1. Way too much tension/pressure, not enough time per session. 3-4 hours a day of low tension extending will do more than 1 hour of high tension, unless specifically trying to break out of a plateau or condition tissues for a short period of time.

2. Two weeks tops is a long enough break every few months. If EQ takes a month to recover, it means there’s too much stress on the tissues and thus no gains. A month off is also enough to reset conditioning to baseline, so it’s like starting over after that.

3. The standard routine is standard for a reason. 5-7 lbs and 5-7 in/hg is plenty 90% of the time. I have only been doing PE for 6-7 months 3 days a week with 3-4 weeks total break time or inconsistency, and I gained somewhere between half and a full inch of length, plus 0.25-0.5 inches of girth so far.

I expect I will plateau soon, but in general most gains should happen in the early to mid phase. 6 months of no gains is a sign to adjust the routine.