Try This Kegel Exercise for Better Orgasms, Bladder Control, Premature Ejaculation, Tightening Vagina, and More
An 86-year-old lady walked in for one of our consultations. She had been struggling with a leaky bladder (urinary incontinence) where she would accidentally pass small amounts of urine/poop due to weak pelvic floor muscles. Assessing her case, our team found that her lifestyle was already on track. We recommended she start doing – Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle exercises. She religiously engaged in them for three months, and voila! Her urine incontinence problem has disappeared. She owes it to the kegel exercises. It is a good reminder of how resilient the human body is and how it is never too late to start.
You may have heard or read about kegel exercises online. For the longest time, people thought only women should do kegel exercises. But in our own experience consulting thousands of clients across the globe, we can tell you that it is equally crucial and beneficial for people of all genders and ages.
Back in the day, most cases of weak pelvic floor muscles were in people in their 60s and 70s. But today, we see those in their 50s, 40s, and even 30s struggling with this. These muscles get weaker with age. When left unmanaged, these can lead to urinary and bowel incontinence (accidental passing of urine & poop), pelvic organ prolapse (uterus sags towards the vagina), weakened bladder, uterus, bowel movement, and so on.
Can this be prevented or managed? Absolutely yes, with kegel exercises.
What are Kegel exercises?
These are exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. How does any muscle in your body get stronger? When you work it out. For instance, your heart is a muscle. When you work out, it pumps and ensures blood circulation efficiently. Your biceps, triceps, quads, glutes – these are all muscles that need to go against a certain amount of resistance to make them stronger. Similarly, you need to exercise or work out your pelvic floor muscles. Kegels help us do that. These involve voluntary “clenching and releasing” of the pelvic floor muscles to strengthen them.
Why should you do them?
- They take less than 3 minutes a day.
- These are easy to practice and are necessary. All you need is discipline and consistency.
What happens when you have weak pelvic floor muscles?
A lot can go wrong, especially as you age. As you get older, your pelvic floor muscles get weaker. These can lead to:
Urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence is a big problem among people. As we discussed, it is when you lose control of your bladder and tend to pass and leak urine when you’re standing, walking, sitting, or engaging in any activity without being unaware. It can be emotionally draining and embarrassing for many people. Many people get urine incontinence after undergoing surgeries in the pelvic region when their muscles get weak.
Some people experience pelvic organ prolapse. For instance, women may experience a uterus prolapse due to excess stress on the pelvic floor muscles. It can happen during childbirth or if you are obese or have a lot of stubborn lower abdominal fat. Because your pelvic floor muscles have to support that excess weight, your bladder and the muscles around it become weak over time. In a prolapse, you may find your bladder or uterus start to sag towards your vagina, creating complications like urinary or poop incontinence. You can prevent or manage this by strengthening your pelvic floor muscles with Kegels.
Kegels for better orgasms
The benefits of doing Kegels go beyond managing urinary incontinence. One of the advantages is better quality orgasms. I did not believe it until I started reading the science behind it. So many men today struggle with premature ejaculation. While this is multifactorial, doing kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles can help you reduce the instances of premature ejaculation. This, in turn, means you improve the quality of your orgasms. Studies suggest that Kegels can boost orgasms by strengthening your pelvic floor muscles in women, too.
Did you know overtraining can weaken your pelvic floor muscles?
Yes, your pelvic floor muscles can get weak if you exercise the wrong way or when you are not fit but try to overtrain. Your exercise program has to be holistic. Work on building strength, cardiovascular mobility, and flexibility, with sufficient rest as a priority. Your workout regimen is incomplete if it does not prioritize rest and recovery.
Most people get motivated to work out, but do not understand that they need to strengthen their bodies first. Many women, after childbirth, jump straight into intensive workouts to get back in shape. In the process, they end up with pelvic organ prolapse. You need to understand that you have just delivered a child. Get back to your workouts gently. Let your pelvic floor muscles get stronger first. There is a right time and place for everything.
If you are recovering from surgery and want to go back to your workouts, commendable. But do it patiently and slowly. Jumping back into intensive workouts when your pelvic floor muscles are not strengthened, will only cause harm in the long run.
Remember, Strong pelvic muscles = Stronger uterus, bladder, and bowels.
So, work out. But do it the right way. Do not overtrain or engage in exercises in the wrong form.
Try This Natural Way To Perform Kegels
Steps:
- Sit, stand or lie down comfortably.
- Close your eyes to recentre your focus.
- Pretend you are peeing.
- Now, pretend you are stopping to pee mid-way. You will contract certain muscles to do that. Those are your pelvic floor muscles.
- Continue to contract and relax multiple times.
- You can hold the contraction for 5-10 seconds (can be gradually increased to 20 seconds) and then relax.
- Repeat 5-6 times at least.
Disclaimer: Do not overdo it. Try consistency over intensity.
We know people who hold the contraction up to a minute and boast about it. There is no prize for doing that. Just 5-10 seconds and gradually building up to 6 counts of 20 seconds is enough.
When can you do this?
Anywhere. While you are stuck in traffic, on the train, on a flight, sitting in your office chair, or in the middle of a boring meeting, do your kegel exercises.
How would you know you are doing it right? Here is a self-check.
For women:
Carefully insert your finger into your vagina. Your vagina should tighten around your finger as you contract your muscle.
For men:
Carefully insert the tip of your finger (lubricated) into your anus. Your anus should tighten around your finger as you contract your muscle.
Who can do Kegels? Anyone. Do it specifically if you have:
- Urinary incontinence
- Too much belly fat
- Had childbirth
- Undergone surgery involving the prostate or pelvic region
- Prostate cancer or enlarged prostate
- Bulky uterus
- Uterus prolapse
- Weak orgasms
- Premature ejaculation
- Overtrain without proper guidance and form
- Heavy weight lifting
- Sedentary lifestyle
Kegels also enhance orgasms, tightens your vagina, and boost sexual arousal. Do it particularly if you carry too much abdominal fat, have undergone childbirth, or prostate surgery, lift heavy weights or live a sedentary lifestyle. And, if you have an elderly at home, teach them to do this too.
Who should be careful?
If you have a hernia or are recovering from hernia surgery, don’t do kegel exercises until you recover. You can do it very gently for three to four seconds but consult your doctor before attempting it.
Besides Kegels, there are 2 other ways to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
- Healthy, safe, respectful, and consensual sex: The pelvic floor muscles of men and women automatically contract during the climax. When a man ejaculates or a woman cums, these muscles contract automatically.
- Regular yoga practice: Yoga practices like root lock or Mula Bandha, and asanas like Malasana (Garland pose), Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose), and Setu Bandhasana (Bridge pose).
The bottom line
I want to encourage every one of you to try Kegels daily. Most of us sit for long hours at work without engaging the pelvic floor muscles which makes them weak. We need to be active and not sit in one place for too long. Whether you are in your 20s and 30s or 50s and 60s, it is never too late to start Kegel exercises. All you need is consistency and discipline. Listen to your body’s biofeedback, know when to stop, and not to push it more. Tell me how these worked for you.
ALSO WATCH: 3-Minutes Everyday For Stronger Orgasms, Reproductive Health, Bladder Control & More
Our You Care Wellness Program handles a wide range of conditions involving prostate cancer, prostate enlargement, low libido, erectile dysfunction, and urinary incontinence. We help you find a way.
📧 info@lukecoutinho.com
📞 18001020253
Set up a one-on-one consult with our Sexual Wellness Counselor here.
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Comment (1)
He is a great doctor and mentor.More grease to his elbows!