Technique
How to do kegels for men
If you came from a “just squeeze 300 times” video, slow down. Form, rest, and which protocol you are copying matter more than rep count.
Quick answer
To do kegels for men: confirm you need strengthening rather than relaxation, find a lift at the base of the penis and anus, squeeze 3–10 seconds, fully relax for at least as long, and breathe. Train lying, sitting, and standing. Clinic pages cluster around 10 reps, 3 times a day. Dorey’s 2004 trial used fewer maximal holds in three positions, twice daily, plus biofeedback in clinic. Do not kegel while urinating. Do not kegel with a catheter. Stop for pain. This page cites Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, NIDDK, MSK, and Dorey et al. in the British Journal of General Practice.
Who this page is for
Men who already suspect a weak or uncoordinated pelvic floor and want the actual how-to. If you have pelvic pain, a hesitant stream, or kegels already aggravated you, read tight vs weak first.
Practice note (Justin): I started kegels because I wanted extra size. That is the wrong target. What you should feel is a small lift, not a bigger penis. If your only cue is “make it look larger,” you will brace and miss the muscle.
Should you do kegels today?
Only if screening points to weakness or poor coordination, not a locked, painful floor. After prostatectomy, wait until the catheter is out. Cleveland Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering both warn not to kegel with a Foley in place (Cleveland Clinic; MSK).
NIDDK: check with a health professional before you begin; in some cases these exercises are not a good option. NIDDK kegel exercises.
How to find the right muscles
The working cue is stop gas and stop urine — without doing either as a daily drill. You should feel a drawing-up around the anus and the root of the penis.
Dorey’s trial confirmed a correct contraction by a scrotal lift and penile retraction during training (PMC1324914). Continence Health Australia uses the same visual: penis draws in slightly, testicles lift, then drop on let-go.
Use a midstream urine stop at most once or twice to identify the muscles. Mayo Clinic: don’t do kegels while you urinate. Mayo Clinic kegels for men. Full cues: how to find pelvic floor muscles.
Step-by-step session
- Empty the bladder first. Do not train by stopping urine.
- Lie on your back, knees bent, or sit with feet on the floor.
- Breathe in. Let the belly move. Hand on the abdomen to catch cheating.
- On a light exhale, lift as if stopping gas and urine together. Count out loud (Cleveland Clinic uses counting to stop breath-holding).
- Hold 3–5 seconds as a beginner; build toward 10 seconds.
- Let go completely for at least as long as the hold. Wait for the drop. If there is no drop, stop adding reps.
- Repeat until form fades or you hit the set target.
Slow holds vs quick flicks vs Dorey’s extras
| Type | Action | Source | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow hold | Lift 5–10 s, rest equally | Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, MSK, NIDDK | Endurance, support, rigidity assist |
| Quick flick | Lift and drop immediately | NHS / GoodRx-style leaflets | The “knack” before a cough or lift |
| Maximal isolated hold in 3 positions | 3 max holds lying, sitting, standing, morning and evening | Dorey 2004 Box 1 | Strength; what the ED trial actually prescribed at home |
| 50% lift while walking | Submaximal hold during gait | Dorey 2004 Box 1 | Coordination, not extra max volume |
| Post-void “squeeze out” | One strong lift after peeing | Dorey 2004; Mayo after-dribble advice | After-dribble, not a full set |
What dose should you follow?
There is no single gold-standard home dose. Myers and Smith’s 2019 systematic review found pelvic floor training appeared effective for ED and PE but could not name an optimal protocol (PMID 30979506; Scholar).
| Source | Hold / rest | Volume | Positions | Weekly max holds (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayo Clinic | 3 s, then longer; rest 3 s | 10–15 reps × 3 sets/day | Lying, sitting, standing | ~210–315 |
| Cleveland Clinic | 5 s → 10 s; equal rest | 10 reps × 3 sessions/day | Seated or lying first | 210 |
| MSK | 5 s / 5 s | 10 reps, ≥3×/day | Not specified beyond empty bladder | ≥210 |
| NIDDK | 3 s hold, full relax, build to 10 s | At least 3 times/day | Lying, sitting, standing | Varies |
| Dorey 2004 home sheet | Maximal hold (individually set) | 3 max × 3 positions × 2/day = 18 max holds | All three, plus walking 50% | 126 max holds + submax walking |
This site’s 4-week starter begins below Cleveland Clinic’s full dose, then builds to it. Beginners who jump to 10-second max holds usually recruit glutes.
Cleveland Clinic: overdoing kegels can increase muscle tension or worsen symptoms. That is a dose rule, not a motivation problem.
How Dorey’s home sheet actually reads
The trial is often flattened to “do kegels for ED.” Box 1 in the paper is more specific (PMID 15527607):
- Standing, sitting, and lying: 3 maximal contractions morning and 3 evening in each position
- Hold as strongly as you can; avoid breath-holding, pulling in the abdomen, tensing buttocks
- Look for the base of the penis moving nearer the abdomen and the testicles rising
- While walking, lift about 50% of maximum
- After urinating, one strong squeeze to avoid after-dribble
- During sexual activity, rhythmic tightening to help rigidity; slow thrusting noted as generating higher intracavernous pressure
- For premature ejaculation, try tightening to delay ejaculation
Those last two lines are the trial’s home advice, not a guarantee. Men in that study also had five weekly 30-minute supervised sessions with anal manometry. A YouTube challenge is not that protocol.
Progression (4 weeks if kegels are appropriate)
- Days 1–7: 5–8 reps of 3-second holds, 3×/day, lying or sitting
- Days 8–14: 10 reps of 5-second holds; add 5 flicks if the drop is clean
- Days 15–21: 8–10 second holds; add standing
- Days 22–28: Cleveland Clinic-style 10 × 3, holds toward 10 seconds; optional Dorey-style 3-position max holds if form is isolated
Evidence status: this calendar is a synthesis of the sources in the table. It is not a trial of this exact schedule.
Form-check checklist
- You can count out loud
- Belly is quiet under a resting hand
- Buttocks and inner thighs are not the engine
- Scrotal lift or slight penile in-draw if you check
- A real let-go after every hold
- No pain during or after
- You are not stopping urine as the workout
Best for
- After-dribble, stress leakage, post-prostatectomy training after clearance
- Men who can already feel a small lift and need a dose
- Coordination practice alongside medical care for ED or PE when the floor is not painful
Avoid if
- Pain, spasm, or suspected hypertonic floor — see reverse kegels
- Catheter in place
- You cannot find the muscles after an honest try — get a pelvic PT instead of forcing volume
FAQs
What is the correct form for kegels for men?
A kegel is a small lift around the anus and the base of the penis, as if stopping gas or urine, with belly, buttocks, and inner thighs quiet and the breath moving. Dorey confirmed a correct contraction by a scrotal lift and penile retraction. If the pelvis tucks or the glutes squeeze, it is not a kegel.
How many kegels should a man do a day?
Cleveland Clinic: 10 contractions, 3 sessions a day (about 30). Mayo Clinic: 10–15 reps, 3 sets a day. Dorey’s 2004 home program used 3 maximal holds in lying, sitting, and standing, morning and evening (18 maximal holds), plus a post-void squeeze. More than that is not more advanced.
Should I copy the Dorey trial at home?
Not the clinic half. Dorey’s men also got manometric biofeedback and five supervised 30-minute visits. The home list is usable; the biofeedback and weekly PT are not something this site can reproduce.
How hard should a kegel be?
Dorey’s home sheet asked for maximal isolated contractions without breath-holding, abs, or glutes. That is a strong lift, not a 10/10 crush that recruits the whole belt. If you cannot speak the count, you are bracing.
Can I do kegels while walking?
Dorey included a 50% lift while walking as a coordination drill, not as hundreds of extra maximal reps. Unreleased background clenching is how men manufacture a tight floor.
Do I need a kegel device?
No. Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, NIDDK, and MSK teach bodyweight contractions. Dorey used clinic manometry, not a consumer gadget. This site does not sell devices.
What to do next
If kegels are appropriate, use the 4-week starter protocol. If you have pain or squeezing already made things worse, start with tight vs weak instead.
Sources
- Mayo Clinic. Kegel exercises for men: Understand the benefits. mayoclinic.org
- Cleveland Clinic. Kegel exercises for men. Updated 28 Jan 2025. clevelandclinic.org
- NIDDK. Kegel exercises. niddk.nih.gov
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Pelvic floor muscle (Kegel) exercises for males. mskcc.org
- Dorey G, Speakman M, Feneley R, Swinkels A, Dunn C, Ewings P. Randomised controlled trial of pelvic floor muscle exercises and manometric biofeedback for erectile dysfunction. Br J Gen Pract. 2004;54(508):819-825. PMID: 15527607. PMC: PMC1324914. Google Scholar
- Myers C, Smith M. Pelvic floor muscle training improves erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation: a systematic review. Physiotherapy. 2019;105(2):235-243. PMID: 30979506. Google Scholar