“The penis is mightier than the sword.”
-Mark Twain
With the right training, penis exercises are as healthy for your penis as running is for your heart. Thousands of men have already made their penises bigger, harder, and healthier with the methods described in this book. So can you.
You, as many men before you, can reap the rewards of penis exercises. But just as running might cause leg cramps and sore joints, penis exercises might also bring about unwanted bumps in the road. These minor setbacks, which are often just negative side effects, could set you back anywhere from a day to a week or more. Most side effects are small and clear up in just a few days—for instance, little red bumps caused by overexertion, or dry skin as a result of a bad reaction to a lubricant.
Sometimes side effects aren’t even side effects. The “problem” may have been there all along. One man, for example, was frightened because he found a small bump on the underside of his penis. He was sure jelqing caused it. Then when he showed the bump to his wife, she exclaimed, “That little bump? You’ve had that for over ten years!”This chapter isn’t meant to scare you. It’s meant to prepare you. In fact, it’s possible that you won’t encounter one side effect. If you do, odds are that it will either be slight darkening or little red spots. Nevertheless, you should be aware of the side effects that are possible. This chapter will go over both the common and the rare side effects that other penis exercisers have endured, and what to do if they occur, including:
Ø Pain
Ø A darker penis
Ø Bruises
Ø Spotting along the penis
Ø The doughnut effect
Ø Dry skin
Ø Blisters
Ø Blood
Ø Thrombosed vein (or penile Mondor’s disease)
Ø Temporary erectile dysfunction
Pain is Bad
Remember that pain is the ultimate unhealthy body clue. Pain, by nature, is never good. So if in any instance you experience pain, stop what you are doing—it will almost always go away without further ado. If the pain persists, try using warm wraps, cold wraps, and gentle massages.
Warm Wraps
Heat generally provides pain relief. Warm wraps include your typical warm up methods: a moist heating pad, a heated gel pack, a hot wash cloth, a rice sock, or anything else that applies heat to your penis.
Cold Wraps
Cold, for many, relieves pain better than heat does. When pain occurs, many men find that cold wraps are good for the initial treatment, and a combination of hot and cold is best for further treatment. Regardless, neither heat nor cold should be constantly applied to the penis. Instead, as many medical professionals recommend, rotate between cold for twenty minutes, heat for twenty minutes, and gentle massages for ten or so minutes. In any regard, it’s unlikely the pain will last for more than a few seconds, let alone an hour. If it does last anywhere near that long—and it’s not just minor soreness—then see a doctor immediately.
Gentle Massages
It’s hard to believe that a little tender, love, and care has such a profound effect on your penis. But this antidote plays a significant role in decreasing the extent of several side effects, including pain itself. It comes as no surprise that the penis—an organ that reacts positively to touch—benefits from gentle massages.
The Side Effects
Side effects can be positive or negative. An obvious positive effect is an increase in size. Negative side effects can range from darkening to dry skin. In this chapter, I’m only going to focus on the negative side effects, and what other penis exercisers have done to conquer them (I’ll let you decide how to use your positive side effects).
Side Effect: A Darker Penis
A common, yet often preventable, side effect is darkening of the penis. Commonly known as “discoloration” in the penis exercises community, this side effect has had mixed reviews. Some men love the look. As one penis exerciser reflected, “It makes my penis look manlier and less child-like.” Other men detest the darker look, especially if they’re one of the few men who experienced a more extreme and unusual darkening effect, which is often described as a “long-lasting skin staining.”
The Cause
A darker penis is generally caused by intensely performing penis exercises, over-training, or not obtaining an adequate warm up. It is clearly associated with intense exercises—often advanced girth exercises and penis enlargement devices. The extreme and rare “skin-staining” type of darkening that a few men experience is almost always caused by using too much intensity with a device, generally a clamping device. Either way, it’s clear that some men are more prone to discoloration than others. Just as some men bruise easily, some men darken easily too. A few unfortunate men experience the darkening effect after doing any penis exercise, no matter how light it is. On the other hand, several men never warm up, use exceedingly intense exercises, and notoriously over-train, yet still experience no darkening whatsoever.
What to Do
Post-workout redness, red spots, and skin flush are normal and shouldn’t cause too much alarm. If, however, skin flush and red spots almost always occur, then it could possibly turn into the longer-lasting darkening that most men don’t like. Luckily, several penis exercisers have found ways around the darkening effect. If you want to avoid darkening and it starts to become a problem for you, try the following:
Use more heat:
A thorough warm up is crucial, and makes all the difference. A warm wash cloth isn’t as effective as a warm up that continually applies the same amount of heat, such as a moist heating pad. Also, try warming up longer and using more heat throughout your workout. Every ten minutes, for example, reapply a warm up for a minute or two. Adding more heat to your workouts is often all it takes to dissipate the darkening effect. As one penis exerciser put it, “I use to have a real bad problem with discoloration, and then I dedicated more time to warming up and haven’t had any problems since.”
Use gentle massages:
Many men find that gentle massages—especially when combined with heat—reduces the darkening effect.
Use less force:
The darkening effect is most likely caused by trauma to the skin, often by using too much force. So try a more subtle, gentle approach when performing penis exercises. Use less force when stretching and jelqing, and avoid the intense exercises that cause the most darkening for you. For many men, this means avoiding the dry jelq.
Also avoid intense pressure build up with jelqs and girth exercises. A man who uses the online alias Hobby, and who has had his fair share of darkening, suggests, “I think a key way to avoid discoloration, or at least not to intensify it, is to avoid building pressure under tightly stretched skin.”
Change your lubricant:
If you don’t already, try using a more skin-friendly lubricant, such as baby oil with aloe and vitamin E. Olive oil and canola oil have proven to be easy on the skin too.
Exercise your entire penis:
One major complaint about darkening is that for some men the penis only darkens in certain areas. If this is a problem for you, make sure you are exercising your entire penis. For example, be sure to do full jelqs: start from the very base of your penis and stop right before the head. Also avoid continually gripping the same exact place when stretching. One penis exerciser found that he only experienced discoloration in the area where he gripped. He eventually overcame this by constantly gripping in different points along the shaft—the base, mid-shaft, and right below the head.
Apply cream:
Some penis exercisers have had success with applying Arnica cream, Vitamin K cream, or skin lightening cream to the darkened areas. One of these creams—if not all—should be available at your local pharmacy, health food store, or department store. They are often found in the cosmetics department. Your best bet is most likely a Vitamin K and Arnica combined cream, such as the one made by Vita-K Solution.
If all else fails, take a break:
The darkening effect often fades with time. Many times it will go away as quickly as weeks. Yet, in severe cases, it takes months, and even years, for the penis to return to its normal color. If the darkening effect becomes a problem, take a few weeks off and see if the problem fades.
Either way, the darkening effect rarely happens overnight. It’s generally a slow process. So if you notice it taking place and you don’t like it, immediately conquer it. Avoid waiting until it’s already happened and you should be able to overcome this side effect.
Side Effect: Bruises
Sometimes the penis becomes darker in certain spots, which could be a secluded kind of darkening. On the other hand, it could be a bruise.
The Cause
“Bruises may look nasty and hurt like crazy, but they’re really no big deal, says Bill Gottlied in New Choices in Natural Healing. “Any time you bump into something sharp or take a fall, you’re likely to develop one. They get their telltale color from blood that pools under the skin after you break a blood vessel.” If a bruise does occur in association with performing penis exercises, it’s a major clue that you’re going overboard with the intensity.
What to Do
Recall that bruising is an unhealthy body clue. So, first and foremost, take a break from performing penis exercises. Let your penis return to normal before you start performing penis exercises again. From there, either leave it alone completely, or find other remedies to help move things along. For example, Richard Gerson, Ph.D., author of The Right Vitamins, says, “To speed up the healing process, I recommend taking 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C at the earliest sign of a bruise.” To also help with a speedy recovery, other nutritionists suggest taking daily supplements of vitamin A and E. An additional common therapy involves applying arnica cream, which is a common herbal medicine used for the relief of bruises, stiffness, and muscle soreness. “Arnica erases bruises by helping the body reabsorb the blood that has seeped into tissues. A cream or ointment containing 5% to 25% arnica extract, applied several times daily, reduces pain and swelling—along with that ugly eggplant color,” says The Editors of Reader’s Digest in their book 1,801 Home Remedies.
After the bruise disappears, start back up with a more gentle approach. Use less force. Depending on where the bruise formed, you might have used too much force on a particular part of the shaft. For example, if the bruise formed on the underside of your penis or on the head of the penis, then you jelqed or griped the underside of your penis with too much pressure. In this case, use a pincher grip in the future when stretching and jelqing. A pincher grip puts less pressure on the underside of your penis, and more pressure on the sides of your penis.
Side Effect: Spotting Along the Penis
When you first start performing penis exercises, spots—medically known as petechiae—might form on the penis. They often form on the head of the penis. Spots are fairly common in the beginning. They generally range anywhere from one to a dozen, and shouldn’t cause any worry. They usually clear up in a day or two. The spots are normally red in color, but occasionally come in darker colors (purple and black). Generally, the darker the spots, the more time your penis will need to heal.
The Cause
Spots typically form as a reaction to the new stress of performing penis exercises, most often jelqing. Prior to performing penis exercises, the penis is typically not submitted to a great deal of pressure. Once you start performing penis exercises, the stress of the jelq and other exercises often cause the untouched capillaries underneath the skin to bruise. If you’re susceptible to spots, they will most likely occur less and less as time goes on. In the future, the spots might show up after using high intensity exercises, or when returning to a high intensity routine after some time off. The spots do not usually affect growth or hardness. Nevertheless, if they constantly form as a result of excessive intensity, then ease up. You don’t want to cause a more serious problem in the future. Persistently spotting can also increase the darkening effect.
What to Do
If you experience unhealthy body clues, or no clear indication of healthy body clues, then avoid performing penis exercises until the spots go away. If you experience healthy body clues along with the spots, then you can continue with your workouts.
Either way, the spots should disappear after a couple of days. To speed up the process, try applying warm wraps, cold wraps, and gentle massages throughout the day. If the spots continue to get worse, leave your penis alone (no penis exercises, masturbation, or sex) until they dissipate. If the spots continually form on the head of your penis because of jelqing, switch to the pincher grip.
Neutral Body Clues
Question: “My penis spots after a workout. Is this an unhealthy body clue?”
For some men, spots form on the penis after an effective, healthy workout. For other men, it’s a clear sign of over-training For this reason, spotting isn’t an unhealthy body clue, nor is it a healthy body clue. It’s more like a neutral body clue. Meaning, you have to interpret it in relation to your gains and the other body clues you are experiencing. For example, if your penis grows with the spots, it’s probably a healthy body clue for you. On the other hand, if your penis doesn’t grow, it’s probably an unhealthy body clue. Other common “neutral” body clues include redness, darkening, and turtling—in which your penis contracts like a turtle’s head into its shell right after a workout (not to be confused with decreased flaccid size throughout the entire day—an unhealthy body clue).
Side Effect: The Doughnut Effect
A penis exerciser who uses the alias BoardLurker on the online penis exercises community Thunder’s Place describes the doughnut effect best: “There you are jelqing, and all of a sudden your penis looks like the stay-puff marshmallow man! What happened? Odds are, it’s the doughnut effect and you have just pushed too much fluid into your penis. This usually looks as it’s described; like you have a doughnut on the end of your penis.”
The Cause
The doughnut effect is normally associated with jelqing, but it also might occur after long sessions of masturbation or sex. It typically occurs when you force an excessive amount of fluid and blood towards the head of your penis.
What to Do
The doughnut effect generally doesn’t last long. Most men only endure it for a few minutes. For some men, however, the doughnut effect can last for a few hours or more. Regardless, it will almost always go away if you leave it alone. To speed up the process, gently massage the doughnut until it dissipates.
Side Effect: Dry Skin
Every once in a while, a man reports that the skin on his penis turns dry and in some instances starts to shed. “Skin shedding” is fairly rare—but if the skin on the penis becomes extremely dry, like any other body part, it might shed.
The Cause
If dry skin is a result of performing penis exercises, it most likely has to do with your lubrication, generally through an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the lubricant. Also, for one reason or another, many men have had bad experiences with lotion or soap as a lubricant. Dry skin can also be caused by lack of lubrication. Dry jelqing, for instance, can produce abrasion along the skin, which occasionally causes the skin to go dry and shed.
What to Do
If you believe your lubricant is causing the problem, change it. Baby oil or Vaseline rarely causes any trouble. If you’ve been dry jelqing or using little lubrication, then use more in the future.
Side Effect: Blisters
Blisters in relation to performing penis exercises are rare.
The Cause
Blisters are more often associated with a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), particularly genital herpes, than with penis exercises. Yet, every now and then, penis exercises might bring about a blister—for example, if you accidentally pinch your penis with your hands or a device.
What to Do
If it is a single blister, which you believe to be caused by something minor—such as a skin pinch—then avoid penis exercises until the blister heals. If the blisters persist, go to the doctor. Get tested for an STD. In a study conducted at Emory University, the authors report, “Each year in the United States, roughly 4 million new sexually transmitted disease infections are diagnosed.”1 That’s not including the sexual diseases that aren’t diagnosed. In short, it’s better to know now than to be sorry about it later. When it comes to sexually transmitted diseases, the quicker you initiate treatment, the better your chance of keeping the damage to a minimum.
Side Effect: Blood
Blood in association with penis exercises is also rare. When blood does occur, it is usually just a couple of drops near the head of the penis. The blood is typically near (or comes out of) the urethra—the canal from which urine and semen are discharged. Sometimes blood is also forced out of the thin skin covering the head of the penis.
The Cause
If blood is coming out of your urethra, the distress could be completely unrelated to penis exercises. It could also be much more serious, especially if you notice blood in your urine, which could be a variety of problems.
Harris H. McIlwain, M.D., who has been twice named one of the Best Doctors in America by Town and Country, says, “Causes of blood in the urine include kidney stones, kidney diseases, bladder diseases (such as cancer), prostate diseases, urinary tract infections, and other medical problems. In all cases, whether the blood is present in large or small amounts, a thorough evaluation is needed.”
If a doctor visit indicates nothing serious is wrong, then it may just be a case of too much pressure building up inside the penis. The intense pressure could be caused by using too intense of a grip when jelqing, or too much intensity in general. It could also be caused by vigorous sex or masturbation.
What to Do
First, seek medical attention. As the renowned Dr. Drew of Loveline suggests, “You should always get checked out by a doctor if you experience blood coming out of the penis.”
If it is a severe problem, it needs to be addressed right away. If the doctor indicates nothing serious is wrong, give your penis rest. Take a week off from performing penis exercises to allow the problem to heal. Don’t jump back into exercising your penis, or you’re likely to add fuel to the fire. In the meantime, try rotating between warm wraps, cold wraps, and gentle massages. Once you return to performing penis exercises, use less intensity.
Side Effect: Thrombosed Vein
Bigger, healthier veins are a fairly common side effect of performing penis exercises. Occasionally, however, a penis exerciser reports that he has a thrombosed penile vein. Meaning, the vein is clotted and inflamed, which is medically known as penile Mondor’s disease and generally lasts four to six weeks.2 The disease is rare. “Mondor’s disease of the penis is an uncommon condition,” says Dr. Mauro Dicuio and colleagues in a study published in the Archive of Italian Urology and Andrology. Penile Mondor’s was discovered in 1958, and since then “around fifty cases have been reported.”
The chief symptom of penile Mondor’s disease is described as a persistent “cord or string-like” firmness along a vein. Other common symptoms include the vein being red, swollen, hot, and hard. Sometimes mild pain is a symptom too. If you experience most of these symptoms—especially a vein that is hardened, red-colored, and exerted—you should be alarmed, but not worried. It’s most likely just bigger, more prominent penile veins—not penile Mondor’s.
But if you do have penile Mondor’s disease, which is unlikely but possible, the good news is that it usually lasts no more than two to eight weeks. Moreover, as Dr. Mauro Dicuio and colleagues note, penile Mondor’s is “benign”—meaning it isn’t harmful to your body, nor is it harmful to the long-term use of your penis. As another study declared, “there is no report of erectile dysfunction after treatment.” Even so, immediately stop doing whatever caused the clotted vein so it doesn’t turn into anything more serious.
The Cause
Penile Mondor’s disease is often associated with vigorous or excessive sexual activity. So it makes sense that vigorous penis exercises might also bring about the disease. In fact, the majority of penis exercisers who have shown similar symptoms of penile Mondor’s disease were using excessive amounts of intensity, often with a penis enlargement device. This is another reason why you’ll want to start light and work your way up.
But vigorous penis exercises and sex may not be the predominating cause. After all, millions of men partake in sex that is vigorous and haven’t had the slightest problem. So is there another cause for the disease? Some doctors think so.
In a study published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, Dr. David Griger and colleagues point out, “Many predisposing factors can lead to the development of penile Mondor’s disease… which all relate back to vessel wall damage, stasis, and a state in which clots easily form.” If you combine vigorous penis exercises or vigorous sex with these factors, you might just have a recipe for penile Mondor’s disease.
Either way, in the future you should avoid whatever initially clotted the vein. As Dr. Griger and colleagues indicate, “evidence suggests that men who acquire penile Mondor’s disease once are predisposed to having recurrent episodes.”
His Story
A Happy Ending
A penis exerciser who uses the online name ManChuck would occasionally have an enlarged vein that was red, hot, hard, and painful, and in all likelihood a form of penile Mondor’s disease. He reported that for the past five years—long before he started performing penis exercises—the enlarged, painful vein would last anywhere from a week to three months. In the past year he finally found his remedy: take baby aspirin every day.
What to Do
First and foremost, those who experience Mondor’s disease should abstain from penis exercises, sex, and masturbation until the problem subsides. The best thing any man can do in the instance of penile Mondor’s disease is leave his penis alone. The longer the problem is ignored, the more recovery time will be needed.
It’s also recommended that you go see a doctor if you believe you have penile Mondor’s disease. An experienced physician will be able to do a Doppler scan and other tests to see if the condition is in fact a thrombosed vein.
Several urologists suggest taking 400 milligrams of Ibuprofen, three times daily for the first week of penile Mondor’s disease, as it often speeds up the healing process. Some men have also found that Essential Vein Oil (EVO) and other lubricants created specifically for penis exercises work well in quickly relieving penile Mondor’s disease. The creator of EVO, a penis exerciser who uses the online alias Eroset, suggests massaging the affected vein with EVO for five to ten minutes, two to three times a day. Eroset also suggests leaving the EVO on your penis (unless you experience skin irritation), because “your penis will continue to absorb the oils after your massage if you leave it on.”For instructions on how to make EVO, see Appendix D: Penis Exercising Resources. To find other pre-made lubricants with vasodilators, go to http://www.PEGym.com/penis-lubricants.
Some men also advocate rotating warm wraps, cold wraps, and gentle slow massages to influence (not force) the vein to unclot. Any of these methods might help you speed up the process and alleviate the pain, in the instance that penile Mondor’s disease occurs. Again, penile Mondor’s disease is rare; and most of the time when a man thinks he has thrombosed a vein in his penis, he usually just has bigger, more visible penile veins.
Side Effect: Temporary Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction—the inability to maintain an erection—is a clear sign that you’re over-training This is based on the assumption that you had healthy erections prior to performing penis exercises.
The Cause
Temporary erectile dysfunction is usually a sign of an exhausted penis. Think of your penis as any other muscle; it can only take so much stress before it becomes flimsy and nearly unusable. That’s why you might notice a weaker erection right after a marathon sex session—your penis is exhausted (although it’s common to notice stronger erections after the healing process kicks in).
What to Do
Anything related to poor erection quality or temporary erectile dysfunction is a definite unhealthy body clue. And in all cases, if you feel that you’re over-training, there’s only one thing you should do: rest! Take some time off. Just as your muscles need rest after a strenuous workout, your penis needs rest too. Depending on how much you over-trained, the impotence rarely lasts more than a few days.
Along with giving your penis rest, you may also want to use warm ups and gentle massages to help improve blood flow. In Appendix A, you’ll also find a list of vitamins that increase hardness and penile blood flow under the section “Penis Supplements.”
There are two things you shouldn’t do in the midst of temporary erectile dysfunction. First, don’t dwell on the problem. When you get anxious and nervous, your body pumps out adrenalin quicker than a bartender at Mardi Gras pumps out Bud Light—and adrenalin is the kryptonite of your erections. It’s ironic, but the more you think about not having an erection, the harder time you will have maintaining one. The second thing you should avoid, at least until your erections return to normal, is sex and masturbation. This is important, as putting any type of stress on your penis will only aggravate the problem. Give your penis the time it needs to heal.
Also keep in mind that the erectile dysfunction might not even be caused by performing penis exercises—and therefore could not be temporary. Stress, unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical exercise, unbalanced hormones, and a variety of other problems all lead to erectile dysfunction. See a doctor if your hardness troubles last longer than a week.
His Story
Over-training
Andrew was frightened. He was only 30 years old, and everything was fine just a day ago. Andrew decided to increase the intensity three-fold and jelq for an entire hour, despite the fact he had only been performing penis exercises for three weeks. “I was hoping I could gain even quicker,” he later told me.
The outcome wasn’t what he was hoping for. Andrew hadn’t been able to achieve an erection in the last twenty-four hours—since his last workout. Andrew asked for my help with the community help service at http://www.PEGym.com.
I gave Andrew the basic recommendations: stop all penis exercises, avoid sex and masturbation, gently massage the penis, and apply frequent warm ups throughout the day to help the healing process. I also informed Andrew that no matter how soon he recovered, even if by the next day he was experiencing normal erections again, he should still give his penis rest. Exercising too soon will only beget more problems.
I also told Andrew to put his negative thoughts aside (he was already contemplating how bad life would be without his “best friend”). Even though over-training and poor erection quality shouldn’t be taken lightly, it’s almost always temporary and shouldn’t send the mind speeding quicker than Jeff Gordon on race day. The best thing anyone can do in the instance of over-training is relax. I suggested to Andrew that he probably just went overboard and now has to sit on the bench for a few days.
Andrew followed my advice, and emailed me again two days later. He reported that his situation was better, but his penis remained floppy and spongy. “There’s inflation, but no hardness,” he said. Andrew also informed me that he went to see a doctor. “The doctor,” Andrew told me, “confirmed that the penis is very pliable, and he doesn’t believe there will be any long-term damage.”
Andrew made a good decision by seeking medical help. Some men avoid the doctor at all costs, simply because they are embarrassed. Talking to the doctor about sexual issues, and especially about penis exercises, is indeed an awkward conversation, but it might be a necessary one.
I then reinforced the idea that Andrew was recovering. He was showing great progress thus far, so it would make sense for him to keep following the advice I gave him.
And he did. Three days later, Andrew declared, “I’m now off the bench, warming up, and ready to bat!”
“What’s the Worst That Could Happen?”
In my experience with penis exercises and talking to thousands of penis exercisers, nearly every scary incident has ended similar to Andrew’s—frightening, yet quickly back to normal. Nevertheless, similar to how several people have gone beyond their limits in a sport and caused a sprain, a few men have gone beyond their limits in performing penis exercises and caused temporary erectile dysfunction—for several months on a few very rare occasions.
Severe over-training, in which temporary erectile dysfunction or another serious problem occurred for more than a week, is rare. In fact, you’re probably more likely to cause serious harm to your penis during intense sex or masturbation than with penis exercises. But keep in mind that you can cause long-term harm to your penis if you use more intensity than you can handle. Many of the recommendations in this book are based on the fact that your penis health always comes first. That’s why erect jelqing and stretching are never advised, and why I recommend using light intensity in the beginning.
The bottom line: proceed with caution when performing penis exercises. Your penis isn’t “Robocock,” despite what your partner tells you. If at any time you feel something is wrong, it probably is. Don’t use an exercise unless you’re sure your penis can handle it. In the long run, this will mean saving time, seeing results, and avoiding any over-training injuries. The good news is that the body has a magnificent ability to take care of itself. The penis is a durable organ and it tends to quickly overcome anything that is thrown at it. Naturally, your body goes to great lengths to protect the organ that leads to your offspring.