10/2/2020 The 11 Best Kegel Exercises to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor | Fitness

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The 11 Best Kegel Exercises to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

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by Kelly Collins (https://blog.paleohacks.com/author/kelly-collins/)

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Whether you’re male or female, you can enhance your sexual health with Kegel exercises. Here are 11 pelvic oor exercises
you can do right at home.

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×
When most of us think about strengthening our muscles, the pelvic oor (https://blog.paleohacks.com/pelvic- oor-exercises/) doesn’t
usually come to mind. However, a strong pelvic oor is vital for both women and men.

What is the Pelvic Floor?

One of the best ways to begin to strengthen the pelvic oor is through Kegel exercises. These involve repeatedly contracting and
relaxing the muscles of the pelvic oor, which act as a support system for your pelvic organs. This includes the bladder, bowel and urine
tube, the anus, and in women, the uterus and vagina. Weakness of the pelvic oor can lead to issues with sexual health, urinary
incontinence, and the inability to control the bowels or bladder.

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Roughly 24% of US women are a ected by a pelvic oor disorder at some point in their lives, which is most commonly caused by age,
pregnancy (https://blog.paleohacks.com/exercise-during-pregnancy/), childbirth, aging, and weight gain. (1 (https://www.nih.gov/news-
events/news-releases/roughly-one-quarter-us-women-a ected-pelvic- oor-disorders), 2
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3970401/)) In men, pelvic oor disorders are most commonly caused by age, weight
gain, frequent surgery, or injury. (3 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11192101)) Kegel exercises work by strengthening the
pubococcygeus (PC) muscle, which supports the pelvic oor and is activated in order to stop the ow of urine. (4
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123742711000368))

The strengthening of this muscle provides bene ts to women and men like: (5
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4796457/), 6 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1324914/))

Prevents urinary incontinence

Protection against pelvic organ prolapse
Greater sexual health for women, including more intense orgasm, increased lubrication, and heightened sensation
Better sex for men, including increased stamina and treatment of erectile dysfunction

How to Do Basic Kegels

For best results, practice Kegels daily. They can be done anywhere. Begin with holding your Kegels for three seconds at a time, then see
if you can work up to ten-second holds. (7 (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/kegel-exercises/art-

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y p ( ( p y g y y p g
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20045283))

1. Sit in a chair with your feet resting on the oor. Relax all of the muscles of your thighs, buttocks, and abdomen.
2. Squeeze the muscles around your anus, as if you are trying to stop from passing gas (ahem). Hold for a count of three, then relax
the muscle again. Make sure that you are not squeezing your glute muscles.
3. Now, imagine you are trying to stop a stream of urine. You should feel a squeeze and inward lift of your genitals. Hold for three
seconds, then release the muscle again.
4. Now combine steps two and three, squeezing the ring of muscle around your anus and feeling the inward lift of the vagina at the
same time. Hold for three seconds, then release both muscles.

Cautions
1. Don’t overdo it. Fatiguing the pelvic oor can make it unable to ful ll its functions.
2. If you feel pain in your abdomen or back after practicing your exercise, you are most likely doing them incorrectly. Make sure that
while practicing your Kegels, your back, buttocks, abdomen, and thighs remain relaxed.
3. If you have trouble nding your pelvic oor, feel any pain during these exercises, or don’t notice any improvements, make sure to
check in with your doctor.

11 Kegel Exercises You Can Do at Home

Basic Kegels aren’t the only way to strengthen your pelvic oor. Exercises that strengthen the hips, glutes, and abdominals are also
bene cial because they provide stability by strengthening the surrounding muscles.

Use the basic Kegels as you practice the following exercises by remembering to squeeze both sets of muscles each time the
instructions say to “contract your pelvic oor”.

Perform these exercises three to ve times per week for maximum results.

Sit ’n Squeeze | 5 reps

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This exercise combines a simple Kegel exercise with deep breathing to help you to fully engage the pelvic oor.

1. Sit in a chair with your feet resting on the oor and your palms face down in your lap. Relax all of the muscles of your thighs,
buttocks, and abdomen. Take a deep breath in, lling up your belly and your chest completely, then take an open mouth exhale
and let the breathe completely go.
2. Take another deep inhale and exhale. Once all of the breath is out of your lungs, contract your pelvic oor as tightly as you can by
tightening your PC muscle up and in from rst your vagina or penis and then your anus.

3. Hold this contraction as tightly as you can for as long as you can, then release. Make sure to continue to breathe as you hold the
contraction.
4. Repeat four more times.

Kegel Bridge | 5 reps

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This exercise combines a simple bridge with Kegel exercises to strengthen the glutes, lower back, abdominal muscles, and the pelvic oor.

1. Begin lying down on your back with your knees bent and your feet hips-width distance apart. Place your arms down alongside
your body with your palms facing down.

2. Take a full inhale then as you exhale, slowly lift your hips up towards the sky to come into a bridge position.
3. Once you’ve exhaled all of the air out of your lungs, hold your bridge position as you lift your pelvic oor up and in.

4. Hold for three seconds, then release your pelvic oor rst. Slowly come out of your bridge on an inhale.
5. Repeat for a total of ve repetitions.

Side Clamshell | 10 reps

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This exercise strengthens the outer hips, inner thighs, and glutes to provide stability to the pelvic oor.

1. Lie down on one side with your hips stacked and your knees bent. Rest your head on your bottom arm and place the top hand on
the oor in front of you.

2. Engage your abs and pelvic oor muscles by drawing your navel up and in towards your spine. Keep your feet together as you
separate your knees and open your top knee like a clamshell.

3. Stretch the knee out as far as you comfortably can and pause for a moment, then slowly come back up to the starting position.

4. Repeat for 10 reps.

Sumo Squat with Pelvic Floor Lift | 12 reps

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This exercise strengthens the hips, glutes, legs, core, and the pelvic oor.

1. Start standing with your feet wider than your hips with your toes pointing out at a 45- degree angle. Bring your hands to heart
center and tilt your pelvis slightly under so that your tailbone points down. Draw your navel in.

2. Inhale to sit your hips back and down into a squat. Keep your back straight and chest lifted. Pause at the bottom for a count of
three, then exhale to squeeze your pelvic oor up and in as you stand all the way back up.

3. Repeat for 12 reps. Over time, your squat should get even lower.

Plank | 30-60 sec

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This basic core exercise strengthens the abs but also gets deep down into the pelvic oor.

1. Begin lying on your belly with your legs straight back behind you. Prop yourself up on your forearms. Spread your ngers wide
and bring your forearms parallel to one another. Tuck your toes under and engage your abs and thighs.
2. Inhale to pick your hips up o the oor as your press into your forearms. Bring your hips parallel to your shoulders.

3. Hold for 30 seconds as you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. At the end of every exhale, engage your
pelvic oor and abdominal muscles.

Bird Dog | 8 reps per side

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This exercise strengthens the abs, backs, glutes, and hips to provide stability to the pelvic oor.

1. Start on your hands and knees in a table-top position. Stack your shoulders over your wrists and spread your ngers wide. Stack
your hips over your knees and keep your toes untucked.

2. Inhale as you reach your right arm straight forward and your left leg straight back. Lift your right hand up in line with your right
shoulder and turn your palm inward. Lift your left foot in line with your left hip and ex the foot.

3. Hold for a slow count of three, then release back to the starting position.

4. Inhale to switch sides, lifting your left hand up and your right leg up. Hold for a slow count of three, then release back to the
starting position.

5. Repeat for eight reps on each side.

Knee Folds | 8 reps per side

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This exercise engages the pelvic oor to strengthen the inner thigh and hip muscles.

1. Start lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the ground. Bring your arms down alongside your body with your
palms facing down.

2. Inhale to lower your right knee to the ground, opening up the right hip and thigh.

3. Exhale to engage the pelvic oor and lift the right knee back up to the starting position.
4. Inhale to lower your left knee to the ground, opening up the right hip and thigh.

5. Exhale to engage the pelvic oor and lift the right knee back up to the starting position.

6. Repeat for eight reps on each side.

Toe Taps | 8 reps per side

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This exercise works deep into the core muscles to strengthen the pelvic oor.

1. Start lying on your back with your knees bent, your feet o the ground, and your shins parallel to the ground.

2. Inhale to lower your right toes to tap the ground, then exhale to engage the pelvic oor and lift the leg back up to the starting
position.

3. Repeat with the left toes, inhaling to lower and exhaling to bring back up. Remember to engage the pelvic oor.

4. Repeat for eight reps on each side.

Split Table Top | 8 reps per side

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This exercise strengthens the inner thighs and hips and gets deep down into the core to the strengthen the pelvic oor muscles.

1. Start lying on your back with your knees bent, your feet o the ground, and your shins parallel to the ground.
2. Inhale to lower the right leg towards the ground, opening up the right hip. Pause, then exhale to engage the pelvic oor and lift
the leg back up to the starting position. Repeat on the left side.

3. Continue switching legs until you have completed eight reps on each side.

Dead Bug Crunch | 8 reps per side

This exercise strengthens the abs, hip exors, and the pelvic oor.

1. Start lying on your back with your knees bent, your feet o the ground, and your shins parallel to the ground. Reach your arms up
straight above you, pointing your ngertips towards the sky.

2. Take an inhale as you straighten your right leg to hover two to four inches above the ground, and at the same time reach your

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× above the ground.

right arm straight back behind you to hover two to four inches

3. Exhale to engage your pelvic oor and lift back up to the starting position.

4. Switch sides, then alternate for eight reps on each side.

Single Leg Circles | 16 reps per side

This utilizes the pelvic oor to stabilize the core throughout the exercise.

1. Start lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet together on the ground. Bring your arms down alongside your body
with your palms facing down.

2. Lift your right leg straight up towards the sky. Take a full inhale, then exhale to circle your leg clockwise.

3. Repeat eight times, then take eight counterclockwise circles.

4. Place your right foot back on the ground, then switch legs.

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About Kelly Collins

Kelly is a certi ed Personal Trainer with NASM, a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher, and has her B.S. in Kinesiology from San
Diego State University. She is co-owner of Roaming Yogi Adventures, a yoga and adventure-based retreat. She believes that having
fun and well-rounded exercise is the key to maximizing strength, exibility, and mental health.

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