What Does a Kegel Feel Like?

The Kegel is like a bicep curl for the pelvic floor.

By contracting the muscles that support organs like the bladder and rectum, you’re building strength that can reduce incontinence and enhance sexual experience.

A Kegel involves two components: a squeeze and a lift. See this post for a guide covering how to do Kegel exercises, including proper technique, common mistakes and a recommended exercise routine.

But what should a Kegel feel like?

Here are cues from two pelvic floor experts: Darla Cathcart, DPT, a physical therapist in Conway, Arkansas and Ashley Freedman, DPT, a physical therapist in Mesa, Arizona.

Stop pee and hold in gas

You've been there: You're in an elevator crowded with co-workers, heading back to work after a bean burrito, and now you have to fart.

"Imagine just holding in your gas, squeezing around that rectal opening and holding it," Freedman said. "That is a way to get your pelvic floor muscles to contract."

The fart cue sometimes activates only the muscles around the rectum, so it can also be helpful to think about stopping the flow of urine at the same time, said Cathcart, the incoming president of APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) Pelvic Health.

Although, she joked, preventing pee might be a sore subject for you.

"A lot of women say, 'That's my whole problem: If I knew how to do that, I wouldn't be here," she said.

Take a ride up the elevator

Think of your Kegel as an elevator going to the top floor.

"You're squeezing, pulling and lifting your pelvic floor muscles up," Freedman said.

But this elevator should only go one direction: up, not down.

By bearing down—pushing the anus outward as if you're delivering a baby—you're applying more pressure to the bladder and inhibiting the pelvic floor from lifting.

"It's not going to work; it's actually going to cause more leakage," Cathcart said.

Sip from a straw (or pick up the blueberry)

Imagine your Kegel performing a party trick. With your squeeze and lift, you could pull an object up and inside of you (but obviously, don't do that).

Use whatever visual works for you: "Imagine you're trying to suck fluid up through a straw using the labia," Cathcart suggested.

"Think about standing over a blueberry and you have to try to pick up the blueberry with the vagina," Freedman said.

Squeeze your sit bones together

Find the sit bones at the bottom of your pelvis by rocking side-to-side when seated. Then think of using your muscles to pull the bones together and up.

"If I squeeze, I imagine there's a rope pulling those sit bones to each other," Cathcart said.

Pull your tailbone to your pubic bone

Thinking of the tailbone at the back of your pelvis and the pubic bone at the front can help you add lift to your Kegel.

"Try to pull your tailbone toward your pubic bone," Cathcart said.

How to do Kegel exercises

If you're only using your back for a deadlift, you won't work your hamstrings and glutes (and you might hurt yourself, too.)

Kegels are no different: With incorrect form, you won't see results.

Consider a Kegel trainer, a tech device that guides you through a pelvic floor workout. Using biofeedback, the device registers your contractions and shows them on your phone screen.

Pelvic floor exercisers are like a personal trainer, giving you tips on your technique, counting your reps and challenging you to progress to the next level. And better yet, they let you play games like pinball and target shooting while you're at it.

See our guide to the Best Kegel Trainers for help choosing a pelvic floor exerciser.

More help with Kegels

Vagercise is an independent, woman-owned retailer of pelvic floor products that accepts HSA/FSA payments and offer free shipping on orders over $99.

Want more information about pelvic floor exercise? Contact us at info@vagercise.com.