Pelvic floor stretches for men: six gentle stretches, step by step

Got pain? Read our guide to a tight pelvic floor first, because a doctor comes before any routine. New to all this? Find your pelvic floor first, so you know which area you're letting go.

What pelvic floor stretches are

Search for pelvic floor stretches and you'll mostly find gentle hip and lower back positions: child's pose, happy baby, a deep squat. Each one is held while you breathe slowly and let the pelvic floor soften as you breathe in. That cue is the same in every stretch below.

It isn't pushing. Bearing down, as if on the toilet, is effort. Letting go is the absence of effort: you stop holding, and the area between your scrotum and anus goes soft and heavy.

What we know, and what hasn't been tested

We haven't found a trial that tested stretches for the pelvic floor in men, so we don't claim they relax it. They're comfortable, low-effort positions to practise slow breathing in, and that's how we use them.

Slow breathing, under 10 breaths a minute, is linked to feeling more relaxed and less anxious.⁴ That finding comes from a review of small studies in healthy adults, none of them about the pelvic floor.

Relax your pelvic floor with slow belly breathing, before and after you strengthen it.⁵ The stretches give you somewhere comfortable to do that.

Before you start

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.^1,2,3

None of these stretches involves squeezing. They still aren't a substitute for that check.

Had prostate or pelvic surgery or radiotherapy? Follow your care team's plan first. GoBeast isn't designed for recovery after surgery.

You need a mat or a rug, loose clothes and a sturdy chair. A cushion helps for child's pose if your knees complain.

Six stretches, step by step

Each stretch uses the same cue: breathe low, and let the pelvic floor soften as you breathe in. Go to a mild stretch, not your limit. A stretch you have to fight is the opposite of what you're practising.

1. Child's pose

1. Kneel with your big toes together and your knees apart.
2. Sit your hips back toward your heels and walk your hands forward until your forehead rests down.
3. Breathe into your back and belly. Let the pelvic floor soften with each breath in.
4. Walk your hands back to come up.

A cushion between your hips and heels helps if your knees complain. No floor space? The seated forward fold below is the chair version.

2. Happy baby

1. Lie on your back and bring your knees up toward your armpits.
2. Hold the outsides of your feet, shins pointing up. Holding behind your knees is fine too.
3. Let your knees widen and your lower back rest on the floor. Rock gently side to side if it feels good.
4. Breathe slowly into your belly and let the pelvic floor soften.

Keep your head and shoulders down. Hold your shins if your feet are out of reach.

3. Cat-cow

1. Kneel on all fours, hands under your shoulders, knees under your hips.
2. Breathe in, let your belly drop and lift your chest and tailbone. Let the pelvic floor soften.
3. Breathe out, round your back toward the ceiling and tuck your tailbone under.
4. Move slowly, one breath for each direction.

Kneel on a mat or a folded towel if your knees are sensitive.

4. Deep squat

1. Stand with your feet wider than your hips, toes turned out. Hold a doorframe or a sturdy chair if you like.
2. Sink into a deep squat, as low as is comfortable, heels down if you can.
3. Let your breath drop low into your belly, and let the pelvic floor soften as you breathe in.
4. Stand up slowly to finish.

A folded towel under your heels helps if they lift. Stop if your knees hurt, and use the figure-four instead.

5. Figure-four

1. Sit tall near the front of a chair, feet flat.
2. Rest one ankle on the opposite knee and let the raised knee drop out to the side.
3. Keep your back long and lean forward a little until you feel a stretch in the outer hip.
4. Breathe slowly, then switch sides.

Ease off if you feel it in your knee rather than your hip.

6. Seated forward fold

1. Sit near the front of a chair, feet flat and wide.
2. Breathe out and fold forward, chest toward your thighs, head and arms hanging.
3. Breathe slowly into your back, and let the pelvic floor soften as you breathe in.
4. Roll up slowly, head last.

Come up slowly if you feel light-headed.

A 5-minute routine

Start on your back with your knees bent. Breathe through your nose if you can, and never hold your breath.

No floor? Use the two chair stretches: a minute of slow breathing, the figure-four for 30 seconds each side, then the seated forward fold for 40 seconds. Our guide to pelvic floor relaxation exercises has a seated version that adds a Release set.

Stretching before and after Kegels

Relax your pelvic floor with slow belly breathing, before and after you strengthen it.⁵ A minute or two of the routine above fits on either side of a Kegel session. Every session on our free Kegel timer ends with a Release set, the let-go done with your breath.

Doing too many Kegels can increase tension or make symptoms worse. If you have pelvic pain, stop strengthening and see a doctor.^2,3

For the let-go itself, see reverse Kegels for men and breathing and your pelvic floor.

Common mistakes

• Pushing or bearing down. If you feel pressure pushing outward, start again with less effort.
• Holding your breath, especially in a deep stretch. Keep it slow and smooth.
• Breathing high into your chest. The hand on your belly should move more than your chest.
• Forcing a stretch. Ease off to mild.
• Using stretches to push through pain. They aren't a way to make pain go away. If something hurts, stop.

When to stop

How GoBeast helps with this

• All six stretches are in GoBeast's move library, demonstrated by the tiger trainer, with swaps if you have no floor space or sore knees.
• Release ends every session, so the let-go gets practised every time you train.
• Paced breathing and body-scan practices to help you relax.
• Pain switches you to a relax-first path, and a Pain button stops any session.

Comparing apps first? See how the main Kegel apps for men compare, or read about the GoBeast app.

Questions