Pelvic Floor Exercises for Men

The pelvic floor muscles are layers of muscle stretched like a hammock from the pubic bone at the front to the bottom of the backbone (coccyx). There are two openings through the pelvic floor - the anus (back passage) and the urethra (bladder outlet). The pelvic floor muscles support these two openings, but if they are weakened or not in good condition they cannot support the openings effectively. Pelvic floor muscle or Kegal exercises are done to help strengthen weak muscles around the bladder. When these muscles are weak, urine can leak from the bladder.

Like other muscles they can be damaged, a long history of constipation can weaken the pelvic floor muscles. They can also become weakened by surgery in the pelvic area.

How to do the exercises

Sit, stand, or lie in a comfortable position with your legs slightly apart.

First, identify the correct muscles. Tighten and pull up the muscle around the anus, as if you are trying to stop yourself from farting. You should be able to feel your anus being drawn up and into your body slightly. This is the back part of the pelvic floor.

Now imagine that you are about to urinate and then imagine yourself trying to stop the flow of urine. The muscles which you tighten when you are trying to stop urinating are the front parts of the pelvic floor muscles. You should be able to see your penis move slightly as you tense these muscles.

Slowly tighten and pull up the pelvic floor muscles, from the back towards the front, as hard as you can. This is a slow pull up. Hold the squeeze for as long as you can (up to 10 seconds) and then relax the muscles. Relax for 3 or 4 seconds before trying another pull-up. Start with doing these 5 times and increase the number gradually (up to 8-12 times).

Now pull up the muscles quickly and tightly, and then relax them immediately. These are fast pull-ups. Again, start with doing these 5 times and increase the number gradually (up to 10 times).

Each time you do a series of slow pull-ups, you might try to hold each pull-up for a little longer. And each time you do a series of fast pull-ups try to do more.

You should exercise your pelvic floor 3 times a day. Once you have identified the correct muscles and have mastered the exercises, you should be able to do them in any position without anyone noticing. You could try to get into the habit of doing the exercises every time you do something else that you do regularly for example; every time you clean your teeth or every time you work at the kitchen sink. However, especially when you first start to perform these exercises correctly, you will need to be able to concentrate fully on doing them so ideally try to set aside a quiet time to do them – they don’t take long!

How long to continue with the exercises

Like any group of muscles, it is in your own interest to keep them in good shape - so really everyone should be exercising their pelvic floor muscles from childhood through to old age.

If you already have some symptoms that might be caused by a weakened pelvic floor, do not be disappointed if you do not notice any improvement even after a month or two of exercising - it is a long process, which needs patience and some willpower. It may help to talk to a specialist continence adviser or a continence physiotherapist about the exercises to make sure you are doing them properly. They may also be able to suggest additional exercises, exercise devices or muscle stimulation which could speed up the process.

Tips:

Practice pelvic floor muscle exercises regularly to make the muscles stronger
Try and breathe naturally and avoid tightening your buttocks, leg and upper tummy muscles whilst you are doing your exercises.
Stop exercising if your muscles begin to ache- you have done enough. Take a break.
Don’t give up. Keep doing the exercises.

Precautions

Some people exercise more than they should, hoping that they will regain bladder control quicker. If you exercise too much or too soon, your bladder control may get worse for awhile. Start slowing and increase the amount of exercise slowly. Follow the guidelines that your health care team have given you.

Be sure to breathe during the exercises. Holding your breath may put extra pressure on your pelvic muscles.

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