What's all the hype about jelqing, anyway? Exactly, what is jelqing? And, why are some men preoccupied with jelqing?

Jelqing is a technique that incorporates repetitive penis massage, referred to as male enhancement. This type of massage is supposed to increase the size of a man's penis. The origination of the word seems to be unclear, but since there's no “u” in the word jelqing, some suggest it originated from language in the Middle East. Males, in this part of the world, are taught to use the jelqing technique by their fathers. However, others suggest college students popularized the word as another slang word for 'jerk-off' or 'jack-off.' Wherever the word came from jelqing involves several penis enlargement exercises.

No devices or equipment, other than lubricant, is used when performing jelqing massage. All that is needed, are two hands, lubricant, and spare time. Many men report their size gains, with customized massage techniques, on several popular Internet blogs. Whether jelqing works or not, the low cost and self-pleasure could be why it's so popular in the U.S.

Jelqing massages are recommended to be done daily, for about 10 to 30 minutes. As with most exercises, the massage begins with a warm-up session, involving a warm bath or damp warm towel wrapped over/around the penis. After this warm-up technique, the massage method begins.

Jelqing is recommended to be done on a semi-erect penis, never on an erect penis. The hands are wrapped around a lubricated penis to prevent the blood from escaping from the penis chamber. The massage motion is similar to a milking action, with firm pressure applied along the shaft and moving towards the end of the penis. One hundred to two hundred massaging movements are recommended for an average workout.

This type of exercise is not effective on an erect penis, and renders the massaging useless and impossible. Ejaculation is not the point of these exercises, and if the urge to climax becomes strong, the male should take a break from the massaging technique. If any pain or discomfort is experienced, discontinue the jelqing massage.

Within a few months, the penis size is reported to increase in length and girth. Some claim it is possible to gain several inches in length by using this technique. There are many reports of successes and failures, but blatant hoaxes exist, and there are no scientific studies that verify jelqing massage techniques produce suggested results.

Perhaps the 'milking' routing, or jelqing, offer enjoyable feelings to a man, but there are risks involved. Some of the risks involved are bursting blood vessels and causing bleeding in the urethra, which can lead to an infection in the penis. And, there has been reports that jelqing massage techniques have caused temporary and permanent erectile dysfunction.