What Are They?

Kegel exercises, named after Dr. Arnold Kegel, help to strengthen the pelvic muscles. Often recommended for women, they are becoming increasing popular for men as well.

Why Should Men Care About Them?

Kegel exercises help to strengthen the muscles that support the bladder and urethra in men. Making these muscles stronger may help to increase bladder and bowel control. They can also be helpful after a prostatectomy or urinary diversion. In addition, these little exercises can help men achieve stronger erections and gain greater control over ejaculations.

What Causes Weak Pelvic Muscles?

There can be several causes including being overweight, normal aging, lack of exercise, strain on the bladder (hard coughing, sneezing and heavy lifting; straining at stool or urination), and prostate gland surgery.

How Are the Exercises Done?

First, identify the right muscles. You do not want to exercise your back, abdominal, or upper leg muscles. To identify the right muscles try the following: 1) While sitting on the toilet, try to stop the flow of urine. If you can do this, you've found the right muscles. Once you've found the right muscles, only do the Kegel exercises when you're not urinating (to prevent urinary tract infections). 2) Imagine that you're trying not to pass gas. You should feel a "pulling" sensation in your buttocks and rectum if you're using the right muscles. 3) Lie down and put one finger in your rectum. Imagine that you're trying to stop urine and BM from coming out while you tighten your muscles. The rectal muscle should tighten around your finger.

Now that you've identified the correct muscles to exercise, you're ready to get to work. Kegel exercises can be done anytime and anywhere. You want to start with an empty bladder, so take care of that first. Now, contract your pelvic floor muscles for 3 to 5 seconds; then, relax the muscles for 10 seconds. Do 10 repetitions one to three times a day. Don't be discouraged if you can only hold the contractions for a few seconds at a time, you're strength will build up. As the muscles get stronger, slowly increase the length of the contractions to a maximum of 10 seconds per contraction. For best results, do the exercises every day, but build up slowly to avoid over exercising and stressing the pelvic floor muscles, which can lead to muscle fatigue and an increased chance of incontinence. In can take from four to six weeks for you to begin to see results. In some cases, it can take three to six months to see a difference in bladder control.

How Can You Remember to Do Them?

The hardest part of adding any new exercise to your lifestyle is simply remembering to include the exercise in your daily routine. Here are some possible memory joggers to help you: 1) Try always doing the exercises at the same time each day--when you wake, after lunch, and before bedtime; 2) Keep a daily diary noting the date, time, length of contractions, and number of exercises; 3) Do Kegel exercises during each TV. ad you watch during the day; 4) Do your Kegel exercises while you ride the elevator each day--perhaps on the way down from your home in the morning and on the ride up in the evening (or the same at the office); 5) While driving, perform Kegels at the stop signs or stop lights; 6) Come up with your own unique system.

Final Reminder:

Kegel exercises can be very helpful for men as well as women, but it is important that they be done correctly and regularly to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.