Kegel exercises have been touted as great pelvic area exercises by many doctors and trainers. They were discovered by Dr. Kegel and the major goal of these exercises are to achieve better muscle tone for the muscles of the pelvic floor by strengthening them. Kegel exercises involve the tightening and relaxing of the pubococcygeus (PC) muscles which are a part of the pelvic floor.
These exercises have been recommended for women who are pregnant as it assists in preparing the pelvic area for child birth. They have also been used to help treat men who suffer from prostrate pain and swelling. Other benefits of doing Kegel exercises include urinary incontinence treatment and increased sexual pleasure.
How to do Kegel exercises
Before you begin doing the exercise it is important you know where the Kegel muscles are. The easiest way to find your Kegel muscles is to stop your urine midstream. The pelvic floor muscles are what are used to do this and it is done by contracting them. When you release the pelvic muscles you will start the flow again.
The basic Kegel exercise just involves the contracting and relaxing the muscle repeatedly. These exercises have a number of variations including varying the speed at which the muscles are contracted and relaxed. Here are some Kegel exercises you can do.
Exercise 1
Step 1. As fast as you can tighten the release the pubococcygeus muscles for a count of ten seconds, then rest for ten seconds. Do a set of three and afterwards rest for thirty seconds.
Step 2. Next you tighten and release the same muscles for five seconds and rest for five seconds. Repeat this sequence ten times.
Step 3. Now you will once again contract your pubococcygeus muscles for 30 seconds and then relax them for 30 seconds. Do this for a set of three.
Step 4. Repeat step one.
Exercise 2
Step 1. Contract the pubococcygeus muscles. Hold for five seconds, and then relax them. Do this for a set of ten.
Step 2. Contract and relax the muscle as fast as you can for a set of ten. Do three sets.
Step 3. Once again contract and relax the muscle for ten second counts and varying the intervals. Do this for three sets. Step 4. Squeeze the muscle. Hold for as close to two minutes as you can.
Exercise 3
Step 1. Contract and relax the muscle repeatedly for a count of thirty. Do at least four sets.
Step 2. Contract your pubococcygeus muscles as much as you can. Hold for 25 seconds and then relax for thirty seconds. Do this five times. It is important to remember that you do not need to go to a gym or any special classes to do these exercises. You can do them at any time you want and any where you want. No special clothes are need or equipment. You can do them sitting or standing. The key to getting the benefits of Kegel exercises is to do them often and consistently.
Isn't that what we've done for years with Kegel exercises? Countless hours of practising while wondering if we'd got the right muscle, or if there was any point in doing the exercises anyway as we weren't really feeling that our effort was making any difference.
A little known fact about Kegel exercises which often surprises people when they first hear it is that they were never meant to be performed the way in which they are today. Indeed, they were never meant to be performed the way they have been for decades!
Dr Kegel was an American surgeon, Associate Professor of Gynaecology at the University of Southern California and Health Commissioner of Chicago, who spent more than thirty-two years in the study of the female pelvis and the muscles therein.
His studies document his results with thousands of women that show the incredible benefits to be gained from Kegel exercises when performed correctly. In 1950 Dr Kegel had achieved complete relief of urinary stress incontinence in 93% of a group of 300 women in this way.
"On the strength of these favorable results urinary stress incontinence in women is no longer routinely treated by surgical intervention at...LA County General Hospital." Dr Kegel. (A progress in Gynecology, 1950 p.786)
Isn't it amazing to think that the results he was getting in the last century are even better than the generally accepted success rates for incontinence surgery carried out today? How were these results achieved? By ensuring that the exercise protocol that his patients followed consisted of two essential elements:
1) Isolating the pelvic floor muscle (using no abdominal, buttock or thigh muscles) 2) Working the pelvic floor muscle against resistance
What is commonly known as a Kegel exercise today bears little relation to authentic Kegel exercises. Dr Kegel knew that the exercises were pretty useless without either of these components. If you've been struggling to get results with Kegel exercises, maybe for years, now you know why they seem to be exercises in futility.
Think about it like this - Squeezing against nothing is about as effective as trying to rehabilitate or build muscle in your arm simply by flexing it up and down, you could do that forever and see little improvement. However, put a small weight in your hand and exercise against the resistance of that, adding slightly heavier weights as the arm gets stronger and improvement in strength and tone is inevitable.
Imagine going to the gym and finding all the equipment has been taken out and you're told you can go through the motions of doing the exercise and achieve the same result! This is what women have been told about pelvic floor exercise over the last half century, and still are. By merely going through the motions of doing the exercise you cannot come close to achieving the results that come from actually doing the proper exercise.
Dr Kegel was quoted in TIME magazine, Dec 3rd, 1956 as saying, "There is a better way than surgery to correct most cases of pubococcygeal weakness"
Both Dominic Ferrara & Abigail O'Donovan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dominic Ferrara has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Dumbbell and Get Ex Back. Article by Dominic Ferrara, on behalf of Check. Dominic Ferrara's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.
Abigail O'Donovan has sinced written about articles on various topics from . Abigail O’Donovan is the founder of Kegelmaster Europe. She aims to raise awareness that powerful pelvic floor exercises could eliminate stress incontinence and reduce the need for unnecessary pelvic surgery to near zero. To find out more plea. Abigail O'Donovan's top article . to your Favourites.