Kegel exercises for men: why they matter and how to do them

Pelvic floor exercises are often thought of as something for women, but men have these muscles too, and they can be trained. Here is when the exercises may help, how to find the right muscles, and how to check you are doing them correctly.

What the pelvic floor does in men

The pelvic floor is a layer of muscle stretching from the pubic bone to the tailbone. In men, it supports the bladder and bowel. The urethra and the back passage pass through these muscles, so they help you hold in urine, wind and stools (CUH). The pelvic floor muscles also play a part in erectile function (Prostate Cancer UK).

They can be weakened by prostate operations, repeated straining because of constipation, repeated heavy lifting, a chronic cough (such as a smoker's cough), being overweight and a lack of general fitness (CUH).

When the exercises may help

• Before and after prostate surgery. See our separate guide to exercises after prostate removal.
• Dribbling after peeing. Squeezing your pelvic floor strongly straight after you pee can help (Prostate Cancer UK). NICE recommends teaching men with this problem how to do urethral milking, gently clearing the last drops from the urethra (NICE CG97).
• Leaking when you cough, lift or stand up (Prostate Cancer UK).
• Erections. The evidence is mixed. In a small randomised trial, 55 men with erectile dysfunction combined the exercises with biofeedback and lifestyle advice; afterwards, 40% had normal erectile function and 34.5% had improved (Dorey et al., 2004). But a 2024 meta-analysis found no significant effect of pelvic floor training, while aerobic training did show a benefit (Chen et al., 2024).

How to find the right muscles

1. Sit, stand or lie down. Relax your thighs, buttocks and stomach.
2. Tighten the ring of muscle around your back passage as if you were holding in wind, then relax (CUH).
3. At the same time, imagine stopping your flow of urine. You should feel a "squeeze and lift".
4. Check in a mirror: when you contract the right muscles, the base of the penis draws in and the scrotum lifts slightly (Pelvic Floor First).
5. Check by touch: place your fingers on the skin just behind the scrotum. The muscles should lift up and away from your fingers. If you feel them pushing down, you are bearing down instead of contracting (Prostate Cancer UK).

You can try stopping your urine flow for real as a check, but no more than once a week, and never as an exercise, because it may interfere with normal bladder emptying (CUH).

How to do the exercises

Based on guidance from Prostate Cancer UK (Prostate Cancer UK):

• slow: tighten and lift the muscles, hold for up to 10 seconds, then relax slowly and rest for 10 seconds; repeat up to 10 times;
• fast: tighten the muscles as quickly as you can, hold for 1 second and let go; repeat up to 10 times;
• if you cannot hold for 10 seconds yet, hold for as long as you can — good technique matters more than the full 10 seconds;
• keep breathing normally. The lower tummy may flatten slightly, but everything above your belly button should stay relaxed (Pelvic Floor First).

There is no single fixed routine. A set of slow and fast exercises about three times a day is a common suggestion, but it is best to agree a plan with a professional (Prostate Cancer UK).

Building them into your day

• Link them to something you do every day, such as meals or brushing your teeth (Pelvic Floor First).
• Gently tighten your pelvic floor before lifting, coughing, sneezing or getting up from a chair (CUH; Prostate Cancer UK).
• Squeeze strongly after you pee to help prevent dribbling.

When to expect results

Improvement can be gradual, week by week, and it can take up to three months before you notice a real difference. Once your muscles are stronger, keep going — you may be able to do fewer exercises, but do some every day (Prostate Cancer UK).

When to see a doctor

• You have problems peeing, such as a weak flow, needing to go often or feeling that your bladder has not emptied. These need to be checked.
• Get urgent advice if there is blood in your pee, it hurts to pee, or you cannot pee at all (NHS).
• Erection problems keep happening (NHS).
• The exercises, or sex, are painful.

Symptoms are not always caused by weak pelvic floor muscles, and strengthening may not be the right treatment, so persistent problems should be properly assessed (Pelvic Floor First).

KegelFit offers a Kegel exercise timer and video workouts for the pelvic floor and the whole body. It helps you keep a routine, but it does not measure muscle strength or check your technique. Free to download, with in-app purchases: Google Play · App Store.

Sources

1. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS. Pelvic floor exercises in men: frequently asked questions (version 11, 13 September 2024). https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/pelvic-floor-exercises-in-men-frequently-asked-questions/
2. Prostate Cancer UK. Pelvic floor muscle exercises (updated April 2025). https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information-and-support/living-with-prostate-cancer/pelvic-floor-muscle-exercises
3. Continence Health Australia. Pelvic Floor First: Men. https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/men.html
4. NICE. Lower urinary tract symptoms in men: management (CG97). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg97
5. NHS. Enlarged prostate (reviewed 8 April 2025). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/enlarged-prostate/
6. NHS. Erectile dysfunction (impotence) (reviewed 28 July 2023). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/erection-problems-erectile-dysfunction/
7. Dorey G, et al. Randomised controlled trial of pelvic floor muscle exercises and manometric biofeedback for erectile dysfunction. Br J Gen Pract. 2004;54(508):819–825. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15527607/
8. Chen Z, et al. Effect of different physical activities on erectile dysfunction in adult men not receiving phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Andrology. 2024;12(8):1632–1641. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.13682