Kegel exercises may help some men get firmer erections and improve ejaculation control. They train the muscles at the bottom of the pelvis, which also support bladder and bowel function. The sexual benefits depend on the problem you’re trying to address: clinical research is promising in some groups, but Kegels aren’t a guaranteed performance upgrade.
Evidence for stronger orgasms is less direct, and these exercises aren’t an established way to increase penis size or testosterone. Pain, difficulty relaxing, or trouble urinating calls for an assessment before more strengthening.
Sexual benefits of Kegel exercises for men
A Kegel is a deliberate contraction followed by a full release of the pelvic floor muscles. You may see the broader term pelvic floor muscle training, or PFMT, in research. Clinical rehabilitation can include supervised exercises, feedback from a sensor, and other techniques, so it may involve much more than squeezing at home.
Check what the men actually did before applying a study result to your own routine. A result from a supervised rehabilitation program describes that combination of care. It doesn’t establish that a particular number of daily Kegels produces the same result.
| Possible benefit | What the evidence supports | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Firmer erections | Some studies found improvement in men with erectile dysfunction | Results across studies are mixed |
| Better ejaculation control | Small studies of pelvic floor rehabilitation report benefits | Many used several techniques together |
| Better orgasmic function | Some research reports improvements on sexual-function questionnaires | That doesn’t establish stronger orgasms for everyone |
| Better urinary control | Pelvic floor exercises are used to manage leakage | Recovery after prostate surgery needs an individual plan |
Erection firmness
Muscles near the base of the penis help support rigidity during an erection. The ischiocavernosus and bulbocavernosus muscles can increase pressure within the erect penis; muscular action also helps limit blood leaving it. If blood drains out too fast to stay hard, the problem is called venous leak. Strengthening appropriate muscles is a plausible way to help some men with erectile dysfunction.
Researchers led by physiotherapist Grace Dorey tested that idea by teaching men pelvic floor exercises alongside biofeedback, which let them see how strongly they were contracting. After 3 months, men receiving that training and lifestyle advice had better erectile-function scores than men receiving lifestyle advice alone. The study involved 55 men and professional instruction, so its findings shouldn’t be read as a promise about unsupervised practice.
The wider picture is mixed. A 2019 review by Myers and Smith found encouraging results, but the studies were of low to moderate methodological quality and used different training approaches. A 2024 review by Chen and colleagues found no statistically significant erectile-function benefit in its pelvic floor training subgroup, although aerobic exercise did show a benefit.
For you, that means pelvic floor training is an option to discuss when erections are difficult. It doesn’t tell you that your pelvic floor is the cause, or that stronger contractions will solve the problem. Our guide on how to keep an erection covers other steps, from touch and breathing during sex to habits that take several weeks.
Ejaculation control
The pelvic floor participates in ejaculation, which is why researchers have explored whether better muscle awareness and control can help men who finish earlier than they want.
In a study led by Antonio Luigi Pastore, men with lifelong premature ejaculation reported improved control after a 12-week rehabilitation program. They received exercises, electrical stimulation, and biofeedback. There was no untreated comparison group, and some participants didn’t complete the program or later follow-up. Those limits make it difficult to separate the effects of the different techniques or predict an individual result.
Practice also involves learning to notice and release tension. Constantly clenching during sex isn’t the same as training your pelvic floor muscles, and there’s no established squeeze that lets everyone stop ejaculation once it has begun. Our guide to Kegels for premature ejaculation explains what the studies show and how long the training takes to work.
If your main concern is finishing quickly, describe the pattern to a clinician: whether it’s always been that way, whether it changed recently, and how much control or distress you experience. That gives more useful information than assuming your muscles must be weak.
Orgasm and sexual satisfaction
Stronger orgasms are a common reason men become interested in Kegels. The evidence doesn’t support a reliable promise about intensity.
Dorey’s study reported improvements in questionnaire scores for orgasmic function and intercourse satisfaction. Those outcomes are relevant, but they aren’t a direct measurement of how intense each orgasm felt. The Pastore study didn’t assess orgasm intensity, so its ejaculation results can’t answer that question either.
You don’t have to rate every orgasm to decide whether practice is worthwhile. If you’re trying exercises, keep the goal specific: easier muscle control, more reliable erections, or a concern about leakage. “Better sex” is too broad to show whether one exercise is helping.
Urinary control and confidence during intimacy
Kegels are also used for urinary leakage. That can matter during intimacy if you’re worried about leaking, particularly after prostate surgery. However, improvement in bladder control and recovery of erections are different outcomes; one doesn’t prove the other.
A 2023 Cochrane review found uncertainty about the benefits of several conservative approaches for incontinence after prostate surgery. Study methods and exercise programs varied. It’s reasonable to follow your surgical team’s rehabilitation advice while keeping expectations individual.
Tell the team if leakage happens during sexual activity. You don’t have to work out the cause yourself or silently add more repetitions. Memorial Sloan Kettering also advises against doing Kegels with a Foley urinary catheter in place because they may cause pain and bladder spasms.
Give your practice a plan
The Coach’s Last Longer program combines pelvic floor exercises with breathing and arousal awareness. Start with the quiz to build your personal training plan.
What Kegels don’t reliably change
Kegels train pelvic floor muscles. They aren’t an established method of increasing penis length or girth, raising testosterone, or increasing sexual desire. Firmer erections, when they improve, shouldn’t be presented as permanent enlargement.
Sexual desire didn’t improve significantly in the men in Dorey’s study. That’s a useful reminder to match the exercise to the concern. Low desire deserves a different conversation from difficulty maintaining an erection.
Erections also depend on blood vessels, nerves, hormones, and the circumstances of sex. NIDDK lists conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hormone problems among possible causes of erectile dysfunction; medicines and emotional factors can contribute too. Kegels don’t address all those causes.
Look past the length of an exercise plan’s benefits list. Ask what changed in the research, who took part, and whether the participants received professional help. A study about men recovering from surgery may not tell you what to expect if you have no symptoms.
How long does it take to notice a benefit?
Think in weeks to months rather than a session before sex. Dorey’s erectile-function study assessed the main comparison at 3 months, while Pastore’s rehabilitation program lasted 12 weeks. These are study timelines, not deadlines by which you should improve.
You may learn to identify a contraction before you notice a sexual change. Being able to find the muscles is useful, but it doesn’t by itself prove that erection firmness or ejaculation control has improved.
Choose an outcome that matches your reason for practicing. For erection concerns, note whether maintaining an erection is becoming more reliable. For ejaculation concerns, include your sense of control and distress rather than recording time alone. For leakage, note the situations in which it happens. These observations can help you explain changes at a follow-up appointment.
If nothing improves after following an agreed plan, ask for a technique check and reassessment. Adding repetitions indefinitely may miss the actual problem. You also don’t need to wait through months of exercise before seeking help for a new or persistent sexual difficulty.
When strengthening may be the wrong starting point
A pelvic floor can have trouble relaxing as well as trouble generating force. Cleveland Clinic describes hypertonic pelvic floor as muscles remaining contracted and failing to relax and coordinate normally. Symptoms can include pelvic pain, painful sex or ejaculation, and difficulty starting urination.
Those symptoms don’t establish the diagnosis on their own. They do give you a reason to get assessed before starting or increasing Kegels. A clinician or pelvic floor physical therapist can check how the muscles contract and release, then decide whether strengthening, relaxation, or another approach fits.
Stop if the exercises hurt. Pain isn’t evidence that a hidden muscle is finally getting stronger. If you feel discomfort afterward, or find it harder to urinate or have a bowel movement, pause the exercises and speak with a clinician.
Seek care for persistent erection difficulties, a marked change in ejaculation, or ongoing pelvic symptoms. You can discuss exercises as part of that visit; you don’t have to choose between taking practical action and getting the cause checked.
Getting started without overdoing it
If a clinician has confirmed that strengthening suits you, begin with technique. Imagine gently stopping yourself from passing gas: the sensation should be an inward lift around the anus and base of the penis. Let the muscles release fully afterward, and keep breathing.
Your abdomen, thighs, and buttocks shouldn’t do the work. If you can only feel those areas tightening, ask a pelvic floor physical therapist to help you find the intended muscles. You don’t need to force a harder squeeze to make the exercise count.
Use the hold length, rest time, and repetitions recommended for you. NIDDK cautions that overdoing Kegels can lead to straining with urination or bowel movements. Practicing by repeatedly stopping your urine stream is also a poor routine because it can interfere with emptying the bladder.
For a fuller explanation of the movement and common mistakes, see how to do Kegel exercises for men. Our overview of pelvic floor exercises for men also introduces the muscle group and training approach.
Keep the session separate from a demand to perform during sex. The point of practice is to learn a comfortable movement you can repeat correctly. You don’t need to clench throughout intimacy or interrupt an enjoyable moment to check whether your exercises are “working.”
How The Coach approaches pelvic floor training
The Coach is an intimate-wellness app with an 8-week Last Longer program. We combine pelvic floor training with breathing, relaxation, and awareness of rising arousal. The exercises sit within that broader practice because ejaculation control involves more than the ability to squeeze a muscle.
You learn to notice tension, practice releasing it, and recognize changes in arousal before rushing toward climax. Solo practice gives you room to learn those sensations before applying the skills with a partner. Consistency and comfortable technique matter more than pushing through fatigue.
An app can provide structure for practice; it can’t examine your pelvic floor or determine the cause of pain, leakage, or erectile dysfunction. If those are your concerns, get an assessment and follow the plan your clinician recommends.
For men who want guided practice for ejaculation control, Last Longer is one training option. The quiz is the next step toward a personal plan.
Practice control with The Coach
Explore Last Longer for guided pelvic floor practice, relaxation, and arousal skills. Answer the quiz questions to get your personal plan.
Sources
- Dorey G et al. (2004). Randomised controlled trial of pelvic floor muscle exercises and manometric biofeedback for erectile dysfunction. British Journal of General Practice. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1324914/
- Myers C, Smith M. (2019). Pelvic floor muscle training improves erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation: a systematic review. Physiotherapy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30979506/
- Chen Z et al. (2024). Effect of different physical activities on erectile dysfunction in adult men not receiving phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Andrology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38937909/
- Pastore AL et al. (2018). Pelvic muscle floor rehabilitation as a therapeutic option in lifelong premature ejaculation: long-term outcomes. Asian Journal of Andrology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6219291/
- Johnson EE et al. (2023). Conservative interventions for managing urinary incontinence after prostate surgery. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD014799_conservative-interventions-managing-urinary-incontinence-after-prostate-surgery
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (accessed 2026). Kegel Exercises. NIDDK. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/kegel-exercises
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2026). Pelvic Floor Muscle (Kegel) Exercises for Males. MSK. https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/pelvic-floor-muscle-kegel-exercises-males
- Cleveland Clinic (2022). Hypertonic Pelvic Floor. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22870-hypertonic-pelvic-floor
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2024). Symptoms & Causes of Erectile Dysfunction. NIDDK. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/erectile-dysfunction/symptoms-causes
