The pelvic floor muscles also need to be trained. And special Kegel gymnastics will help you with this. You can hear conflicting opinions about it. But let’s see what it is for and how to do it correctly.
Kegel exercises are a complex that strengthens the muscles of the pelvic floor and also helps in the prevention of diseases of the genitourinary system, rectum, and regulation of sexual function.
Indications and limitations
Kegel exercises increase the tone of the pelvic floor muscles, which are almost not involved during the power load and stretching. You just need to train them purposefully.
Rhythmic contractions of the pelvic floor are shown to do:
- To strengthen the group of intimate muscles, which will make the sensations during intercourse more vivid;
- As a prophylaxis of the prolapse of the walls of the vagina;
- To maintain and prevent prolapse of the pelvic organs: bladder, uterus, rectum, and small intestine;
- With chronic inflammation of the genitourinary system, for example, cystitis, endometriosis;
- With episodes of minor urinary incontinence in men or women that occur during sneezing or coughing;
- In the treatment of prostatitis and premature ejaculation in men;
- To relieve PMS;
- For faster and easier recovery after childbirth .
You can perform Kegel exercises for pregnant women only after the permission of the obstetrician-gynecologist and the training consultation of the exercise therapy instructor.
Kegel exercises for women and men are contraindicated if there are:
- Cracks in the rectum, hemorrhoids;
- Thrush , chlamydia, trichomonas;
- Gynecological or urological diseases in the acute period;
- Pronounced prolapse of the pelvic organs.
In such cases, the acceleration of local blood flow in the pelvis will only exacerbate the inflammatory process. This gymnastics is also not done during painful and heavy periods.
How to identify the pelvic floor muscles
The muscles of the pelvic floor are those that support the bladder, internal genital organs, and rectum in the correct anatomical position. The processes of defecation, urination, and labor activity of a woman depend on their condition.
The pelvic floor itself is made up of ligaments, tendons, and several layers of muscles. The deeper ones contract involuntarily and cannot be trained. Only those that you can feel are amenable to training – they are located between the coccyx and the pubic bone. To identify them, try one of the following methods.
For men and women
- Imagine that you need to stop the flow while urinating. Tighten the muscles that are involved in this process – this is the pelvic floor. Do not use this technique when your bladder is full and you really want to go to the toilet. This can only weaken your muscles and lead to complications in the form of infections.
- Find the muscles that work to hold back a bowel movement. Tighten them so that the stomach, buttocks, and thighs remain relaxed.
For women
Insert your finger into the vagina and try to squeeze it. If you feel tension, then you have found the pelvic floor muscles.
Varieties of exercises
It is generally accepted that the American doctor Arnold Kegel invented his gymnastics in 1952 to solve female gynecological problems. In fact, his vaginal muscle training is borrowed from yoga, and Kegel simply gave the exercises other names. The alternation of tension and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles (MTD) is done in different modes:
- Classic. Squeeze the MTD for 5-7 seconds, then relax for 1-2 seconds.
- Blink. Within 7 seconds, reduce the MTD as quickly as possible, then relax for 3-5 seconds.
- Inhale. As you take a deep breath, slowly increase the tension of the MTD. Stay in this position for 3 seconds, and then slowly exhale and relax. There are no rest breaks.
- Ejection. It differs from “Inspirations” in that exhalation and relaxation of the MTD are done as sharply as possible.
- Retention. Squeeze the MTDs quickly and firmly and hold them in tension for 10 seconds. Each subsequent “bench” should last 1-2 seconds longer. Pause for rest – 3-5 seconds.
- Elevator. The exercise is similar to “Inhales”, but it should not be performed smoothly but in jerks.
Start with 5-6 repetitions of 3 exercises (of your choice). The maximum number of repetitions of one exercise No. 1–5 is 10 times, and No. 6 is 4 times. Gradually increase the number of repetitions and add new exercises. All Kegel exercises take 10-12 minutes. You can do it 1-3 times a day.
It is best to start classes in a sitting or lying position, and then you can work standing up. During gymnastics, you need to relax the whole body as much as possible and use only the necessary muscle group. To understand which muscles should be tense, imagine that you need to hold on to urination.
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And finally, if you want to enhance the effect of gymnastics, you can perform it with a special Kegel simulator. It will help to load not only the bulbous-spongy muscle located in front of the vagina but also the lateral and posterior bundles of the pelvic diaphragm. By exercising these muscles, you will improve your female health and will be able to enhance the sensations during intercourse.
