How to Find Your Pelvic Floor Muscles (Men): 3 Checks

The rest of this page gives you three ways to check you have the right muscle, a 20-second first squeeze to try now, and what to do if you feel nothing or it hurts. Once you have found it, the 4-week Kegel workout plan shows you what to do with it.

Where the male pelvic floor is

The pelvic floor is a sling of muscle inside the base of your pelvis. It runs from your pubic bone at the front to your tailbone at the back. When you squeeze, the sling draws up and in. When you let go, it drops back down.

Side view, line art. The dashed line is the pelvic floor drawn up and in during a squeeze. The solid line is where it rests after you let go.

Men have a pelvic floor too. Two of its muscles sit at the base of the penis: squeezing them raises the pressure inside an erect penis, and they contract in rhythm during ejaculation. Erections start with blood flow, not with these muscles.^2,3,4

Before you start

Lie on your back with your knees bent and apart. Lying down is often the easiest position for a first try.⁵ Breathe normally. Go gently: a quarter to half of your strongest squeeze is plenty for now.

Check 1: the lift

Tighten as if you were in a quiet room and needed to hold in wind. An NHS physiotherapy leaflet describes it the same way: tighten your back passage as if you were trying to stop yourself passing wind.⁶ That small inward grip is the muscle. You should feel the area between your scrotum and anus draw up and in.

If that cue doesn't click, try another. Picture needing the toilet and having to hold on a little longer. The muscle you would tighten is the same one. Picture it only.

Check 2: the mirror

Stand without clothes in front of a mirror, or just look down, and squeeze. You should be able to see the base of your penis move nearer to your abdomen and your testicles rise.¹ The movement is small.

No mirror? Rest two fingers just behind your scrotum, over your clothes, and squeeze. You should feel a small lift inward, away from your fingers.

Check 3: what shouldn't move

This check catches the usual slips. The cue in the best-known UK trial was simple: try to avoid holding your breath, pulling in your abdomen or tensing your buttocks.¹ Mayo Clinic adds your thighs to that list.⁵

What you notice	What it means	What to do
A small squeeze inside, between your scrotum and anus	You found it	Let it go fully, then try again
Your buttocks clench, or you rise off the floor	Your buttocks are doing the work	Go softer, about half effort
Your belly pulls in hard	Your stomach muscles are helping	Rest a hand on your belly and keep it soft
You stop breathing	The squeeze is too strong	Go lighter, and count out loud while you squeeze
A pushing-down feeling	That is the opposite of a Kegel	Stop, and think "up and in"
Nothing yet	Normal at first	See "Can't feel anything?" below
Pain	Not normal	Stop, and read the box under "Stop if it hurts"

Try a 20-second first squeeze

This is the same first practice the GoBeast app uses.

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Breathe normally.
Squeeze up and in for 3 seconds.
Relax completely for 3 seconds. Let the muscle drop.
Do that 3 times in a row. It takes about 20 seconds.

Then ask yourself what you felt, and find it in the table above. Prefer a voice to count for you? The free voice-guided Kegel timer does it in your browser, hands-free.

Can't feel anything?

That's normal at first. Try these, one at a time.

Lie down if you were sitting or standing.
Squeeze lighter, not harder. A big effort tends to bring in the muscles next door and hide the small one you are looking for.
Switch cues. Try the wind cue, then the toilet cue, then the fingers.
Try again tomorrow. A few short tries on different days can work better than one long session of trying.

If it never clicks, a pelvic-floor physiotherapist can show you how in person. Mayo Clinic also suggests asking a healthcare professional for help if you are not sure you have the right muscles.⁵

Letting go matters too

After every squeeze, let the muscle drop all the way back to rest. A good squeeze has two halves, the lift and the let-go, and that is why every GoBeast session ends with a relaxation set. Our guide to reverse Kegels for men covers the let-go half step by step.

Stop if it hurts

See a doctor before you train if

You have new or changing urinary symptoms, like a weak stream, straining, peeing more often or at night, or new leaks. See a doctor before starting pelvic-floor training.⁷
You have had prostate or pelvic surgery or radiotherapy. Follow your care team's plan first. GoBeast isn't designed for recovery after surgery.⁸
There is blood in your pee. Ask for an urgent doctor's appointment.⁹
You can't pee at all. Get urgent medical help today.⁷

How GoBeast helps with this

Find-it practice before you pay. Your free plan starts with these same cues and a guided first squeeze.
A where-to-squeeze guide one tap away in every session, for the day you forget.
Cues on every rep. The voice says "Squeeze as if holding in wind", and the screen reminds you to keep your buttocks and belly soft.
A Pain button. It stops the session straight away, and pain switches you to a relax-first path.

Comparing apps first? See how the main Kegel apps for men compare.

Questions

How do I know if I'm doing Kegels right?

You feel a small squeeze inside, between your scrotum and anus, that draws up and in. You keep breathing, and your belly, buttocks and thighs stay soft. Then the muscle lets go fully. If all of that happens, you have it.

What should a Kegel feel like for a man?

Small, more of a lift than a clench. In a mirror, you should be able to see the base of your penis move nearer to your abdomen and your testicles rise.¹ It should never hurt.

Is it normal to feel it around my back passage?

Yes. The pelvic floor runs from front to back, and the NHS leaflet's own cue is to tighten your back passage as if stopping wind.⁶ Then try to feel the lift at the front too, just behind your scrotum.

Is the GoBeast plan free?

Your personal plan is free to see: answer a few questions and practise finding the muscle before you pay anything. Training needs GoBeast Pro, $59.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $14.99 a month. We remind you 3 days before every charge.

Is GoBeast private?

You can start without an account. The app has a discreet icon option and an app lock, notifications use neutral wording, and your answers are never shared with advertisers.

Does GoBeast work?

We're not doctors, and we can't promise it does. Pelvic-floor training has been studied for erection problems. The trials were small, mostly supervised clinic programmes with biofeedback, and their results were mixed.¹ Nothing has tested GoBeast. It works alongside medical care, never instead of it. More in how long Kegels take to work.

What to do next

Once you can feel the lift, the usual next questions are how long to hold it and where to fit it into your day. See how long to hold a Kegel, Kegels at your desk and breathing and your pelvic floor.

GoBeast is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Consult a healthcare professional for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

How to find your pelvic floor muscles (men)