Kegel exercises, named after the American gynecologist Arnold Kegel, are pelvic floor exercises. The practice comprises of repeatedly contracting and relaxing the muscles that are part of the pelvic floor, notably the pubococcygeus muscles (the so-called PC muscles).
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Although attributed to Mr. Kegel, pelvic floor muscles exercises are a very ancient practice, used in a variety of traditional medicine systems, such as those of China, India, and Thailand. The Chinese-Taoist equivalent for the Kegel exercise is the well-known Qigong Deer Exercise. In Thailand, pelvic floor exercises are part of Reusi Dat Ton self-stretching exercises. In India, a broad range of yoga poses engage the pelvic floor muscles.
Today in Asia, pelvic floor muscle training, massage, and exercises for men are still seen as crucial for longevity, prostate health, emotional health, and in general — for sexual health. In any case, Kegel exercises can be done as often as one likes, several times a day, for several minutes each session, but it may take a while before results are noticeable.
The goal of the exercises is to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which have several functions in our body. A healthy pelvic floor can prevent urinary and fecal incontinence (support for anal and bladder sphincters), treat or prevent vaginal and uterine prolapse, keep or realign internal organs, control male ejaculation, diminish pelvic pains or painful sexual intercourse, and promote prostate health (such as mitigating symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis in men), among other things.
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Kegel exercises are rather simple to master. The main action to perform is engaging the muscles that hold in urine and avoid defecation. The exercises can be done standing, sitting, or lying, in a variety of poses and positions. A test to see if you do them right is to try stop the flow of urine while peeing, which engages the pelvic floor muscles.
In fact, one tightens the muscles around the scrotum, perineum, and anus, hold those for a few seconds and then releases. Bringing in variety in the exercises is beneficial and can be done by changing the duration of holding (squeezing) the muscles, the number of repetitions, the speed of alternations, and the number of times per day one does the exercises.
To correctly perform Kegel exercises, it’s important to coordinate your breathing with the muscle contractions to avoid unnecessary abdominal pressure. It’s advised not to hold your breath when doing the contractions, because this pushes down on the pelvic floor and may lead to injury or even prolapse.
Here below an exercise example (in the lying position) of how to safely do Kegels:
- Lie on the floor on your back with knees bent (keep your feet on the floor). You can place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest to check on your breathing.
- Now, inhale by breathing in slowly through your nose. Your belly (check with your lower hand) should rise while your chest (check with your upper hand) stays more or less still. Relax your pelvic floor during this phase, that is, do not engage the muscles.
- Then exhale slowly and contract i.e., gently squeeze and lift your pelvic floor muscles.
- If you are doing a longer hold of the muscles (like 5–10 seconds), continue taking shallow breaths rather than holding your breath.
- After releasing the pelvic floor muscles, fully relax before starting the next cycle.
Important note: Eastern traditions like Hatha Yoga, Thai Yoga (Reusi Dat Ton), and Qigong often use techniques that intentionally pair contraction with inhalation or breath retention (holding the breath). That is, it’s the opposite way of doing pelvic floor exercises compared to Kegel exercises.
The reason of the difference lies in the goal: modern Kegel exercises focus on functional pelvic floor muscles tone and strength , while Eastern practices focus on managing internal pressure and distributing Life Force Energy (Prana, Lom Pran, or Qi).
Moreover, the way pelvic floor exercises are carried out in Eastern traditions is to rather lift the pelvic floor and not so much clenching or contracting it, hence preventing potentially harmful downwards pressure when doing the contractions on the inhale and/or with breath retention.
