The SECRET to Learning How To Kegel For Men (step by step guide)
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, physiotherapist Eric teaches viewers the correct way to perform Kegel exercises for strengthening pelvic floor muscles. He addresses common misconceptions, explains the importance of these muscles in supporting internal organs and aiding with erection and bladder control, and provides practical tips on how to feel and perform Kegel contractions effectively. The video is aimed at beginners and those struggling with pelvic floor issues, offering a straightforward method to improve their health.
Takeaways
- 😌 Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle exercises, are crucial for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles which support internal organs and assist in bladder and erection control.
- 🔍 Many people struggle to learn Kegel exercises due to a lack of understanding of how to feel a Kegel contraction and where to feel it, leading to frustration and lack of progress.
- 👨⚕️ Eric, a physiotherapist, provides a straightforward method for beginners to learn Kegel exercises properly, even if they have limited time or are self-teaching.
- 🤔 The pelvic floor muscles are deep within the pelvis and not visible, making it challenging to strengthen them without proper guidance.
- 📍 To feel a Kegel contraction, one should palpate the perineum, the area between the anus and scrotum, using the same finger pressure as when checking for a pulse.
- 🛌 Beginners are advised to start Kegel exercises in a lying down position to counteract the effects of gravity and make it easier to feel the muscle contractions.
- 🗣️ Practicing with a 'Q' or a specific mental cue can help trigger the automatic response for the pelvic floor to contract, with examples provided such as stopping the flow of urine, lifting the scrotum out of cold water, or using a turkey baster analogy.
- 👍 Quality of contraction is more important than the duration; beginners should focus on feeling the muscle clench and release rather than holding the contraction for an extended period.
- 🚫 Debunking myths, holding a Kegel contraction for 15-20 seconds is unrealistic and not recommended; instead, focus on short, quality contractions initially.
- 💪 Progressing in Kegel exercises involves mastering the ability to contract and release the pelvic floor muscles clearly before moving on to endurance holds.
- 🔄 Consistent practice is key to strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, with the sensation of the contraction becoming stronger over time.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of Kegel exercises?
-The main purpose of Kegel exercises is to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support internal organs, help maintain a firm erection, and control bladder function to prevent urine leakage.
Why are Kegel exercises important for men?
-Kegel exercises are important for men to address issues like erectile dysfunction and urine leakage, and to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles, which many men are not aware of or do not know how to exercise properly.
What is the pelvic floor and where are these muscles located?
-The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that form a hammock-like structure within the pelvis, attaching from the pubic bone to the tailbone, supporting internal organs and playing a crucial role in sexual and urinary functions.
Why is it difficult to strengthen pelvic floor muscles compared to other muscles?
-Strengthening pelvic floor muscles is more difficult because they are deep within the pelvis and cannot be seen, unlike other muscles like the biceps which can be visually and physically felt during exercise.
What is the common mistake people make when trying to perform Kegel exercises?
-A common mistake is not knowing how to properly feel a Kegel contraction and where to feel it, leading to ineffective exercises and sometimes worsening of conditions like urine leakage.
How can one learn to feel a Kegel contraction?
-To feel a Kegel contraction, one can use the finger palpation method by placing the index and middle fingers on the perineum (the area between the anus and scrotum) and applying gentle pressure to feel the muscle contraction.
What are some cues or sayings that can help trigger a pelvic floor contraction?
-Cues can include imagining stopping the flow of urine, lifting the scrotum as if avoiding cold water, or squeezing a turkey baster, which can help one feel the pelvic floor muscles contract.
What is the recommended starting position for learning Kegel exercises?
-The recommended starting position is lying down with knees bent, as it is the easiest position to feel a Kegel contraction due to the horizontal alignment with gravity.
Why is it important to avoid holding a Kegel contraction for too long?
-Holding a Kegel contraction for too long is not realistic or necessary for most people and can lead to ineffective exercises. The focus should be on the quality of the contraction and the ability to feel both the clench and release.
How can one know if they are ready to progress to an endurance hold in Kegel exercises?
-One is ready to progress to an endurance hold when they can consistently perform 10 repetitions of a Kegel contraction with clear feeling of the muscle clenching and releasing.
What is the advice against doing Kegel exercises incorrectly?
-The advice is to avoid holding Kegel contractions for 15 to 20 seconds or doing 50 repetitions a day, as this is unrealistic and not how the pelvic floor muscles work effectively.
Outlines
😓 Common Struggles with Kegel Exercises
This paragraph introduces the video's focus on Kegel exercises, which are crucial for strengthening pelvic floor muscles. It addresses the high failure rate among beginners due to a lack of understanding of how to perform these exercises correctly. The speaker, Eric, a physiotherapist, promises to guide viewers through the process from start to finish, ensuring they can confidently perform Kegel exercises to address issues like erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. The video is aimed at beginners, those with limited time, and those frustrated with their current pelvic floor muscle training progress.
📘 Understanding and Locating the Pelvic Floor Muscles
The second paragraph delves into what Kegel exercises are, their purpose, and the importance of the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles, which form a hammock-like structure within the pelvis, support internal organs and play a key role in bladder control and sexual function. The speaker emphasizes the difficulty of strengthening these muscles due to their deep location and invisibility. He also highlights the common misconceptions and frustrations people face when trying to strengthen them without proper guidance.
🤲 Technique for Feeling and Performing Kegel Contractions
In this paragraph, Eric instructs viewers on how to physically locate and feel their pelvic floor muscles by using a specific touch similar to taking a pulse, but applied to the perineum—the area between the scrotum and anus. He details the correct finger placement and pressure to use when palpating this area. The paragraph also covers the importance of adopting the correct position for Kegel exercises, recommending starting in a lying down position to counteract the effects of gravity and make it easier to feel the muscle contractions.
🧊 Exploring Cues for Kegel Contractions and Practicing the Technique
The speaker introduces three different mental cues to help viewers feel a Kegel contraction: imagining stopping the flow of urine, lifting the scrotum out of cold water, and using a turkey baster to visualize the action of the pelvic floor muscles. He encourages viewers to experiment with these cues to find the one that works best for them. The paragraph concludes with a step-by-step guide on how to perform a Kegel contraction, emphasizing the importance of proper technique and the initial faintness of the contraction sensation, which is expected to strengthen with practice.
🚫 Debunking Myths About Kegel Exercise Performance
In the final paragraph, Eric dispels common myths about Kegel exercises, particularly the belief that holding a contraction for an extended period is necessary. He argues against this approach, stating that quality of contraction is more important than duration and that beginners should focus on short, controlled contractions. He also provides guidance on how to progress to longer holds once the basic technique is mastered and encourages viewers to practice and seek feedback to ensure they are performing Kegel exercises correctly.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Kegel exercise
💡Pelvic floor muscles
💡Erectile dysfunction
💡Urine leakage
💡Perineum
💡Palpation
💡Cue
💡Quality contraction
💡Endurance hold
💡Physiotherapy
💡Myths
Highlights
99% of people fail at Kegel exercises due to not knowing how to feel a Kegel contraction and where to feel it.
The video aims to teach viewers how to avoid common traps and understand the essentials for faster Kegel learning.
Eric, a doctor of Physiotherapy, presents a straightforward method for beginners to learn Kegel exercises properly.
Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle exercises, are essential for strengthening these muscles.
Pelvic floor muscles support internal organs and play a key role in erections and bladder control.
Many men are unaware of their pelvic floor muscles, complicating efforts to strengthen them.
The difficulty in strengthening pelvic floor muscles arises from their invisibility and deep location within the pelvis.
People often feel frustrated with Kegel exercises due to a lack of progress and worsening symptoms.
The video teaches how to palpate the perineum to feel Kegel contractions, using the right finger pressure.
A proper Kegel contraction should be felt as a flicker or bulge under the fingertips.
The lying down position is recommended for beginners to feel Kegel contractions more easily.
Cues (QA) are introduced to trigger automatic pelvic floor contractions, with three different cues provided for viewers to try.
The importance of feeling the contraction and release of the pelvic floor muscles is emphasized for quality Kegel exercises.
Myths about holding Kegel contractions for 15-20 seconds are debunked, with recommendations for shorter, quality holds instead.
The video provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform a proper Kegel contraction, including breathing techniques.
Viewers are encouraged to practice and master the Kegel contraction before progressing to endurance holds.
The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to subscribe and engage with the channel for more men's health content.
Transcripts
99% of people who learned a keigle fail and then quit because they were never taught how
to feel a Keele contraction and where to feel it to show you how to avoid the most common trap and
to understand all the things that enable you to learn how to keyle faster I'm going to take you
through everything you need to know literally A to Z in today's video so that you can be confident
you are performing kull properly so that you can strengthen up your pelvic floor and recover from
erectile dysfunction and urine leakage quickly welcome back to the channel everyone I'm Eric
doctor of Physiotherapy and today's video is for those of you that don't have a lot of free
time for those that are just learning about their pelvic floor muscles and finally it's for those
of you that are getting frustrated trying to strengthen your pelvic floor on your own and
not getting very far with your recovery I have discovered a straightforward method that even
the biggest beginner can follow and learn how to keyle properly I'm here to help watch the video
all the way to the end to soak up all of the knowledge and practical tips let's get into it
okay first things first what is a kull exercise a keigle exercise is also known as a pelvic floor
muscle exercise they're both literally the exact same thing and you might have heard them being
used interchangeably now a keyles exercise the only goal is to strengthen up your pelvic floor
muscles now for those of you that don't know your pelvic floor muscles they sit deep within your
pelvis your pelvis is the Bony structure that makes up your hip uh your hip region now the
goal of these muscles and their use is to act as a hammock so they literally attach from your pubic
bone up front all the way to the tailbone around back and they act as a hammock that supports all
of your internal organs now on top of supporting your internal organs these muscles your pelvic
floor muscles they play a pivotal role in helping you to achieve and maintain a firm erection and
to also help you control your bladder so that you don't leak urine now if you're watching
this video you are probably having issues with either erectile dysfunction or urine leakage now
if you're just learning about these muscles that's okay cut yourself some slack cuz for
most of us guys we never even knew that we've had them sure we know that women need to strengthen
up their pelvic floor after giving birth but for most of us men unless we're going through
erectile dysfunction or urine leakage yeah we just go throughout our lives not knowing that we have a
pelvic floor that makes trying to strengthen them up even more difficult because you've gone your
whole life without knowing they've even existed and think of it this way if you and I were in
the gym and I was helping you get let's say uh bigger bicep muscles I would prescribe you you
know barbell bicep curls I might prescribe you chin-ups and you would be able to see and feel
exactly that muscle you'd be able to see it you'd be able to feel it and that would help you get it
stronger a heck of a lot faster and this here and lies the problem because with your pelvic
floor you can't actually see these muscles they lie so deep within the pelvis that you can't see
them making them a little bit more difficult to strengthen up now I can't tell you how many
people I have met probably on a weekly basis that say Eric I have been taught how to perform a keel
contraction I know I'm doing it properly but I'm still not getting anywhere and actually I think my
urine leakage is worse and these people for the most part are just so frustrated and I'm going
to clear everything up and I'm going to teach you exactly what you need to know and probably where
you were going wrong so now that you know what these muscles are what their uses in the body
we need need to learn how to feel a contraction like the analogy I was saying in the gym uh where
we're trying to get your biceps stronger if I had your if you had your hand over your biceps and you
were doing a bicep curl you could physically feel that muscle Contracting well the good news with
your pelvic floor is you can do the same thing what you need to do is you need to take your uh
index finger and middle finger on your dominant hand and what I want you to do right now while
watching this video place it on your neck as if you're trying to take your pulse so you take your
finger beds here and you place it right on the side of your neck looking for that pulse now you
don't have to find it I just wanted to get those finger placement uh down pat that same touch that
same finger placement is what you're going to use to palpate over your perineum your perineum
is the space of skin in between your anus and your scrotum now remember we're on YouTube here
and I am not allowed to show you a photo of this unfortunately even though it would make our lives
so much easier but what I want you to do right now I'm going to do it with you is I want you to slip
your two fingers and I want you to put them down your pants so you're going to lift up your scrotum
and then you are going to find the halfway point between your scrotum and your anus you literally
can't miss it because on either side is your legs there's nowhere else to feel so find about that
Midway point and again that same pressure like you're pressing up taking your pulse you are not
poking into the skin you're pressing up now you want to press up with enough pressure so that you
can actually feel something going on you don't want to just have your your two fingers lying
there you want to indent the skin a little bit so if zero is no intensity 10 is you trying to
poke a hole through your panum go for a three three out of 10 intensity pushing up into that
skin once you find that you are going to hold this position so for me my scrotum is actually
in the cup of my hands and then my two fingers are reaching down and pressing up into the Skin So now
that I've got this area locked and loaded that is the position you need to adopt every single
time you are doing a kull contraction you need to put your fingers down there because if you
don't you don't actually know if you're doing it properly and because you can't see these muscles
it leaves a lot of Confusion And we want to make sure that you are getting quality repetitions in
every single time you can track your pelvic floor and do a keel exercise so that is a non-negotiable
if you're going to listen to what I say you need to follow that rule two fingers always down your
pants feeling every contraction and that's how you can be certain you were doing it properly next we
need to go over the kull positions do you do them in standing do you do them sit sitting down do you
do them lying down how how do you do them there are so many videos on the internet right now and
on YouTube explaining this let me make it really easy for you I want you to start in the lying down
position it's just the easiest position to feel a ke's contraction improperly why well when I'm
sitting like I am right now I have the force of gravity pressing down through my head all the way
through my pelvis and remember how I said the the pelvic floor muscles they act as that hammock well
guess what when you're sitting up right that gravity is pressing and it's stretching that
hammock which means it's going to be a little bit harder for you to feel that contraction
so when you're first learning out how to do a keel contraction I always recommend lying down
because you are horizontally lying across the plane of gravity making it a whole lot easier
to feel so now that we got the position taken care of we're going to start in line the last
thing that we need to do before we actually get into doing a contraction is we need to learn a
q a q is a saying that you would say out loud to yourself or in your own mind that would trigger
that automatic response for that pelvic floor to contract now there's a few of them so I want
you sitting here watching the video watching me right now I want you to try a few of these and I
want you to make a mental note of what one works best for you and when I say works best for you I
want you to uh one put your fingers down there so let's do that right now so get your fingers
in place I'll do it with you remember lift up the scrotum put the two fingers in between in between
the anus and your scrotum find that middle spot you do a three out of 10 intensity pressing up
into the skin hold this position okay now what I want you to do close your eyes while you're
watching this and listen to these three cues and decide what one most resonates with you and the
one where you can feel a contraction the best all right eyes closed start off by taking a really big
deep breath so big breath in breathe all the way out okay making sure those fingers are pressed
up into the Skin three out of 10 intensity I want you to imagine you are standing in front of a Ural
and I want you to stop the flow of urine clamp that flow shut stop the flow open it up again
so you're going to stop the flow of urine open it back up you should feel just a tiny flicker
underneath those two fingers okay cue number two again close your eyes try this one out I want you
to imagine that you are walking in to a freezing cold ocean the further you walk in the higher that
water starts to rise until that water reaches your scrotum I want you to imagine like you are pulling
that scrotum into your stomach lift it up out of the water so it doesn't touch and then let it go
back down into the water so again you're walking out into a lake you don't want the scrotum your
scrotum to touch the freezing cold water lift it up and then let it drop back down the third and
final cue I want you to imagine it's Thanksgiving day which is actually appropriate cuz that's
coming up um I want you to imagine a turkey baster so turkey baster is one of those you know squeezy
handles with a tube uh to either base the turkey in the juice or the or yeah the juices not the
gravy juice anyway if you're a vegetarian sorry you're just going to have to imagine some type of
baster again have your fingers down there I want you to close your eyes and I want you to imagine
that you are basting the turkey so squeeze the baster and draw up that fluid draw up the juice
and then squeeze it back out so Draw It Up Lift the pelvic floor up as you draw up that baster and
then squeeze it out okay you can take your hand out of your pants good work so the key with these
cues is one of those three you should have felt a flicker underneath your fingertips you're probably
asking yourself oh Eric how do I know if I felt a flicker if you could feel any bulge out into those
fingertips a small bulge a big bulge I don't care any movement at all underneath those fingertips
that is your pelvic floor Contracting you've done it literally any movement at all that's
your pelvic floor how do we know it's your pelvic floor that is literally the only muscle where
you're putting your fingers that could have been doing that movement and that is exactly what we
want to replicate now don't worry if this flicker was only really small and it dissipated really
quickly that's okay that's why you're watching this video your pelvic floor is very weak and it
needs needs to be strengthened up now what we've gone through so far is number one I taught you
what a keegle exercise is and what the role of the pelvic floor muscles are in your body number two
we went over position so we are going to start in the lying down position and then number three we
went over a q that Q is going to be that saying that you say out loud every time oh also we went
over palpation how to feel it we are now going to combine everything together uh to do your
very first Keel contraction so I am now lying flat I've got my physio table set up here and notice I
have my knees bent up you don't want your knees flat bend them up because it makes reaching for
that panum so much easier so let me just make sure I'm in camera frame here all right so what you're
going to do you're going to take your two fingers on your dominant hand again the same placement as
placing on the pulse I'm going to put my fingers going to lift up the scrotum and I'm going to
place them on the skin directly in between my anus in my scrotum and I'm going to press up so I'm
pressing up in towards my head at a three out of 10 intensity I am trying to feel everything going
on underneath the skin next with my feet touching the floor I'm going to place my my free hand over
top of the belly this is to make sure that you do not clench your stomach muscles when doing a kull
contraction so you're just going to place the hand right on top of the stomach like this and
just rest it here okay so now what you're going to do before you do your first kull contraction
is you're going to take a big deep breath in and out you want to release any stiffness any body
tension okay now the secret to doing a good Keel contraction doing it properly is you need need to
close your eyes I want you to imagine what you are about to feel underneath your fingertips directly
between the scrotum and the anus so over top your perineum all right my eyes are closed my fingers
are in place my free hand is over my stomach and my knees are bent up lying on my back I'm going
to choose the cue that worked the best for me so for me personally the cue that works is stopping
the flow of urine so imagining I'm in front of a urinal all right so fingers are in place here we
go eyes are closed I'm going to take a big breath in through my nose expand the lungs all the way
and next I'm going to breathe out through my mouth let all the air out nice and slow at the very end
of that breath I'm going to stop the flow of urine stop it and then I'm going to let it go again and
then finish the breath breathe in again suck his as much air as you can in breathe all the way out
feel all the air release at the end of the breath I'm going to stop that flow of urine and then I'm
going to start it again half a second squeeze and then let go just like that and then I'm going to
finish the breath now that is how you do a kull contraction properly I want you to try this out
for yourself the simp simple Act of feeling that tiny bulge out into your fingertips that
is your pelvic floor Contracting and that is literally as simple as it gets and again while
you're watching this video it's probably going to feel like a very faint flicker that's okay
that's just going to get stronger and stronger and stronger the more you practice now we need
to bust some myths here because I've had it up to here with seeing other videos just spewing
nonsense on your pelvic floor you've heard it here first this is my opinion I am so tired of
guys and even women coming to me telling me that they have seen another professional that have told
them they need to be able to hold their pelvic floor contraction for 15 to 20 seconds and you
need to do 50 a day I don't care who tells you this they are wrong that is not how your pelvic
floor works and trying to hold it for 15 let alone 20 20 seconds is just not realistic and you're not
going to be able to do it I can't even do it and my pelvic floor is perfectly healthy and
I teach guys how to do this every single day it's just not realistic and I don't want you
following that advice when you're starting out even if you're an intermediate to an advance I
stop at a 6C hold the most I get my clients to do is hold for 6 seconds maybe 10 seconds if
they're really good because cuz here's the thing it doesn't matter how long you hold for you need
to make sure you have a quality contraction if you squeeze but you don't know if that pelvic
floor has let go you don't know how long you're holding it for so it really doesn't matter what
matters the most is when you clench that pelvic floor you stop that flow of urine you can feel
it release as well if you can feel it clench and you can feel it release that is a good quality
control traction now when starting out you are only holding this for about a half a second stop
the flow of urine turn it back on maybe a second at the most you need to practice this and master
this before you even think about going on to doing a keel endurance hold now how do you know you're
ready to progress to an endurance hold you should be able to do the contraction where you snap it
on and then release it and you should be able to clearly feel it between your fingertips or sorry
under your fingertips which is again underneath your perineum if you can do that and you can do
10 repetitions in a row where you can clearly feel the contraction snap on and then release you are
ready to go to an endurance hold so you've got lots to practice I want you dropping any
comments you have underneath this video so I can answer any questions again this is a very generic
video because everyone's situation is unique but I wanted to make a a video that covers the nuts
and bolts on how to do a keel SK traction properly cuz it's literally the most common question I get
now if you haven't already please make sure you click that subscribe button if you like today's
video I post two of these literally every week and I go over every issue that us men experience in
life including all the embarrassing ones so that you do not have to go through this journey alone
thank you so much for supporting my channel I hope you took something away from today's
video and remember regardless of your situation keep going and I'll see you in the next video
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