Jarod Johansen's Ball Stretching Guide

The Use of Excessively Heavy Weights

[This section is taken from a series of posts by the author on Secret Leather's discussion forum.]

Over the past several years, the author has read about and seen pictures of men who have put their balls, sacks, and supportive ligatures under extreme stress by lifting heavy weights from their ball sacks. This includes weights as heavy as 10, 20, and even up to 120 pounds.

Some men take ball-stretching to the extreme with a zest for the unusual. There is a fundamental human condition that we all have, which involves taking risks and pushing limits to the end of the comfort spectrum. Skydiving, bungee jumping, wrestling with poisonous snakes, and hiking through uncharted rainforest with all its dangers are just a few examples. It gives an adrenalin rush and rewards the brain with a burst of norephinepherine, dopamine, and endorphins. The rushing flood of these released brain chemicals is at the root of what makes extreme sports and related activities so addictive for the participants.

The author has had several conversations with men in this category. After a discussion of their stretching history and progress over several years, a general trend seems to emerge. Those who hang such heavy weight from their balls tend to have less scrotal stretch/growth than those who have consistently used low weight exposure over a long period of time. Why?

There is a myth that the more weight the better. This isn't true. The reason is that very heavy weight overstretches the supportive ligatures of our delicate male equipment. Overstretching is dangerous because there is a high risk for micro-tears. When these small tears heal, it forms scar tissue. One property of scar tissue is that it does NOT stretch. Overexposure to high weight in which the body heals with scar tissue slows down scrotal and testicle hanging length/stretch/growth. The more scar tissue that is present, the more difficult it is to have progress because there is less and less "normal" tissue to stretch. One other clear and present danger is a sudden tearing of the abdominal wall, which creates an intensely painful hernia. Overcoming a hernia requires a lot of time, and the healing is always in the form of scar tissue. After a hernia, the abdominal wall is weaker increasing the chances of another hernia. This heightened risk for a second hernia in combination with the buildup of scar tissue makes any further progress in scrotal stretch/growth very difficult. Ball-stretching for these individuals may indeed become impossible.

Although there is benefit from higher stretching tensions that last very short durations of time, the chronic use of very heavy weight is counterproductive. Higher tensions should be limited to those generated through manual stretching as outlined in the stretching exercises in this article. Low weight tensions under 5 pounds can be used for 24/7/365 exposure for maximum benefit. Long term exposure to weight heavier than 5 pounds is somewhat questionable.

As the user advances through the graded levels in this guide and reaches their goal, weight levels of 32 to 40 ounces are adequate for use as a set of permanent weights. This is called the plateau stage of the stretching program. Additional weights can be added for temporary excitement, however through lots of information exchange with readers the author has come to the conclusion that the 32 - 40 ounce weight range is very comfortable and at two inches of weight thickness...less than the maximum of three inches of weights on the hang for continued comfortable wear. This makes the two inch length quite easy to wear anywhere anytime. Always remember that after a new user begins stretching, much lengthening and loosening of the scrotal sack takes place. This is the existing skin stretching out until it reaches it's maximum point. It is at this maximum stretching point, with continued weight/stretcher tension applied to the scrotal hang, than cellular multiplication kicks in, permanently growing more skin and connective tissues. The plateau stage will continue from this point forward in the stretching program, with gradual results noticed. Approximately one inch of new sack hang will develop every 10-14 months with continued use of this stretching program. Please read "I've Reached My Goal --- Now What?" chapter for further information regarding this stage of the program. If very heavy weights are used, even for a short time exposure, be aware of the dangers of this activity. Take care of your body, you only get one.

Related to the use of excessively heavy weights on the scrotal hang, there is also the issue of pushing too far too fast through the weight increases of the stretching program. The author realizes that this is never the user's own fault, but rather the result of excitement and an overwhelming enthusiasm for what the results of this stretching program can provide. Sometimes this excitement and enthusiasm for the results of the stretching program can cause new users to push through weight increases too fast. The author has had many communications with new users experiencing the same set of symptoms. These symptoms include an irritated reddish appearance to the scrotal skin, burning sensations under the weight-bearing lowest weights on the scrotal hang, and an outright vividly alive pain within the skin its self under the lowest weight-bearing collars on the scrotal hang. Sometimes the use of a moisture barrier bag and liberal use of shea lotion can help prolong wear of the weights a few hours, but the pain irritation and burning continue to plague the new user. Please note these symptoms are different than those of the skin allergy described in the "Preservation of Lotions and Butters" chapter.

If stretching pain symptoms are something new users begin to experience, consider the time intervals given for the scrotal sack to adjust to each new weight increase. If weight increases are added and maintained faster than this weight-guide schedule below, then more than likely the new user will experience these symptoms.

Weight Increase Guidelines for Users New to Weights:

1. One single 8 oz. WMC, worn initially 12 hours on and 12 hours off for the first week. Wear the weight 24/7 starting the second week of your stretching program. Continue wearing the single 8oz WMC for 8-12 weeks of exposure.
2. Add a second 8 oz. WMC with 8-12 hours on and a single 8 oz. WMC the remainder of the time for one week. After a week, continue at 24/7 wearing both WMC weights for a total of 16oz at 8-12 weeks of exposure.
3. Add a third 8 oz. WMC with 8-12 hours on and two 8 oz. WMCs the remainder of the time. After the second week, all three WMC weights may be worn for comfort and an extended wear time at 24 ounces of weight. Remember that a 30mm high WMC may be substituted for two 15mm high WMC weights.

As mentioned above, the "happy zone" of 32-40 ounces is perfect for the permanent set of weights worn by the user. Using the above weight increase timing guidelines, new users should have excellent results initiating their stretching program. The above guidelines are the result of two years of communication with hundreds of men beginning their stretching program. Since the author's personal experience began using leather stretchers, the transition to a heavier set of weights at faster time intervals was possible.

The guiding principle behind this weight increase timing suggestion is that it takes time for the scrotal sack to adjust to heavier weight levels. Scrotal skin (and all skin for that matter) can only stretch so far so fast. The pain and burning felt within the skin is the over-stretching of the tissues. This can result in micro-tears which heal as unstretchable scar tissue. New users should take caution that their enthusiasm not endanger their scrotal tissues through over-stretching and micro-tears. Always allow a week of transition time when adjusting to a new weight level in the permanent weights.

Sometimes, a new user will genetically have a larger and longer scrotal sack. This genetic head-start on this stretching program means that there is more room on the scrotal hang between the top of the testicles and the groin. In this case, it is very tempting and yet possible to skip the initial 15mm WMC weight and jump right over to the 30mm WMC weight.

The 30mm WMC weighs 16 ounces. An initial 16 ounce jolt to the scrotal hang at 24/7 exposure time right away is very tempting. However, after three to four days of 24/7 exposure for new users may result in one or more of the above uncomfortable skin symptoms. New users with room for a 30mm high WMC should begin their stretching program with 8-12 hours of exposure per day for the first week, and then gradually increase to 24/7 exposure over the next three weeks. This gives a gradual wear time that is gently increasing the first few weeks of the stretching program, and then 24/7 wear time should be possible while avoiding the uncomfortable over-stretching skin symptoms described in the above paragraphs.