Kegel muscles: where they are and how to develop them

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Girls, today we will talk about an easy and pleasant way to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles to prevent the health of the genitourinary system and new sensations in bed with your beloved.

In 1948, the gynecologist Arnold Kegel, distressed by the ineffectiveness of operations for the treatment of urinary incontinence in women, for the first time in the history of modern medicine spoke about the importance of non-surgical strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles. The "Kegel muscles," as they are now often called, support the uterus, bladder, rectum, and small intestine - an important part of anatomy, to say the least.

The tone of the pelvic floor muscles is reduced by:

• time (these muscles, like any others, weaken with age);
• pregnancy and childbirth;
• abdominal surgery, including caesarean section;
• obesity.

Kegel exercises will help in the following cases:

• stress urinary incontinence (for example, when coughing, sneezing, running, and lifting weights);
• Urgent incontinence - when the urge to empty the bladder is so strong that you cannot reach the toilet (do not confuse it with overflow incontinence, exercise is powerless here);
• weakening of the pelvic floor muscles after childbirth, which, in addition to the symptoms above, can cause prolapse of one of the pelvic organs, such as the uterus.

FAQ

How do you feel the right muscles?

Try to stop the stream while urinating. If you succeed, congratulations, you've found the Kegel muscles.

And if not?

Perhaps you just want to go to the toilet too much to hold back (if not, this is a rather alarming sign, run to the gynecologist). Alternatively, try inserting a clean finger into your vagina and squeezing it. If everything is in order, you will feel the raising of the pelvic floor.

Is that all?

Well, well, if you are not so interested, take a test drive with your loved one: during sex, try to squeeze his penis inside you and ask if he feels that you are grasping him tighter.

Do you need to exercise when urinating?

No. On the contrary, it is contraindicated and can aggravate symptoms or even cause pain.

How to Prepare for Exercise?

Empty your bladder and you can start.

Are there any other nuances?

Do you know how when bending the index finger, the rest also bend slightly? So, with Kegel exercises, a similar thing happens: your gluteal muscles and abdominal muscles can automatically tense. Try to control this moment. While the muscles of the pelvic floor are straining, the rest should ideally be relaxed: this way you avoid overexertion and spasms.

How to train?

Get into a comfortable position: sitting, lying or standing (but not while walking). Tighten the desired muscles as hard as possible for 5 seconds, then relax. After a short pause, repeat. Do 10 of these approaches. Remember to breathe, otherwise you will get tired faster and the benefits of training will decrease.

How long and how often should you train?

Studies show that you can feel the first effect after 4-6 weeks of regular training two or more times a day.

The million dollar question: Will my orgasm get stronger?

Quite possible. Unfortunately, there is no research confirming this without a shadow of a doubt (alas, there is a problem with the study of female orgasm), but many survey participants on the effectiveness of Kegel exercises claim that the duration and intensity of their orgasms has increased. Believe it or not, training your pelvic floor muscles accelerates blood flow to the perineum, particularly during arousal. It certainly won't hurt your orgasm. In addition, you will delight your man with a narrower and denser vagina. Win-win as they say.

Little Helpers

In addition to the "analog" way to develop Kegel muscles, you can include special weighting balls in your workout, which will make the exercises more difficult and effective. The choice is large, for example:

Classics of the genre - balls Ben Wa

Fun Factory Flexible Balls

Rotating Weight Ball from Fun Factory

Vibrating balls with weight LUNA Beads from Lelo

Balls with weight Mini Stella II from Jopen

Also Jopen, with vibration response to compression

Balloons have only one problem - the lack of feedback: it is difficult to maintain motivation if there is no visual result.

Arnold Kegel himself in the forties used a bulky device made of rubber bladder and tubes to measure muscle strength during exercise. Now, when interest in the topic is finally on the rise, several modern and very nice analogs have appeared.

Elvie. Bluetooth, USB charging, exercise app and biofeedback. Pre-order in progress (€ 129)

kGoal. Raised $ 266,917 via Kickstarter. Similar to Elvie, but available now ($ 149)

KegelSmart. No Bluetooth, biofeedback via vibration and blinking light ($ 99.95)

A review of one of these devices will appear on Lifehacker soon. Which one do you think? Would you buy yourself such a thing? Tell us, did you train your pelvic floor muscles and what results did you achieve?