7 Kegel mistakes men make, and what to do instead

Most of these come down to one of two things: other muscles joining in, or the squeeze never switching off. None of them means Kegels aren't for you. Run the 30-second check below, then jump to the mistakes it points to. New to all of this? Our step-by-step guide to Kegel exercises for men covers the whole method first.

A 30-second self-check

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and apart. Rest one hand on your belly.
2. Squeeze up and in for 3 seconds at about half your strongest, then relax for 3 seconds.
3. Do that 3 times, and notice what happens.

Then match what you noticed.

• Your hand felt your belly pull in or push out: mistake 1.
• Your breath stopped, or you couldn't have counted out loud: mistake 2.
• Your buttocks tightened, or lifted you off the floor: mistake 3.
• It felt like straining on the toilet: mistake 4.
• The squeeze never fully switched off between reps: mistake 5.
• You went as hard as you possibly could: mistake 6.

None of those, and you felt a small lift between your scrotum and anus? Your technique is fine. Did anything hurt? Skip the list and read when to stop.

Mistake 1: bracing your belly

Your stomach pulls in hard, or pushes out, as you squeeze. It feels like more work, so it feels like better work. The trouble is that a big muscle working hard can hide the small one you're after.

The cue in the best-known UK trial of pelvic-floor exercises for men was to try to avoid holding your breath, pulling in your abdomen or tensing your buttocks.¹ Three of the mistakes on this page are in that one sentence.

Mistake 2: holding your breath

Breath-holding creeps in when you concentrate hard on a small muscle. It often comes with a clenched jaw, and with mistake 1.

Mistake 3: clenching your buttocks

If you rise off the floor or the chair when you squeeze, your buttocks are doing the work. Your inner thighs can sneak in too. The NHS leaflet says not to tighten either of them.²

Mistake 4: pushing down instead of lifting

A Kegel goes up and in. If it feels like straining on the toilet, or you feel pressure pushing outward, you're bearing down. That is the opposite movement.

A reverse Kegel isn't a push either. It's a let-go, which is mistake 5.

Mistake 5: never letting go

Squeeze, half relax, squeeze again. If the muscle never drops back to zero, you're training only half of the movement. Your pelvic floor holds some tension even at rest, a bit like shoulders you didn't know were raised.

The NHS leaflet asks you to feel the muscle relax and soften each time you let go.²

If letting go feels hard, or the area aches, more squeezing may be the wrong direction. Pelvic-floor strengthening isn't right for everyone. If you have pain in your pelvis, genitals, perineum or bottom, pain when you ejaculate or pee, or trouble starting to pee, your pelvic floor may be too tense rather than too weak, or something else may be going on. Guidelines advise against Kegel-style strengthening for pelvic pain with a tender pelvic floor. Stop, see a doctor, and ask about a pelvic-floor physiotherapist.^3,4,5 Our guide to a tight or hypertonic pelvic floor in men covers the signs.

Mistake 6: too hard, too long, too many

Maximum effort on every rep. Holds stretched to 20 or 30 seconds. Hundreds of squeezes a day. It feels like training harder. In practice, straining tends to bring in the muscles next door, and the small one gets lost again.

We don't know of a research-backed daily maximum, so we won't give you one. For reference, the NHS leaflet builds toward 10-second holds and a total of 30 slow and 30 quick squeezes a day, over three sessions.²

Mistake 7: practising while you pee

Some guides tell you to do Kegels by stopping and starting your stream on the toilet. The NHS leaflet we follow says not to practise stopping the flow of urine midstream,² and every pelvic-floor move in the GoBeast app carries the same rule: never practise by stopping your flow when you pee.

If peeing itself has changed, with a weaker stream, straining, going more often or at night, or new leaks, see a doctor before starting pelvic-floor training.⁶

Technique sorted, and still unsure?

Two more things to look at. The first is how regularly you train, because a few sessions a month is a different thing from most days. The second is what you expect. Nobody can honestly give you a date, and our guide on how long Kegels take to work explains why. For what research does and doesn't show, read our guide to whether Kegels work for men.

If you still can't tell if you have the right muscle, a pelvic-floor physiotherapist can check your technique in person. The trials behind Kegels for men had one.¹

When to stop

See a doctor before you start if you have new or changing urinary symptoms, like a weak stream, straining, peeing more often or at night, or new leaks.⁶ Had prostate or pelvic surgery or radiotherapy? Follow your care team's plan first. GoBeast isn't designed for recovery after surgery.⁷

How GoBeast helps

• A reminder on every rep. The voice says "Squeeze as if holding in wind" and "Hold it. Keep breathing.", and the screen tells you to keep your buttocks and belly soft.
• Effort in plain words, from about a quarter of your strongest up to your strongest comfortable squeeze, so you aren't guessing how hard to go.
• One tap after each session (too easy, right or too hard) sets the pace, so you don't overdo it to move up.
• A release at the end of every session, and a Pain button that switches you to a relax-first path.

Choosing an app? See our comparison of Kegel apps for men.

Questions