Pelvic floor exercises for men

Men often use pelvic floor exercises, or as they’re sometimes known, Kegel exercises, to improve bladder control. This is not surprising, as there are many benefits to having a strong pelvic floor. For many men, pelvic floor exercises can improve recovery after prostate surgery, reduce the risk of urinary leakages and dribbling after urination, and improve control when feeling an urgent need to urinate.

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: male urinary incontinence. In simple terms, it’s when a guy loses bladder control and unintentionally leaks urine.¹

Urinary incontinence isn’t just a physical issue; it can take a real toll on confidence and emotional well-being. Many men feel embarrassed, anxious about accidents, or even avoid social situations altogether because of this.

It’s also more common than you might think, affecting around 11–31% of older men.²

There are a few key reasons why men experience urinary incontinence. It can be a natural part of aging, but it’s often linked to other factors like:

• Prostate issues: The prostate plays a big role in urinary function. Conditions like an enlarged prostate or prostate surgery could lead to leakage.¹
• Obesity: Carrying extra weight puts added pressure on the bladder, making it harder to control.¹

Want to know more? Here are some causes of male urinary incontinence.

There are different types of urinary incontinence, with each one affecting guys in its own way. Let’s break it down.

• Stress Incontinence: Ever notice a small leak when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or lift something heavy? That’s stress incontinence.¹ It happens when there’s pressure on the bladder, leading to accidental leaks.¹
• Urge Incontinence: This one feels like an unstoppable, sudden urge to pee, even if your bladder isn’t full.¹
• Overflow Incontinence: When your bladder doesn’t empty completely, it can lead to frequent dribbling or leakage.¹
• Functional Incontinence: Sometimes, the problem isn’t the bladder itself but physical or cognitive challenges that make it harder to reach the bathroom in time (think mobility issues or conditions like Parkinson’s). ¹
• Post-micturition dribble: Ever feel like you’ve finished urinating, but then a small, unexpected leak happens afterwards?³ That’s post-micturition dribble, caused by leftover urine in the urethra.

Want to learn more? We unpack the types of male incontinence.

Kegel exercises aren’t just for women! These simple yet powerful exercises help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which play a crucial role in bladder control and sexual function.⁴ For men, strong pelvic muscles mean better control over urine flow and fewer leaks; especially if you’re dealing with stress or urge incontinence. ⁴

Men can benefit just as much as women by doing kegel exercises. Whether you’ve had prostate surgery, struggle with leakage, or just want better bladder health, Kegels can help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.⁴

One of the benefits of Kegels are that they can be done anywhere, no equipment needed. Other benefits include:⁴

• Improved Bladder Control
• Reduced Risk of Leakage
• Support After Prostate Surgery
• Better Sexual Health

Stay consistent with your exercises, and you’ll likely see results over time.

Bladder Control & Retraining

Bladder retraining is a widely used technique to enhance bladder control and manage urge incontinence more effectively. This involves becoming aware of patterns of incontinence and relearning skills necessary for storage and proper emptying of the bladder. This includes avoiding ‘just-in-case’ visits to the bathroom as well as avoiding last-minute rushes. Skills worked on may include:

• Practicing the bladder's ability to hold urine. This is done by increasing the amount of urine the bladder can hold while lengthening the amount of time between voiding intervals. In other words, delaying urination.
• Not rushing to the bathroom in the middle of an urgency feeling, try to distract yourself in some way
• Squeezing the pelvic floor muscle when experiencing the urge to urinate
• Allowing plenty of time and planning bathroom visits to avoid stress.

Time between bathroom visits can be gradually extended in this way. A bladder diary could be a helpful tool. It’s also helpful to try to avoid things that can irritate the bladder and cause urgency feelings such as drinking too much or too little and drinks that can irritate the bladder, such as coffee, black tea, and energy drinks .

Prostate Pain and Swelling

Pelvic floor exercises can be particularly helpful for men recovering from prostate surgery.4 After surgery, the pelvic floor muscles may weaken, leading to incontinence.4 By strengthening these muscles, you can improve bladder control.4 For more information read managing incontinence post-prostate surgery.

Improve Sexual Function

Pelvic floor strength plays a significant role in sexual health and function.4 A strong pelvic floor helps may even improve sexual performance!⁴

Before jumping into Kegel exercises, you first need to find the right muscles. Here’s how:

• Try stopping your urine flow. The next time you’re urinating, see if you can slow down or stop the flow mid-stream. The muscles you use to do this are your pelvic floor muscles.
• Take note of the feeling. You should feel a slight lifting or tightening sensation around your pelvic area. That’s the muscle group you’ll be working on during Kegel exercises.
• Don’t use this as an exercise. Stopping your urine flow is just a test, not an actual workout. Doing it too often can disrupt your bladder’s natural function, so only use this method to locate the muscles.
• Practice engaging them. Once you know which muscles to activate, practice squeezing them when you're not urinating, like while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Get expert help if needed. If you're struggling to find the right muscles, a pelvic floor physiotherapist can help guide you.

Once you’ve got the hang of it, you’re ready to start strengthening those muscles with regular Kegel exercises.

Kegel exercises are simple but only work if done correctly. Follow these steps to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles the right way^1,2

Watch this quick video guide: Kegel Exercises for Men

• Find the right muscles. If you haven’t already, use the stop-urine trick to locate your pelvic floor muscles (but remember, don’t use it as an actual exercise!).
• Get into a comfortable position. You can do Kegels sitting, standing, or lying down, whichever feels best.
• Engage your pelvic floor muscles. Tighten the muscles as if you’re trying to stop urine flow or prevent passing gas.
• Hold the squeeze. Keep the contraction for 3–5 seconds, making sure not to tighten your abs, thighs, or glutes. Only your pelvic floor should be working!
• Breathe normally. Don’t hold your breath! Breathe in and out naturally while doing the exercise.
• Relax completely. After holding, release the muscles fully for 3–5 seconds before repeating.
• Repeat the exercise. Aim for 10–15 reps, three times a day for the best results.

You can improve the strength and endurance of your muscles by carrying out the following exercises which will help you prevent urinary leakage.

Strength

To build your pelvic muscles’ strength, you can do the exercises as we’ve outlined above. And then to improve your muscle strength even more, you could:

• Make each pelvic floor muscle contraction as strong as possible.
• Maintain every contraction for 3-10 seconds, depending on how long you can hold the maximum clench.
• Relax for 5-10 seconds and then repeat, building up to 5-20 repetitions depending on how strong you are.

You can increase the duration or length of each contraction as you get stronger. Remember, you shouldn’t squeeze your buttocks, hold your breath or tighten your thighs, or stomach while doing this exercise.

Do these exercises up to three times a day if you have problems. Eventually you will be able to do them in a sitting or standing position.

Endurance

This exercise helps you in situations when you need to hold the clench for a longer time, for example, when there is no the toilet nearby. In this exercise you don’t clench with maximum strength.

Instead, try to hold the clench for as long as possible up to 60 seconds. After you’ve done your strength clenches for 10 repetitions as described above, finish your round with an endurance clench.

Beginner tips: if you’re new to Pelvic floor exercises

1. If you're new to the exercises you can do them lying down.
2. Initially your muscles won’t be strong enough, so you’ll need time to get them used to working against gravity.
3. Lying down makes it easier to feel that the right muscles are working and that they're clenched to the maximum.
4. Try to find the position in which you’re most comfortable. This could be lying down with your knees bent and feet on the floor, or with your legs resting on a pillow or chair seat.

Pro tip: Hard contractions to maximize success

When you feel like you've mastered the exercises above, try using fast, hard contractions. This exercise helps you avoid leaking when you need to clench rapidly, for example, when coughing or sneezing. Try using fast, hard contractions to squeeze your pelvic floor muscles as hard as you can for 2 seconds then let go. Repeat 5-10 times.

Be Patient

Remember, good results take time, and it will take several weeks before you notice any improvement. Until then, make sure you do these exercises daily, and in the meantime, perhaps you can get some inspiration from reading about how other men have overcome similar issues to the ones you may be experiencing.

TENA Helps You Keep Control

While pelvic floor exercises are a great way to treat the symptoms of incontinence or a weak bladder, there are lots of other effective ways you can keep control; and don’t forget TENA Men has a wide range of discreet, absorbent products that help you live your live without compromises and free from worrying about urinary leakage. We can even help you find exactly the right product for your needs.

Choosing the Right Protection for You:

• Male Guards for Men – Designed to fit a man's body, these discreet guards provide front-focused absorbency, odor control, and adhesive strips to keep them securely in place. Ideal for light to moderate leakage, they should be changed as needed throughout the day.
• Shields for Men – Ultra-thin and discreet, shields are perfect for very light dribbles or occasional leakage. They’re best for mild bladder control issues and should be changed once or twice a day depending on usage.
• Protective Underwear – Looks and feels like regular underwear but provides full protection with a secure fit. Ideal for moderate to heavy leakage, they should be changed every 4–6 hours or as needed. Browse protective incontinence underwear and Men Washable Protective Incontinence Boxers.
• Briefs with Tabs – Maximum absorbency briefs with adjustable tabs for a secure fit. These are best for heavy incontinence or overnight protection and typically require changing every 4–8 hours. Explore the range of briefs.

Need help fitting your right product correctly? Check out this step-by-step guide on how to wear male incontinence pads, guards, and shields.

With the right protection and pelvic floor exercises, you can stay active, comfortable, and in control—without compromise!

FAQs

Are there any exercises that relax pelvic floor muscles apart from Kegels?

Yes! A balanced pelvic floor needs both strength and flexibility. If your muscles are too tight, it can lead to discomfort and bladder issues. Try these relaxation exercises:⁵

• Diaphragmatic Breathing. Breathe deeply into your belly to relax the pelvic floor.
• Child’s Pose. A gentle stretch that helps release tension.
• Deep Squats. Opens the hips and relaxes pelvic muscles.
• Butterfly Stretch. Loosens the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles.

Incorporating these exercises can improve bladder control and overall pelvic health!