If you’ve ever suffered from a sexual dysfunction like erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, you know how frustrating it can be. These conditions make it very challenging for men to enjoy intimate encounters. Obviously, this may be quite stressful for any man’s mentality and love life.
However, there are various approaches to treating premature ejaculation, including pharmacological, physical, and psychological therapies. In this article, ShagLonger will take a look at the physical therapy side of things and answer the question, “Can kegel exercises help premature ejaculation?”
What are Kegel exercises?
The exercises were named after their creator, Dr. Kegel. The Kegel exercise is a pelvic floor muscle conditioning technique that aims to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. Kegel exercises can be done in a variety of positions, including sitting, standing, and lying down.
Kegel exercises for men can help improve sexual health and performance. These exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and will tighten the penis, improve erectile function, prevent incontinence, and increase bladder control.
Where are your pelvic floor muscles?
Before exercising your pelvic floor muscles, you must first understand where they are. The muscles in your pelvic floor support your bladder and rectum internally, preventing leaks. There are a few different techniques you can use to locate them:
- While you are in the middle of peeing, try to stop.
- Think about having to restrain yourself from passing wind or having diarrhea.
- Make an effort to pull your penis inside your stomach (making it shorter)
You must strengthen these muscular groups. While initially lying down is the most comfortable position for these exercises, you should soon be able to perform them anywhere. The beauty of it is that you can work out while riding the bus, on the subway, or taking the dog for a walk.
You might not think about it much, but your pelvic floor muscles play a big role in keeping your whole pelvic area in check. But sometimes, things can go wrong and your pelvic floor can get weak. Here are a few reasons why:
- Prostate surgery: If you’ve had surgery on your prostate, it can mess with the muscles and nerves in your pelvic floor, making them weaker.
- Pelvic trauma or surgery: Any kind of trauma or surgery in your pelvic area can affect your pelvic floor muscles similarly.
- Persistent cough: If you’ve got a cough that just won’t quit, it can put extra strain on your pelvic floor muscles, making them weaker.
- Overactive bladder: If you’re peeing all the time and it’s hard to hold it, it can be tough on your pelvic floor muscles.
- Lack of exercise: Just like any muscle, if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. A sedentary lifestyle can weaken your pelvic floor muscles.
It’s important to know what might be causing your weak pelvic floor, so you can take steps to prevent it from happening. If you’re unsure, talk to your doctor or a pelvic floor physical therapist. They can help figure out the cause and devise a plan to keep your pelvic floor in top shape.
Do Kegel exercises actually work for premature ejaculation?
The quick answer to this is ABSOLUTELY! a study evaluating the efficiency of kegel exercises over a 12-week period conducted in Italy found that 82.5% of men who had premature ejaculation saw an improvement in their condition and increased their sexual stamina.
After 6 months of the study, researchers checked in with 39% of the patients and discovered that they had all continued to see improvement in their intravaginal ejaculatory delay time.
Next, we’ll take a look at where to locate your pelvic floor muscles and some of the most effective pelvic floor exercises.
Next, we’ll take a look at some of the best pelvic floor exercises.
What exercise can stop premature ejaculation?
Now you have located your pelvic floor muscles and practiced the technique, you are ready for your pelvic floor muscle training. Here are some of the most common kegel exercises:
Slow Kegels
Slow Kegel exercises are designed to deliberately hold back the premature ejaculation. This can be done by slowly contracting and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. Here is the process for doing so:
- Squeeze the muscles in your pelvic floor gently until you feel a lift. Hold while naturally breathing for a slow five counts.
- Slowly release your pelvic floor muscles after the count of five.
- Start contracting again for a count of five after your pelvic floor is completely relaxed. For a total of 10 cycles, concentrate on a light squeeze. If you find this to be too difficult, begin with four to five repetitions.
- Try to hold the contraction for a little bit longer each time. Eight seconds, followed by ten, etc. Always relax for as long as you are contracting.
Fast Kegels
- Your pelvic floor muscles will be contracted, held, and then relaxed using the same technique as slow Kegel exercises.
- Unlike short Kegel exercises, the contractions will be much shorter and quicker (one second), relax, then contract again straight away.
- After a set of ten slow Kegels, try performing ten quick Kegels.
- Increase the number of quick Kegel exercises you perform three times per day over time. Start with 10 quick Kegels and work your way up to 15 and then 20 quick Kegels.
If you do this regularly you will condition your pelvic muscles to work, so when you engage them during intimate contact, you’ll be able to postpone the inevitable. If you feel like you’re close to firing, but your partner is not ready for that, just perform five quick Kegels, and you’ll be back in action.
How often should you practice kegel exercises?
Well, there is no definitive answer, practice as much as you can! Your muscles will develop stronger the more frequently you perform them. If you’re looking for a number to aim for, try somewhere between 3 to 5 times a day at a minimum. But if you want to do them 30 to 50 times a day, it will not hurt you.
Aim for three sets of Kegels, both quick and slow. Even when you’re just starting out, it shouldn’t take longer than five minutes.
If it helps you remember to do them, try and find regular patterns of the day to perform them. Such as:
- When you wake up in the morning
- After going to the toilet
- Before going to bed
Other exercises
Once you have learned how to perform kegel exercises, there are also behavioral therapy techniques you can use to help treat premature ejaculation. Here are two listed below:
Edge in the middle sex and masturbation
Edging is when you’re getting close to orgasm but then you stop or slow down before you actually get there. You do this a few times before finally letting yourself go. It’s a way to make sex or masturbation last longer and feel more intense. It’s also called “peaking” or “surfing.” It’s a technique that can be used alone or with a partner, and with different types of stimulation, like manual, oral, or penetration. It can also help with sexual function.
Edging has shown to be an effective technique for men who have suffered from both lifelong and acquired or secondary premature ejaculation. It helps to teach you how to delay ejaculation during masturbation or sexual intercourse.
Edging is all about taking control of your orgasm and making it last longer. To try it, start by getting yourself or your partner excited through intercourse or masturbation. Once you start to feel like you’re about to orgasm, hold back and don’t let it happen just yet. Keep doing this over and over until you can last longer and longer before finally letting yourself go.
One important aspect of edging is breath control. By focusing on your breath, you can help yourself calm down and regain control during the process. Breathwork can be a helpful tool when trying to control ejaculation. So don’t forget to breathe deep and steady while you’re edging. With practice, you’ll find that you can last longer and make your orgasm even more intense.
The squeeze technique
The squeeze method, also known as “the stop and squeeze,” “the pause squeeze technique,” or “the pinching method,” is a relatively simple technique to learn and perform. All you need to do is apply pressure to your penis just before you ejaculate.
This sensation is controlled by squeezing the part of the penis called the frenulum (where the shaft meets the head) and stopping just before ejaculation. You can look at a detailed step-by-step of the squeeze technique in another one of our articles.
Conclusion
By performing Kegel exercises, you can build strong pelvic floor muscles, which can boost your sexual health and help with ejaculation control.
In addition to being a good premature ejaculation treatment, it also has some additional health benefits such as reducing the need to urgently go to the toilet and leaking before you get there, reducing dribble after you urinate, and having a better ability to control wind.
So it is worth scheduling some time in your calendar to do them!
