Pelvic Floor Exercises For Men & Women

To be effective, pelvic floor muscles exercises must be practised regularly. The following exercise programme describes various exercises, some of which should be done only once a day, whilst others should be done at least ten times a day. You should continue with these exercises for several months before giving up because sometimes changes occur slowly and you may not notice the improvement from day to day.

What you should do once a day…

Whilst passing urine in the toilet, try to stop it. At first you may only be able to slow the stream but, as you practice the exercise programme over several weeks, you should gain control. When you have managed to stop the stream once, practise stopping the stream twice. When you can do this try stopping the stream three to five times before emptying your bladder completely. It is best not to do this exercise first thing in the morning or when the bladder is ‘bursting’. At first do it only towards the end of the stream, when the bladder is almost empty. Then as you gain control, do the ‘stop – start’ exercise nearer the beginning of the stream.

Up to ten times a day…


			Sitting on a chair with your legs apart lean forward, resting your elbows on your knees, and make a conscious effort to relax your abdominal muscles and buttocks. Although sitting like this is probably the best way in which to do these exercises, they can be done whilst standing or lying down, with the knees slightly apart.

			Contract the muscles around the urethra (imagine stopping the stream of urine whilst urinating). Keep the muscles contracted for the count of five (one-and two-and three-and four-and five) and then relax the muscles. After the count of five, repeat this cycle of contraction and relaxation five times.

			Next contract these muscles quickly and strongly, then relax immediately. Repeat these quick contractions and relaxation five times in rapid succession.

			Now do five slow and five rapid contractions with the muscles around the anal canal (imagine you are stopping yourself passing wind) instead of those around the urethra.

			Next, stand with your legs slightly apart and contract both sets of muscles at the same time – it should feel as if you are pulling up the entire pelvic floor. Contract and relax these muscles five times, trying to contract them more strongly each time.