What are Kegel exercises?

Short answer

Kegel exercises are voluntary exercises for the pelvic-floor muscles, commonly taught as a controlled squeeze, a brief hold, and a complete release. Pelvic-floor muscle training (PFMT) is the broader process of learning that movement and practising an appropriate programme over time. A PFMT programme may work on awareness, coordination, strength, endurance, the ability to respond quickly, relaxation, or a combination of these qualities. That is why pelvic-floor training is more than simply doing as many squeezes as possible.

The terms are often used interchangeably in everyday health information. The distinction is still useful: a Kegel describes a familiar exercise action, while PFMT describes how pelvic-floor abilities are learned, trained, adjusted, and maintained. This broader definition follows the International Consultation on Incontinence’s description of PFMT and the standardized language in the IUGA/ICS terminology report.

The pelvic floor in plain language

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues at the base of the pelvis. These structures help support the pelvic organs and help control when openings for urine, stool, and gas close or open. The muscles also need to coordinate with breathing, abdominal pressure, and movement rather than working as an isolated switch.

People of different sexes and anatomies have pelvic-floor muscles. The details of the surrounding organs differ, but the basic need for support, closure, opening, and coordinated control applies broadly. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) therefore describes Kegel exercises for both women and men.

The pelvic floor is not meant to stay clenched all day. It changes activity as you breathe, move, cough, lift, use the toilet, and rest. Useful pelvic-floor function includes being able to create tension at an appropriate moment and being able to let that tension go afterward.

Kegels and PFMT: related, but not identical

In ordinary conversation, “do your Kegels” usually means deliberately contracting the pelvic-floor muscles. Public guidance often presents the action as squeezing, holding, and then relaxing. That is an accessible starting description, but it does not capture everything that may belong in training.

PFMT is a more precise term for a programme with a purpose. The programme involves understanding how to activate the pelvic floor and repeating suitable exercises over time. Depending on the person and goal, training can address:

• Awareness: recognizing the difference between tension and release.
• Motor control: producing the intended movement without substituting a breath-hold, a downward push, or a large effort from nearby muscles.
• Coordination and timing: changing pelvic-floor activity at an appropriate moment and alongside other movement.
• Strength, endurance, or power: producing force, sustaining an effort, or responding more quickly when those qualities are relevant.
• Relaxation: returning to a comfortable resting state and allowing the muscles to lengthen when needed.

The ICI reference definition explicitly includes relaxation as a possible PFMT target, alongside physical qualities such as strength and endurance. Exercise-science guidance in Bø and colleagues’ pelvic-floor textbook also treats correct movement, control, and progression as parts of training. A person does not necessarily need to train every quality at once, and a generic article cannot determine which quality matters most for an individual.

Contraction and relaxation are both important

What a contraction is trying to do

A pelvic-floor contraction is usually described as a closing or squeezing action around the pelvic openings together with a gentle inward lift. The intention is different from pushing downward, bearing down, or bracing every muscle around the pelvis. Breathing should remain comfortable instead of being locked to create more effort.

This description is a body cue, not proof that the correct muscles are working. Sensation varies, and it is possible to produce a movement that feels active while relying mainly on the abdomen, buttocks, inner thighs, or breath-holding. A pelvic-health physiotherapist or another appropriately trained professional can assess the movement in ways a website cannot.

Why the release matters

After a contraction, the pelvic floor should be allowed to release fully. Release is not wasted time between the “real” repetitions. It is part of the movement and helps distinguish a deliberate contraction from continuous gripping. The NIDDK’s public Kegel guidance includes full relaxation in its basic teaching sequence.

Relaxation does not mean forcing the muscles downward. It means letting the effort fade while continuing to breathe and avoiding a push. If someone can tighten but cannot sense any release, adding more or harder contractions may not solve the underlying difficulty.

A useful Kegel has two directions: a controlled contraction and a complete return from that contraction. Continual tension, straining, or pain is not the target.

PFMT is more than doing more repetitions

A repeated movement becomes training when it is connected to a clear purpose and practised in a way that can develop the intended ability. In its chapter on PFMT, the International Consultation on Incontinence describes a process that includes understanding pelvic-floor activation and repeating an exercise programme over time. The programme—not one isolated squeeze—is the training intervention.

A thoughtful PFMT process usually has several layers:

1. Understand the intended action. The learner needs a clear idea of contraction and release.
2. Develop control. The movement should be repeatable without avoidable straining or substitution.
3. Match practice to a goal. Training for awareness or relaxation is not identical to training for sustained force or a quick response.
4. Observe the response. Comfort, control, fatigue, symptoms, and the ability to release all matter when deciding what should happen next.
5. Adjust over time. Exercise can become more challenging, stay the same, or be reduced according to the goal and response.

This guide deliberately does not prescribe a hold duration, number of repetitions, number of sets, or daily schedule. Those decisions depend on current ability, technique, symptoms, health context, and what the training is meant to achieve. A larger number is not automatically a better programme.

Why one-size-fits-all advice can be wrong

Pelvic-floor symptoms do not all have the same cause. Weakness is only one possible issue; a person may instead have difficulty coordinating the muscles, releasing them, or using them at the right time. Pain or trouble emptying the bladder or bowel also cannot be safely explained by assuming that the answer is more strengthening.

Self-guided education is most appropriate when it stays within its limits. A website can explain terms, offer neutral movement cues, and provide timing prompts. It cannot examine muscle activity, diagnose a symptom, confirm that a contraction is correct, or replace a programme given by a clinician who knows the person’s history.

Practise with care: stop if contracting causes pain, clearly worsens symptoms, or creates more difficulty urinating or having a bowel movement. If you have pelvic pain, cannot comfortably release the muscles, have persistent emptying difficulty, or are uncertain whether Kegels fit your situation, seek advice from a pelvic-health physiotherapist or another qualified clinician. NIDDK guidance likewise notes that Kegels are not the right option in every case.

Common misconceptions

• “Kegels are only for women.” Pelvic-floor muscles are present across sexes, and public-health guidance discusses training for both women and men. Anatomy, health history, symptoms, and goals still affect what appropriate training looks like.
• “PFMT always means strengthening.” Strength can be one target, but PFMT can also address awareness, timing, coordination, endurance, rapid response, and relaxation. Someone who has difficulty releasing does not necessarily need a harder squeeze.
• “Stopping urine flow is a good everyday workout.” Interrupting urine once may be described as a way to recognize the relevant muscles, but it should not become routine exercise. The NIDDK warns against regularly practising while urinating because it can interfere with complete bladder emptying.
• “More repetitions must produce better results.” Repetition only helps when the action and training target are appropriate. The NIDDK also cautions against overdoing Kegels. Quality, release, recovery, and individual response matter alongside consistency.

What to do next

Start with how to do Kegel exercises correctly. For cues that match your anatomy, explore the guides to pelvic-floor exercises for men and pelvic-floor exercises for women.

When the movement is comfortable and self-guided strengthening is suitable, the four-week beginner program explains how to approach practice. The free Kegel trainer provides timing prompts, but cannot verify which muscles are working or decide whether strengthening suits your symptoms.

If you have pain or difficulty releasing, read should you do Kegels with a tight pelvic floor? and seek qualified guidance before adding more contractions.

Sources

• Cardozo L, Rovner E, Wagg A, Wein A, Abrams P, editors. Incontinence. 7th edition. International Consultation on Incontinence and International Continence Society; 2023. Chapter 8, “Pelvic Floor Muscle Training,” p. 807. Official ICI-ICS PDF.
• Bø K, Frawley HC, Haylen BT, et al. “An International Urogynecological Association (IUGA)/International Continence Society (ICS) joint report on the terminology for the conservative and nonpharmacological management of female pelvic floor dysfunction.” International Urogynecology Journal. 2017;28(2):191–213. PubMed record and DOI.
• Bø K, Berghmans B, Mørkved S, Van Kampen M, editors. Evidence-Based Physical Therapy for the Pelvic Floor. 3rd edition. Elsevier; 2024. Chapter 6, “Pelvic Floor and Exercise Science.” Official publisher record.
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Kegel Exercises.” National Institutes of Health. Last reviewed November 2021. NIDDK guidance.