How to get a toned pelvic floor in men to maintain good health and improve sex life

As a general rule whenever we talk about the pelvic floor musculature and its importance both at the level of health and to improve our sexual life we ​​automatically think about the case of women. It is not uncommon, since most publications focus on the recovery of the pelvic floor musculature after delivery: one of the most critical moments and that can most affect this muscle group.

However, working the muscles of the pelvic floor is also key for men , although many of them have not even raised their importance. For this, it is useful for men to work the pelvic floor musculature and this is how you can do it.

What is the pelvic floor and where is it located?

The pelvic floor, in both men and women, is located in the lower part of the pelvis , in the central area of ​​our body. So that we can understand it easily we can imagine our core or central area as a large wicker basket (it is malleable and flexible, not rigid as a box): the front of the basket is occupied by the rectus abdominis and the transverse of the abdomen, the laterals of the basket would be the obliques (and also part of the transverse), the posterior area is occupied by the lumbar muscles of the lower back and at the base of this imaginary basket would be the musculature of the pelvic floor.

The muscles of the pelvic floor are made up of different muscles, such as the bulbo-spongiosum, the ischiocavernosus and the levator ani muscle, formed by the puborectal, pubococcygeus and iliococcygeus muscles. These muscles contain both fibers of fast contraction and slow contraction , the latter being more numerous, which are those that exert a function of support and control.

The pelvic floor musculature works in a dynamic and coordinated way with the other muscles that are part of the core , especially with the difframe (if our imaginary basket had a lid on the top, that’s where it would be in the diaphragm).

The different (and important) functions of the pelvic floor

What is the use of pelvic floor musculature? Both in the case of men and women, the pelvic floor muscles fulfill a triple function.

• Support and support function for the organs: on the pelvic floor the organs of the urinary system (such as the bladder and urethra) and the reproductive system (uterus and vagina in the case of women, and prostate and seminal vesicles in the case of men), as well as the final part of the digestive system (rectum and anus).
• Control function of urinary and anal continence: the pelvic floor musculature controls the sphincters at the time of urination as well as defecation.
• Sexual function: in both men and women, the good tone of the pelvic floor is related to more satisfactory sexual relations. In addition, in the case of men, a toned pelvic floor can help control ejaculation and improve erection.

This is how men can locate and exercise their pelvic floor

The weakening of the pelvic floor can occur due to age or other causes such as childbirth (in the case of women) or frequently after prostate operations (in the case of men). The consequences of pelvic floor weakness in men are usually associated with problems controlling urination .

How men can locate the pelvic floor

The first thing we have to do if we want to work our pelvic floor is to learn to locate it . In the case of women it is easier, since we even have some gadgets or accessories that help us to locate the muscles that we have to work (although it is never an easy task when we talk about deep muscles).

For men, one of the most common indications when it comes to locating the pelvic floor musculature is to contract the muscles as if you wanted to stop urination : imagine you have to urinate and suddenly you have to stop the urine, and that It is the sensation that you will have to look for when you work the pelvic floor.

It is important that this gesture of stopping the urine is done only in order to locate the pelvic floor musculature and not as an exercise in itself: the gesture of stopping urination, if repeated regularly, can have negative consequences such as infections.

Another common indication for men to locate their pelvic floor is to contract the muscles that are placed around the anus as if they wanted to contain a gas . We have already spoken before that the most important muscle of the male pelvic floor is the levator ani muscle, so this way of locating our pelvic floor is one of the most efficient.

One more way to locate the pelvic floor in the case of men can be to see what happens when we contract the correct musculature : when the pelvic floor muscles contract, the penis rises slightly and the scrotum rises.

It is important to learn to locate the pelvic floor to make sure that when we are doing the exercises we are, effectively, working the area that we want to train. It is common to confuse the activation of the pelvic floor with the contraction of the buttocks, the abdomen or the adductors : we must be attentive and check that these muscles are relaxed during training.

Exercises for men to train the pelvic floor

The “basic” exercise that can be used in different ways is going to be the one that involves the contraction and elevation of the pelvic floor : you have to notice how the anal area and the sphincter are closed and “lifted”, always without contracting glutes, abdomen nor adductors.

When you have this movement controlled, you can start to perform different exercises that will help you work strength and tone the pelvic floor combining different types of contractions .

• Long contractions: activate and elevate the muscles of your pelvic floor and keep it contracted for a few seconds. As long as you keep the contraction remember that you should breathe normally, do not hold the air. This type of contractions are the easiest to perform, and you can do some three series of eight or ten repetitions in a slow manner.
• Rapid and short contractions: to improve the strength of the pelvic floor musculature and to work its fast-twitch fibers. In this case you should make a strong and short contraction, as if it were a pulse and relax at the moment, quickly.
• Keep the contraction: another of the exercises that can be performed to improve the tone of the pelvic floor is to contract and raise the muscles of this area and keep the contraction as long as possible. You can make three rounds with adequate rest between them.

If you are a beginner it may be easier for you to perform the exercises lying down , so that the force of gravity does not prevent you from performing the contraction and elevation of the pelvic floor muscles.

Once you have learned well to locate and activate your pelvic muscles, these exercises can be practiced anywhere and will not take you more than five minutes a day .

Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor can help both maintain good health(prevent the onset of prostatitis and help maintain the proper functioning of the organs that hold the muscles of the pelvic floor) and improve your sex life .