Health How Pelvic Floor Exercises Can Help Reduce Incontinence and Improve Sexual Performance in Men

Here’s how and why you should be including them into your workouts

By Mens Health

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Men’s Health

Edited for content. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the opinions of this site’s editors, staff or members.

Key takeaways:

Men often face incontinence as they get older

Maintaining pelvic floor fitness can help to alleviate incontinence and maintain/improve sexual performance

The Kegel Exercise is widely recommended for pelvic floor health

A common health issue that many men face as they get older is incontinence. Erectile dysfunction and low libido are also problems that come with ageing. Thankfully, there are specific exercises you can do to reduce the impact of these issues and stop them from occurring frequently.

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Joe Ward spoke about his health issues after emergency back surgery and surviving sepsis. Following the incident, Joe, at the age of 30, experienced double incontinence and was unable to function sexually. To further complicate things, he was told he would have to use a catheter for the rest of his life.

‘For six months, I had to use pads — like someone 50 years older than me — because I was having leakages and accidents,’ Ward told the paper. ‘It was tough, especially in social situations. And for a long time, I didn’t feel like a real man because I couldn’t function sexually, which was very upsetting.’

Despite the effect this was having on multiple areas of his life, he was shown some simple pelvic floor exercises to improve these issues, exercises which he believed made a significant improvement.

Pelvic floor exercises have been shown to support a range of health problems. According to research, pelvic floor exercises could benefit men who are effected by erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, urinary problems and those who would like additional help in the bedroom. Published by NeuroQuantology, the study showed that pelvic floor exercises effectively reduced urinary incontinence and improved erectile function in those recovering from prostate operation.

What Are the Pelvic Floor Muscles?

The pelvic floor muscles stretch from the tailbone to the pubic bone. They work as a supportive sling of muscles that support the bladder and bowel organs as well as assisting sexual function while protecting the organs.

According to the NHS, the pelvic floor muscles contract when you cough, sneeze or laugh; preventing leakage of urine. They are kept under slight tension so that when you pass urine or open your bowels the muscles should relax and then tighten afterwards. This prevents leakage and controls the passing of urine, bowel and gas motions.

What Are Pelvic Floor Exercises?

Pelvic floor exercises include engaging your pelvic floor muscles and squeezing them for a certain amount of time. This can also be referred to as a ‘kegel’ exercise. To do so:

  • Stand, sit or lie comfortably with your legs slightly apart.
  • Engage your pelvic floor by imagining you are trying to stop yourself from passing wind or passing urine.
  • Squeeze the muscles and hold before relaxing again.

Once you have mastered these steps, the NHS recommends you try to hold the contraction for as many seconds as possible up to 10 seconds. It then recommends to rest and then repeat the process 10 times. After this you can repeat quick contractions for 10 repetitions.

Being Prepared for PE

Being Prepared for PE

By HansTwilight

So, you’re ready to begin your PE journey, eh? Well, before you begin, there are a few important things you must know in order to do PE both safely and progressively. What are these things you might ask? Well to start, it is important to understand what goes on behind the penis; the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor muscles are the muscles located in between your genitals and rectum. They assist in both urination and defecation, and in sexual functioning as well.

According to continence.org, “In men, it is important for erectile function and ejaculation.”1 It should go without saying that the pelvic floor is one of the most important components in PE but on the same token, it is also the most neglected. Consequently, I will be discussing tips and tricks on both assessing the state of your pelvic floor and exercises for those muscles so you will know exactly how to do them properly and not injure yourself.

Not only will we be discussing the pelvic floor, but this article will also cover the mental aspects of PE, porn use and its potential effects on both the pelvic floor and one’s training, and some important pelvic floor “no-no’s” to avoid doing when training. If all that wasn’t enough, we also have a very special guest. Drum roll please… World renown AJ “Big Al” Alfaro will be here to assist us! Big Al has been involved in male enhancement since the 90s and has coached numerous men on achieving their goals. So enough of my bantering, let’s get started!

Pelvic Floor State

The first thing to be aware of is the current state of your pelvic floor. This is one of the most important elements because it is an indicator of whether you are ready for PE or not. Contrary to popular belief, pelvic floor issues doesn’t just mean weakness, and this platitude causes a lot of problems because most people don’t think to address the pelvic floor when young people have symptoms of a very common and possibly debilitating condition called pelvic floor hypertonia. “Hypertonic pelvic floor muscles are muscles that are too tight. Your pelvic floor muscles need to be able to contract in order to maintain continence and relax to allow for urination and bowel movements.

When these muscles are too tight and have too much tension (hypertonic), they may cause pelvic pain and discomfort.”2 More info can be found on this topic all across PEGym so I won’t go into too much detail but I will put links at the end of this article of all the information and solutions to this condition.

Obviously, one should not engage in PE with a pelvic floor in this state. Luckily if you have this, it will be pretty noticeable and there are definitely treatment protocols for it and the condition is perfectly treatable. However, it is always better to avoid getting into this situation because according to Big Al, “treating the pelvic floor is difficult because it is easy to engage the muscles in everyday activity.”

Common causes include over Kegeling and excessive heavy lifting such as weighted squats. Another contributor is excessive sitting and bad posture,” Positioning your body in poor posture, especially for prolonged periods of time can lead to a breadth of pelvic floor dysfunctions. This may include pain with sitting, coccydynia, low back pain, urinary frequency, incontinence, etc.”3

Mental State

Your mental state is going to be the next important area to assess. A lot of men begin PE because they feel that they can’t measure up and are therefore insecure and wanting confidence. Let me warn you, this is a kiss of death. I cannot recommend PE to anyone who intends to do it out of an insecurity as it usually doesn’t yield good outcomes.

Understand that the average penis size is 5.16 inches4 so chances are you fit right in that range. Porn (something we will discuss next) warps a man’s mind about his penis size and makes him believe that he needs to be big in order to satisfy a woman, which of course is largely untrue. Learning to be satisfied with your current size will always allow for a much smoother ride; failure to do so can result in overzealousness, causing injury.

Another element of confidence worth noting is what Big Al refers to as “Sexual Confidence”. This is that “you’re the man!” type of feeling that one needs in order to perform well in sexual encounters. If you lack this sexual confidence, it will have a profoundly negative result on the quality of your erections, or Erection Quality (EQ), and “good EQ is necessary for gains”, claims Big Al.

Aside from Sexual Confidence, lots of concentration and patience are required to do the exercises properly, being able to constantly gauge the amount of intensity one is using for their exercises such as manual exercises and pumping along with counting reps and sets. Motivation is also required to keep you consistent and on a final note, the pelvic floor plays a role in this area as well. Large amounts of stress and anxiety can cause tension in the pelvic floor muscles and even cause erection problems, making your PE journey much more difficult.5

Porn Use

Avoid porn. I will say it again, avoid porn. Porn is one of the most common addictions nowadays due to the boom of the internet, and it is actually one of the most common causes of erectile dysfunction in young men.

Yes, you heard that correct, porn lowers EQ which as mentioned previously, is necessary for gaining. This is due to the “desensitizing” effect porn has on our brains. When our brains are being trained to become aroused by a video/photo on a computer screen or magazine, our evolutionary drive a.k.a. that “excitement factor” deteriorates, making it difficult to be aroused by and get erections from a real woman in real life. Because porn gives us a false image of what is normal, it is also a common cause of performance anxiety (low sexual confidence). More information on this topic can be found in Big Al’s “The Detraining Effect” series.

Along with lowered EQ, porn (especially when used in excess) has the potential to affect the pelvic floor muscles as well. It has been noted that excessive masturbation/orgasm will overwork the muscles in the pelvic floor, potentially leading to hypertonia or an exacerbation of symptoms if the individual already has the condition.

An excerpt from A Headache in the Pelvis, “The fact that there has been a great rise in the availability of pornography on the internet may be a factor that has rarely been taken into account in the understanding and treatment of pelvic pain of certain individuals as compulsive masturbation can trigger what is commonly called prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome or pelvic floor dysfunction.”6

Pelvic Floor No No’s and Proper Technique

So now we’re going to get into to pelvic floor no no’s and proper technique. It cannot be stressed enough that technique can make or break you, literally. If you are using an improper technique when doing enlargement exercises, not only will it hinder gains, but it can also injure you, and Kegels are no different. According to Big Al, “Kegels appear to be the most abused male enhancement exercise.” This makes perfect sense, because not only are they extremely easy and convenient, but they also stimulate the prostate, making the pleasurable.

First things first, there are two big no no’s one should avoid when doing PE, and the first one is to involuntarily Kegel while doing exercises such as jelqing or even using devices. Once you start Kegeling while doing exercises, your pelvic floor will become trained to Kegel involuntarily and eventually may lead to pelvic floor hypertonia. There have even been cases where guys have developed hard flaccid from an extender only to find out their pelvic floor was hypertonic.

The next no no on the list is what I call “Kegeled stretching”. As the name suggests, it is when one holds a Kegel while they are stretching their penis. This puts an unreasonable amount of stress on the sensitive BC muscles in the pelvic floor, leading to a pull/strain. If this happens the pelvic floor can “Kegel lock” causing an extreme amount of tension in the pelvic floor muscles. This degree tension is so extreme that it puts pressure on the pudental nerve (pudental nerve entrapment)7, causing extreme pain, numbness, and even nerve damage making this is an extremely rare but serious injury.

How to Kegel Properly

Luckily, Big Al provides a fantastic Kegel routine for improving stamina. I will provide a link for it and I encourage everyone to do this routine. The reason it is so good is because it emphasizes the “less is more” concept commonly used in male enhancement. Doing tons and tons of kegels will just train the pelvic floor to be overactive, which is why the routine requires one to limit themselves to usually 50 Kegels, before starting over and increasing intensity (towel raises).

I always recommend doing your reverse kegels along with the Kegels, doing a single reverse Kegel for every single Kegel your do to maintain balance. Only use as much force as you need to complete the motion (don’t clench your muscles too hard) and finally, never do your kegels indiscriminately (outside of the routine).

Other must reads:

Works Cited

  1. https://www.continence.org.au/pages/how-do-pelvic-floor-muscles-help.html
  2. https://www.closingthegap.ca/guides/pelvic-floor-dysfunction-the-signs-symptoms-and-treatments/#hypertonic
  3. https://pelvicpainrehab.com/pelvic-floor-dysfunction/5420/posture-revisited-sitting-and-the-pelvic-floor/
  4. https://www.healthline.com/health/mens-health/average-penis-size
  5. https://continence.org.au/news.php/577/the-hypertonic-pelvic-floor
  6. https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/rebooting-porn-use-faqs/is-frequent-orgasm-related-to-my-chronic-pelvic-pain/
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudendal_nerve_entrapment