How to Do Kegel Exercises: Boost Your Intimacy and Pelvic Health
How to Do Kegel Exercises correctly can make a significant difference in your pelvic health and overall well-being. These simple yet powerful exercises strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, helping with urinary and fecal incontinence while also enhancing your sex life.
The key to success is consistency—making Kegel exercises a daily habit ensures you start seeing results. By learning how to do Kegel exercises properly, you can improve bladder control, prevent pelvic organ prolapse, and even experience greater intimacy benefits.
Not sure where to start? Follow these easy steps on how to do Kegel exercises, and take control of your pelvic health today!
Part1 Preparing to Do Kegel Exercises
How to Do Kegel Exercises: Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor
Kegel exercises are a great way to improve pelvic floor strength, enhance bladder control, and even boost your sex life. If you’re wondering how to do Kegel exercises correctly, follow these simple steps to ensure you’re engaging the right muscles and performing them safely.
1. Find Your Pelvic Muscles
Before starting Kegel exercises, you need to locate your pelvic floor muscles. The easiest way to do this is by trying to stop your urine flow midstream. If you can do this, you’ve found the right muscles! However, don’t make this a regular part of your routine, as stopping urine midstream too often can weaken the muscles and affect bladder health.
👉 Tip: If you have any medical conditions, consult a doctor before beginning Kegel exercises.
2. Use a Finger Test If Needed
If you’re having trouble identifying the correct muscles, try inserting a clean finger into your vagina (for women) or rectum (for men). When you contract the pelvic floor muscles, you should feel a tightening sensation and a slight lift.
3. Check with a Hand Mirror
Still unsure if you’re engaging the right muscles? Use a hand mirror and observe the area between your vagina and anus (perineum). When you contract your pelvic floor muscles correctly, you should see this area lift slightly.
4. Empty Your Bladder First
Always perform Kegel exercises with an empty bladder to prevent discomfort and leakage. Doing them with a full bladder can cause unnecessary strain and even pain.
5. Focus on Only Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Avoid flexing other muscles like your thighs, buttocks, or abdomen. A good way to ensure you’re isolating the right muscles is by placing a hand on your belly—it should stay relaxed while you perform your Kegels.
👉 Tip: If your back or belly aches after doing Kegels, you may be using the wrong muscles.
6. Get into a Comfortable Position
You can perform Kegel exercises while sitting, lying down, or even standing. A comfortable position helps you focus on engaging the right muscles without unnecessary strain. If lying down, keep your knees bent and arms at your sides while keeping your back and tummy relaxed.
Start Your Kegel Routine Today!
Now that you know how to do Kegel exercises, making them a daily habit will help improve bladder control, prevent pelvic organ prolapse, and enhance intimacy.
➡️ Want a step-by-step guide with expert tips? Check out this detailed guide on Kegel exercises!
Part2 Doing Kegel Exercises
How to Do Kegel Exercises: Strengthen and Tone Your Pelvic Floor
Once you’ve located your pelvic floor muscles, the next step is to practice how to do Kegel exercises correctly. Follow this structured guide to build strength gradually and improve bladder control, pelvic health, and intimacy.
1. Squeeze Your Pelvic Floor Muscles for Five Seconds
When starting out, aim to contract your pelvic floor muscles for five seconds. This is an ideal duration to prevent overstraining. If five seconds feels too long, begin with just 2-3 seconds and gradually increase as your muscles strengthen.
2. Release Your Muscles for Ten Seconds
Always relax your pelvic floor muscles for ten seconds between contractions. This resting period is crucial for preventing fatigue and ensuring long-term muscle endurance. Count to ten before starting the next repetition.
3. Repeat the Exercise Ten Times
Performing ten repetitions of Kegel exercises completes one set. For beginners, follow this pattern:
- Squeeze for five seconds
- Relax for ten seconds
- Repeat ten times
You should aim to do 3-4 sets per day but avoid overdoing it, as excessive Kegels can lead to muscle strain.
4. Work Towards Holding Each Squeeze for Ten Seconds
As you build strength, gradually extend the contraction time to ten seconds. There’s no need to go beyond this—once you reach ten seconds per squeeze, maintain this duration while continuing your routine of one set of ten reps, 3-4 times daily.
5. Try Pull-in Kegels for Extra Strength
For an advanced variation, try pull-in Kegels. Imagine your pelvic floor muscles acting like a vacuum, pulling inward as if you’re sucking in water. Hold this position for five seconds, release, and rest for another five seconds before repeating. This technique adds an extra challenge and strengthens deep pelvic muscles.
Stay Consistent for Best Results!
Making Kegels part of your daily routine will help improve bladder control, pelvic strength, and even sexual function.
➡️ Want a step-by-step video guide? Check out this expert-approved Kegel routine!
Part3 Getting Results
How to Do Kegel Exercises: Make It a Daily Habit for Lasting Benefits
Performing Kegel exercises consistently is key to strengthening your pelvic floor and improving bladder control. Here’s how to incorporate them into your daily routine and achieve the best results.
1. Perform Kegel Exercises 3-4 Times a Day
To see noticeable improvements, aim to do Kegel exercises at least 3-4 times a day. Since each session is quick, you can easily fit them into your schedule. Try doing them in the morning, afternoon, and evening to build consistency.
👉 Tip: Treat Kegels like a daily habit—just like brushing your teeth—so they become second nature.
2. Fit Kegels into Your Busy Routine
One of the best things about Kegel exercises is that you can do them discreetly. Whether you’re sitting at your desk, watching TV, or even checking emails, you can engage your pelvic floor muscles without anyone knowing.
✅ Best times to do Kegels:
- While sitting at work
- During your commute
- While relaxing at home
🚨 Avoid overdoing it! Doing excessive Kegels can strain your muscles and lead to discomfort when urinating or having a bowel movement.
3. Be Patient—Expect Results in a Few Weeks or Months
Kegels aren’t an instant fix, but with consistency, you’ll notice benefits. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you may see improved bladder control within 3-6 weeks. However, for some, it may take a few months. Stay consistent and trust the process!
➡️ Learn more about the benefits of Kegel exercises here: Check out this guide.
4. Seek Help If You’re Unsure About Your Technique
If you’ve been doing Kegels for a while and don’t see results, consult your doctor. They can help you identify the correct muscles and ensure you’re performing the exercises correctly.
💡 Your doctor may suggest:
- Biofeedback training – A device that monitors muscle contractions to confirm if you’re doing Kegels correctly.
- Electrical stimulation – A small electric current that helps activate pelvic floor muscles, allowing you to learn how to contract them properly.
5. Keep Doing Kegels to Prevent Incontinence
Kegel exercises are a long-term commitment. Even after seeing results, stopping them could lead to weakened muscles and the return of incontinence issues. Keep them as part of your daily routine to maintain strength and control.
➡️ Want expert guidance? Get personalized Kegel training here!