Kegel exercises are designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Both women and men can benefit from doing Kegels regularly. In men, the exercises can help prevent urinary incontinence that develops after prostate surgery, according to the National Institutes of Health. Once the pelvic floor muscles are strengthened, men will have an easier time controlling their urine stream. The exercises are quite simple to perform and do not require any equipment.
Locate Pelvic Floor Muscles
The first step in performing Kegel exercises is isolating the pelvic floor muscles. An easy technique to identify these muscles is to attempt to stop your urine stream while urinating, according to the University of California Los Angeles Health System Urology Department. These muscles that you use to stop the urine stream are what you aim to be strengthening with Kegel exercises. Another way to find the pelvic floor muscles is by inserting a finger into your rectum and tightening the muscles around your finger.
Preparation
Prepare for performing Kegel exercises by first emptying your bladder, according to MayoClinic.com. Next, find a place where you will be able to either sit or lay down for a few minutes while you perform the exercises. One advantage of performing Kegels is that they can be done nearly anywhere where you can comfortably sit or lie down.
Performing Excercises
When you are ready to perform Kegels, start by sitting or laying down. Next, tighten and hold the pelvic muscles for 5 seconds and then completely relax the muscles. You can also do the exercises by squeezing the muscles in your rectum as though you are holding in a bowel movement. Each cycle of tightening and relaxing the muscles is one Kegel exercise. The UCLA Urology Department recommends performing between 10 and 20 Kegels three or four times a day. If you cannot perform 10 Kegels when you first start doing the exercises, do as many as you can and gradually increase it to a set of 20. It may take as long as three months to notice an improvement in controlling your urinary flow.
Tips
When performing Kegels, do not hold your breath and avoid squeezing the muscles in your stomach, thighs or butt, according to the National Institutes of Health. If you develop pain in the back or abdomen, you likely are not performing the exercises correctly. If you are having trouble, your urologist should be able to help you isolate the pelvic floor muscles.
