Kegels Aren’t Just For Women—Guys Can Benefit From Them Too

The very mention of Kegels probably conjures up images of women clenching their nether regions in an effort to keep their lady bits tight. While the pelvic floor exercises are certainly useful for that, men should also be doing their Kegels regularly—yes, really. Here’s why they’re so good for male health.

  1. Your pelvic muscles keep everything in place. The pelvic floor muscles, which are found between the pelvic bones, have the important job of holding up the internal organs such as the bladder, intestines, and rectum—yikes. These muscles are therefore important in maintaining the overall health of organs, but they can also increase a man’s sexual health in various ways.
  2. Making the pelvic muscles stronger improves erections. By doing pelvic floor exercises, men can increase blood flow to the penis, making erections easier to achieve and feel stronger. Kegels are kind of like going to the gym—they’re a must to keep the muscles toned and improve circulation with regular exercise.
  3. Kegels can reverse or improve erectile dysfunction. It’s crazy to think that something as simple as Kegel exercises can have such a dramatic effect on ED but they really can. A study published in the BJU International journal found that 40% of men were able to eliminate their erectile dysfunction by doing Kegel exercises for six months. Approximately 35% of other men in the study experienced an improvement in their ED symptoms even though they still had the condition.
  4. They prevent premature ejaculation. When men do their Kegels, they can strengthen the muscles that control ejaculation during sex. This can make them last longer in the sack while also making sex more pleasurable for them AND you. In a study published in Therapeutic Advances in Urology, 82% of men who’d had premature ejaculation all their lives improved it after just three months of doing Kegels.
  5. They can be done during sex. When a man squeezes his pelvic floor muscles, it’s like he’s trying to hold in urine, but this exercise will also prevent ejaculation from occurring too quickly. Basically, this is perfect for him to do during sex if he feels like he’s going to come too soon. In this way, Kegels can improve sexual pleasure during the buildup to having an orgasm. After all, sexual pleasure isn’t just about climaxing!
  6. Doing Kegels is easy and doesn’t take much effort. How can your BF locate his pelvic floor muscles? When he goes to pee, he should try to stop the flow of his urine. Has he done it? Great, those are the muscles he needs to use to do his Kegels. Easy stuff. He can also tell he’s doing his Kegels correctly by looking at his penis—it should jump a bit when he contracts his muscles. Although the peeing test is good to help him learn how to locate his pelvic floor muscles, he shouldn’t regularly do his Kegels when he urinates as this can be harmful to the bladder, causing infections. He should contract his muscles at other times, preferably when his bladder’s empty, to keep them strong.
  7. There’s a right way to do them. You and your guy should do Kegels by contracting the pelvic floor muscles for five seconds, then relaxing them for five seconds. Start slowly and make sure that you’re not holding your breath—you don’t want to stress your body out. You should also make sure you’re not tensing up other muscles, such as in your abdomen or buttocks otherwise your hard work will be in vain. As you get used to doing Kegels, you can increase the amount of time in which you contract your pelvic floor muscles. Couples who Kegel together stay together!
  8. They make orgasms earth-shattering. If your partner wants to have better orgasms, he needs to do his Kegels. As men age, their ejaculation quantity can lessen and orgasms might not feel as earth-shattering as they used to. By strengthening the pelvic floor, Kegels can help to make ejaculation and orgasms much stronger.
  9. They can even create multiple orgasms. Who said men couldn’t experience multiple orgasms? If a man does Kegel exercises to contract the pelvic muscles during sex before he ejaculates, this can help to separate his orgasm from ejaculation, which means that he’ll experience multiple orgasms—basically first with an orgasm and then with ejaculation. Achieving this will take some practice but it can be done.
  10. They make the bladder stronger. When pelvic floor muscles become weaker, such as from age or health issues (prostate cancer or bladder problems, for example), they can lead to incontinence. Kegels are therefore important for greater bladder control.
  11. They keep the bowels healthier too. The pelvic floor muscles can also impact bowel health! If a guy’s had a lot of constipation in the past, this can weaken his pelvic floor. By doing Kegels, these simple exercises can repair damage and help him to have healthier, more controlled bowels while preventing embarrassing conditions such as anal leakage.
  12. There can still be too much of a good thing. Although Kegel exercises have many benefits, they shouldn’t be done too much. Instead of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, going OTT can actually weaken them. This weakening effect can lead to a less controlled bladder, so it’s best not to go overboard. A moderate exercise plan of 10 contractions done three times a day is enough.
Giulia Simolo is a writer from Johannesburg, South Africa with a degree in English Language and Literature. She has been working as a journalist for more than a decade, writing for sites including AskMen, Native Interiors, and Live Eco. You can find out more about her on Facebook and LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter @GiuliaSimolo.
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