Can Kegel Exercises Help You Overcome Erectile Dysfunction?

Yes, Kegel exercises can help you overcome erectile dysfunction. They may also improve your libido. 

These exercises train the muscles that surround the base of your penis, called the pelvic floor. And a strong pelvic floor makes it easier to both get and maintain erections.

You perform these exercises simply by squeezing and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. 2-3 minutes a day is normally enough. 

The beauty of these exercises is that you can do them anywhere. And no equipment is needed.

There are also other benefits, such as better bladder control, potentially stronger orgasms, and also ejaculation control.

Let’s start by understanding these pelvic floor muscles.

What are the pelvic floor muscles?

The pelvic floor muscles are made up of muscles that stretch like a hammock from your tailbone at the back, to your pubic bone in front.

The two main muscle groups in the pelvic floor are called the levator ani and the coccygeus muscle. Both of these muscle groups consist of sub-muscles.

These muscles surround both your penis and your anus, and are as such very important for the proper functioning of both.

Your pelvic floor is in other words crucial for the passage of liquids and defecation, and they also support your intestines.

Partly your pelvic floor.

Now, what do you think happens if your pelvic floor is weak..?

Yeah, weak support.

And with a strong pelvic floor?

Yup, great support.

You can think of the pelvic floor as the foundation of a building. If the foundation is weak, the building will probably be weak as well.

And a strong pelvic floor will normally also mean better and stronger erections.

Let’s for a moment think of your pelvic floor as a hammock. And let’s imagine this hammock being 2 mm thick. And then you compare this to another imaginary hammock that is 20 mm thick (10x thicker).

Which one do you think offers better support?

Yeah, the thicker, bigger and stronger one.

Research has demonstrated that it is easier to get erections with a very strong pelvic floor.

This is because a strong pelvic floor supports your erections, because it helps overall bloodflow to your penis, and because it helps blood remain inside your penis to maintain the erection.

In fact, this research study which reviewed 6 existing studies, found that doing Kegel exercises can help men overcome erectile dysfunction.

The pelvic floor muscles may be a little difficult to identify, as 1) one can’t really see them, and 2) exercising them doesn’t result in a visible movement like bending your arm. 

However, it’s still quite easy to identify them. 

You can try this next time you urinate:

While you urinate, squeeze the muscles at the base of your penis to stop the flow of urine. Then let go so the flow of urine restarts. Then stop the flow again.

When you do this, you are using your pelvic floor muscles.

Super easy!

There is also another way to identify these muscles:

While your penis is erect or semi-erect, and while you are standing up, try to lift your penis up and keep it up – by using the muscles in the penis. Then relax and let it fall. Do it again.

You now just used your pelvic floor muscles. 

And no equipment is needed either.

So how do you do Kegel exercises?

After you have learned how to identify the pelvic floor muscles, all you need to do is to squeeze them hard for a few seconds, and then relax.

This is what I do:

I squeeze my pelvic floor muscles as hard as I can for 2-3 seconds, then I relax. I do this 10 times. Then I take a little break. Then I do 10 more squeezes. Then a little break and then 10 more. That’s it. It takes 2 minutes. 

To achieve best results, it is preferable to focus on tightening only the pelvic floor muscles. If you also flex the muscles in the abdomen, thighs or buttocks, the training will normally become less effective.

In addition to regular Kegel exercises, there is something called reverse Kegel exercises. These exercises also increase the strength of your pelvic floor muscles, but push them the opposite way. 

The best way to describe how to do these exercises is probably also via urinating. 

Try this: 

Instead of cutting off the flow of urine, try to instead push out the urine as fast as you can! 

This is how you do a reverse Kegel exercise. You push instead of squeeze.

And then when you know how to identify this movement, you can practice them anytime, anywhere (with no need for doing it while you urinate). 

However, he didn’t invent them. They actually date back over 6,000 years ago to Chinese Taoism.

Today, Kegel exercises are practiced not only by women to regain and increase vaginal, urethral and sexual function, but also by men. 

As awareness increases, many men have started getting their pelvic floor back in great shape.

A lot of people exercise their bodies regularly at the gym, or go running. Why not also train your pelvic floor muscles? 

Would more people exercise their pelvic floor muscles if they had the right knowledge of how important these muscles are?

I think so. And now you are armed with this knowledge. 

Let me start with a confession:

I didn’t practice Kegel exercises as a means to overcome my ED.

Why? 

Simply because I wasn’t aware of their benefits. I had heard about them, but I didn’t know the details.

Does that mean you too have no need for these exercises to cure your erectile dysfunction?

It depends. In my case, I believe I already had a pretty strong pelvic floor. Therefore, doing these exercises would probably not have given me a massive extra benefit.

But I do Kegel exercises today. In fact I do them every day. 

After I learned how important it is to have my pelvic floor muscles in top shape, I started doing them every day.

It only takes 2 minutes, and I do them while I work, so it fits nicely into my day. It’s a small sacrifice. 

And to help myself do them, I have a calendar reminder that goes off every day before lunchtime. 

When it goes off, I take a very short break from what I am doing, and I start squeezing.

10 hard aqueezes of 2-3 seconds each. Break. 10 more. Break. 10 more.

I have been doing this for several years already. 

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