How to Do Kegels for Men: Squeeze, Hold, Relax

A Kegel is a simple exercise: you squeeze and lift your pelvic floor muscles, hold for a moment, then let go fully. That's the whole movement. This guide covers how to do Kegels for men step by step, what to keep relaxed while you do it, and where the steps come from.

What a Kegel is

Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles at the base of your pelvis. A Kegel works them the way you'd work any other muscle: a squeeze, a short hold, and a full release. Nothing else in your body needs to move.

You can do it sitting, lying down or standing. It can help to start somewhere quiet and comfortable, then do it anywhere once the movement feels familiar.

The steps

These are the steps the Steady app shows under Each squeeze. They are the same steps you'll find in the public sources below, in fewer words.

1. Sit or lie down, whichever is comfortable.
2. Squeeze and lift the muscles you would use to stop yourself passing wind.
3. Let go fully before the next squeeze.

A guided session adds a rhythm to this: Squeeze, then Hold, then Relax, repeated for a number of rounds. In Steady's free Beginner plan, each round is squeeze 3 s, hold 3 s and relax 5 s, for 8 rounds. That takes about 1 min 28 s. It is an exercise timing, not a target.

If you're not sure you've found the right muscles, start with How to find your pelvic floor muscles.

What to keep relaxed

The squeeze should stay small and inside. Steady lists two things to avoid while you squeeze:

• Don't hold your breath. Keep breathing as usual.
• Don't tighten your stomach, buttocks or thighs.

The North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust leaflet adds a few more: don't bring your knees together, and don't lift your shoulders, eyebrows or toes. Cleveland Clinic suggests counting out loud, which makes it hard to hold your breath without noticing.

Slow and fast versions

Public sources describe two ways to do the same squeeze:

• A slow squeeze, held for a few seconds, then a relax.
• A fast squeeze, tightened and let go straight away.

The NTH leaflet describes both, with the slow version first. Steady has a session for each shape: Beginner for held squeezes and Quick squeezes (squeeze 1 s, relax 2 s, 15 rounds, 45 s) for fast ones. Both are free. See Quick squeezes and long holds for how they differ.

Let go fully

The relax is part of the exercise, not a break from it. Pelvic Floor First says to relax the muscles after each squeeze, before the next one. That's why every round in Steady ends with Relax, and why the relax is at least as long as the squeeze in every built-in plan.

How much and how often

Sources give different numbers for seconds, repetitions and sessions a day, and Steady doesn't set one for you. The numbers, side by side and with their sources, are in How many Kegels a day?.

A note on health

These are exercise steps, not medical advice. If anything hurts, stop. If you have symptoms or health questions, or you aren't sure you're doing it right, speak with a doctor or pelvic health physiotherapist. They can check the movement with you.

Try the steps now

You can follow a squeeze, hold and relax rhythm in your browser with the free Kegel timer. It stores nothing. The full steps are also in How to do it, and the first week of Steady 28 starts with short, simple sessions.

Every source on this page, and the date we checked it, is listed on Sources.

For the whole picture in one place, see Pelvic floor exercises for men.

In the app

Steady times each squeeze, hold and relax with cues you can feel and hear, and keeps a record of the sessions you finish on your phone. How to do it shows the steps above, with 3 practice squeezes that aren't added to your history.