What is Kegel Exercise?

Kegel exercises are exercises that tone the muscles that hold and surround the vagina, uterus, bladder, and anus in women. They similarly surround the base of the penis in men. These exercises are named after Dr. Arnold Kegel, a man who invented a device to measure the strength of contractions of those muscles more than 70 years ago! 

These muscles can become damaged or weak due to injury or childbirth, and Kegels may be recommended as a way to strengthen the muscles. This is why so many people think of Kegel exercises are a woman's health concern. Doing Kegels can speed up the muscle healing process after giving birth. However, men may also benefit from Kegels. Anyone who has urinary or fecal incontinence should ask their doctor if Kegels are right for them. Doctors can perform a manual test to check on your muscle strength. Some people describe how doing Kegels can lead to a better or stronger orgasm.

What Equipment Do I Need To Do Kegel Exercise?

You do not need any equipment to perform Kegel exercises; although, you might consider them if they make exercising more fun or pleasurable, remind you to keep up with your Kegels, or provide feedback about your muscle tone. 

You can incorporate tools into your workout, just like you might use weights at the gym. These tools include:

• Smart Kegel toys: OhMiBod Lovelife, Elvie, We Vibe Bloom.
• Sex balls (including benwa, Geisha, and Kegel balls): LELO Luna
• Kegel exercisers: California Exotics Inspire, Satisfyer Balls

Kegel balls can be made of glass, metal, or silicone. Some modern balls contain weighted balls that vibrate inside them to create a pleasurable feeling. They may also make your pelvic floor muscles involuntarily contract. They may be single balls, two separate balls, or two balls that are connected together. Balls may come in sets so that you can pick the best fit or switch to heavier Kegel balls as your muscles become stronger. Stick to balls with cords that make retrieval easy, ensuring they cannot become lost.

Some Kegel balls have a vibrating feature, which may bring pleasure and potentially orgasm or could be used as feedback when you squeeze the balls in your vagina.

Smart Kegel exercises have become all the rage. They connect to your phone via Bluetooth, allowing you to use it as a remote to control the vibrations or guiding you through workouts and tracking your progress.

Finally, shaft-style exercisers typically have bulbs around which you can squeeze your muscles. You can partially insert the device and try to pull it into your vagina or pull it out by hand while contracting your pelvic floor muscles to keep it in place.

Because Kegel exercises are so personal, you should take your time to find the best toy for you.

How To Use Ben Wa Balls?

To use ben wa balls, apply a bit of lube to them, your vagina, or both. Insert them. If using more than one ball, do so one at a time. If you are struggling to insert them, try different positions. You can squat, rest one leg on a piece of furniture, or lie on your back if it helps.

Once the balls are inserted, you might feel a bit of pressure. But you want the experience to feel comfortable. It is okay if you need to adjust them. If the balls are uncomfortable no matter what you do, the design might not be for you. Consider switching to a different style -- from dual balls to single balls, for example, or to a more elongated or narrower toy.

The presence of the balls inside your vagina can be pleasurable and can also serve as a reminder to squeeze your pelvic floor muscles. Try five quick flicks, then released for five to ten seconds. You can also hold and squeeze -- hold for five seconds, release for three. Repeat five times. Repeating these reps several times per day can tone your pelvic floor muscles. Fortunately, you can use ben wa balls anywhere, with no one the wiser.

You do not have to only use them for exercise. If you simply find them pleasurable or arousing, pop them in whenever. Touch a vibrator to the balls after you insert them. If they are the type with inner balls, this can feel quite intense and may even make you orgasm!

As long as you do not insert these balls into the anus where they can get sucked up into the GI tract, there is no wrong way to use them.

How to Do Kegel Exercises for Woman?

With or without equipments, to do a Kegel exercise, you simply need to squeeze and release your muscles. You can locate the muscles by stopping your stream of urine when on the toilet. Note that you should only do this to locate your muscles and should not make a habit of stopping the flow. You will know when you are squeezing your pelvic floor muscles correctly because your butt will not contract as well. It can be difficult to isolate your pelvic muscles in the beginning, however.

The two methods of Kegel exercises are sustained and quick contractions. With a sustained contraction, you will hold before releasing, while quick contractions are more likely flicks. With both of these, it is important for you to fully relax your muscles.

A rep of each exercise is as follows:

• Sustained: contract for five seconds, release for ten. Repeat five times daily.
• Quick: contract and release quickly, five times. Relax for 5 – 10 seconds. Repeat thrice daily.

How to Do Kegel Exercise for Men?

When some people think of Kegel exercise, they have pictures of Lamaze class and women contracting their pelvic floors. Others might still associate it with incredible orgasm that is achieved through tightening the pubococcygeus (PC) muscles. Let’s be real though, pelvic floor exercise gives you Masters Degree in the Art of the Ultimate Orgasm. 

Everybody Can Have Kegel Fun!
There is just one thing that is missing from the equation. Kegel exercises are for both men and women. We have all had that humorous boyfriend that can make his cock lift up and down or around and around. While it may be funny, guess what? Your man has a strong pelvic floor. We all have a perineum. It is that muscle that controls your urine stream when you pee. Contract it and it stops. Once you have that covered, you are on your way to stronger and more frequent orgasms. The rest is practice and maybe a few tools that will make it fun. 

A soft pelvic floor comes from sitting a lot or doing exercises that build the front of your thighs such as bicycling. If you have a soft pelvic floor, it points to poor circulation in the soft tissues, muscles and tendons of the perineum. For men, this can result in erectile dysfunction, clots, but most commonly pain from tight muscles that cause imbalances. The pelvic floor must be kept neutral. No sitting on your thighbones. Sit neutral and upright and squeeze the perineum. You can even do this in your office chair and no one will know the difference if you are doing them right.

Hip flexion will help solve some pelvic floor discomfort. Yoga classes that emphasize the importance of balancing muscles that were shortened because of repetitive action are going to help this, too. 

When Should I Do Kegel Exercise?

Kegel exercises can be done anywhere and nearly any time -- during your commute to work or when you're standing in line at the store or the dentist's waiting room. Others cannot tell when you're toning your muscles. So why not take advantage of this time?