Does Jelqing Work?
A Rundown of the Efficacy and Risks of Jelqing
So, does jelqing work? Before we dive into this topic, let us burst your bubble. The efficacy of penis enlargement exercises is a highly controversial topic, and at the moment, there is no hard evidence one way or the other. So if you came here looking for a big, satisfying YES or NO, well, good luck with that.
The reason there is no solid evidence as of yet, is that there has yet to be any controlled studies on the topic (probably because scientists aren’t exactly lurching at the opportunity to be known as the guy that caused limp dick in 23 out of 30 subjects). And so, the debate that rages is not between scientists, it’s mostly between jelqing supporters, armed with anecdotal claims, and stories of alleged success, on the one hand, and on the other, Doctors and health professionals armed with stern warnings and evidence of injuries. |
We won’t pretend to have the answers that will settle this debate. What we will do is present you the best and worst case scenarios, based on testimonials, research, and advice from health professionals, so that you can make an informed decision as to whether pursuing PE is worth the risks.
The Theory Behind Jelqinq
The theory behind jelqing is that one can increase the volume capacity of the spongy tissues in the penis that fill with blood, by repeatedly engorging them to the point that they experience microscopic damage. Upon healing, the penis will then be able to accommodate more blood, and viola you’ll have bigger erections. So goes the theory. |
Often times, jelqing aficionados will compare the micro damage/repair process of penis enlargement to that of bodybuilding. Tear, repair, and grow! Same concept, right? Not quite.
The only thing relating penis enlargement routines to muscle building routines is a bad metaphor. What’s really going on during a jelq session is nothing like what happens during, say, a bicep curl, or a shoulder press.
There is a BIG difference between causing damage in a muscle by subjecting it to resistance, and causing damage in penile tissues by subjecting them to high pressure blood-ballooning to the point of “stretching” (or bursting in many cases).
Yes, this is as dangerous as it sounds.
The only thing relating penis enlargement routines to muscle building routines is a bad metaphor. What’s really going on during a jelq session is nothing like what happens during, say, a bicep curl, or a shoulder press.
There is a BIG difference between causing damage in a muscle by subjecting it to resistance, and causing damage in penile tissues by subjecting them to high pressure blood-ballooning to the point of “stretching” (or bursting in many cases).
Yes, this is as dangerous as it sounds.
The Dangers
The spongy tissues in the penis, though not controllable like a muscle, are very similar to muscle tissue. So in theory, if you could target them and cause micro damage, you could grow them like a muscle. But here’s the thing…
You CANNOT isolate them.
When you do a jelq, you are not only subject these tissues to high pressure, you are subject all of the veins and nerves in the penis to equal pressure. I say “equal” but the effects are most certainly not equal.
The spongy tissues in the penis, though not controllable like a muscle, are very similar to muscle tissue. So in theory, if you could target them and cause micro damage, you could grow them like a muscle. But here’s the thing…
You CANNOT isolate them.
When you do a jelq, you are not only subject these tissues to high pressure, you are subject all of the veins and nerves in the penis to equal pressure. I say “equal” but the effects are most certainly not equal.
Veins and nerves are significantly more fragile than tissue. That, and when you damage a nerve or vein, it is a very serious issue! Damaging a nerve often means loss of sensation, or even erectile dysfunction. Damaging a vein, can cause a thrombosed vein, blood clots, bruising, pain, and yes E.D.
These injuries do not heal easily, if at all. And if such injuries are not enough to scare you, there is also the risk of damaging the tissues of the penis itself, which can lead to disfigurations, bent-dick syndrome, painful injuries, and yes, impotence and/or E.D. |
These examples are not science fiction by the way. Here the a couple links to the injury sections of some popular penis enlargement forums. They’re true nightmare factories.
Thunder's Place Injury Forum
Matters of Size Injury Forum
Thunder's Place Injury Forum
Matters of Size Injury Forum
Yeah, Yeah, Thanks Mom. But DOES JELQING WORK??!
We truly hate to burst your bubble, but the jury is still out. What we can say is that there is no shortage of success stories in various penis enlargement forums. Here's the only "success" section we could find in the forums: PE Gym Success Forum These largely anonymous claims are really the only “evidence” there is in favor of penis enlargement exercises. Those who claimed to see results committed themselves to diligent training routines. And by diligent, we mean DILIGENT. |
The average program recommended for beginners takes no less than 30 minutes per day. Most of the advanced routines require 45 minutes to an hour per day. And the most optimistic estimates of gains were about 1 inch every 6-12 months!
Some claimed to grow a couple inches in 3-4 months, but even the staunchest PE supporters generally find such claims unrealistic.
Some claimed to grow a couple inches in 3-4 months, but even the staunchest PE supporters generally find such claims unrealistic.
The problem with this “evidence” should be obvious. None of it can be verified. Though not necessarily damning in itself, this should make one wonder: If penis enlargement really were possible, would its effectiveness really be such a mystery?
Isn’t it more likely that if penis enlargement were really as possible as building muscle, that every man would be doing it to some degree? Either casually just to keep his junk “fit,” or obsessively so as to become the Mr. Olympia of penis? To use PE proponents’ metaphor against them, think about bodybuilding. There is absolutely no debate about the effectiveness of resistance training. Even the most pedantic scientists and skiddish Doctors are faced with mountains of scientific and pragmatic evidence that resistance training is effective. To deny such evidence, would be to forfeit any credibility they have as health professionals. |
On the other hand, we have PE, which is largely condemned by medical professionals, and has yet to produce any evidence that can stand up to scrutiny. Its merit exists only in rumor and among obscure cults of desperate men in PE forums. In other words, if PE works like Regular-E, why is it no more popular than online poker? And why is it no more provable than chupacabra?
Conclusion
Given the very real dangers involved in jelqing and the lack of evidence that it is even effective, we stand firm in asserting that it is most definitely not worth the risks (or even the time for that matter).
And in fact, even if jelqing were proven to be effective, we would still recommend avoiding it, on account of the truly horrific things it can do to your dick. In our opinion, nothing is worth risking impotence, E.D., or even the occasional thrombosed vein.
That said, nobody here can claim to suffer from the feelings of inadequacy or insecurity that tend to accompany below-average size. We can imagine there are some men who are tormented by such feelings to the point of desperation, and for such men, the mere possibility of having a dick that is at least average may be worth some risk of personal injury.
We say this not to endorse penis exercises (we absolutely do not endorse them), we say this only to make it clear that we don’t judge such men.
So if you are considering adopting a PE routine, we advise you to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL. Do a lot of research. Read the horror stories. And always, always, always, be on the safe side. If you feel pain, loss of sensation, or notice anything out of the ordinary, stop immediately!
Remember, you only have one of these things. It doesn’t heal easily. And if you think being smaller than you want to be is bad, just imagine what it would be like to render your tool useless.
Food for thought.
Hope is not lost though! There are still ways to grow your little monster. Be sure to check out Caliber, our article on increasing penis size!
Given the very real dangers involved in jelqing and the lack of evidence that it is even effective, we stand firm in asserting that it is most definitely not worth the risks (or even the time for that matter).
And in fact, even if jelqing were proven to be effective, we would still recommend avoiding it, on account of the truly horrific things it can do to your dick. In our opinion, nothing is worth risking impotence, E.D., or even the occasional thrombosed vein.
That said, nobody here can claim to suffer from the feelings of inadequacy or insecurity that tend to accompany below-average size. We can imagine there are some men who are tormented by such feelings to the point of desperation, and for such men, the mere possibility of having a dick that is at least average may be worth some risk of personal injury.
We say this not to endorse penis exercises (we absolutely do not endorse them), we say this only to make it clear that we don’t judge such men.
So if you are considering adopting a PE routine, we advise you to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL. Do a lot of research. Read the horror stories. And always, always, always, be on the safe side. If you feel pain, loss of sensation, or notice anything out of the ordinary, stop immediately!
Remember, you only have one of these things. It doesn’t heal easily. And if you think being smaller than you want to be is bad, just imagine what it would be like to render your tool useless.
Food for thought.
Hope is not lost though! There are still ways to grow your little monster. Be sure to check out Caliber, our article on increasing penis size!