Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercises offer a simple method to help people have more control over their sexual response cycle, resulting in increased sexual pleasure and improved quality of orgasms. Kegel exercises focus on the pubococcygeal muscles (PC muscles) that runs from the pubic bone to the tail bone. The PC muscles lie beneath the sex organs and are involved in the contractions experienced during orgasm. Both women and men can exercise their PC muscles by repeatedly tightening and releasing them. By strengthening this muscle and gaining voluntary control over these muscles, people can improve their overall sexual performance and satisfaction.
How to locate and exercise the PC muscle
The pubococcygeal muscles are one of the pelvic floor muscles that lay along the bottom of the pelvic floor. Some people find it difficult to identify this muscle since we do not use it as often as our other muscle groups. Try to stop the flow of urine while urinating, and the muscle that you tighten to do so is the PC muscle. Women can find out if they are squeezing the PC muscles correctly by inserting a finger in the vagina. If you feel a tightening around your finger while squeezing, then you are clenching the correct muscles.
When exercising the PC muscles, it is important that you do not squeeze or tense other muscles groups at the same time. Avoid tensing the muscles in your legs, abdomen, or buttocks – or holding your breath – while doing Kegels. The beauty of these exercises is that you can practice them at almost anytime without anyone knowing. Whether you do them while sitting in class or while watching television, you will most likely notice a positive change in your sexual experiences with consistent practicing.
There are a several ways to work out your PC muscle:
- Tighten the PC muscle and hold for 5 seconds, then relax for 5 seconds, and repeat. After squeezing for 5 seconds becomes easy, try holding for 10 seconds and resting for 10 seconds. Try to do 10 sets, or as many you can comfortably accomplish.
- While counting from 1 up to 5, slowly tighten the PC muscle with each count until completely tightening the muscle once you reach 5. Then slowly relax the muscle counting back down from 5 until you are completely relaxed once you reach 1. Try to do 10 sets, or as many you can comfortably accomplish.
- At a quick, but steady pace, clench and release repeatedly for as long as you can. You can start out doing the quick clenches for 10 seconds and build up to 30 seconds or more. Remember to rest between exercise sets.
The best way to see results is to practice these workouts for about 5 to 10 minutes every day. You won't notice any changes overnight, but with consistent practice for about 3 to 4 weeks you should notice more control over your sexual response, increased sensations during sex, and more powerful orgasms.
Benefits for women
Kegel exercises provide numerous benefits for women regarding their sexual functioning, as well as their general physical health. By simply strengthening the PC muscle, many women are able to achieve orgasm more easily and feel more intense and longer orgasmic contractions. For women who experience orgasmic difficulties, Kegel exercises can often help women achieve orgasms more easily by training the muscles involved in orgasmic contractions. Kegels have also been shown to help women who have vaginismus by increasing their voluntary control over their muscles. One fun result of Kegels is the woman's ability to squeeze the PC muscle while her partner is inside of her vagina during sex. The sensation of quick, rhythmic pulses of the woman's muscles around her partner's penis can be a very enjoyable sex technique.
Strengthening the PC muscle can decrease one's risk of incontinence, which is the inability to hold back from urinating. The PC muscle surrounds the urethra, which is the tube through which urine leaves the body. With greater muscular control in this area, it is more likely that you will be able to hold back the urge to urinate until you are ready. Pregnant women can also benefit from doing Kegels because it can ease the childbirth process and help regain the strength of your pelvic floor muscles after giving birth.
Benefits for men
Kegel workouts can provide men with many sexual advantages, such as stronger erections, more powerful ejaculation, and more intense orgasms. By strengthening the PC muscle, the man can have greater control over his sexual response – the process by which a man achieves and maintains an erection. Males who want to maintain their erection for a longer period of time will find that toning the PC muscle will greatly aid in his sexual performance. With this greater control over their muscles, some men have found that they can even achieve multiple orgasms.
All in all, the Kegel exercises can result in increased sexual satisfaction overall for both men and women, because they promote a better awareness of one's body and how it functions.
External links about Kegel exercises
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/exercise_ez/index.htm