by Lorien Roux
Lifting weights in the gym can help you feel stronger and more confident; Kegel exercises have the similar effect, but the only difference is that they work the muscles that you cannot see.
Most people have heard about Kegel exercises for women, but for men? Research shows that doing these exercises can help to restore bladder control after a prostate surgery, and also improve erectile dysfunction.
What are Kegel Exercises?
Kegel exercises were created by Dr. Arnold Kegel in the 1940s and the main aim of these exercises was to help women control incontinence following childbirth.
These exercises target the muscles of the pelvic floor, and they are called pubococcygeus muscles. Men and women both have these muscles, which provide support to organs like the bowel, bladder and urethra.
As you age, your pelvic muscles start to lose strength and this can have an effect on bladder control and even sexual performance.
As they stretch with age, they might lose their efficiency. Just like you can exercise and strengthen your arm muscles, you can also strengthen your pelvic muscles. Since these muscles aren’t exercised during normal, everyday life, you need to make a focused effort.
Do Kegel Exercises Work?
New Zealand researchers found that pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) helped women with stress urinary incontinence, which is a condition that leads to urine leakage when laughing or coughing.
Another study found that women with pelvic organ prolapse, where pelvic muscles like the bladder can drop out of position, can be reduced with the help of PFMT. Again, the study found that women who do Keleg exercises significantly reduce the severity of their prolapse.
Kegels for Men
Several studies have indicated that kegels are helpful for men. In 2012, researchers found that a postoperative program including Kegel exercises improved men’s ability to recover bladder control after prostate surgery.
In another 2005 study, men suffering from erectile dysfunction had a better outcome by doing Kegel exercises, than those who didn’t. After 6 months of exercises on a regular basis, 40% of them had regained normal erectile function.
Finding your pelvic floor muscles is not always straightforward as most people are not sure what to look for. One way to find them is to stop urinating mid-stream. The muscles that it takes to hold the urine back are your PC muscles. These are also the same muscles that it takes to keep you from passing gas. Another tip for men: when you contract these muscles, your testicles will rise.
Do Kegel Exercises Improve Sexual Performance?
There have been numerous studies that have shown that stronger PC muscles will actually improve the intensity of an orgasm in women, but it still unclear whether or not men experience the same intensity. It is likely that they will also experience an increase in the intensity of their orgasms; however there are not enough research to support this fact at this time.
In 2006, a study was done to determine if men who suffered from chronic pelvic pain syndrome can find relief by doing Kegel exercises; the results show that they have experienced significant improvement in pelvic pain, urinary symptoms, erectile dysfunction, and libido after performing PFMT exercises.
This indicates that Kegel exercises are very beneficial for men and that it can relieve a the symptoms and intensity of a number of conditions and disorders.
Easy Kegel Exercises for Men
Once you have found your PC muscles, you need to practice flexing them. Simply imaging you are stopping the urine stream, hold it for 0 to 20 seconds, and release. This is the simplest exercise and you can repeat this multiple times during the day.
You can also try some variations, like squeezing the muscles further back, as if you were holding a bowel movement. Hold it for 5 to 20 seconds, release, and repeat. You can also contract and release the muscles quickly several times in succession, or very slowly. Be sure not to use other muscles, like your abs or buttocks, and don’t hold your breath. Keep the rest of your body relaxed and breathe.
The benefit of Kegel exercises is that you can do them anywhere, anytime, and they are very easy to do. You can get an improved urinary control, improved erectile dysfunction, and delayed ejaculation, which might just help to boost your sexual performance and confidence.
(Lorien Roux is an editor and copywriter for HealthLine.com, a popular resource that offers expert health advice from qualified professionals and experienced contributors. You can also find Lorien on Google+.)
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