hanging 20+ lbs

Bib, Phat, any experienced hangers,

I don't know if this is a good thing or not but I am now able to hang 20 lbs for 4 full sets. I am going to start at 21 lbs next week. The reason I'm not sure if it is a good thing is that it must mean that I have ligs like a steel cable. My goal is not to see how much weight I can hang but to get a good stretch.
I know that Bib has hung 30+ lbs so maybe I am on the right path.
If I am able to move up does that mean that gains are on the way or does it mean that the ligs don't want to budge?
Am I going to have to hang a small engine block in order to break this thing down?
As always, all opinions welcome.

Bib, you can count on me for one "sale" on the new hanger!
2smooth

[Stillwantmore22]

Got any bruising?

stillwantmore22,
Yes, I do have bruising every time I hang. I'm not sure if it can be totally avoided. I have found that if I rub the spot for a few minutes afterwards then it is usually gone by the next day. I've got one small spot on the head that has been there for a month or so because I did not work it out when it first showed up. Now I'm working on it 3 times a day and it seems to be going away.
I also have some discoloration on the circum. scar like I think you said you do. I haven't worked on it as much since it is not as visible as the ones on the head (at least from my view). Let me know if you find a solution.

[Sizemeister]

Maybe you've already posted this, but since I haven't been around much lately I'll ask anyway. What sort of gains have you made with your weight routine? Has the increase in weight (ie 18-20+ lbs) been accompanied by increase in length?

Size

Sizemeister,
Ive just recently had a boost in the amount of weight needed to get that real fatigued feeling. I hung pretty consistently last Sept-Nov. then laid off for over a month. Started back up mid Jan with greater determination. A couple of weeks ago I decided to measure and had gained a little over 1/8". I dont know if this gain was there before my break because I didn't measure. I do feel that if I hadn't taken that break I would have been around 1/4" gain.
The gain I got was achieved in the 12-17lb range.
I plan to move up as needed to keep that fatigued feeling.
Ive got more info in the routines section if you're interested.
2

[Bib]

2 smooth,

The short answer is, I don't know. Everyone is different. When I had no fatigue at a certain weight, I would not gain. When I moved up and created the fatigue, It seemed to break through the plateaus and I would continue to gain.

How much have you gained and in what time frame?

Bib,
Thanks for the response.
Since getting the hang of the hanger in Sept. Ive gained a little over 1/8" but that was with a break of about 1 month in Dec. Trying to stay more consistent now.
So maybe this rapid weight increase may be a good thing or is weight really no indicator of gains?
Thanks again.

[Bib]

2smooth,

Sorry, I did not realize you started in Sept. with no previous hanging. I would say you are in the 'tough gains group. If you are hanging a couple hours 5/7 then getting to twenty lbs. in five months with only 1/8 inch gain is tough. If there is no big discomfort, and you are getting that fatigued, worked out feeling, then you may make good gains going forward. Make sure the stress is in the ligs and septum and not only on the skin.

Have you ever experienced the 'electric feeling?

Phat has talked about this some. I was not sure it is common. Hard to describe, but here goes. Almost like hitting your funny bone except chronic and not acute. Or like excessive stimulation on the head after orgasm, except this is down the entire shaft.

It seems when you reach this level of stress, you begin to see gains in a couple weeks. You don't have to suffer the discomfort though. Simply moving down in weight will lessen the feelng and continue the breaking of bonds.

Hope this helps,

Bigger

Bib,
Thanks once more for the response.
I think my mistake the first time was when I had to stop hanging in December. I may have quit just when on the verge of gains. I do know that during that time I had a constant ache throughout the shaft. It wasn't painfull, just a feeling that lasted all day after hanging. Maybe just fatigue.
I think that during the break the thing got stronger. If I'm not mistaken I think you said you saw the first descent gains at 3-4 months.
I'm sure its not skin stretching as I can feel it at the base and in my lower abdomen.
I will keep adding weight as needed and hopefully will get to a broken down state and start lowering the weight as needed.
Thanks Again,
2smooth