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General Information
What are kegel exercises?
“Kegels” are exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles – these muscles may become chronically weak after childbirth in women, or often times without an identifiable cause, and after prostate removal in men. Like all other muscles they may also weaken due to an inactive lifestyle. These muscles are literally around the pelvic floor (between your hips) and if they were not present, there would be no support for the bladder and other organs above the pelvis. A weak muscle in turn can lead to urinary incontinence (frequently urination and “accidents”) as well as a lack of stimulation of the clitoris during intercourse for women as well as weak stimulation for men.
The original Kegel exercises were developed by Dr. Kegel in 1948. They were performed by contracting the muscles around the pelvis by imagining that one interrupts the urine flow. The exercises have been found to be relatively ineffective, when they are done without resistance and without biofeedback. Exercising without an adjustable resistance is like always exercising with the same weights in a fitness studio – muscles tend to improve when the resistance can be adjusted to your individual strength – exercising without any resistance at all is even worse and yields the least positive results. Biofeedback is important because most people have trouble isolating the right muscles at first, and knowing you are doing your exercises correctly in some measurable way is encouraging for most people to continue exercising – typically people contract abs and thighs while trying to isolate the pelvic floor muscles. This is why there are quite a few products in the market today that provide biofeedback and resistance. We have looked at all these relatively new products and evaluated them to help you make the choice that is best for your specific needs!