How to Do Kegel Exercises Correctly – A Guide to Kegels For All Body Types

Kegels are simply a type of pelvic floor exercise that help strengthen your pelvic floor. More specifically, they refer to the act of contracting or activating your pelvic floor muscles—which isn’t just an exercise, but a motion that your body does every day, whether you know it or not!

Your pelvic floor helps you use the restroom, climb stairs, enjoy sex, lift items, and maintain proper posture each and every day. When you play sports, sit down, go for a walk, or do practically any other movement… Your pelvic floor is helping you!

Also, everyone has a pelvic floor, and everyone can do pelvic floor exercises (including Kegel exercises). No matter your gender identity or genitals, you have a pelvic floor. 

The pelvic floor is made up of twenty-six muscles that hold your organs and interconnect with your lower back, abdominals, and hips. These muscles provide function through contractions and relaxations. 

The pelvic floor in AFAB (left) and AMAB (right). Images used with permission from Pelvic Guru®, LLC as a Pelvic Global Member.

These movements can and do happen without you even realizing it, but you can actively contract or relax your pelvic floor, too. For example, holding gas is a voluntary contraction of your pelvic floor! A voluntary contraction means you actively and knowingly make this movement.

So, when you hear people talking about Kegel exercises, they are referring to voluntary contractions of your pelvic floor! No matter what you refer to them as—Kegels, pelvic floor exercises, or pelvic floor contractions—it’s all the same movement.

You may have seen people recommend a number of “reps” for doing Kegels. This refers to contracting your muscles, relaxing them, and then repeating the process. When it comes to Kegel exercises, reps can be performed by either repeating the contraction quickly a specified number of times, or by holding the contraction for a few seconds per rep.

We’ll talk more about performing Kegels soon; but first, let’s talk safety!

Kegels are not suited for all pelvic floor needs, but that doesn’t mean that they are innately harmful. Remember, a Kegel is just a pelvic floor contraction. 

Your body does these naturally throughout the day, every day; such as when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or use the restroom. Pelvic floor contractions are what allow you to make it to the restroom without soiling yourself, and are simply a part of daily function.

However, Kegel exercises have been repeatedly regarded as a magical solution to all pelvic floor problems, which unfortunately isn’t true. For example, individuals who struggle with symptoms of pelvic floor tension should not do Kegels without guidance or recommendation from a pelvic floor therapist, as they risk worsening their symptoms.

In general, you should always work with a pelvic floor physical therapist to properly address pelvic floor symptoms, rather than simply jumping into Kegels full force. However, as said before, Kegels themselves are not necessarily bad.

They can help you gauge your pelvic floor control, and can offer benefits if done correctly. On the other hand, when done incorrectly or in the presence of pre-existing pelvic floor problems, they can actually be harmful. When in doubt, always work with a professional.

You can learn more about why and how Kegel exercises can be harmful here: 

All About Kegels: Helpful or Harmful?

When trying Kegels for the first time, I recommend you sit on a hard surface or exercise ball. This will allow you to feel the movement of your pelvic floor more clearly during practice!

To start, you may want to practice feeling your pelvic floor move both voluntarily and involuntarily. Remember how we talked about holding in gas as a voluntary contraction? Well, your pelvic floor can contract its own, too; known as involuntary contractions.

To check the involuntary contraction of your pelvic floor, you can let out a cough. You should feel your pelvic floor tighten naturally during the cough. Your pelvic floor does an involuntary contraction when you sneeze or laugh, too.

If you can’t feel the movement or understand it well, don’t hesitate to use a mirror to watch the movement. You can stand with one foot on a stool and watch your perineum, which is the area between your vaginal opening / testicles and your anus. This area should lift up.

For voluntary pelvic floor contractions, you want to visualize and feel your pelvic floor pulling up as you make the movement. Activate your pelvic floor as if you are trying to not pass gas, or aim for something like lifting your penis or testicles, tilting your clitoris, or “closing” your vagina. 

If you leak urine or pass gas while attempting to contract these muscles, you are actually doing the opposite movement (bearing down, rather than pulling up). Don’t feel discouraged if you cannot figure out these movements on the first try!

However, if you struggle to make the movements even with practice, or you experience symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, you may want to see a pelvic floor physical therapist (feel free to schedule an evaluation with me here).

When activating your pelvic floor, you may feel as though you are holding in urine or “pulling up” your genitals, regardless of whether you have a vagina or a penis. This is a normal sensation. Keep in mind that Kegels should not be painful, and you should not be holding your breath during them.

As mentioned earlier, Kegel exercises can be done quickly in succession or slowly with sustained holds (holding for a few seconds). The contraction or “squeeze” should not be too strong; in other words, you shouldn’t be squeezing other muscles like your buttocks or thighs.

Additionally, the relaxation portion of this exercise is just as important as the activation portion! Remember to give proper focus to each relaxation, and don’t perform too many Kegels in one go without rest in between.

If you are unsure what it should feel like or where your pelvic floor muscles are, try inserting a finger into either your vagina or rectum and then activating the muscles as described above. 

You should feel your tissues put light pressure around your finger. You can also look at your genitals in the mirror and watch as they move in response to the contraction and relaxation of your pelvic floor.

Some sources suggest techniques that are not recommended by professionals. 

For example, you may see advice claiming that you should stop your urine stream (yes, while urinating) to “check” your Kegel. Kegels should not be performed while on the toilet or during urination! Doing this can risk a urinary tract infection (UTI), so be careful about where and when you do Kegels.

If you’re wondering about your progress, you can track the frequency or duration of your symptoms and watch how they change over time as you practice Kegels. Or, you can work with a pelvic floor physical therapist, who can help you track and understand your pelvic floor health more clearly.

Another thing to avoid is bearing down too hard. Straining your muscles isn’t going to strengthen them; in fact, it’ll do the opposite. Take things slowly and carefully.

Understanding this part of your body can be confusing at times. If you have pelvic floor dysfunction, coordinating these muscles may be a challenge and strengthening will be even more difficult to achieve. It’s important to perform Kegel exercises correctly—otherwise you may just be straining your muscles rather than making gains.

The best way to work through Kegels is with the help of a pelvic floor physical therapist like me! With my guidance, you can perform Kegel exercises confidently and know that your pelvic floor is actually being trained properly.

For those who have pelvic floor dysfunction, I’ll be able to identify your pelvic floor needs and create a care plan accordingly; whether you need to reduce tension, increase strength, improve coordination, or work on other aspects like posture or form.

In fact, addressing your pelvic floor needs with a variety of treatments is the best way to resolve pelvic floor symptoms. As mentioned before, Kegel exercises are not the answer to everything. They work best when combined with other treatment methods such as manual therapy, neuromuscular re-education, behavioral modifications, and more!

Make an appointment for an evaluation and we can get started on restoring your pelvic floor back to good health! 

If you’re feeling unsure, learn more about pelvic floor physical therapy here or view the FAQ page for questions.