Pelvic floor exercises also help men

Luise Heine has been an editor at since 2012. The qualified biologist studied in Regensburg and Brisbane (Australia) and gained experience as a journalist in television, in the Ratgeber-Verlag and in a print magazine. In addition to her work at , she also writes for children, for example for the Stuttgarter Kinderzeitung, and has her own breakfast blog, “Kuchen zum Frühstück”.

More posts by Luise Heine All content is checked by medical journalists.

For most men, pelvic floor exercises are purely a women's issue. Wrongly, because men also benefit from specific exercises for this hidden muscle group.

The pelvic floor should be strong and flexible - regardless of whether it closes off a female or male pelvis at the bottom. Because in both sexes, the network of several lattice-like muscle layers on top of each other has the same task: It stabilizes the pelvis, holds the organs such as the intestines and bladder in place and helps control the sphincter muscles. Urination or bowel movements are only possible when the pelvic floor is relaxed.

Relaxed pelvic floor

The male pelvic floor has a clear advantage over the female. On the one hand it is not stressed by pregnancy and childbirth, on the other hand it only has two "weak points", i.e. openings through which the urethra and rectum pass - in women the vagina is also added. But even so, the pelvic floor can sag in men too. This happens, for example, through persistent bad posture, too much sitting or being overweight - or prostate surgery.

Unintentional leakage of urine

If the pelvic floor is too weak, it can happen that it can no longer properly absorb the pressure that is built up in the upper body - for example when coughing or laughing.The result: For example, a sneeze suddenly presses the bladder and ensures that unintentional droplets of urine end up in the underpants. This phenomenon, called stress incontinence, is very uncomfortable for those affected. This can also be accompanied by nocturia, i.e. the involuntary loss of urine during sleep. For both, the treatment recommendation was first of all: pelvic floor training.

Activate the pelvic floor consciously

Just like women, regular pelvic floor exercises can help the stronger sex - not only to treat involuntary urination, but also to prevent existing risk factors such as obesity or chronic constipation.

There are many exercises that can be used to train the pelvic floor - whether standing, sitting or lying down. In the exercise units, the muscle is usually tensed as much as possible for three seconds and then relaxed again for ten seconds - several times in a row. You learn to consciously perceive and control the hidden muscle group. In addition, instruction is provided on how the pelvic floor is relieved - for example through correct posture.

Of course, it is important to know which muscles are actually meant. Not an easy task at all, because the muscles are located inside the body and can therefore not be “visibly” tensed. The contraction of the pelvic floor muscles can be felt, for example, on the perineum, i.e. the point between the testicles and anus.

Counteract erectile dysfunction

The targeted tightening and relaxation of the pelvic floor is also supposed to counteract erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and impotence. Because the conscious contraction of the pelvic floor helps to build up the blood in the erectile tissue. And pelvic floor training can also benefit men and women without health problems: if used regularly, it improves blood flow to the pelvic muscles, which is supposed to increase the feeling of sexual arousal.

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