Kegel Exercises for Men: Quick Squeezes and Held Squeezes

Kegel exercises for men usually come in two shapes. A quick squeeze is tightened and let go straight away. A held squeeze is tightened, held for several seconds, then let go fully. Both use the same muscles and the same movement. Only the timing changes. This guide explains each shape, what public sources say about them, and the exact timings Steady uses.

The same squeeze, two timings

Every Kegel starts the same way: squeeze and lift the muscles you'd use to stop yourself passing wind, keep breathing, and keep your stomach, buttocks and thighs relaxed. If that's new, start with How to do Kegels for men.

What changes is how long you hold before letting go:

Shape	Squeeze	Hold	Relax
Quick squeeze	short	none	short, then the next squeeze
Held squeeze	a few seconds	several seconds	at least as long, fully

What sources say

The North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust leaflet describes both. Slow exercises are a squeeze held for a count of 5 seconds, then 5 seconds of relax. Fast exercises mean tightening quickly and letting go straight away. The leaflet does the slow ones first, rests for 2 minutes, then does the fast ones.

Pelvic Floor First describes held squeezes of up to 10 seconds, with a full relax after each one. Cleveland Clinic starts with holds of about five seconds and later describes 10-second holds.

The numbers each source gives are in How many Kegels a day?. Steady doesn't add a number of its own.

Quick squeezes in Steady

Quick squeezes is a free session in Steady:

• Each round: Squeeze 1 s, Relax 2 s.
• 15 rounds, 45 s in all.
• No hold. The relax is twice as long as the squeeze.

The cues help with the pace. Each phase starts with its own vibration, and a short tone if sound cues are on, so you can follow the rhythm without watching a countdown.

Week 3 of Steady 28, Quick squeezes, uses the same 1 s and 2 s timing, from 20 rounds on day 15 to 50 rounds on day 21.

Long holds in Steady

Long holds is a Steady Pro session:

• Each round: Squeeze 3 s, Hold 12 s, Relax 15 s.
• 7 rounds, about 3 min 30 s.
• The relax is as long as the squeeze and hold together.

Steady's other held-squeeze plans sit on the same pattern with shorter holds: Beginner holds for 3 s (free), Intermediate for 6 s and Advanced for 10 s (both Pro). Week 2 of Steady 28, Longer holds, grows the hold from 5 s to 10 s.

Both in one round

Week 4 of Steady 28, Mixed, puts the two shapes together. Each round is a few quick squeezes followed by one held squeeze. On day 22 that's 2 quick squeezes and one 5-second hold, for 5 rounds. The days follow a fixed order and don't change with what you've recorded.

Things to keep the same in both

• Let go fully. In a quick squeeze it's tempting to skip the release. Don't. Each squeeze ends with a relax.
• Keep breathing. During a long hold, check halfway that you're still breathing.
• Keep it small. A long hold doesn't need a bigger squeeze. If other muscles join in, ease off.
• Stop if anything hurts. Then speak with a doctor or pelvic health physiotherapist.

Try both

The free Kegel timer has the Quick squeezes timing built in, and you can set your own hold for a longer squeeze. It stores nothing. The steps for each squeeze are in How to do it, and every source on this page is listed on Sources.

A note on health

This guide describes exercise timings. It isn't medical advice, and the timings in Steady aren't based on a clinical source. If you have symptoms or health questions, speak with a doctor or pelvic health physiotherapist.

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, in quick or held sessions, and records the sessions you finish on your phone.