Those men who have heard of Kegel exercises probably heard about them from their wives as they rehabilitated their bladders and vaginas after childbirth. But both men and women have a pelvic floor, the network of muscles that support the pelvic organs. In young people these muscles are taut and strong, helping to hold pelvic organs in place, assisting in bladder control and sexual function. However, they weaken with age.
Just as you do sit-ups for your abs, planks for your core, and push-ups for your delts, you can strengthen your pelvic muscles with exercise. These exercises target the muscles that help control the flow of urine and the movement of the penis, and increase blood flow in the area.
These are some of the benefits of doing Kegel exercises.
- Improvement of erectile dysfunction (ED)
- improvement of premature ejaculation
- Improvement of erection firmness and erection angle
- Improvement of bladder control, to restore bladder control after prostate surgery. Bladder control can also be a problem of aging, this, too, can be improved by doing Kegel exercises.
- Improvement of gas control
- Decreasing prostatic pain secondary to an enlarged prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and for pain secondary to prostatic gland infection, prostatitis.
How does one do these exercises? Finding the right muscles is key. Identify them first by stopping and starting the flow of urine while urinating. Second, imagine you need to pass gas and contract the muscles you would use to avoid doing so. These are the muscles you need to exercise.
Be careful to isolate the right muscles, not those of the abdomen, thighs, or buttocks. You can check this by standing naked in front of a mirror and trying to lift your penis up and down with muscle contraction. Use only the pelvic floor muscles to do so.
Contract the muscles for 3-5 seconds and then relax. Do this in 3-5 sets of 10 repetitions at least three times a day. I have been doing them for years and I find them easiest to do while standing, for instance, while waiting in line in the grocery store or waiting for my turn to hit the golf ball. They can also be done while sitting or lying down, whatever and whenever works best for you.
Don’t expect results the first day, it can take 2 to 3 months to see improvement.
What is the take-home message? Make your pelvic floor muscle exercise part of your daily routine, you can do them anywhere, anytime and they are free. Be persistent and patient. Improve the quality of your erections, regain confidence in your urinary control.
References
Dorey, Grace, Speakman, Mark J, Feneley, Roger CC, Swinkles, Annette, Dunn, Christopher DR, Pelvic floor exercises for erectile dysfunction, BJU International 2005
Storey, Colleen, Kegel exerises for men, www.healthline.com
Vann, Madeline R MPH, Sexy men do Kegels, www.everydayhealth.com
Kegel exercises for men: understand the benefits, www.mayoclinic.org
