Kegel exercises are a type of exercise that can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles in men. These muscles support the bladder and bowel and affect sexual function. Kegel exercises can be done before and after prostate cancer treatment to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Some benefits of Kegel exercises for men include:
- Improving urinary or fecal incontinence
- Managing prostate pain and swelling that occurs with prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
- Increasing sexual pleasure through greater control of ejaculation and improved orgasm sensation
To do Kegel exercises, you need to locate the correct muscles and understand the proper technique. There are three muscles you need to find and flex to complete a correct Kegel exercise:
- The bulbocavernosus (BC) muscle that you use to push blood into the penis and to squeeze urine and semen out of your urethra and penis.
- The pubococcygeus (PC) muscle that stretches from your pubic bone to your tailbone.
- The ileococcygeus muscle that stretches from your ischial spine to your coccyx.
There are two types of Kegel exercises: fast and slow. Fast Kegel exercises train the fast twitch muscle fibers in the muscle cells in the pelvic floor muscles, which give you power and strength for bulk. Slow Kegel exercises train the slow twitch muscle fibers, which give you endurance.
