PC Muscle Exercises

Here are some of the most popular PC muscle exercise routines:

• Quickly clench and release the PC muscle repeatedly for 10 seconds; take a 10-second break between the sets. (Sets Required: 3)

• Clench and release the PC muscle repeatedly for 5 seconds; take a 5-second break between the sets. (Sets Required: 10)

• Tighten and hold the PC muscle for 30 seconds; take a 30-second break between the sets.

• Perform this routine (all 3 exercises, all 16 sets) every day for a week. (Sets Required: 3)

• Clench and hold the PC muscle for 5 seconds; release and repeat with no break in between sets. (Sets Required: 10)

• Quickly squeeze and relax the PC muscle 10 times; release and repeat with no break in between sets. (Sets Required: 3)

• Squeeze and relax the PC muscle alternately in long and short bursts for counts of 10; release and repeat with no break in between sets. (Sets Required: 3)

• Tighten the PC muscle and hold as long as possible; in the beginning, try to start with 2 minutes. (Sets Required: 1)Perform this stage of the routine (all 4 exercises, all sets) every day for a week. Remember, the PC is a muscle, and these exercises aim to strengthen that muscle; start out reasonably and work into longer durations. Do not be discouraged if it is not possible to complete each exercise for the entire time suggested; practice will produce the best results.

• Squeeze and relax the PC muscle over and over again; stop at 30 (or whatever the goal is). (Sets Required: 30 (set a goal of 100 to eventually reach))Squeeze as tight as possible and hold for 20 seconds; take a 30 second break between the sets. (Sets Required: 5) Perform this stage of the routine (both exercises, all sets) daily for a week.

• Squeeze and relax the PC muscle for 2 minutes, every day. Set a goal of 20 minutes 3 times a day (60 minutes total), eventually working into 200 repetitions each set; maintain this part of the routine for as long as necessary, performing as often as necessary.

When performing Kegel exercises, make sure not to overdo it, and to isolate the PC muscles only; using the abdominal, buttock, back, or thigh muscles will only defeat the purpose. Begin with a comfortable and easy routine; start with the identifier exercise during urination and complete that as many times a day as comfortably possible. Increase the types and frequency of the various PC exercises over a period of four weeks. At the end of each week, take time to evaluate progress before continuing on to the next level of difficulty. Make sure to make each day and week more challenging than the one before to guarantee progress.

Many people think that Kegel exercises only improve stamina and performance in the bedroom, but strengthening the PC muscle has other healthful benefits as well. For men with conditions such as an enlarged prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, or urinary incontinence, strengthening and toning the muscles of the pelvic floor, including the PC muscle, can relieve pain and improve bladder control. In the area of sexual gratification, toned pelvic floor muscles can strengthen erections, prolong the length of arousal time, reverse the effects of erectile dysfunction (ED), and allow men to control their ejaculation.

For women, the healthful benefits of Kegel exercises are large and include everything from sexual gratification to treating vaginal prolapse (a condition where part of the vaginal canal protrudes out of the vaginal opening, resulting from the collapse of the pelvic floor, often after childbirth), and preventing uterine prolapse (similar to vaginal prolapse, but instead of the vaginal canal part of the uterus protrudes from the vaginal opening).

Kegel exercises can resolve urinary incontinence issues, prepare the body for the final stages of pregnancy and vaginal childbirth, and aid in post surgery recuperation. Women who deliver via caesarean section, or who have other surgeries requiring abdominal access, also benefit from the toning and strengthening effects of Kegel exercises. As with any other exercise program, beginning slowly and gradually increasing frequency and intensity of Kegel routines will bring about the best results.