How Kegels Can Boost Your Sex Life + How to Actually Do Them

Have you ever done Kegels exercises?

Kegels are basically like cardio for your vagina, which is supported by a set of muscles known as the pelvic floor, or PC. These muscles also keep the bladder, uterus and rectum in check - in fact, your pelvic floor muscles are engaged every time you pee, so even if you haven’t intentionally done Kegels, you kind of already know how to do them! 

While vaginal tightness is a concern for a lot of people, who associate it with better sexual feeling and function for themselves and their partners, contrary to popular belief, your vagina can’t actually be permanently stretched out by too much sex, too many toys, huge penises, or even fisting. 

Anyone with a vagina can benefit from Kegels, but these exercises can be lifesavers for people who are postpartum and looking to get in touch with themselves after baby (or just regain control of their bladder!). 

The vagina’s natural elasticity does relax as we age and this can be an amazing and totally free way to stay in shape and feel sexier down there. As for urinary control, which can also be affected by menopause and childbirth, these exercises will definitely help you stay in control, no matter how hard you happen to laugh, sneeze or how many shoes you have to bend down to tie!

Finally, one benefit that anyone can enjoy is stronger orgasms. Many people report that with regular Kegels, the quality and intensity of their orgasms went through the roof and engaging the same muscles during intercourse can give a very welcome hug to your partner as well. Even if you can’t be bothered to go to the gym and exercise the rest of your body, we bet that’s motivation enough to try Kegels 😉

Here are our simple, step-by-step instructions for Kegels:

Relax.

You can perform these exercises standing, sitting up or lying down, but it’s good to start in a calm, confident state so you can really feel these specific muscles tensing.

Pretend that you’re peeing.

Seriously. Pretend you’re peeing and try to stop the flow. Your pelvic floor muscles are what allow you to start and stop the flow of urine, and Kegels work pretty much the same way. You shouldn’t need to tighten the muscles in your butt, belly or thighs - you want to focus on this one core group of muscles.

Hold it.

Hold tight, lifting up rather than bearing down, and count to 10. Then release, and count to 10 again before repeating. 

You can repeat these exercises as many times a day as you like. We don’t recommend going overboard - a good place to start is twice a day, in the morning and before bed, for 10-20 reps each time. As your strength increases, you can do these at any time of day, while watching Netflix or working.

If you want to kick things up a notch, using a Yoni Egg or weighted Kegel Ball can help, too. Holding onto the weight helps to engage the muscles even more. Dildos, like the glass Icicle 2, can also work great, almost like resistance training, according to the master sex educator Betty Dodson! You want to avoid using anything too big so that your muscles have room to contract.

That’s it! It may seem like a small thing, but Kegels can go a long, long way toward improving your pelvic floor strength and even your sex life. Happy exercising 💪