Hey fabulous individuals, it's time to embrace a "New Year, New You" vibe for 2024! Give yourself a well-deserved high-five, and let's dive into a fitness routine that'll make you feel as sensational on the inside as you look on the outside. Forget the ordinary – it's time to explore kegel exercises that elevate and empower. Whether you're a beginner or a kegel pro, from ben wa balls to vibrating kegel beads, there's a perfect routine waiting for you and your pelvic floor muscles.
Kegel What?
Okay kegel balls are really popular and everything, but anatomy stuff gets confusing so here’s a quick refresher. When you do your kegel exercises (AKA “doing your kegels), you’re not actually working a “kegel muscle.” Kegel workouts are basically just controlled movements of the pubococcygeus muscles that help strengthen and tighten the pelvic floor. These muscles spread across the base of your pelvis, attach to the sitz (buttocks) bones, pubic bones and coccyx. Most people refer to the muscle group as “PC muscles” or simply “PC’s” because pubococcygeus is obviously a ridiculous, unpronounceable word.
Doing your kegel exercises regularly can lead to better sex and stronger orgasms. Which is why we’re here, people! A strong PC muscle also helps to prevent and reduce urinary incontinence caused by weakened muscle strength. Women who are pregnant or have given birth will often suffer from weakened PC muscles. Most women can do their kegel exercises while pregnant or after giving birth, but talk to your doctor to see if kegel-cise is right for you.
Another cool kegel fact is that men also have PC muscles and benefit from kegel exercises, too. These days, men’s pelvic floor fitness doesn’t get as much attention as women’s. Men are much less likely to have a doctor recommend a kegel routine and there aren’t as many products in the market to assist in men’s kegel exercise.
Pretty much everyone can benefit from kegel exercises, regardless of gender, age, or physical type… that includes you and your sexy body. However, if your PC muscles have weakened a little or a lot, kegel exercises will be extra helpful in your journey toward living your best life.
Shame-free signs of a weakened PC muscle may include:
- Excreting a small amount of urine (leakage) while sneezing, laughing or coughing.
- Strong, sudden urge to urinate before losing significant amount of urine (urinary incontinence)
- Leaky stool (fecal incontinence)
Your steady kegel-cise, with or without kegel balls and other kegel products will help prevent the weakening of your PC muscles and subsequent side effects. But let’s get back to that whole better, stronger, more intense orgasms part! Even if you don’t have any of the symptoms of weakened PC muscles, you can still benefit from doing the five best kegel exercises for better sex.
Straight Flexin’
You don’t have to go to a fancy gym or buy a bunch of equipment to get the kegel strength and endurance you desire. This good old fashioned kegel workout is simple to do and works in the same way for all genders. The basic kegel flex method is also the foundation for the types of kegel exercise you can do with products such as kegel beads, ben wa balls, or kegels balls on a string.
Identify Your PC Muscle
The easiest way to accurately know that you are engaging your PC muscle is during urination and then stopping mid flow. The contraction you feel when the stream of urine stops is your PC muscle contracted and releasing is the muscle relaxed. It is NOT recommended that you continuously stop and continue the flow of urine as a means to perform your kegel exercises as that can lead to urinary tract infection. This is just a simple, one-time practice to understand the feel of your PC muscle and how you can control its contractions and release. Most people don’t even think about their pelvic floor until they are made aware of it, but that doesn’t mean the PC muscle isn’t active in your body. Typically, the muscle is kept in a steady state of tension, so when you first start your kegel exercise, it can be just as hard to release and relax as it is to contract.
Namaste Tight
The flex method can be done anytime but as a kegel exercise routine, it is ideally practiced in the style of a yoga practice. Which is actually where the flex method originates from. What many of us call kegels, yogis refer to it as “mula bandha,” which in Sanskrit means “root lock.” It plays an important role in connecting to your root chakra and controlling sexual energy. In the practice of Tantric sex, bringing awareness to the PC muscles, along with the ability to relax and contract them at will is essential to attaining genital consciousness and who doesn’t want that?!
Honoring the Eastern traditions of sacred sexuality, allow your kegel flex method workout to be a time to slow things down and connect to your body. Set aside time when you know you’ll have 5-10 minutes to yourself (if you’re planning to have sex or masturbate, this makes a great pre-game ritual).
Dim the lights, turn on relaxing music or favorite meditation app, light a yummy smelling candle like Shunga's indulgent Massage Candle. Find a comfortable position to begin your kegels, such as lying on your back with legs outstretched or knees bent with the soles of your feet firmly planted on the bed or the floor beneath you. You may sit or stand if you prefer. Relax your body by taking a few deep breaths. Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. As you are ready, begin to contract your PC muscle on the inhale and release it on the exhale. Do this a few times until you find a comfortable rhythm. Begin to hold the contraction for a full five seconds, release for five seconds. If this is enough for you, do 3 rounds of 10 sets. If you want more, you can increase your holding and relaxing time to 10 seconds.
Belle of the Ben Wa Ball
Utilizing the same breathing, holding and releasing style of kegel workout, you can now integrate accessories such as ben wa balls. The unique thing about ben wa ball style of kegel exercisers is they are two metal balls that can be used individually or together. These Silver Ben Wa Balls are perfect for any level and have the added benefit of beauty. When considering the Chinese origin of ben wa balls, which were known to first be used by courtesans as early as 500 AD, having gorgeous kegel balls can enhance your connection to the sensual tradition. Begin with one, and as you increase the strength of your pelvic floor, work up to two for increased weight. Metal kegel balls are the same as ben wa balls. They are sometimes referred to as “Geisha Balls” or “pleasure beads” and the weighted kegel balls can be kept inside a woman’s body throughout the day or during intercourse. The balls create a delicious sensation of greater fullness for the female partner, while sliding gently along the shaft of an inserted penis. Use a silicone or water based lube with your metal pleasure beads. This style of kegel exercise is perfect for those who love having a workout buddy… and as you commit to a 3 days per week for your routine, your workout buddy will thank you!
Athletic Training
For women looking for an official kegel workout routine, invest in theWellness 3 Step Progressive Kegel Training Kit Sets can come in various forms, but silicone is an ideal material for this type of kegel practice. Silicone warms to your body’s internal temperature so they are incredibly comfortable. Start with the lightest weight and largest size when starting with your kegel ball set. The smaller the kegel ball, the tighter one must contract to keep them in. Holding tightly for the duration of your kegel workout requires more pelvic floor strength, so it’s best to work your way up to that level in your weighted kegel ball set. If using silicone kegel balls, add a water based lubricant (silicone lubricants can erode the texture of any silicone sex toy) to help slide the balls in with greater ease. A kegel ball set is an easy way to track your progress and focus on the goal of strength training. Choosing a weighted kegel ball set with numerous options increases the satisfaction of vaginal wall training, so look for ones that have a silicone girdle and weighted kegel balls that you can interchange. The silicone girdle can be used with 6 balls of identical or varied weights, but you can also use the balls sans girdle as you would with your loose ben wa balls. Silicone kegel training sets are a perfect addition to a classic at-home workout routine. Sit-up, push-ups, and stretching all feel much more fun with your kegels engaged with your core. Who knows- the kegel contractions might even make your squats an orgasmic endeavor!
High Vibes
Just because you are working to increase strength and elasticity of your pelvic floor, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while doing it. If you hate every type of workout obligation and require a bit more incentive- try a vibrating kegel ball. CalExotics Silicone Remote Rechargeable Egg Vibe includes a remote to control the vibration of the egg once it is inserted. The smooth silicone egg should be inserted with the help of a water based lubricant, but the kegel ball contains a silicone string that makes removing it easy. Or try the remote controlled Silicone Remote Rechargeable Egg Vibe that combines pelvic-floor strengthening benefits, with pure pleasure. You can keep any vibrating kegel balls in as long as you feel comfortable. Maybe try keeping them in as you vacuum or do the dishes? You know kegel workouts can be done anytime, but vibrating kegel balls work as a gentle reminder to keep doing your kegels while engaging in other activities because you’ll feel the changes of the internal vibration. A loose kegel ball may slide out before you’ve had a change to re-engage your PC muscle. A gentle tug and you’re done. Be sure to wash any kegel ball with antimicrobial toy cleaner.
Pleasure-cise
The ultimate kegel exercise is sexercise! Putting together what you learned about Tantra in the flex method and the pleasure principles taught in ben wa and high vibe styles of kegel exercise, you can take your workout to an orgasmic level. Unlike the other kegel exercise options, the pleasure-cise style does not require a specific set of reps and it’s not necessary to count the seconds of your hold or release times. This intuitive style asks only that your steady contractions come and go as you do. During orgasm, the walls of the vagina contract, as do the muscles in the penis. These contractions happen involuntarily but by choosing to flex during intercourse, you strengthen your PC muscles while mimicking your natural orgasmic sensations. That means you don’t have to wait for your orgasm to feel orgasmic. These fluctuations create the sensation of being on the verge of orgasm. This is part of how Tantra works to sustain orgasm. For men working the pleasure-cise muscle, the contractions can help stave off early ejaculation. If this appeals to you and your partner, definitely check out more on Tantric sex to learn the difference between orgasm and ejaculation. The two happen simultaneously for most men but are not intrinsically linked. Strengthening your PCs through the practice of kegels is the first step in becoming a multi-orgasmic man. And ladies, you will feel like a sex goddess as you grasp your man tightly with the strength of your well conditioned vagina. Talk about major gains!
If you don’t have a partner to pleasure-cise with, you can still enjoy the most satisfying workout of all time. Practice your kegel contractions while masturbating. Doing this practice solo can help you tune into how the contractions and releases of your PC muscle work to bring you closer to orgasm. Understanding this private, personal rhythm is empowering. Men can do this by hand or with a male masturbator to practice edging. Women can work the muscles of the vaginal wall with a favorite insertable shaft toy. Using a standard dildo that doesn’t vibrate works perfectly if you’re hoping the kegel exercise will later help you orgasm from other types of penetration. But don’t rule out the vibrators! You can even use a strong clitoral vibe with any of your kegel balls.
Hit the Showers:
Alright you sexy-ass athletes, be sure to check out PinkCherry for all your kegel needs and find products for every kegel-cise style. Keep up the great work and stay hydrated!
