Kegel Exercises for Men
Although Kegel exercises for men aren’t as well known as those for pregnant women, anyone can do them. Kegel exercises for men are no different from those for women and offer the same types of benefits.
Kegel exercises are used to strengthen the pelvic floor. This can help prevent bladder or bowel incontinence. Also, in cases where the problem already exists, to try to relieve it or at least stop its development. In addition, they can improve a person’s sex life.
Benefits of Kegel exercises for men
Kegel exercises are very beneficial for men. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles has several benefits. On the one hand, it tones the pelvic floor muscles, which helps prevent or improve urinary incontinence.
They can be especially helpful for men before and after surgical prostate removal. Also, in case of diabetes and overactive bladder. In these situations, the pelvic floor muscles are weak. Thus, everything you do to strengthen them will be very beneficial.
On the other hand, Kegel exercises intervene in the muscles involved in sexual intercourse. In the case of men, they can help treat erectile dysfunction and prevent premature ejaculation. Also, they can intensify orgasms.
You may also be interested in this: Kegel Exercises to Tone Pelvic Muscles and Increase Sexual Pleasure
How to identify the pelvic floor muscles?
It’s essential to first identify the pelvic floor muscles to be able to do Kegel exercises correctly. This is very simple. You simply have to stop the flow of urine and tighten the muscles that you use to prevent passing gas.
With this simple exercise, you’ll be able to detect the body parts that are involved. In addition, if you notice that you can barely stop the flow of urine when you do so, you’ll also become aware of your need to exercise this area.
Once you identify the pelvic floor muscles, you can do the exercises in any position. However, it’s easiest to do them lying down.
How to do Kegel exercises
Kegel exercises are very easy to do. In fact, you don’t need any type of equipment or machine to do them. Several short sessions a day yield great results.
Once a man has located his pelvic floor muscles, he has to squeeze (imitating what he’d have to do to contain urine and gases) for a few seconds (up to five) and then relax. That’s a Kegel exercise. It’s best to do between 10 and 20 reps up to three or four times a day.
In addition, it’s important to breathe normally while you do them and avoid holding your breath. Also, it’s essential to squeeze hard, imagining that your muscle elevates. Avoid moving the muscles of the buttocks, thighs, or abdomen.
Read on to learn more: The Male Pelvic Floor
Can this practice improve your sex life?
One of the great benefits of Kegel exercises is that they can significantly improve both men and women’s sex lives. Likewise, they may prove helpful for certain male sexual dysfunction problems.
In this regard, a study suggests that Kegel exercises for men improve erectile function, ejaculation control, and orgasm intensity. In this particular study, men with chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome (also known as chronic non-bacterial prostatitis) benefited the most from them.
Medical professionals agree on recommending Kegel exercises for men with erectile dysfunction problems. The reason is that they strengthen the bulbospongiosus muscle, which allows the penis to fill with blood during an erection, pump during ejaculation, and empty the urethra after urination.
You must do them regularly
Whether as a preventive measure or remedy, Kegel exercises benefit men who do them regularly. Given how easy they are to do and how little time they take, the effort is worth it.
In fact, you can do them alongside any other established routine (such as brushing your teeth). Thus, they don’t only help to improve sphincter control but also to reduce erectile function and prevent premature ejaculation. These are three common problems in men in old age.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Staff, M. C. (2012). Kegel exercises for men: Understand the benefits – Mayo Clinic. Disponible en: http://www.mayoclinic.org/kegel-exercises-for-men/ART-20045074?p=1
- Uravylioglu A, Kutlutürkan S, Kılıç D. Effect of Kegel exercises on prevention of urinary and fecal incontinence in patients with prostate cancer undergoing radiotherapy. Annals of Oncology. 2019 ;30:v838. Disponible en: https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(19)60242-5/pdf
- Bridgeman, Bruce, and Steven G. Roberts. “The 4-3-2 method for Kegel exercises.” American journal of men’s health 4.1 (2010): 75-76.
- Ferreira, C.H.J., Dwyer, P.L., Davidson, M. et al. Does pelvic floor muscle training improve female sexual function? A systematic review. Int Urogynecol J 26, 1735–1750 (2015). Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-015-2749-y
- Sharif H, Puppo V, El Fekih M. Importance of Kegel Exercises for Male and Female Sexuality and Prevention of Vaginismus. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2017;14(5):e340. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.04.604
- Cohen D, Gonzalez J, Goldstein I. The Role of Pelvic Floor Muscles in Male Sexual Dysfunction and Pelvic Pain. Sexual Medicine Reviews. 2016;4(1):53-62. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sxmr.2015.10.001
- Kegel Exercises for Men: What are Kegel Exercises? Kegel FAQs| UCLA Urology. Uclahealth.org. 2020. Disponible en: https://www.uclahealth.org/urology/prostate-cancer/kegel-exercises-for-men
- Nazarpour, Soheila, et al. “Effects of sex education and Kegel exercises on the sexual function of postmenopausal women: a randomized clinical trial.” The journal of sexual medicine 14.7 (2017): 959-967.
