Kegel exercises for men (free PDF): a 4-week plan you can print

There is no single proven dose. A systematic review of pelvic-floor training trials in men found no best programme,¹ so use the plan below as a starting point, not a prescription. No equipment needed. You can print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser. First time? Find your pelvic floor before you start week 1.

What the research did, and didn't, settle

Sources give different numbers. The shape is the same: short sessions, done regularly, with rest between squeezes.

• The best-known UK trial. In the best-known UK trial, the home routine was 3 strong squeezes lying, sitting and standing, morning and evening, after coached sessions with a physiotherapist.²
• An NHS physiotherapy leaflet suggests 10 slow and 10 quick squeezes, three times a day, building toward 10-second holds.³
• Mayo Clinic suggests 3-second squeezes with 3-second rests, at least 3 sets a day, working up to 10 to 15 per set.⁴

Our plan starts lower than all three and builds slowly. You can always do more later.

How each session works

Each session has three parts, in this order.

1. Slow squeezes. Squeeze up and in, hold, then let go fully and rest.
2. Quick squeezes. Squeeze quickly and let go straight away, about one a second.
3. Relax set. Slow breaths: in for 4 seconds, letting the pelvic floor soften and drop, then out for 4 seconds, staying soft. No pushing.

How hard: start at about half of your strongest squeeze. Strongest always means your strongest comfortable squeeze, never a strain.

When to move on: go to the next week only if every squeeze last week felt clean. Clean means you kept breathing, your belly and buttocks stayed soft, and the muscle let go fully each time. If not, repeat the week, as often as you need.

Missed days: just carry on. After a week or more off, go back one week.

Your 4-week plan

A starting point, not a prescription. Each session: slow squeezes, then quick squeezes, then a relax set. Start at about half your strongest squeeze. Keep breathing, keep your belly and buttocks soft, and let go fully after every squeeze.

Once a day in weeks 1 and 2. From week 3 you can add a second session, morning and evening, if the first feels easy. One rest day a week.

Week	Position	Slow squeezes	Quick squeezes	Relax set	About
Week 1	Lying, knees bent	5 holds of 3 seconds, resting 5 seconds after each	5	4 slow breaths	2 minutes
Week 2	Lying, then sitting	8 holds of 5 seconds, resting 5 seconds after each	8	4 slow breaths	2 to 3 minutes
Week 3	Sitting, then standing	10 holds of 7 seconds, resting 7 seconds after each	10	6 slow breaths	3 to 4 minutes
Week 4	Lying, sitting and standing	10 holds of up to 10 seconds, resting 5 to 10 seconds after each	10	6 slow breaths	4 to 5 minutes

Tick each session you finish. Sunday is the rest day here; move it to suit your week.

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Week 1	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	Rest
Week 2	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	Rest
Week 3	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	Rest
Week 4	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	Rest

My longest clean hold at the start: ______ seconds. At the end of week 4: ______ seconds. Time it the same way and in the same position both times.

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.⁵
• You have had prostate or pelvic surgery or radiotherapy. Follow your care team's plan first. GoBeast isn't designed for recovery after surgery.⁶
• There is blood in your pee. Ask for an urgent doctor's appointment.⁷ If you can't pee at all, get urgent medical help today.⁵

Print or save your plan

Use your browser's Print command (Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+P on a Mac, or Share then Print on a phone) and choose Save as PDF. The printout keeps only the plan section above, plus the sources.

How many Kegels should a man do a day?

There is no single right number.¹ In this plan you do between 10 and 20 squeezes a session. The NHS leaflet goes up to 30 slow and 30 quick a day.³ More is not automatically better. Aim for clean squeezes, not a big count.

Long holds and quick squeezes

Start holds at 3 seconds and build toward about 10, only while you can keep breathing.^3,4 Our guide on how long to hold a Kegel shows how to time your own clean hold. Quick squeezes ask something different: switch on fast and let go fully between beats. The NHS leaflet includes both.³ Keep them small and even.

End every session with a relax set

Every GoBeast session ends with a relaxation set, and so does this plan. Our guide to reverse Kegels covers the let-go in detail, and breathing and your pelvic floor has a longer slow-breathing drill.

Sitting, standing or lying?

Lying down is the easiest place to learn.⁴ The plan moves you to sitting and standing because that is where you'll do Kegels in daily life. For the seated version, think "lift off the chair without lifting your buttocks", a cue from the Dorey trial.² Kegels at your desk has a 3-minute seated routine you can swap in on busy days.

Do I need to do them every day?

The home routines in the trial and the NHS leaflet were daily.^2,3 This plan uses 6 days a week with 1 rest day, the same default as the GoBeast app. Aim for regular, not perfect.

Can you do too many Kegels?

We don't know of a research-backed daily maximum, so we won't give you one. Effort should never become strain, and pain means stop. If you finish sessions sore or achy, stop and get checked rather than pushing on.

How GoBeast helps with this

• Ten Kegel levels that move with your sessions, not the calendar. Miss a few days and your level holds.
• A calm voice and haptic cues for every squeeze, hold and release, with the screen locked.
• Release at the end of every session.
• A reminder 3 days before every charge, and one tap in Settings opens the cancel screen.

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

Questions