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Kegel exercises are a great way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. They can be done in different ways, including how many seconds to hold the squeeze and how many repetitions to do per session. You can practice Kegel exercises while lying down, sitting, or standing. It's important to only tighten your pelvic floor muscles and not your stomach, thighs, or other muscles. To find the right muscles, imagine you are trying to stop passing gas or stop your urine midstream.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How to identify the right muscles | Imagine you are trying to stop passing gas. Squeeze the muscles you would use. If you sense a "pulling" feeling in your vaginal or rectal area, you are squeezing the right muscles. While urinating, try to stop your urine midstream. The muscles you squeeze to stop the urine flow are your pelvic floor muscles. |
| How to exercise | Squeeze, hold, and relax your pelvic floor muscles. Hold for 3-5 seconds, relax for 3-5 seconds, and repeat 10 times, 3 times a day. Gradually increase the length of contractions and relaxations. Work your way up to 10-second contractions and relaxations. Try to do at least 30 to 40 Kegel exercises every day. |
| What not to do | Be careful not to tighten your stomach, thighs, buttocks, chest, or other muscles. Squeezing the wrong muscles can put more pressure on your bladder, making it easier to leak urine. |
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What You'll Learn
How to identify your pelvic floor muscles
To identify your pelvic floor muscles, start by lying down or sitting in a supported position. Now, imagine you are squeezing your muscles to stop the flow of urine and the passing of wind. Focus on drawing these muscles inwardly tightly. This gives you an idea of the location and function of the pelvic floor muscles. You can also quickly identify the pelvic floor muscles by trying to stop the flow of urine while emptying your bladder. If you can do it for a second or two, you are using the correct muscles. (Do not do this repeatedly, or more than once a week.)
Your pelvic floor muscles form the base of a group of muscles known as your core. Your core muscles include your pelvic floor muscles, abdominal muscles, back muscles, and diaphragm (the muscle that controls breathing). Together, these muscles attach to your pelvis and spine, creating stability throughout your body’s centre. Your pelvic floor muscles stretch from your pubic bone in the front of your body to your tailbone (coccyx) in the back. The muscles extend outward on both sitting bones (ischial tuberosity) on the right and left sides of your pelvis. Several pelvic floor muscles intertwine to form a single sheet of layered muscle with openings (anus, urethra, vagina).
You can also feel where your pelvic floor muscles are by squeezing these three openings: the vaginal opening, the urethra, and the anus. Insert a finger or two inside your vagina and try to squeeze them.
If you are unable to find your pelvic floor muscles, or have problems making progress, you should see a pelvic floor physiotherapist, or health professional. You should also seek professional help if you’re experiencing symptoms such as needing to urgently or frequently go to the toilet, having accidental leakage of urine, finding it difficult to empty your bladder, or having pain in the bladder, bowel or in your back near the pelvic floor area when exercising the pelvic floor, or during intercourse.
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How to correctly perform Kegel exercises
The first step in doing Kegel exercises is to identify your pelvic floor muscles. One way to do this is to try to stop your urine midstream. The muscles you squeeze to stop the urine flow are your pelvic floor muscles. However, don't do Kegel exercises while urinating on a regular basis, as this can be harmful. Another way to find the right muscles is to imagine you are trying to stop passing gas. If you sense a "pulling" feeling in your vaginal or rectal area, you are squeezing the right muscles.
Before you start your Kegel exercises, make sure to urinate so your bladder is empty. Remember, do not do Kegel exercises while you have a Foley catheter in place.
Kegel exercises can be done in different ways—in terms of how many seconds to hold the squeeze and how many repetitions to do per session. Ask your health care professional for an exercise plan that meets your unique needs.
To perform the exercise, squeeze your pelvic floor muscles and hold tight for 3 to 5 seconds. Then, relax the muscles for the same amount of time. Repeat 10 times, 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, and night). Work your way up to 10-second contractions and relaxations and try to do at least 30 to 40 Kegel exercises every day.
Be careful not to tighten your stomach, thighs, buttocks, or chest muscles. Squeezing the wrong muscles can put more pressure on your bladder, making it easier to leak urine. Place a hand gently on your belly to detect unwanted abdominal action.
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How to avoid tightening the wrong muscles
To avoid tightening the wrong muscles during Kegel exercises, it's important to focus on relaxing your abdominal, leg, buttock, chest, and thigh muscles. Place a hand gently on your belly to detect any unwanted abdominal action.
The pelvic floor muscles are the ones you would use to stop your urine midstream. While this is an easy way to identify the correct muscles, it's important not to perform Kegel exercises while urinating regularly, as this can be harmful. Instead, imagine you are trying to stop passing gas. If you sense a "pulling" feeling in your vaginal or rectal area, you've found the right muscles.
It's also helpful to remember that Kegel exercises can be done in different ways, depending on how many seconds you hold the squeeze and how many repetitions you do per session. Ask your healthcare professional for an exercise plan that meets your unique needs.
Finally, remember to breathe deeply and relax your body during Kegel exercises. This will help you focus on contracting only the pelvic floor muscles and avoiding tension in other areas of your body.
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How to increase the length of contractions and relaxations
To increase the length of contractions and relaxations, you need to gradually increase the time you hold your pelvic floor muscles. Start by holding for 3 to 5 seconds, and then work your way up to 10-second contractions and relaxations.
To activate your Kegel muscles, you need to identify your pelvic floor muscles. These are the muscles you would use to stop your urine midstream. Once you've identified them, squeeze and hold, then relax.
It's important to remember not to tighten your stomach, thighs, or other muscles. Squeezing the wrong muscles can put more pressure on your bladder, making it easier to leak urine.
You can practice Kegel exercises while lying down, sitting, or standing. Try to work up to 10 to 15 repetitions each time you exercise, and aim for at least 30 to 40 Kegel exercises every day.
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How to fit Kegel exercises into your daily routine
To fit Kegel exercises into your daily routine, you'll need to know how to identify and activate your pelvic floor muscles. To do this, imagine you are trying to stop passing gas or stop your urine midstream. The muscles you use to do this are your pelvic floor muscles.
Once you've identified these muscles, you can do Kegel exercises while lying down, sitting, or standing. Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles and hold for 3-5 seconds, then relax for the same amount of time. Repeat this 10 times, 3 times a day. You can do these exercises anywhere, so try to fit them into your daily routine. For example, you could do a set while waiting at a stoplight, riding an elevator, or standing in a grocery line.
Try to work up to 10-15 repetitions each time you exercise, and gradually increase the length of your contractions and relaxations. Aim to do at least 30-40 Kegel exercises every day.
Remember to keep your other muscles relaxed when doing Kegel exercises. Don't tighten your stomach, thighs, buttocks, or chest.
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Frequently asked questions
Think of the muscles you would use to stop your stream of urine when you're urinating. You can also try to stop your urine midstream. However, don't do this often as it can be harmful.
Once you've identified your pelvic floor muscles, squeeze them, hold, and then relax. Try to work up to 10-15 repetitions each time you exercise. You can do Kegel exercises while lying down, sitting, or standing.
Hold each Kegel exercise for 3-5 seconds. Gradually increase the length of contractions and relaxations and work your way up to 10-second contractions and relaxations.
Aim to do at least 30-40 Kegel exercises every day. It's better to spread them throughout the day than to do them all at once.
