGym get your questions answered.

Q. I have searched PE forums but I have never really found an answer to how much pressure… 

… is right. When I first started with Bathmate, I used to over pump and get a few red dots and quite massive water retention issue. It was nothing that wouldn’t disappear overnight though. As far as I am concerned I gain nothing when I pump to the level where my penis in twice the normal size girth wise but most of that is water retention. Being able to withstand that pressure was not an issue. I never felt pain or anything I just got fluid buildup. Maybe it was just my penis not being properly conditioned and the result was much stronger water retention.  Any thoughts on this?

Big Al: ALWAYS err on the side of caution. Unless you have a pressure gauge that gives you an exact reading, you’re going to have to go by “feel”.  Once you determine an adequate level of pressure (one that gives you a good workout without any negative side effects) SLOWLY increase that pressure over time.  The measurement gauges on most non-gauge pumps will work for this purpose for awhile- until your penis starts to grow.

Q. I have been doing the Stop and Start for 2 months…

… and have notice a lot of improvements. You mention that it’s the best exercises to do.  Can I continue to use it even after I reach my goals?

Big Al: The normal course of difficulty with the stop and start is as follows: 

• Obtaining erections (for clients with ED)  
• Maintaining erections (for clients with low EQ)
• Stamina improvement (you appear to be about midway between this stage and the last)
• Control/visualizations  
• Mastery (maintaining erections for long periods of time with little to no physical stimulation) – at this stage, you can start experimenting with the following exercise: http://www.maleenhancementcoach.com/guide/how-to-become-the-master-of-your-orgasms.html 
• MMO (Multiple Male Orgasm)

If you are sexually inactive you can continue to use the Stop and Start to maintain your EQ once you reach your goals.

Q. Could you elaborate on what you mean by bad masturbatory habits?…

… Any information that can help me improve my stamina would be much appreciated.

Big Al: The negative habits some men use are many.  The most notable are:

• Masturbating with too tight a grip- what this does is desensitizes the penis.  That makes ejaculating via intercourse or other movements where the “grip” isn’t as tight difficult.

• Masturbating to porn- this can cause some very negative adaptations.  For one, some men get so addicted to porn that they become unable to get a proper erection without it.  Many men who get deep into porn start viewing sex in a skewed manner- they expect to perform (and look) like porn stars, and they also expect the same from their partners.  Gone is any emotional connection when this view is taken.

• Masturbating in a hurried, furtive manner- This can cause issues with premature ejaculation.  If done with the tight grip mentioned above, you get a negative impact on two froms- requiring excess pressure for ejaculation, and a minimization of stamina to go along with it.

• Masturbating to “test” the penis- This applies to traines with size and/or performance issues.  They “test” their penises out using masturbation to see if it’s working correctly.  What this does is reinforce nagative associations over time- one can come to view sexual activity itself in a negative manner because it all becomes a “test” more than anything else- as opposed to something pleasant and profound.

Conquering anxieties is the key out of many of these types of problems.

Q. These past two weeks, I was traveling a ton and unable to do the work outs consistently…

… I travel frequently for a couple of weeks at a time and am not always able to perform my routine.  What can I do while I travel?

Big Al: For future reference- because it’s only a couple of weeks, if you can do light “maintenance” work like penile slapping, light jelqs, “piss pull” stretches (essentially stretching your penis when you’re at the restroom), kegels, and any other normally non-structured activity (especially vigorous sexual activity), you should not see any loss of “fitness” and you should be able to resume your training from where you left off.