An Overview Kegel Exercises for Men
For stress incontinence, a doctor may recommend
Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles below the bladder (pelvic floor muscles) that hold in urine. These Kegel exercises for men involve repeatedly tightening, holding, and then relaxing the pelvic floor muscles.
Finding the Right Muscles
The first step in Kegel exercises for men is to find the right muscles. Imagine that you are trying to stop yourself from passing gas. Squeeze the muscles you would use. If you sense a pulling feeling, those are the right muscles for pelvic exercises.
It is important not to squeeze other muscles at the same time, and not to hold your breath. Also, be careful not to tighten your stomach, leg, or buttock muscles. Squeezing the wrong muscles can put more pressure on your bladder control muscles. Squeeze just the pelvic muscles.
Repeat the Kegel exercise, but do not overdo it. Pull in the pelvic muscles and hold for a count of 3, then relax for a count of 3. Work up to 3 sets of 10 repeats. Start doing your pelvic muscle exercises lying down. This is the easiest, because the muscles then do not need to work against gravity. When your muscles get stronger, do your exercises sitting, or standing. Working against gravity is like adding more weight.
Be patient. Do not give up. It takes just 5 minutes, three times a day. Your bladder control may not improve for 3 to 6 weeks, although most people notice an improvement after a few weeks.
