Does Kegel Exercises Even Help Sexually For Men?

We are sure you have probably heard about Kegel exercises here and there during the last couple of years as they have become more popular now. Everyone is always saying how great they are for women, all the benefits they carry for them, and such on, but they never actually acknowledge the fact that they are as beneficial for men as they are for women. Yes, that is right, Kegel exercises are amazing for men, too! 

Want to know more about how this practice can actually help my male friends out there in many many ways? Then keep reading and find out!

Kegel exercises or pubococcygeal muscle contraction exercises are practices and exercises that serve to strengthen the pelvic muscles. They are also recommended to avoid common disorders, such as urinary incontinence, and also to facilitate labor. In the sexual field, they are exercises that must be practiced to achieve greater sexual pleasure.

They receive this name in memory of Dr. Arnold Kegel, who developed them for his patients in the 1940s as a method of urinary incontinence control. His article was published in 1948, and since then, Kegel exercises have become a pretty trendy practice in women, and, hold up, men, too. Yes, you read right: men.
 

Do you think Kegel exercises are only for women? Think again.

The pelvic floor musculature is involved in a wide variety of pathologies such as erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, or defecatory dysfunctions, such as urgency and defecation incontinence and constipation.

Specifically, in men, the main indication for performing Kegel exercises is prevention and the treatment of urinary incontinence after prostate surgery (radical prostatectomy or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia surgery) and urethral surgery (urethral stricture).

However, and although less known, there are other indications for performing Kegel exercises in men such as:

   - Erectile dysfunction, cases of venous insufficiency as a cause of dysfunction.

   - Ejaculation disorders.

   - Defecation disorders (emptying dysfunction, urgency and fecal incontinence).

   - Rectal prolapse.

    - Pelvic pain.

So, if you have any of these problems, Kegel excersises will be extremely beneficial and sometimes even curative for you.

Also, through Kegel exercises for men you will:

• Know you more and better, which will help you get more out of your body

• Increase your physical and emotional well-being

• Improve your erections

• Control ejaculation

• Prevent prostatitis

If you perform the Kegel exercises correctly, you should feel how the entire area that corresponds to the urinary tract, that is, your urethra, as well as the anal area and its sphincter, experience a kind of closure and elevation, as if you wanted to take them to the inside of your body.

Try that these voluntary contractions of the pelvic floor do not imply a contraction of the buttocks or adductors: you have to be able to work the perineal muscles without “helping” those other nearby muscle groups.

Knowing and feeling your perineal muscles, and correctly performing the technique of voluntary contraction of your pelvic floor is essential to get the training program that I propose below to work.

If you have doubts about how to locate the muscles of your pelvic floor, or you are not sure if you are actually contracting the appropriate muscles, in this article, I explain how to do it.

Unless you work as a physical trainer or something similar, I bet you would not think of joining the gym and start training on your own without first receiving some recommendations or an exercise chart from the center's professionals.

The same goes for the musculature of your pelvic floor: to get good results in this training you are about to start, you need some simple (but necessary) guidelines.

Start by performing a number of repetitions with which you feel comfortable and can maintain the correct technique of voluntary pelvic floor contraction exercises.

Contract and elevate your pelvic floor muscles, focusing your attention on the urethra and anus.

Try to maintain that contraction and elevation of the pelvic floor for 8 seconds, while still breathing normally.

Relax and feel your muscles descend, returning to the relaxation position you had left.

Take a short break before contracting the muscles again for another 8 seconds. It is important to let the muscles relax between contractions so that they are more effective.

Do between 8 and 12 repetitions in a row (holding each of them for 8 seconds) to complete what we will call a series of Kegel exercises.

The initial training of your pelvic floor will consist of three daily Kegel series. That is the goal, are you ready?

Even if you have read and informed yourself about Kegel exercises, you might possibly still have some doubts about it. Here are some of the most common FAQs on Kegel exercises to help you understand this even more:

Remember that Kegel exercises have a lot to do with muscle-strengthening exercises in gym training programs (series, rest between sets, the importance of correctness in technique, etc.). Use your common sense and remember the basic principles of training when it comes to strengthening your pelvic floor. Do not forget that in this Kegel, the quality of the contractions is better than the quantity than the same. Come on ... "Better little but good, much but bad." It is useless to do 30 repetitions if the fourth contraction you are pulling buttocks or adductors. Start doing what you can but well done, little by little you will increase your capacity and you can perform more repetitions without losing correction in the technique.

When you start your training program it may be easier for you to contract your muscles while lying down, because the effect of gravity on your pelvic floor decreases. As you move forward you must change to other positions, such as sitting and standing, trying to achieve the same degree of control and strength that you achieved while lying down.

Do not be overwhelmed if at first, you are not able to maintain the contraction in time when performing Kegel exercises. You are not the only one. There is only one trick for this: Constancy and patience! Everything is a matter of practice.

If during the performance of Kegel exercises you feel that your muscles become fatigued, stop immediately. Rest, recover and, only then, resume the exercises. When the muscles are loaded or tired, it is useless to force the machine. In fact, this attitude can be harmful.

The intensity with which you contract your musculature should also gradually increase. That muscular contraction has to be stronger over time, as your muscles get stronger and stronger.

There are some exercises that can be included in many in the activities we do on a daily basis, and in that way, get more out of the day without necessarily having to hit the gym or take time to train. If you want to do this, always contract your pelvic floor before performing any action that involves an increase in abdominal pressure, such as coughing, sneezing or carrying any kind of weight.

If you are not sure that you are performing the exercises correctly, or simply do not notice any hint of improvement in your symptoms after three months of performing this Kegel exercise training program, visit your doctor or pelvic floor specialist.

Below is a video to help you kickstart your kegel practice! 

Now that you know how beneficial Kegel exercises are for men, too, you have got no excuse for not trying them out. It is actually quite amazing how these exercises will improve your sex life and many other things for better health overall. Learn about them, get trained or get a routine from an expert, practice them correctly and efficiently, and you will see all these benefits by yourself in no time! Now get up, get started, and feel better thanks to Kegel exercises.