What is Jelqing and Does It Really Work?

Since the beginning of time, men have been obsessed with the size of their manhood. It may seem arbitrary these days, but in reality, males are getting more and more insecure about the size they’re born with. We have advanced in technology to the point where there is very little mystery surrounding sex, or anything for that matter. We can download and ogle at whatever tickles our fancy at an instant. But what doesn’t change, from genre to genre, is that we think bigger always equates to better. That’s a staple in the sex performance industry we’re all familiar with. On top of that, there’s a very little reference for teens, outside of porn, during their crucial coming of age years. Unless you’re over fifty or grew up in a culture where group showers were normal, very rarely do young men in the Western World experience comfort while being around other naked people in the locker room. Aside from porn and joining sports, you don’t have much of a collective database for how you measure up against your peers. This, one can argue, has led to a class of dysmorphia among young males. And because the male species are hardwired to figure out how to fix the broken or uncomfortable, we set our sights once again on penis size.  

As a note: If you’re feeling a bit down about what you’ve got in your pants, know that the need for an 8+ inch cock is way overplayed. As a community, we constantly joke about size queens, the desire to get “stretched” and so on, but when it really comes down to it, what matters is how you use what you’ve got. An eager 6.5 inch beats out a lazy 8+ top any day of the week. But, if you’ve still got some doubt, or would like a little bit of a boost, there are some natural methods you can employ with a bit of patience and research. But first, let’s talk a bit more about the penis, what it does, and how it works.

Penis in Perspective

The penis: It’s quite the marvel of nature. When you think about it, a penis is made of flexible soft tissue that can increase in size, thickness, and rigidity. The phenomenon of the erection itself is impressive. Physiologically, it is due to hydrostatic action within a collagen bed that are arranged in a “crossed helices” pattern unique to mammals and, well, turtles. In layman’s terms, it’s a soft and pretty innocuous tube that rapidly becomes rigid, yet supple enough to not easily snap. That’s pretty amazing. Even with such complex action, it is simple enough to break down into parts. The penis has a root, body, and head. If you take a cross-section, you’ll see spongy tissue units called the corpus cavernosum, corpus spongiosum, arteries, and some veins. The mammalian penis serves the usual functions like copulation, urination, and general entertainment. But whatever the action, human competition tends to rear its head. We’ll do anything to maximize its potential by whatever means necessary. It just goes hand in hand with being a man and having a penis. So how does one maximize?

Penis Size Remedies and Fun 

There are thousands of gels, techniques, and devices, all advertised as “male enhancement” products. They all promise the miracle of post-puberty penis growth. Who wouldn’t want that? We’re not expecting to be the next Peter North by sunrise, but a few centimeters to impress our partners? What’s not to lose? Sexual wellness is an ever-evolving market filled with every possible product you can think of. There are articles and videos packed with information on some wild and playful toys like cool sleeves and textured goodies. But when it comes to penis enlargement, people have tried just about everything. Let’s take it further back to the sixteenth century, where men from the Topinama tribe of Brazil would allegedly let a poisonous snake bite their penis in hopes that the poison would make it bigger. Anecdotal evidence says it was a success, but the jury is still hung on as to whether it objectively worked. Let’s hope it did. That’s a heavy price to pay. In the field of Biology, there is a spider, also Brazilian, called the Wandering Spider (Phoneutria nigriventer). Its bite delivers a powerful toxin that is said to be the most excruciating out of all arachnids. It also makes your penis massively hard to the point where you pass out from the immeasurable pain. Doctors saw these men screaming in agony, praying to any and every deity to make it stop and thought: “Wow. We should study the erection thing.” This is a true story. The compound is dubbed “Tx2-6” and researchers are currently doing FDA approved clinical trials on the isolated spider protein because, well, priorities. 

But out of all of these, there has really only been one enhancement technique that is all-natural and, according to some, can actually increase the size of your penis. 

What is Jelqing?

Jelqing: it is apparently the only thing that makes your penis bigger naturally. Jelqing has come from relative obscurity to full-blown popularity. Once written in tidbits, stuck between the pages of seedy magazines, you can now read about it in feature articles on international platforms. The origins of this practice date back to ancient times. It’s essentially a means of stretching out the internal erectile tissues. Forms of it have always existed and still exist in tribes the world over. There’s Polynesian and Chinese penis stretching. There is an African Penis stretching. Even ancient European penis stretching. Basically, every culture has attempted to make their dick bigger by manually extending it until it can’t go any further, then pushing it a tiny bit more. But the way the practice is understood now has its origins in the Middle East. The technique is a bit different from other tribes in that there are no weights, or sticks, or other strange lengthening implements. These days, those would be a bit outlandish. Imagine going on a date and explaining to the person across the table how you strap sacks of coins to the head of your penis, adding a single doubloon every day until your little skipper hits land. Do not expect a second date. No, Jelqing is a form of massage that requires very little more than oil, good technique, and a bit of patience.

How to Jelq

Step 1 is to warm up. No, you don’t need to do a bunch of sit-ups. Just wrap a damp, warm towel around your penis to stimulate blood flow to the area and dilate the superficial capillaries a bit. Leave it one for five to ten minutes. That should have it ready for the primary technique.

Step 2 is to get to “half-mast,” or roughly fifty percent of an erection. You’re looking for enough blood flow where it’s almost at a full length, just without the rigidity of a full-blown erection. A good description is an “increased, yet passive flow.”

Step 3: Hold the base of your penis with one hand to hold back the scrotum and extra foreskin. Now, make an “OK” symbol with the other, wrapping your thumb and index finger, around it close to the base. Now, with your half-erect penis in hand, lightly squeeze and push the blood up to the head from the base in a slow, five to seven-second stroke. Watch the head of your penis expand and engorge with blood. It will be a bit uncomfortable, but it should not be painful. If it is painful, you’re most likely applying too much squeeze or too much force. Repeat this process for a prescribed fifty repetitions. You can go as much as you want, but fifty seems to be the anecdotal minimum effective dose.

Notes: Remember to be gentle. You don’t want to jam all that blood to the head quickly. Be as smooth and as careful as possible while still applying an adequate technique. You’re not going to achieve better results by being aggressive in this endeavor. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

How Does Jelqing Work?

Now, the one-million-dollar question is: “Does it work?” When reviewing such techniques, it is important to come in with some health questions. The practice has been known for centuries, and the internet is now crawling with examples. There are even explicit videos on YouTube, showing massive improvements in one’s length and girth. Of course, because we are well educated and conscientious sexual researchers, it is important to note that digital enhancement in this day and age is far beyond good. One can marvel at realistic Computer-Generated Images, mimicking facial expressions with ease. Faces are quite difficult to master. For an organ that has less intricate features, like a penis–which essentially looks like a meaty tube with a bowler hat, editing and enlarging can be done with relative ease. So, don’t be surprised if the video you saw online is fake. Another thing one must consider is if you need to be doing this technique, to begin with. For the relatively small population with Micropenis, techniques such as Jelqing will not work. The realistic amount of shaft one has to have to Jelq properly is usually within two standard deviations of the international average of about 12.5cm. That is still considered normal. So, one must first rid their minds of any real utilitarian necessity and accept that it is either ego or a partner that is less than understanding. 

How Quickly Does Jelqing Work?

So how long does one need to continue doing this in order to see results? Well, the positive effects are reported to have been noticeable in as soon as four months to seven months. Mind you, in all forms of manual body modification—be it through lifting weights to build muscle or dieting, this four-to-seven-month period is standard. So, it’s safe to say that the amount of patience and time needed is equivalent to that of any fitness routine out there. This is, after all, natural body modification and all physiological limits apply. 

Side Effects of Jelqing

Although there are many upsides and success stories, the internet is full of anecdotes and posts stating that Jelqing left one unable to maintain an erection or have one at all. There’s a common denominator to all the ancient penis stretching techniques: none of them mention erections at all. They all just sit, basking in the pride of having done something irreparable to a primary human organ. Just take a look at the supposed science behind it. They say that Jelqing can increase the penis’ capacity to hold blood. With a bit of knowledge in anatomy, one can find that the length and girth of one’s penis, as mentioned earlier, is set by a fixed soft tissue framework with two different erectile tissues inside. From there, central arteries diffuse blood into said erectile tissue and block the venous valves from returning the blood back into primary circulation. Taking away any one of those components poses a risk. The most common injury in jelqing is vascular damage. Without that, the whole purpose of Jelqing is rendered pointless. Also, one will not increase the erectile capabilities of the erectile tissue by “breaking up the caverns” as some self-proclaimed online gurus say. What you’re stretching is the vessels and nerves along with the fascial layer of the corpus cavernosum and corpus spinosum. There really isn’t much solid evidence to support the idea that expanding those structures will yield more blood volume.

Penis Size and Mental Health

When all is said and done, one should consider the psychological effects of having to change an organ that is, by most medical researchers, not meant to be changed. At the extreme ends, it falls under the aforementioned body dysmorphia category. It can never be too big. It can never be too girthy. At what point will an individual be satisfied? Would it not be healthier to achieve a level of acceptance and further accommodate a partner’s sexual needs through less permanent and more playful means? The shame and embarrassment of having a penis that isn’t the size of a professional pornstar are completely unnecessary and do more damage than good. There are so many toys and sleeves one can experiment with before attempting to alter themselves physically. 

So what does this all mean? Well, in the end, it really is up to you. There are so many factors that go into how you see yourself and your penis. It’s a great matter of acceptance and understanding outside of medically diagnosed genetic mishaps. The tried and true methods of natural sexual enhancement are often what help the rest of your body function better; i.e. diet, sleep, and regular exercise. Your penis is not somehow detached from yourself. Your body doesn’t treat it any differently than it does your liver or your big toe. It’s simply another part of you, with its own special tricks up its smegma-filled sleeve. How one views themselves projects confidence, the kind of confidence that is often attractive to other people. That’s what this is supposed to be about, right? After getting past ourselves, it’s about pleasure and having fun with who we want. Sleeves and toys can be just as exciting. Why not try something kinky? Why not open up some taboos and create a safeword? Do not buy into the negative self-talk. If you want to enhance your penis, nobody is going to stop you. Just be aware and remember why you’re doing it. But above all else, have fun.