Pelvic Floor Exercises for Men

Male pelvic floor exercises, commonly known as “Kegel exercises”, consist of repeatedly clenching and releasing the muscles which support the bladder and bowel to strengthen them. 

There are several reasons why male pelvic floor muscles can weaken including:  

• aging 

• weight gain, 

• constipation 

• smoking 

• surgical removal of the prostate 

• diabetes 

• overactive bladder  

 
All of these issues can lead to bladder weakness, especially if the man has had prostate problems.  Male pelvic floor exercises are easy exercises you can do to help strengthen the muscles around your bladder and control urinary incontinence dribbling after urination. 
 

Yes – while pelvic floor disorders are more common in women, men have a pelvic floor too. When the male pelvic floor is not working properly or weakened, it can lead to bladder and bowel problems, such as incontinence, as well as genital issues such as erectile dysfunction and male dyspareunia (painful sex). 

The male pelvic floor muscles are found at the base of the pelvis and stretch from the pubic bone at the front to the tail bone (coccyx) at the back. They sit below the bladder and bowel, and contract and relax to control the bladder and bowel.  

There are many benefits of Kegel exercises for guys, most of which involve greater control of the bladder. The stronger the pelvic floor, the better you can control your bowel and the urge to urinate. 

Male pelvic floor exercises are recommended for men with overactive bladder symptoms especially for men experiencing urinary incontinence after prostate surgery. Repeated clenching of the male pelvic floor muscles can suppress bladder contractions, helping to manage overactive bladder. 

Kegel exercises can also help to treat nocturia, reducing the urge to urinate frequently at night and thus improving sleep quality.  

Incontinence exercises for males may also help with managing erectile dysfunction, as the pelvic floor muscles help to increase blood flow to the groin and are active during sex. This means that strengthening the pelvic floor muscles may also improve sexual performance.  

How to find your pelvic floor muscles 

Before doing the exercises, you need to know how to find and activate your pelvic floor muscles. We don’t often consciously engage these muscles, so it can take a bit of practice.  

One way to do this is by imagining you’re trying not to break wind, and focusing on the muscles that contract at the base of your pelvis as you do this. These are the Kegel muscles. Another method is to try to stop or slow down the flow of urine whilst (midstream) urinating. The muscles you use for both methods engage your pelvic floor muscles. 

However, it’s important to know that stopping or slowing down the flow of urine is not a pelvic floor exercise, and shouldn't be used as an exercise, as it could disrupt the normal emptying reflex and could exacerbate urinary health issues if done too often. It's simply a way to help locate the right muscles. If you have trouble controlling your Kegel muscles, you can consult a physiotherapist who specialises in pelvic floor muscles. 

If you're new to male Kegel exercises you can do them lying down to make things easier. Initially your muscles might not be strong enough, so you can exercise them using gravity. Lying down also makes it easier to feel that the right muscles are working and that they're clenched to the maximum. It also allows you to fully focus on the Kegels instead of trying to balance or hold a more complex position.  

Try to find the position in which you are most comfortable. You can lie down with your knees bent and feet on the floor, or with your legs resting on a pillow or chair seat.