Pelvic Floor Exercises for Men

Why should men do pelvic floor exercises ?

Strong pelvic floor muscles are important for men (or AMAB)  too. Women have been encouraged to exercise their pelvic floor muscles for decades, but now we understand that it is just as vital for men, and especially with specific health issues.

The most common time males become aware of their pelvic floor is if their prostate becomes enlarged casuing urinary issues and particularly after a diagnosis of prostate cancer, followed by surgery.

Surgical removal of the prostate involves removing part of the internal urethral sphincter which normally provides some of the closure pressure of the urethra, preventing urinary leakage.
once removed you need to retrain the rest of the support system to take over. This involves:

• deep pelvic floor muscles - the levator ani and puborectalis. These are activated more with what is called a posterior cue - thinking close the anus, stopping or holding in wind
• superficial pelvic floor muscles - the external urethral sphincter and bulbo spongiosus. These are activated more with cues like 'nuts to guts' 'shorten the penis' 'stop the flow of urine'

Seebelow for more ways to activate your pelvic floor. It is always best to work with a health professional like a pelvic floor physiotherapist initially to make sure you are on track.

Some helpful resources are Craig Allingham's books 
Prostate Recovery MAP Men's Action Plan
and
The Prostate Playbook

How do men identify the pelvic floor muscles ?

The first step for men to be able to do pelvic floor exercises effectively is to find and identify the appropriate muscles around the anus and the urethra.

• Start by lying comfortably on your back or side, knees bent with the muscles of your thighs, bottom and stomach relaxed.

• Tighten the ring of muscle around your anus by imagining you are stopping a bowel motion or wind - without squeezing your buttocks together.
  Note the different feel of contracting anus ( the sphincter) and the bottom (your buttock muscles).
  Relax and let go.

• Tighten the muscles around the urethra – imagine you are stopping the flow of urine midstream or "making your penis shorter".
  Relax and let go.
•  Now try to “lift ” the scrotum,like it would naturally if you are walking into the cold ocean!
  Relax and let go.

• A proper pelvic floor exercise for men or contraction is a combination of all these actions: Squeeze and tighten the anus, stop the flow of urine and lift the scrotum. It can help to think of “lifting the boy bits” or "nuts to guts"
• Another cue that research shows really works is "shorten your penis"
   
• Now try to do a pelvic floor exercise in sitting – sit upright on a firm chair. Repeat the above actions and feel as if you are lifting your anus, scrotum and penis away from the chair, without contracting your buttocks.
  Relax and let go.

• Now do the pelvic floor exercise in standing – the same action of closing or tightening the anus, urethra and lifting the scrotum. Try cupping your scrotum in your hand and “lift” it off your hand – do you feel the pelvic floor muscles tighten?

• Visual feedback can be helpful. When learning pelvic floor muscle exercises for men seeing what happens will help you to learn.
  Lying on your back or standing – look at what the penis and scrotum do when you contract the pelvic floor : the scrotum should lift slightly and the penis will retract or draw in towards the pubic bone.
• What you shouldn't see is your tummy, or gut, sucking in. Let it relax and as you tighten the pelvic floor muscles the lower belly will gently draw in as if just pulling away from your belt (NOT sucking away) 

How to exercise the pelvic floor muscles

Once you can feel you have mastered contracting your pelvic floor muscles you can start exercising them.

• Tighten and draw in the muscles around the anus and urethra, lifting the scrotum up inside, shorten the penis
• Count how many seconds you can comfortably hold, then release and relax. It helps to count out loud so that you don't hold your breath.
• You should have a definite feeling of ‘letting go’.
• Over time, gradually increase the hold time to 10 seconds.

• Repeat this up to maximum of 8 to 10 squeezes, resting for 10 seconds after each tightening of the muscles.

• Follow this by 5 to 10 short, strong squeezes in quick succession.

• Do not squeeze buttocks, thighs or suck in tummy

Research has found that:

•  a strong pelvic floor helps to overcome erectile dysfunction (Uni of Bristol study, 2004)
• a regular program of pelvic floor exercise achieves the same success rate as Viagra (Uni of Bristol study, 2004)

• pelvic floor exercises are a safer and cheaper option than drugs. Viagra can have significant side effects for some men but exercises are safe for everyone. Medications are much more costly than an exercise program.
• pelvic floor exercises can "increase awareness of sexual sensations and enhance enjoyment" (Impotence Association, UK)

• pelvic floor exercises can lead to improvement for men who experience dribbling after urinating (Uni of Bristol study, 2005) 

The material presented in this information sheet is intended as an information source only. The information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters presented herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information. The information should not be considered complete and should not be used in place of the advice of a health care provider. Pelvic Floor Exercise does not accept liability to any person for the information or advice provided , or for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance upon the material contained herein.

©Pelvic Floor Exercise all rights reserved