Kegel exercises: 4 extremely important things to know

Kegel exercise is no stranger to most women because its effect in improving sex life has been recognized by many women.

Let’s learn about famous Kegel exercises for women with Hello Bacsi to improve health and improve the quality of sex life!

1. What are Kegel exercises?

Kegel exercises were originally described by Arnold Kegel Henry, an American gynecologist in 1948. It is an exercise that strengthens the pelvic floor muscles and supports the sexual organs. The pelvis is the part of the body that consists of the hip bones. The pelvic floor muscles are located at the bottom of this part, between the legs, located in the lumbar region.

• If you have difficulty controlling your bowel movements or have an upset stomach , you should learn more about Kegel exercises. Besides the female practices, male kegel exercises are also good for health and also in sex if you practice regularly.

>> Read more: 5 pelvic floor muscle exercises to increase sexual health that women should practice

2. Why should you do Kegel exercises?

Kegel exercises are not just for women, this pelvic floor exercise has many benefits for men as well. The benefits that the kegel method brings will be the reason you should give it a try!

Benefits of Kegel exercises for women

Kegel exercises for women help shrink the vagina.

The pelvic floor muscles play an important role in supporting the bladder, urethra, and intestines. After pregnancy, childbirth, or surgery, pelvic floor muscles can weaken or widen. In addition, this muscle area can also be affected by aging and obesity.

• Therefore, doing Kegel exercises for women is necessary to help women’s vaginal muscles regain their firmness and strength quickly. Especially Kegel exercises for pregnant women after giving birth.

Help women better control their urinary and intestinal tract

Many women have trouble with urine discharge during sex. Just a few minutes of doing kegel exercises every day will help you improve urinary incontinence (incontinence), or loss of bowel control (fecal incontinence).

• This exercise has been confirmed to have positive effects for: Postpartum women; Women who have had sex; People with urinary or intestinal diseases.

Benefits of Kegel exercises for men

Kegel exercises are popular with women because of its benefits. However, not only that, the benefits Kegel brings to men are not small.

You may be wondering what causes weak pelvic muscles in men? These reasons include: Surgery for prostate cancer; Lifting heavy objects; Constipation; Bladder and bowel problems. Due to weak pelvic floor muscles, men often experience urinary incontinence. However, Kegel exercises for men can help men regain bladder control.

3. Detailed instructions to do Kegel exercises properly

Here is a guide to doing kegel exercises correctly for both men and women.

3.1 Instructions for doing Kegel exercises for women properly

How to identify pelvic floor muscles when doing kegels? To have an effective Kegel exercise, you first need to locate your pelvic floor muscles. Try stopping while you are urinating, the flow of urine is stopped because the pelvic floor muscles will tighten.

The correct female Kegel position is: Tighten your pelvic floor muscles and hold for at least 10 seconds. Then you should repeat this movement 4-5 times in a row.

Once you know the feeling of movement, do Kegel exercises 3 times a day. Here is the correct Kegel pose:

• Make sure your bladder is empty, then sit or lie down.
• Squeeze the pelvic floor muscles. Hold tight and count for 3 to 5 seconds.
• Relax the muscles and count for 3 to 5 seconds.
• Repeat 10 times, 3 times per day (morning, afternoon, evening).

Remember to breathe deeply and relax your body as you do these kegel exercises. Make sure you don’t squeeze your abs, thighs, glutes, or chest muscles.

You can do Kegel exercises anytime and anywhere. It’s best to start out when you’re lying down. In case you are familiar with Kegel, you can do Kegel exercises almost anytime and anywhere, such as at your desk, eating with friends, watching movies…

For example, as a beginner, you can do Kegel exercises for women 2 times, each time you will do 2 sets (with 3 reps/set). Each time you do, you will hold the movement for 3 seconds, and rest for 3 seconds.

Over time, slowly increase this number day by day. You can increase the hold-rest time by 5 seconds. You can also increase the frequency of exercises in each set to 6 times in a row. Finally, increase the number of times you do these exercises from 2 times a day to 3 times a day.

>> Suggestions for you: Notes when doing Kegels to shrink the vagina

Instructions on how to do Kegel exercises properly for men

To do Kegel exercises for men, you first need to locate the pelvic floor muscles with the same procedure as women do above, by stopping while urinating. Alternatively, you can also use another way. Imagine you’re stopping farting without tightening your stomach or butt.

• Once you have located the pelvic floor muscles, you need to perform the same movements as mentioned. Tighten the muscles for 10 seconds and then release them. You should repeat this movement 4-5 times/set, and practice 3 times/day.

Kegel exercises for men will help men get rid of fecal incontinence or urinary incontinence. You can dig deeper into the Unexpected Benefits of Kegel Exercises for Men .

4. Important notes when performing Kegel exercises

Tips for doing kegel exercises

• Accurately identify your pelvic floor muscles .

These muscles control the flow of urine, so you can identify them by trying to block the flow of urine. If you succeed, the muscles you just used to perform the above action are the same muscles that the Kegel exercise targets. However, do not do this action often as it will increase the risk of urinary tract infections.

• Before exercising, you need to go to the bathroom to make sure your bladder is completely empty.

Next, lie on your back on the bed or on the floor. You can use a yoga mat to make lying down more comfortable. This is very important. When your bladder is full or empty, you will feel pain during Kegel exercises and may even leak urine.

• Pay attention to your breathing.

The regulation of breathing during exercise to be able to squeeze the pelvic muscles as much as possible. Holding your breath will increase pressure in your abdomen, making you think you are doing the right movement.

You should not hold your breath during the exercise. Instead, breathe freely and comfortably.

• Include exercises to increase muscle strength

For women, you should add vaginal weightlifting exercises to improve the quality of the exercises and the results achieved. For men, you can incorporate strength training exercises.

However, overtraining is a mistake. Maintain a moderate and gentle exercise frequency. For maximum performance, you should increase the intensity gradually.

>> Read more: Suggest 4 simple and effective kegel exercises to tighten the private area for you

How long does it take to do Kegel exercises?

If you are impatient to know how long Kegel exercises are effective? How long does it take to do Kegel exercises for men and women?

• You need to understand, Kegel does not bring instant results. Exercise will take weeks or months for you to feel the difference. And it will only work when you maintain the motivation to exercise regularly every day as a habit.

You will see results from Kegel exercises after 4-6 weeks of training. However, there are also some cases where it takes about 5-6 months to achieve the desired effect. So, if you don’t see any changes in your muscles, don’t be discouraged. Be patient and practice according to your plan.

How intense is Kegel exercise?

Do them at least 3 times a day, with 4-5 sets each. You can start with a 10-second timeline for tightening your pelvic floor muscles. Then add 1 second per week to improve the effectiveness of the workout.

• Also try combining it with other strengthening exercises. You should also work out at different times of the day and make sure your muscles relax between exercises.

You should consult your doctor about any concerns about your pelvic muscles or pelvic muscle function. If you don’t see improvement within a month of training, you may have misidentified the muscle group. Consult a specialist for instructions on how to do Kegel exercises correctly!

5. When do you need help?

In case you have difficulty with Kegel exercises, consult your doctor. They can help you find the cause and guide you in identifying the right pelvic floor muscles. Experts will also guide you to perform Kegel exercises correctly.

If necessary, a cervical cap may be recommended. You can also ask your doctor about biofeedback therapy. During this procedure, your doctor inserts a pressure sensor into your vagina or rectum. When you relax or contract the pelvic floor muscles, this sensor will record and display the activity of the muscles.

Conclude

You don’t need a specific place or time to do Kegel exercises. You don’t even need equipment to perform basic Kegel movements! You can refer to the video Kegel exercises to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles effectively. Don’t hesitate to change and improve your life right now!