Yes, Kegel exercises have always been catered towards women, but they aren't the only ones that can reap the benefits!
The gatekeeping ends today because these exercises will not only tighten up your pelvic floor but also help you with erections. Here's a detailed guide outlined to ease you into the exercises and help you understand what the hype is all about.
What Does Kegel Exercise Do For Men?
Benefits of Kegel Exercise For Men
How to do Kegel Exercises for Men
In 1948, Kegel exercises were first introduced by Arnold Kegel for the strengthening of pelvic floor muscles. Dr. Kegel's study showcased the exercise's potential in preventing cystocele, urinary stress incontinence and rectocele. (1)
These exercises were designed specifically to tighten up your pelvic floor muscles. A good control of these muscles will result in better bladder and bowel control and improvised erections.
In this exercise, the pelvic floor muscles, along with other tissues from the tailbone in the back to the pubic bone in the front are stretched. Including the muscles that support the bladder and bowel, urethra, and rectum, which allows the fascia to pass out of the body and the tissues of the pelvic floor.
There are several treatments available to manage pelvic floor weakness including medications and surgeries. However, Kegel exercises are among the most popular therapies because they can be incorporated into daily life, there are no side effects that are equal to that of medication and zero complications of surgery.
Erectile dysfunction is a common sexual disorder that causes sexual dysfunction that involves an alteration in any or all of these erectile responses including relational, organic, and psychological. (2)
Individuals suffering from erectile dysfunction will experience symptoms such as:
Problem with getting an erection
Hard time keeping an erection
Reduced sexual drive
Kegel exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that are responsible for increasing blood flow to the groin and are active during sexual intercourse.
At first, this may seem difficult but this exercise doesn't require you to cut some time off your day, you can do it while brushing your teeth or reading the morning newspaper. Kegel exercises are one of the best treatment options for erectile dysfunction as they can be incorporated into daily life.
For several men, Kegel exercises are combined with therapy, counseling and other treatments for managing erectile dysfunction.
A study was conducted with fifty-five men with erectile dysfunction between the ages of 22-78 years. One-half of the group was engaged in pelvic floor exercises along with lifestyle changes, while the others were solely advised on lifestyle changes. It was concluded that the pelvic floor muscle exercise group had proven to be an effective treatment for men with erectile dysfunction. (3)
The urine flow must be attempted to stop mid-flow, this will help in identifying the pelvic muscles. The location of these muscles is essential to the exercise, hence once established do not repeat this method as frequent attempts at stopping urination may lead to a UTI.
This can be mimicked by the method one normally uses to prevent themselves from passing gas or holding in a bowel movement. These muscles are the pelvic muscles, keep repeating the method of contracting and releasing of anus muscles to correctly establish the location. The sense of pulling or lifting in the anus is an indication the exercise has been performed correctly.
A mirror can be used as a visual guide to see the muscles by lifting the penis vertically and keeping the thigh, abdominal and buttock muscles still. Try to focus on the pelvic muscles by focusing in the mirror to ensure no other muscle is being used. If you notice through the mirror any of the other muscles start tightening, try again.