The Male “Kegel” Exercise? (A Taboo Subject!)

Men do not prefer to talk about the subject of urinary incontinence, but it certainly does exist. Most men, once they reach their late thirties, will notice that the urine stream becomes less strong. Many men will also note that there is less control over the extra “dribble” at the end of urination. (You can imagine that this can lead to embarrassing situations.)

What most men do not realize is that part of the muscle associated with the urinary tract is under voluntary control, which means that improvements in urinary control can be gained through exercises. Try the following exercise the next time that nature calls…

1. It is advisable that you try this exercise when the bladder is relatively full. This allows for more “repetitions” of the exercise. It does not matter if you are standing up or seated when performing this exercise.

2. Once urination has started and there is full flow, try to completely stop the flow through muscle control. Hold for five (5) seconds.

3. Allow the flow to start up again and repeat this action until the bladder is completely empty.

This exercise does come with a precaution. There is clinical evidence that if the bladder and the urinary canal are not entirely drained, urinary tract infections can result. YOU MUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE COMPLETELY EMPTIED YOUR BLADDER IF YOU ARE GOING TO ATTEMPT THIS EXERCISE.

Once you have figured out how the muscle works and have better control, you can easily perform “contract and relax” exercises without having to urinate during the exercise. I will often recommend the exercise outlined above as only a means to “figure out” how to contract the necessary muscles. Exercising the urinary tract muscles while NOT urinating is preferable as there is no risk of urinary tract infection.

One final note: I tried to explain this exercise once to a man who thought that it would be fine to stop the urine flow through a pinching motion of his fingers (I do not want to go into more detail). Although this would in fact strengthen his fingers, this is not advisable as a means of strengthening the muscles of the urinary tract.