5 Kegel Moves That Will Transform Your Sex Life!

The workout women can't stop talking about lately won't show up on your gym's class schedule. Forget squats, Zumba, or Jazzercise — we're talking about Kegel exercises. You've probably heard the term before, but as a refresher: Kegels train the muscle group that makes up the pelvic floor. Naturally, that translates into a better sex life, since it can make climaxing easier and orgasms more intense.

Kegel training may also unlock stronger or multiple orgasms, and it can even make certain strap-on styles more comfortable to use. On top of that, Kegels build bladder control, which is exactly why they're so often suggested to women dealing with incontinence after giving birth [1]. These exercises may cut incontinence by as much as 75% [2], with benefits potentially lasting ten years when done properly [3]. Pelvic floor work can additionally ease fecal incontinence [4] [5], vaginismus [6] [7], and pelvic organ prolapse [8].

Incontinence often looks like leaking a bit of urine while coughing, sneezing, or having sex.

Don't confuse peeing during sex with squirting.

Kegels are effective for both stress incontinence and mixed incontinence [9]. That said, doing them with poor form can backfire [10] — more on that after we walk through technique. Also worth noting: if your PC muscles are already hypertonic (overly tight), Kegels aren't a good fit for you.

This isn't exclusively a women's exercise, either. Men can train their pelvic floor too, which can lead to firmer, longer-lasting erections and better control over premature ejaculation. Doctors also recommend it for men dealing with bowel-related issues.

That said, the training plan below is written specifically for women.

1. Getting Started

New to Kegels entirely? Let's cover the fundamentals first — namely, which muscles are actually involved. These exercises zero in on the pelvic floor, the muscle group holding up your bladder, uterus, rectum, and vagina [11] [12]. Specifically, you're aiming to engage the pubococcygeus (PC) muscle, whether you're male or female [13].

So how do you actually locate your pelvic floor muscles (PFM)? One trick is stopping your urine stream partway through [14]. Whatever muscles you engage to do that are your PC muscles. This works well for identification purposes, but doing it habitually can actually harm your bladder [15]. These same muscles also activate when you hold back gas [16].

Before starting any Kegel session, fully empty your bladder first. Exercising with a bladder that's full or even partly full risks pain, leakage, and a higher UTI risk [17].

If UTIs are a recurring issue for you, urinating after sex can help. Learn all the reasons you should pee after sex.

Nailing Your Form

Isolating the Kegel muscles takes some practice, since your instinct is to clench your thighs, glutes, and abs right along with them. The Mayo Clinic recommends lying flat on your back and breathing deeply throughout each set for the best results.

Avoid holding your breath [18] [19]. Keep your breathing slow and steady throughout, resisting the urge to hold it in [20]. Counting out loud can help prevent breath-holding [21].

• Step 1: Clench your pelvic floor muscles and hold for a five-count [22].
• Step 2: Release and breathe out for five seconds.
• Step 3: Do this five times total, then work up to ten-second holds.

To confirm you're not accidentally recruiting other muscle groups, rest a hand on your belly and check that it stays relaxed throughout.

2. Pull-In Kegels

Plenty of variations exist to keep your Kegel routine fresh and more effective. The pull-in Kegel is a favorite among them.

Picture yourself sitting in an inch of water, with your vagina acting like a vacuum drawing it all upward. Clench your glutes while lifting up and tucking inward toward the front. Hold for five seconds, then release. Do this ten times total, adding up to 50 seconds of work.

Build up until four daily sessions feel easy, then add five reps each week. Cap it at 40 reps, and within roughly three months you should notice solid control. From there, you can scale back down to just 10 reps, four times daily.

3. Pelvic Clocks

This exercise delivers a wide range of benefits, such as:

• Better blood flow to the pelvic region.
• Less stiffness and tightness from too much sitting or standing.
• Greater pelvic mobility.
• Improved balance.
• Stronger sense of spinal stability.

Lie on your back with your pelvis free to move fully. Bend your knees, feet flat on the floor, spine straight. Imagine a clock face on your lower belly — 12:00 at the navel, 6:00 at the top of the pubic bone, and 9:00 and 3:00 at each hip bone.

Tilt your hips forward and back, drawing your navel toward your spine, then lifting toward the pubic bone. Shift so the 3:00 point dips lower, then tilt until 6:00 sits at the lowest point. Continue around the entire clock face until 12:00 returns to the bottom. Do this 2-3 times, then reverse direction for another 2-3 rounds.

Ready to level up? Wetzler suggests cycling between each hour position and neutral — 1:00 to neutral, 2:00 to neutral, and onward. Repeating a tighter range, like 3:00 to 4:00, five or six times, can sharpen your sense of the pelvic movement.

For more instruction on doing this exercise, watch this video:

4. Pairing Kegels With Squats

Some women combine Kegels with squats in their routine. Squats are well known for toning glutes, but they may also strengthen the PFM. Squat advocates argue that Kegels alone tighten the PC muscles without lengthening them — something squats help address. They can also suit women whose pelvic floor muscles run hypertonic.

Fans of squats for pelvic floor strength typically recommend a deep, held squat, which pulls on the sacrum and lengthens the PFM. In this position, your knees sit higher than your hips.

5. Adding Equipment To The Mix

Once you've built up some experience with Kegels, equipment made specifically for this muscle group — like Kegel balls — can add variety and useful feedback.

Kegel balls go by several names — Ben Wa balls, vaginal balls, pleasure balls — and they zero in on the vaginal muscles specifically. You'll find them at nearly any sex toy retailer, typically for under $15. Older versions were separate loose beads; modern ones are usually joined together and larger, often featuring an internal ball meant to trigger involuntary contractions while also adding pleasure.

Additional: Ben Wa Balls: What They Are & Why You MUST Use Them

Newer options from brands like Lelo and Fun Factory use hypoallergenic silicone — a plus since it's easy to sanitize — and single-ball versions exist if you'd rather skip the double-ball design. A retrieval cord makes removal simpler, and bigger sizes give you more sensory feedback. Some women also just enjoy them as sex toys in their own right. Certain vaginal ball sets let you swap in balls of different weights or sizes.

There are also vibrators shaped like one or two insertable balls, usable for exercise or pure pleasure. Combined with Kegel training, these can even lead to a hands-free orgasm. More on hands-free orgasms.

Once your Kegel balls arrive, wash and dry them thoroughly, then apply lube before inserting for a smoother experience.

Get comfortable — sitting or standing both work — and gently guide them into the vaginal opening. Don't insert too deep, or you risk cervical discomfort. Close your legs to hold them in place.

Isolate your Kegel muscles and squeeze the balls with them, holding briefly before releasing. Then try shifting them back and forth. It might feel odd at first, similar to adjusting to a tampon, but that fades with practice. Aim for at least 15 minutes daily, working up to an hour for the best results.

Smart Kegel Devices

Technology has also given us the smart Kegel toy — "smart" because it pairs with your phone over Bluetooth, letting you track progress and get real-time exercise guidance. Doctors once relied on specialized equipment to gather this kind of biofeedback; now it's available from home.

Minna's kGoal was an early entrant, and Gvibe also offers a smart Kegel ball. Lovelife, Elvie, and We-Vibe round out the field of manufacturers making these connected devices. They cost more than basic Kegel balls, but many users find the added feedback worth it. Cheaper knockoffs exist on Amazon too, though reliability may not match established brands.

Double-check app compatibility with your phone before buying a smart device.

Looking for something different? The Intensity is an inflatable insertable device built for pelvic floor training. Its Vibrance model looks more clinical than typical sex-toy-brand trainers, but it's another route to consider. Research shows meaningful PC muscle strength gains among users [23].

Keeping A Consistent Routine

As with any workout, consistency is what actually gets you results, so weaving Kegels into your daily routine matters. Fortunately, they're fast, simple, and easy to do discreetly.

While lying down works best when you're first learning to isolate the muscles, once you've got the hang of it, you can do these virtually anywhere — at your desk, on the couch, even stuck in traffic.

That flexibility is convenient, but it can also make it easy to just forget. A better strategy is pairing Kegels with something already locked into your daily habits — brushing your teeth, eating dinner, whatever's reliable. Linking the two makes forgetting much less likely.

Avoid Overtraining

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests 10 reps, three times daily — morning, afternoon, and evening [24]. That adds up to 30 total contractions per day.

Just like any other muscle group, overtraining or excessive intensity can strain your pelvic floor. Consistency matters, but piling on extra sets in a single day isn't the way to get there — it can lead to pain or discomfort during urination, bowel movements, or sex.

Check this article for other reasons sex might hurt.

What Results To Expect

Kegels are simple and effective enough that there's little reason for women of any age to skip them — the payoff touches both your sex life and overall health. Start by getting more familiar with your own body and how female anatomy actually works. Progress usually isn't instant, and you might not land the most intense orgasms right away, but staying consistent and patient pays off.

Most women notice better bladder control somewhere between 3 and 6 weeks in [25] [26] [27]. By the three-month mark, most feel real results — stronger muscles and better bladder control, plus Kegels themselves get easier, letting you do them more often and for longer stretches (just don't overdo it).

Your partner might notice the difference too, during sex.

Read More: What Does A Vagina Feel Like?

If you're unsure about your approach or just want guidance, your doctor can help build a more tailored plan. Kegels paired with biofeedback and electrotherapy can boost results even further [29]. One survey found biofeedback-assisted training cut incontinence by 75.9%, versus 51% for verbal feedback alone [30] — part of why tracking apps have become so popular for this.

Some doctors can even apply electrical stimulation to automatically trigger the right muscles [31], helping you learn to replicate that contraction on your own afterward.

Once you're feeling the payoff yourself, share the wealth — teach your partner to train his own pelvic floor too. Men who do these exercises report firmer erections and better ejaculatory control (check out this guide to making yourself squirt for related tips). Kegels can also support prostate health in men [32]. Everybody wins.

What The Research Shows

Doctors and researchers are increasingly leaning on tech to support Kegel training. A team of urologists at UC San Francisco, for instance, built an app that lets users log their sessions and track progress [33]. It also monitors other markers of urinary health. Expect more tools like this going forward, or consider one of the smart devices mentioned earlier that already come with companion apps.

One study looked at whether electrical stimulation could boost pelvic floor function. Researchers split women into three groups: no stimulation, 15 minutes of stimulation, and 30 minutes of stimulation — all combined with standard Kegel training.

The group receiving 15 minutes of stimulation alongside their exercises showed the greatest improvement in stress incontinence [34]. Given the small sample, the researchers stopped short of a definitive conclusion, but larger future studies could confirm whether combining electrical stimulation with pelvic floor training holds up.

A separate study found that Kegels don't just support pleasure and bladder function — they may benefit heart health too [35]! So keep squeezing (and releasing).

Resources

This post from 10 Things Yoga Mama offers tips geared toward new mothers looking to start Kegels.

Lovehoney also has a video covering Kegel ball use along with advice for choosing one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where does the name "Kegel" come from?

A: The exercises are named for Dr. Arnold Kegel, who became known in the 1940s for recommending them to female patients dealing with incontinence [36] [37]. He's also credited with inventing the perineometer, a tool for measuring pelvic floor contraction strength [38].

Q: How is "Kegel" pronounced?

A: It's pronounced "Kay-gll," matching the name of the exercises themselves. You'll also hear some people say it closer to "key-gll."

Q: Is it possible to overdo Kegels?

A: Yes — these exercises still work your muscles, and like any workout, rest periods matter so your muscles can recover. Skip the recovery and you risk soreness. Overly tight muscles are another possible side effect, which is why Kegels aren't recommended if you already deal with a hypertonic pelvic floor — also called a nonrelaxing pelvic floor, where the PFM stay too tense [39].

Overtraining Kegels can also cause discomfort from that added tension. Make sure you're fully releasing during the relaxation phase and giving your muscles breaks between sessions — even a rest day now and then is fine.

Q: Can Kegels be done incorrectly?

A: Yes. Poor form can damage the muscle and, with pelvic floor exercises specifically, may worsen incontinence rather than improve it. Researchers continue looking into ways to make correct form easier to achieve [40].

Q: Do I need special equipment to do Kegels?

A: Not at all — they can be done anywhere, with nothing required [41]. That said, toys are available if you want to make the routine more engaging or want feedback on your progress.

July 30, 2020