If you are a man who suffers from poor sexual performance or urinary incontinence, you may have heard about an exercise called the kegel. A kegel helps to strengthen the pubococcygeus muscle, which helps support and control the bladder, prostate and bowel, explains Dr. Donald Rudick, a urologist at Elk Regional Health Center. The KegelPad may improve your results from performing kegels.
Performing Kegels
Kegel exercises involve contracting and relaxing your pubococcygeus, or PC muscle. Find this muscle by trying to stop your stream of urine the next time you use the toilet. If you stand while urinating, your penis will move slightly as you contract the muscle, according to the Ohio State University. Do not tighten any other muscle groups during the contractions; instead, try to keep your stomach, buttocks, and thighs relaxed while you breath naturally throughout the contraction. The first time you try this exercise, hold the contraction for two seconds. Relax and then repeat. Rudick suggests extending the contraction phase of the exercise until you can hold it for four seconds and practicing the exercise for five minutes twice a day.
KegelPad Usage
While sitting in a firm chair, place the KegelPad under your perineum -- the area of skin between your anus and your scrotum. Adjust your weight so that the KegelPad only places slight pressure on your perineum, the KegelPad website advises. Your scrotum should drape over the front of the curved top of the KegelPad. With your legs spread casually, begin performing kegel contractions. The KegelPad will provide you with just the right amount of resistance to optimize each repetition of the exercise.
Benefits
Kegel exercises provide many benefits for men. Kegels can result in a stronger erection, more control over the sexual response, more intense orgasms and more powerful ejaculation, explains the University of California, Santa Barbara's SexInfo Online. These exercises can also help improve prostate health and decrease your risk of urinary or bowel incontinence, Rudick says. The KegelPad can optimize your performance of kegel exercises.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage of kegels and the KegelPad revolves around the concept of overuse. When you overuse or overwork your PC muscle, you may experience decreased sexual control and an increased risk of incontinence, explains Rudick. Men often get carried away when first starting kegel exercises, even without resistance. Rudick warns that when you add the resistance of the KegelPad and have not previously strengthened your pelvic muscles, you increase your risk of overuse.
Considerations
Daily kegel exercise, with or without the KegalPad, may not produce noticeable results for four to six weeks, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Some men have to perform kegels twice a day for three months before they notice a major change in their sexual performance or incontinence, even when using a specialized device.
References
- Dr. Donald Rudick; Elk Regional Health Center; St. Marys, Pennsylvania
- Ohio State University: Kegel or Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises for Men
- KegelPad: KegelPad Instructions
- SexInfo Online: Kegel Exercises
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Kegel Exercises
