In this Ask the Experts section, AJ “Big Al” Alfaro answers questions about male enhancement exercises and training methods. He covers the angle of stretches, wet jelqs as a warm-up, shower cool downs, using visuals for Stop and Starts, and whether or not stretching the foreskin affects gains.
For maximum ligament stretch, consider stretches that go beyond straight out and straight down and think about stretching backward.
About the Expert: AJ “Big Al” Alfaro
AJ “Big Al” Alfaro has been featured on MSNBC, CNN, Salon.com, The “Jon Melichar Show,” The Boston Phoenix, PE Magazine, AltPenis Research, Weekly Wire, and Men’s Wellness News. He is the author of several books, guides and newsletters, including “For Men Only.” You can learn more about his consultation services at Male Enhancement Coach.
Q: I would like to focus solely on ligament stretch/deformation…
…at this time. As my log indicates, I have increased my stretch reps to 1 minute, with low intensity. I feel a good (light) stretch. I would like to capitalize on this for as long as possible and resist progression of reps/intensity until I’m certain I have used up all possible gains from this routine.
The advice/direction I need pertains to the angle of my stretches, as well my warm up/cool down practices. For a while I was doing a mixture of straight out (SO) and straight down (SD) angles of stretches. Then I switched to only SD, in an attempt to lower the exit point of my penis. I have been reading so much information that I would like to take a step back and really focus on ligament stretch and deformation. I am wondering if I should go back to a mixture of SO and SD angles, focus solely on SO for ligament deformation, or solely on SD for exit point focus, as well as ligament deformation? Keep in mind that I am in no hurry and I want to capitalize on every small gain possible.
My thought is to possibly focus on SO stretching, to make sure I am focusing solely on ligaments. In the future I would move my angle of stretch progressively down until I am at SD, assuming a straight down penile exit angle. What do you think?
Big Al: I do think it’s a mistake to try to focus solely on ligament stretching for length gains, for any length of time- as the entire penis itself should be stretched in order to realize maximum gains. That being said, from the data you’ve provided girth does not appear to be too much of a challenge for you so the ligament (in your case) just may be a weak point. My advice would be for you to test those movements, to see if they improve your results. For MAXIMUM ligament stretch, you might consider stretches that actually go backwards – like the fowfer or “BTC” stretch.
Q: I prefer to perform 50 wet jelqs, with a 5 second light stretch at the end of each jelq,…
… for my warm up. I had been using a heating pad for warm ups. However, even with the heating pad, I usually had to perform jelqs in order to get enough blood in my glans for glans enlargement, so I could maintain a good grip during a stretch. Is performing the wet jelqs sufficient for a proper warm up?
Big Al: Warm ups are more about raising temperature than anything else, and light massage is recommended for maximum blood flow. Doing light jelqs during a warm up is a good idea.
Warm up and cool down showers serve different purposes.
Q: I have been trying a cool down in the shower….
… I use progressively colder water, while I perform a near straight down hold. I usually do this for 6, one-minute holds. I make sure the water is not too cold as to induce a large amount of turtling. In terms of solely focusing on ligament stretch and deformation, should I be using a warm down (hot water) or a cool down (cold water)?
Big Al: Warm down and “cool” down are two different things. A warm down should essentially be done like a warm up. The benefits of the warm down are they keep the tissues expanded after training and allow for enhanced blood flow, which helps to further promote stamina and recovery. Using a cool down after your warm down is recommended if you’re sore or if you’ve had a particularly rough session. For therapeutic purposes, ALTERNATING warm and cold water should give you the best results viz. recovery.
Q: I’ve noticed that during my ULIs,…
… I can get up to 1.25 to 1.5 minutes before I have to re-stimulate. By the end of the exercise, it’s pretty sensitive. I’m still using visuals, but should I be weening myself off of them for the ULI portion? Or just for the Stop and Starts? Because it gets sensitive after some time, it makes doing the Stop and Starts for a longer period of time kind of difficult. I’ve experienced a lot more sensation than normal lately and am wondering if I’ve been conditioning myself in some way for that. Hoping you can provide some insight into this.
Big Al: You should ALWAYS use visuals for the Stop and Start. For the ULI, you might try not using visualizations, just so that you do not become too sensitive to continue the exercise.
Q: Will stretching with foreskin retracted…
…affect gains in anyway instead of unretracted, or is there no difference?
Big Al: Stretching the foreskin itself should not affect your gains. However, if you’re exercising and the foreskin is taking the brunt of the tension, then that WILL affect your gains. This is simply due to the fact you’re not targeting the penis itself.