Yes. Kegel exercises for men work the same way they do for women: you repeatedly tighten and relax the muscles of the pelvic floor. For men, those muscles help keep an erection firm and control ejaculation, and there is decent research showing that training them can help with both. It costs nothing, needs no equipment, and takes a few minutes a day.
What is the male pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a sling of muscle that runs from your pubic bone to your tailbone. It holds up your bladder and bowel and helps you stop the flow of urine. Some of these muscles wrap around the base of the penis. During an erection they squeeze to help keep blood in the shaft, and during orgasm they contract rhythmically to push out semen.
Like any muscle, they can get weaker with age, weight gain, or sitting all day. That is where Kegels come in.
What the research says
The best-known trial on erections is a UK study published in the British Journal of General Practice. Fifty-five men with erectile dysfunction did pelvic floor exercises with some coaching and biofeedback. After six months, 40% had regained normal erectile function and another 34.5% had improved.
For finishing too fast, a small Italian study in Therapeutic Advances in Urology trained 40 men with lifelong premature ejaculation. After 12 weeks, 33 of them had better control, and their average time to ejaculation went from about 30 seconds to over two minutes.
These were small studies with supervised programs, so treat them as encouraging rather than guaranteed. Still, few things with that kind of evidence are free.
How to find the right muscles
Imagine you are trying to stop yourself from passing gas, or stop peeing midstream. The muscles that tighten are your pelvic floor. You should feel a lift behind your scrotum and a slight pull at the base of the penis.
You can stop your urine flow once to confirm you have the right muscles, but do not make it a habit. Mayo Clinic advises against doing Kegels while urinating, since not emptying your bladder fully can raise the risk of a bladder infection.
How to do Kegels: a simple routine
Start lying down, where it is easiest to feel what you are doing. Once you have the hang of it, you can do them sitting at a desk or stopped at a red light.
- Tighten your pelvic floor and hold for three seconds.
- Relax fully for three seconds. The release counts as much as the squeeze.
- Repeat 10 to 15 times. That is one set.
- Aim for three sets a day, which is the routine Mayo Clinic suggests.
As it gets easy, lengthen the hold to five seconds, then ten, and always rest for as long as you held.
Two common mistakes: clenching your abs, thighs, or buttocks instead, and holding your breath. If your glutes are doing the work, you are squeezing the wrong thing. Breathe normally the whole time. Most men notice a difference within a few weeks to a few months.
Using Kegels during solo play
Once the daily routine feels natural, try using it where it counts. During masturbation, with your hand or a stroker, pay attention to your pelvic floor as you get close. Some men find that a firm squeeze and hold near the edge lets arousal settle a notch, so they can keep going. Others find the opposite: relaxing the pelvic floor, rather than clenching, is what slows things down. Experiment and notice which works for you.
A stroker is a good training partner here because it gives consistent sensation, which makes it easier to notice your own patterns. If you are new to them, our first-timer's guide to male masturbators covers the basics, and you can browse options in our penis toys collection. Men who want to explore the pelvic floor from the inside can read prostate massagers 101.
When to see a doctor
This is general information, not medical advice. Erection problems that keep happening can be an early sign of heart disease, diabetes, or other conditions, so they deserve a proper checkup. See a doctor for pelvic pain, pain during ejaculation, blood in your urine or semen, or anything that does not improve. A pelvic floor physical therapist can also check whether you are doing Kegels correctly, and whether your muscles need strengthening or, sometimes, relaxing.