What Kegel Exercises Can Offer Men

Urinary incontinence is an uncomfortable problem for many older athletes and people from all backgrounds. Kegel exercises can help you take control.

Thousands of people struggle with urinary incontinence. Just like erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence is a common advanced age symptom in men. However, men can find a solution in Kegel exercises.

A healthy life means living comfortably in everyday life. But accidentally leaking urine, especially if you’re out or in a meeting, makes life uncomfortable. Weaker pelvic floor muscles can lead to these situations.

Also known as PC (pubococcygeus) muscle contraction exercises, Kegel exercises were specifically designed for women after labor and delivery. The exercises are named after the U.S. doctor who developed them in the 1940s, gynecologist Arnold Kegel.

Tangible results for men with Kegel exercises

People who exercise the muscles that lie below the uterus, bladder and large intestine enjoy positive results. The exercises don’t just help to control urine, but they also improve digestion.

Additionally, strengthening this area helps sexual function in men. It improves blood flow throughout the entire penis, which means a longer erection.

Kegel exercises have other benefits for men as well. They’re a top-recommendation for patients who’ve undergone surgery to remove their prostates.

Prostate operations are one of the methods for preventing or treating urinary incontinence. Some urologists even believe that starting Kegel routines six months before undergoing an operation can have big benefits.

Kegel exercises for men: step by step

The first step is identifying the correct muscles to work on. Finding them requires a little probe of the pelvic floor area while maintaining the legs, glutes, and abdomen completely relaxed in the process. The urinary sphincter, however, needs to be firm.

A common way to start is by abruptly stopping urination. Stop suddenly, without pushing other sphincters, just as you would hold in gas to prevent it from exiting the anus. Now that you’ve identified the muscles, you can continue onto the exercise with the following steps:

• Empty your bladder completely.
• Tighten all of your pelvic floor muscles for eight seconds. During this step, breathing correctly is crucial. People commonly think that when tightening muscles, they should stop breathing and exhaling oxygen. However, not breathing only keeps the abdominal from relaxing, among other things.
• Relax for 10 seconds and after, repeat the process again. Repeat 10 or 12 times.

Beginners should try doing the routine laying down on a comfortable surface with three-second cycles instead. After a few weeks of steady, disciplined practice, you’ll notice results.

Risks and precautions

Kegel exercises offer plenty of benefits. However, you shouldn’t do these exercises mid-urination. Studies have shown that in the long term, doing so could weaken the pelvic muscles dramatically, making the cure more harmful than the condition itself.

Another aspect to consider is that if you stop doing the exercises daily, there’s a high chance that urinary incontinence problems will reappear. As a result, most specialists urge that once you start Kegel exercises, you should practice them for life.

Always complete Kegel exercises under medical supervision

Any activity that impacts the body has a health risk. Whether it’s an activity that has great benefits or one that prevents avoidable complications, following the movements correctly is crucial. You should seek medical supervision from the start, where you identify which muscles to exercise.

Specialists will often explain procedures thoroughly. They aim to settle all questions and avoid confusion and possible complications.

Lastly, you can also try additional techniques, such as biofeedback. Biofeedback consists of regulating and training your bodily functions. It also consists of pinpointing spots with high tension that cause problems.