The narrative around pelvic floor health and exercises is most commonly reserved for women. 

And while that’s because most conditions that influence the pelvic floor’s overall function and performance are predominantly experienced by women - such as pregnancy and postpartum - it’s important to remember that maintaining pelvic floor health is beneficial for men, too.

In fact, one in eight men actually have issues with their pelvic floor, bladder or bowel.

The pelvic floor muscles are responsible for a number of bodily functions, such as preventing urinary and faecal leakage and sexual function. When they’re compromised or not strong, they can cause issues such as incontinence.

With the right pelvic floor exercises, many of these experiences affecting men can be managed and treated.

 

Pelvic floor for males

The pelvic floor is made up of muscles and other tissues, which stretch from the tailbone through to the pubic bone at the front of the body. Think of it as the foundation for organs such as the bladder, prostate and rectum. 

 

For a man, the pelvic floor muscles support his colon (bladder and bowel). His urethra and his anus also pass through them, both responsible for passing bodily fluids. So you can understand that if the pelvic floor is compromised, so too are those other bodily functions. 

 

 

The pelvic floor can become compromised due to factors such as:

 

 

• Prostate surgery

 

• Overactive bladder

 

• Diabetes

 

• Constipation

 

• Obesity

 

• Stress

 

• Infection

 

• A sudden increase in activity level

 

How do you know if you have a weak pelvic floor?

For men, erectile dysfunction can be indicative of a weak pelvic floor.

 

Other symptoms that might mean you need to strengthen your pelvic floor include:

 

• Urinary or faecal incontinence - leaking urine or faeces during activities like exercise or when sneezing/coughing

 

• Sudden urge to urinate or have a bowel movement

 

• Incomplete emptying of the bladder and/or bowel

 

Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is a common condition whereby a person, either male or female, is unable to correctly relax and coordinate the pelvic floor muscles to urinate or to have a bowel movement.

 

 

Other symptoms, alongside the above, that indicate someone may have PFD are:

• Weak urine stream

 

• Difficulty passing urine

 

• Pain with bowel movements

 

• Pelvic pain and/or tailbone pain

 

• Abdominal pain

 

• Testicular, groin and/or hip pain

 

• Penile pain

 

• Pain prior to, during and/or after ejaculation

 

• Constipation/diarrhoea

 

How to strengthen pelvic floor for males

Seeing a pelvic physiotherapist is the best way to work on building your pelvic floor strength safely, and having a treatment plan that is specific to your level of need.

 

Pelvic floor - or kegel - exercises are what will help you to build strength.

 

There are some beginner level exercises that you can try at home, but first you need to know how to find the right muscles.

 

Here’s how you can locate your pelvic floor:

 

• The next time you’re urinating, try to start and stop the stream. That will locate the correct muscles you want to work during your kegel exercises.

 

• Do not tighten your thighs or buttocks when doing kegels.

 

• Relax your stomach as much as possible. Taking deep breaths thinking of the air filling your belly can be helpful for this.

 

• When you’re standing and squeezing your pelvic floor muscles, your penis should move just slightly.

 

Kegel exercises for men

These are examples of kegel exercises according to the Continence Foundation of Australia. They can be done sitting, standing or lying down - whatever you feel most comfortable with. 

 

• Squeeze and draw in the muscles around your anus (do not clench your buttocks). It should feel like you’re lifting them up inside.

 

• Try to hold them up, as strong as you can, as you count to 8. Then, let them go and relax. You should have a distinct feeling of “letting go”. If you can’t hold for 8, just hold for as long as you can.

 

• Rest for around 10 seconds between each squeeze and lift. Do this exercise as many times as you can up to 10 squeezes as one set. Do three sets every day.

 

Remember, it’s recommended to be guided by a pelvic physio to ensure you’re completing your kegel exercises correctly and safely.

 

Incontinence management for men

While you’re working on getting your pelvic floor muscles strong, you can still live comfortable and confidently with incontinence symptoms.

 

Finding the right continence management products can truly make the world of difference and that’s what we at ConfidenceClub are here for!

 

Our Dailee Performance Pads for Men are an effective option for men experiencing light urinary leakage. They have an innovative Ultra Dry Core for fast acting, superior absorption and have active odor control.

 

For men who require a higher level of absorbency, have low mobility and/or are experiencing faecal incontinence, our pull-ups and slips will be better suited to those needs. 

 

If you need any assistance with what product will suit you individually, you can call our friendly team of product specialists 6 days a week on 1800 86 11 99, or take our Help Me Choose quiz which will let you self-guide and find products based on the questions you answer.