Health

I Tried A Penis Workout For Three Weeks. Now, I’m Hooked On Kegels.

On arm day, I check my form in the mirror. On leg day, I look down. On penis day, I struggle to spot the pelvic floor.

by Patrick A. Coleman
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Originally Published: 
A young adult man performing an exercise on a yoga mat in a public park
miodrag ignjatovic/E+/Getty Images

There were many challenges I faced when starting a penis exercise regimen, but the hardest (no pun intended) was figuring out which muscle I was actually trying to work. Male Kegel exercises, or what I colloquially called my dick exercises, strengthens the DMZ between the testicles and the anus. As you might imagine, there’s not a lot or mirror-gazing involved, and the only way to check my form would be to hit the weight bench bottomless, hoist my legs up high and wide, sweep my penis to one side, and stare directly into the abyss. “It’s Kegels for men!” I would shout, before being forcibly removed from Planet Fitness and receiving a lifetime ban. No more free pizza for me.

Still, I was all in. After all, the purported benefits of the penis workout, essentially Kegel exercises for men created by Dr. Andrew Siegel, include improved sexual performance, better bowel control, and dribble-free urination. Was I skeptical of the three-week dick workout plan? Not really. I was more skeptical about whether I could stick it out.

So I hedged my bets. I didn’t tell my wife what I was doing. After all, I needed to maintain experimental controls to see if the penis workout actually worked. But, after flexing my butt cheeks and abs repeatedly, I gave in and went to her as an expert source. Where, I asked, was this mythic pelvic floor? She’s a mother of two and a Kegel veteran so she had thoughts. And, with her guidance, I was finally able to do the male kegels right — flexing the muscles commonly used to cut the flow of urine when needed. As suggested, two fingers tucked behind the testicles confirmed a pulsing pelvic floor as I flexed. I was finally rolling. I washed my hands regularly.

Then I hit a pelvic wall.

There’s something very weird about having sore taint muscles. It’s a strange and unrelenting ache right at the root of the body that’s hard to disregard. I know because, in my zeal of finding the muscles, I overworked them. Once I stopped Kegel-ing to make the ache go away, I forgot I was on my three-week penis workout plan altogether and had to start over.

Back at the beginning, I started Kegel-ing at my desk while writing. And, after two weeks, I could do the repetitive bursts of holding and flexing just fine. I was, I thought, on the right track. And I felt I was seeing some proof.

I didn’t notice much in terms of my bowel control. But I hadn’t had trouble in that area anyway. I already poop like a champion so improvement would have been unexpected. That said the post-pee dribbles were less frequent. I was suddenly able to close the faucet tightly. This made me believe that my sexual stamina and pleasure were about to go through the damn roof.

It should be noted that I didn’t really notice any change in my erections. They were as proud as they had ever been, but no prouder. But when it came to sex, my first hurdle post-penis workout was to not think about male Kegels while having sex. Thinking about gains was, frankly, distracting. All of my attention was down on my pelvic floor wondering if I should be flexing or what? And nobody wants a partner thinking only about their own junk when getting it on. So, needless to say, I underperformed.

I recalibrated, but the next time we had sex I was still very aware of her reactions. I marked every little twitch, sigh, and breath for signs that my penis workouts were paying off. This was a very good thing. We lasted longer and were both more than satisfied. In the end, we lay there panting and congratulating one another. I don’t know how much of that could be attributed to the fact that I’d been doing desk Kegels for weeks, but whatever works works. We were in a coital feedback loop of awesomeness.

So, yes, I’m a Kegel man now. Was it the sex that sold me? Not really. Mostly, I’m happy to pee on myself less. But I also know better than looking a gift horse in the anus so I’m still prioritizing my penis workout. And I’m paying more attention to my wife. I know I probably should have been doing that before, but let’s just agree to focus on the fact that I’m doing that now.

How To PractiCe Male Kegels

You know how you sometimes cut off your pee, mid-stream? That’s basically a kegel. You shouldn’t cut off the flow, though, as it may increase your risk for a bladder infection. Instead, focus on the action of stopping a pee while you have an empty bladder — that’s a proper clench.

Initially, you should perform these male Kegels lying down. Flex your pelvic muscles and hold between one and three seconds before relaxing. Repeat 10 times, pausing between reps. Check your form by placing a couple fingers behind your testicles —and feel the muscles there tighten. Ensure that you’re not contracting other muscles, particularly those of your stomach. Eventually, you should work up to longer holds — tensing for as long as 20 seconds — that you can perform sitting down or standing up. You can even incorporate a bit of weight by placing a small hand towel at the base of your erect penis. Yes, advanced training requires an erect penis.

Penis Exercises Workout Plan

Week 1: Conditioning Your Pelvic Muscles

Basic flex:

  • Squeeze your pelvic muscles and hold the contraction for 1-2 seconds
  • Release slowly and relax for 1-2 seconds
  • Perform up to 30 repetitions
  • Rest one minute
  • Perform three sets

Week 2: Building Initial Strength

Long hard flex:

  • Squeeze pelvic muscles as hard as you can and hold the contraction for 3-5 seconds
  • Release slowly and relax for 1-2 seconds
  • Perform up to 30 repetitions
  • Rest one minute
  • Perform three sets

Week 3: Developing endurance

Long hard flexes and rapid flexes:

  • Squeeze pelvic muscles as hard as you can and hold the contraction for 3-5 seconds
  • Release slowly and relax for 1-2 seconds
  • Perform up to 30 repetitions
  • Next, perform up to 20 rapid flexes by quickly squeezing and releasing
  • Rest 1 minute
  • Perform three sets

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