When pregnant women aren’t craving mint chocolate ice cream covered in anchovies, they’re working on ways to prepare their bodies for the coming baby. Thousands of women turn to kegel exercises to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles, ensuring that childbirth will be easier and less time consuming. But while these kegel exercises are great for expectant mothers, what can they do for men? Is it possible that working the pelvic floor can actually help a man to avoid erectile dysfunction?
While most men would scoff at the idea of busting out a few kegel reps, the truth is that strengthening the pelvic floor really can help the body ensure that the erectile process stays healthy and strong.
This is because these pelvis-targeting workouts strengthen a muscle within the body known as the bulbocavernosus muscle. This muscle is responsible for allowing the penis to engorge with blood, it assists the penis in pumping during ejaculation, and it is responsible for emptying out the urethra after urination.
As a result, working this muscle ensures that the main muscle responsible for the erection stays good and healthy, which translates into less erectile problems and stronger erections.
Thankfully, kegel exercises are remarkably easy to do. While urinating, clench and unclench the muscles that stop your urine stream. This is the muscle group you’ll be working out. To perform a rep of kegel exercise, squeeze this muscle group tight, hold the squeeze for five seconds, and then relax. Repeat this process 10 to 20 times, for two to three times a time.
After you master kegel exercises, you’ll be able to knock out a couple reps in meetings, driving to work, or while sitting around watching TV. Make kegel exercises a reoccurring process, and your erection should be safe for many years to come.