So, you want to know how to do Kegel exercises? These are simple squeeze-and-release movements. They work the muscles that support your bladder and bowels. Think of them as hidden muscles inside you. Pelvic floor exercises can help many people. Yes, anyone can do them. Women can do them. Men can do them too. They can help with many body functions. This guide will show you how. You can learn to do them right. You can make your pelvic floor stronger. This can help your body work better.
Image Source: my.clevelandclinic.org
Grasping the Pelvic Floor
What is the pelvic floor? It is like a hammock or a sling of muscles. These muscles sit at the bottom of your pelvis. They go from your tailbone to your pubic bone. They also stretch side to side. Think of the area you sit on. These muscles make up the floor of that area.
Why is this muscle group important? These muscles do many key jobs.
* They hold up your organs. This includes your bladder and your bowels. For women, they also hold up the uterus.
* They control your bladder. They help stop leaks. They help you hold your pee.
* They control your bowels. They help you hold your poop and gas.
* They play a part in sex. Strong muscles can make sex feel better.
When these muscles are weak, problems can happen. You might leak urine. This is called urinary incontinence. You might have trouble controlling gas. You might feel like your insides are dropping. This is called prolapse. Pelvic floor strengthening is key to avoid these problems.
Why Do Kegel Exercises?
Doing Kegels offers many good things. They are a key type of pelvic floor exercises.
Benefits for Everyone
Doing Kegel exercises can help your body in many ways. These are some big benefits of Kegels:
- Better bladder control. This is a major plus. You might not leak urine as much. This is especially true when you cough or sneeze. These are called stress leaks.
- Better bowel control. Kegels can help you hold in poop or gas. This means fewer accidents.
- Help for prolapse. If organs are starting to drop, strong muscles can help hold them up. Kegels can slow this down.
- Better sex life. For women, stronger muscles can mean more intense feelings. For men, they can help with erections and control during climax.
- Faster recovery after surgery. Especially after prostate surgery for men.
- Support during pregnancy and after birth. This is vital for women.
These simple squeezes can really make a difference. They work on the deep muscles. Muscles you don’t see. But they are very important for daily life.
Helping with Specific Issues
Many people start Kegels to fix a problem. Leaking pee is a common one. Urinary incontinence exercises often mean doing Kegels. By making the muscles stronger, you can close off the tube that carries urine. This stops leaks.
Pelvic floor strengthening helps in many cases.
* After giving birth.
* As you get older.
* If you are overweight.
* If you cough a lot (like with asthma or smoking).
* After some types of surgery.
For men, Kegels are often used after prostate surgery. This surgery can sometimes cause urine leaks. Kegels help regain control. For women, pregnancy and childbirth are huge reasons to do them. The muscles get stretched. Kegels help them bounce back. We will talk more about this later.
Finding Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Before you do Kegels, you must find the right muscles. This is a key step. If you squeeze the wrong muscles, Kegels will not help. How to find pelvic floor muscles is easier than you think.
Try these simple ways:
- Stop the flow: Next time you pee, try to stop the stream. The muscles you use to do this are your pelvic floor muscles. Feel them tighten? Those are the ones!
- Important note: Do not do this often! Only do this once or twice to find the muscles. Stopping the stream regularly can harm your bladder.
- Hold back gas: Pretend you are trying not to pass gas. You will feel a squeeze around your anus. These are also pelvic floor muscles. They work together with the front ones.
- Look in a mirror (for women): Sit with your legs apart. Use a mirror. Try to squeeze the muscles around your vagina. You might see the area lift slightly. That’s the right squeeze.
- Insert a finger (for women): Wash your hands. Lie down. Put a clean finger into your vagina. Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles. You should feel pressure on your finger. The muscles will tighten around it.
For men, finding the muscles is similar.
* Stop the flow: Same as for women. Try to stop peeing mid-stream.
* Hold back gas: Same as for women. Squeeze the muscles around your anus.
* Feel the base of the penis: When you squeeze the muscles, you might feel the base of your penis pull up slightly. Your testicles might also lift.
Once you find the muscles, relax. It’s good to know what the squeeze feels like. It’s also good to know what the relax feels like. The relax is just as important as the squeeze. Don’t hold your breath. Don’t tighten your stomach or your butt. Just squeeze those hidden muscles.
Mastering the Kegel Technique
Now you know what muscles to squeeze. Let’s learn the right way to do Kegel exercises. This is the basic Kegel technique.
Here are the simple steps:
- Empty your bladder: It’s best to do Kegels with an empty bladder. This makes them more comfortable.
- Find a comfortable spot: You can sit, lie down, or stand. Lying down might be easiest when you start.
- Squeeze the right muscles: Squeeze the muscles you found. Feel like you are lifting something inside you. Pull them up and in.
- Hold the squeeze: Hold the squeeze for a few seconds. Start with 2 or 3 seconds.
- Relax fully: Let the muscles go completely. Rest for the same amount of time you held the squeeze. For example, if you held for 3 seconds, rest for 3 seconds.
- Repeat: Do this squeeze and relax many times. This is one set of Kegels.
How many times should you repeat? How long should you hold?
- Start small: Hold for 2-3 seconds. Do 10 squeezes. Rest for 2-3 seconds between squeezes.
- Build up: Slowly increase the hold time. Work towards holding for 10 seconds.
- Increase repeats: Work towards doing 10 to 15 squeezes in a row.
- Do multiple sets: Aim for three sets of 10-15 squeezes each day.
So, a goal might be: Do 10-second holds, 15 times, 3 times a day. This takes practice! Don’t worry if you can’t do it perfectly at first. Just keep trying.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
It’s easy to do Kegels wrong. Watch out for these common errors:
- Squeezing the wrong muscles: Are you squeezing your stomach? Your butt? Your inner thighs? These are not the pelvic floor muscles. Only squeeze the pelvic floor.
- Holding your breath: You should breathe normally while doing Kegels. Don’t hold your breath.
- Pushing down: You should feel like you are lifting UP and IN, not pushing down. Pushing down can be bad for your pelvic floor.
- Doing too many, too fast: Start slow. Build up gradually. Don’t do hundreds at once. This can make the muscles tired or sore.
- Stopping the stream often: Remember, only stop the stream once or twice to find the muscles. Don’t do your daily Kegel sets while peeing.
Focus on the feeling of lifting and squeezing those inner muscles. Relax fully between each squeeze. This rest is important for the muscles to recover.
Kegels for Women’s Life Stages
Kegels are extra important for women during certain times of life. Pregnancy and the time after birth are key moments.
Kegels During Pregnancy
Pregnancy puts a lot of weight and pressure on the pelvic floor muscles. The growing baby pushes down. Hormones also make tissues more relaxed. This can weaken the pelvic floor.
Doing Kegel exercises during pregnancy helps in many ways:
- Support for the baby: Strong muscles help support the extra weight. This can ease back pain and pelvic pressure.
- Easier labor: Some studies suggest a stronger pelvic floor might help during the pushing phase of labor.
- Less chance of tearing: Strong, flexible muscles may be less likely to tear during birth.
- Faster recovery after birth: Muscles that are strong before birth tend to heal and regain strength more quickly afterward.
- Preventing leaks later: Starting Kegels in pregnancy can help prevent urine leaks that might happen years later.
It’s safe to do Kegels throughout pregnancy. Just listen to your body. As your belly grows, finding the muscles might feel different. Keep practicing the squeeze and lift.
Kegels After Giving Birth
Childbirth, whether vaginal or C-section, can strain the pelvic floor. Vaginal birth stretches the muscles a lot. C-section is surgery near these muscles. Both can lead to weakness.
Kegel exercises postpartum are a must for recovery.
- Help with healing: Gently squeezing helps blood flow to the area. This aids healing.
- Regain bladder control: Many women have urine leaks after birth. Kegels are the main way to fix this.
- Help with bowel control: Postpartum can sometimes cause issues with bowel control or gas. Kegels help here too.
- Support organs: Kegels help lift and support the organs that might have shifted or dropped a little during pregnancy and birth.
- Improve sex: As muscles heal and get stronger, sex can become comfortable and more enjoyable again.
When can you start Kegel exercises postpartum?
* You can often start gentle squeezes within a day or two after birth.
* Start very gently. Don’t hold for long. Do just a few light squeezes.
* Slowly build up over weeks. As pain goes away and you feel stronger, do more.
* If you had stitches or a lot of pain, talk to your doctor first.
* Don’t rush it. Your body needs time to heal.
Making Kegels a regular part of your day after having a baby is very important for long-term health.
Kegels for Men
Men have a pelvic floor too! It’s the same set of muscles. They sit in the same place. From the tailbone to the pubic bone. They support the bladder and bowels. They also wrap around the rectum and the base of the penis.
Kegel exercises for men offer distinct benefits:
- Fixing urine leaks: This is very common after prostate surgery. Removing the prostate can weaken the muscles that control urine flow. Kegels help men regain this control.
- Helping with bowel control: Just like in women, Kegels help men control gas and bowel movements.
- Improving erections: Stronger pelvic floor muscles can help men get and keep an erection. They play a role in blood flow.
- Better control during sex: Men may feel more control during ejaculation.
Finding the muscles for men:
* Use the “stop the stream” method.
* Use the “hold back gas” method.
* Feel the muscles just behind the testicles. When you squeeze, they should lift slightly.
* Feel the base of the penis. It might pull in a little.
The Kegel technique for men is the same as for women. Squeeze, hold, relax. Aim for 10-second holds, 10-15 times, 3 times a day.
Making Kegels a Habit
Doing Kegels every day is key. It’s like any other exercise. You need to do it often to see results. Making them a habit can be hard. But it’s worth it!
Tips for remembering:
- Link them to daily tasks: Do your Kegels while you brush your teeth. Or while you are stopped at a red light. Or while you are washing dishes.
- Set reminders: Use your phone. Set an alarm three times a day.
- Put notes up: Stick a note on your bathroom mirror or computer screen.
- Do them in batches: You don’t have to do all 15 squeezes at once. Do 5 now, 5 later, 5 later still. Or do 5 sets of 3.
- Use an app: There are phone apps just for Kegel exercises. They can guide you and track your progress.
You can do Kegels almost anywhere!
* Sitting at your desk.
* Standing in line.
* Lying in bed.
* Driving in your car.
* Watching TV.
No one knows you are doing them. So you can fit them into your day easily. The most important thing is to just start. And keep going. Even a few squeezes a day is better than none.
When to Seek Help
Kegels work for many people. But they don’t work for everyone. And sometimes, problems with the pelvic floor are more complex.
When should you get help?
- If Kegels don’t help your symptoms: You’ve been doing Kegels right for a few months. But you still have leaks. Or pain. Or other issues.
- If you aren’t sure you are doing them right: You’ve tried to find the muscles. But you can’t feel the squeeze. Or you feel other muscles working.
- If you have pain: You feel pain when you do Kegels. Or you have ongoing pelvic pain. Tight pelvic floor muscles can also cause problems. Sometimes, you need to learn to relax the muscles, not just squeeze them.
- Symptoms get worse: Your leaks are getting worse. Or you feel more pressure or dropping.
Who can help?
- Your doctor: Tell your doctor about your symptoms. They can check for other causes. They might send you to a specialist.
- A Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist: These are experts in the pelvic floor. They can check your muscles. They can tell you if you are squeezing correctly. They can give you exercises that are just right for you. This might include Kegels. It might also include other exercises. They can help if your muscles are too tight. They are the best resource for pelvic floor problems.
Don’t be shy about talking about pelvic floor issues. They are very common. Many people have them. Help is available! You don’t have to live with leaks or pain.
Kegel Routines: A Simple Guide
Let’s put the technique into a simple routine plan. Remember, start small and build up.
Beginner Routine
| Action | How Long | How Many Times | How Often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squeeze | 3 seconds | 10 times | 3 times a day |
| Rest | 3 seconds | 10 times | 3 times a day |
Focus on finding the right muscles. Focus on relaxing fully.
Building Strength Routine
| Action | How Long | How Many Times | How Often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squeeze | 5 seconds | 12 times | 3 times a day |
| Rest | 5 seconds | 12 times | 3 times a day |
Hold the squeeze a little longer. Do a few more repeats.
Advanced Routine
| Action | How Long | How Many Times | How Often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squeeze | 10 seconds | 15 times | 3 times a day |
| Rest | 10 seconds | 15 times | 3 times a day |
This is a strong goal to work towards.
Besides these longer holds, you can also do ‘quick flicks’. These are fast squeezes and fast relaxes. Do these 10-20 times. This helps with sudden pressure, like when you cough or sneeze. Add some quick flicks into your routine too.
Aim for consistency. Doing a little bit every day is better than doing a lot once a week.
FAQ: Questions About Kegels
Here are answers to common questions about pelvic floor exercises.
How long until I see results from Kegels?
It takes time! Like any muscle, it needs work. You might start to see small changes in 4 to 6 weeks. Full results can take 3 to 6 months or even longer. Be patient and keep practicing.
Can I do too many Kegels?
Yes. Doing too many can make the muscles tired. They might even get sore or tight. Stick to the recommended sets and repeats. Don’t push through pain. If you feel soreness, rest. Like any workout, muscles need time to recover.
Does it hurt to do Kegels?
No, Kegels should not hurt. If you feel pain, you might be squeezing the wrong muscles. Or your pelvic floor muscles might be too tight. This is called hypertonic pelvic floor. If you feel pain, stop. Talk to a doctor or a pelvic floor physical therapist. They can help you find out why it hurts.
Are Kegels the only type of pelvic floor exercise?
No, they are the most well-known. But there are other exercises. Some exercises help the pelvic floor work with other muscles. Like your core or your breathing muscles. A physical therapist can teach you these. But Kegels are a great start. They work for many people.
Can men get a tight pelvic floor too?
Yes, absolutely. Men can also have tight pelvic floor muscles. This can cause pain in the pelvis or during sex. It can also cause problems with peeing or having a bowel movement. Kegels might make this worse. If you have pain, see a doctor or physical therapist.
What if I forget to do my Kegels?
Don’t worry! Just start again. Do them as soon as you remember. The goal is consistency over time. Missing a session here or there is okay. Just try to get back on track.
Do Kegels help with back pain?
Sometimes. The pelvic floor muscles work with your deep core muscles. A weak pelvic floor can sometimes lead to poor core support. This can affect your back. Strengthening the pelvic floor can help improve overall core stability. This might ease some types of back pain.
Can Kegels help with leaking pee during exercise?
Yes, this is very common. It’s called stress incontinence. It happens when pressure on your belly pushes down on your bladder. Like during running, jumping, or lifting. Strong pelvic floor muscles help resist this pressure. They keep the bladder closed.
In Conclusion
Improving your pelvic floor health is important. Kegel exercises are a simple yet powerful way to do this. They can help with bladder control. They can help with bowel control. They can improve sex. They are key during and after pregnancy. They help men too, especially after prostate surgery.
Finding the right muscles is the first step. Squeeze, hold, relax. Make it a habit. Fit them into your day.
If you aren’t sure you are doing them right, or if you have pain or symptoms don’t get better, ask for help. A pelvic floor physical therapist is a great person to see.
Start today! Your pelvic floor will thank you. These small squeezes can lead to big improvements in your health and life quality. Keep practicing your pelvic floor exercises. Master the Kegel technique. Enjoy the benefits of Kegels. Get stronger, feel better.