Male pelvic floor: exercises to improve erection and sexual health

If you hear the word Pelvic Floor, what comes to mind? A pregnant woman 🤰 doing exercises on a Pilates ball, or postpartum recovering her body, or suffering from urine leaks.

And what if I tell you that men can also experience some dysfunction in the pelvic floor? They too might be practicing exercise to maintain their perineal health 💪, or undergoing medical treatment and physiotherapy to feel good again.

The pelvic floor doesn’t understand genders, and its prevention is essential to avoid possible future dysfunctions 😎.

What is the male pelvic floor?

Often, we think that the pelvic floor is a muscle located in the pelvis. However, 80% of the pelvic floor is connective tissue: ligaments and viscera 🙉.

These viscera (bladder, uterus, prostate, and rectum) are protected and surrounded by a muscular system: the pelvic floor muscles and the muscles of the abdomen and back.

The remaining 20% is indeed muscle tissue. However, it is not just one muscle, and we can separate it into three layers:

• Superficial: bulbospongiosus, superficial transverse perineal, ischiocavernosus, and anal sphincter ✅
• Middle: deep transverse perineal ✅
• Deep: levator ani (pubococcygeus, puborectalis, and iliococcygeus) and coccygeus ✅

What is the function of the pelvic floor?

Another common misconception is thinking that the pelvic floor is only responsible for preventing urine leaks🙀. The pelvic floor is involved in many functions, including sphincter continence, support of pelvic viscera, sexual and reproductive function, load transfer, and postural control.

The pelvic floor is involved in numerous bodily functions

The Pelvic Floor, along with the muscles of the abdomen, back, and diaphragm, forms what we call the CORE 👋. This grouping of muscles functions to stabilize the body, provide postural support, and transfer the loads generated from the arms or legs to maintain balance 🚶.

Are there differences between the female and male pelvic floor?

Functionally, there are no significant differences🧐. Both females and males have a glans (of the penis or clitoris), a body, a bulb, and a scrotum or labia majora.

It is true that depending on the sex, there will be a greater tendency to suffer from certain pathologies or dysfunctions, and in some cases, pelvic floor pathologies affect only one sex. However, the vast majority of dysfunctions are common and the differences in terms of treatment or approach will be minimal. The importance of prevention is indispensable regardless of sex.

In the following image👀, we show you how to locate your pelvic floor:

Exercises to strengthen the male pelvic floor

As we mentioned before, the pelvic floor is part of the CORE muscles. Therefore, as it doesn’t work alone, isolated training of it will not be enough; it must be involved in movements and actions that engage the entire CORE✍.

Disciplines for toning the pelvic floor:

• Kegel: although it is an isolated pelvic floor training, performing these contractions helps to increase body awareness 🧠 of our pelvis and all its muscles. Additionally, for people with very low tone or who do not know how to activate the pelvic floor, it is a good tool to start working on it.

• Hypopressives: these exercises are of low impact, and among their benefits, we highlight the activation of the abdomen and pelvic floor💥 , improvement in postural control and respiratory capacity, and the reduction of pressure on the pelvic viscera.

• Pilates: a method focused on CORE training and breath control through precise movements and exercises. It helps us to gain strength and muscle control, flexibility, and breathing control.

• Strength training: as mentioned, one of the CORE’s functions is to transmit the forces generated from the upper or lower limbs. Therefore, any well-executed arm and leg strengthening exercise can be beneficial for our pelvic health. It is important to avoid performing movements in apnea (without breathing), exhale during exertion, and control body position. For example, if you want to lift dumbbells (military press), it would be ideal to exhale while raising the arms and ensure the back doesn’t arch while performing the ascent motion.

• 5P Postural Balance Method: this method involves standing on a balance beam (flat and curved surface) and performing various arm, leg or hypopressive exercises without losing balance. It helps increase postural control, tone the perineum, and release diaphragm tension.

These are several exercise disciplines that can help us improve or maintain the health of our pelvic floor. It’s important to note that sedentarism is the least beneficial for our pelvis❌. So find an exercise you enjoy to keep doing it and maintain it over time: there is no one discipline better than another.

Today, we live under constant stress, have poor diets, inadequate rest, and highly sedentary jobs. Movement will benefit us both mentally and physically. However, if you suffer from any type of dysfunction or believe your pelvic floor is weak, it is preferable to consult with a specialized physiotherapist👩‍⚕️ to advise you on which exercises are most appropriate for your case.

Pelvic floor dysfunctions in men

Pelvic floor dysfunctions in men are numerous and range from urinary and fecal incontinence to erectile dysfunction, among others. We will dedicate a separate article to all these in the coming weeks.

But, how can I know if I am experiencing any of them? Whenever you notice a change in yourself that bothers you or affects your quality of life, it may be a sign of alteration in your pelvic health. It is important not to normalize it and seek an expert to identify the causes and find a remedy. Your quality of life is at stake, and you should not settle!

But… which professional should i see?

Initially, it is most advisable to have a consultation with a urologist✅. This way, we can rule out all possible medical causes that may be generating your symptoms (injuries, vascular, hormonal, or neurological pathology).

If the medical tests are not significant, or if the doctor recommends it, the ideal is to have a consultation with a specialized pelvic floor physiotherapist✅. This way, a conservative treatment💆‍♂️ can be carried out with the aim of improving or alleviating symptoms, improving pelvic floor functionality, and enhancing quality of life.

Nutritionists, sexologists, and psychologists✅ are other health professionals who can help you and complement the medical and physiotherapy treatment if necessary. Not always will this type of intervention be required, but there are cases where their help will be indispensable for a good recovery.

How do i share my problem?

Today, everything related to the pelvic sphere is filled with taboos😓. It’s important to leave them aside as they will only be an obstacle that will harm your perineal health.

Sometimes, it’s hard to explain what is happening because it is something very unknown, talked about little, or because society normalizes it. If you have a problem in your pelvic sphere, tell your story🙄, your symptoms, doubts, uncertainties, fears… and let professionals advise you managing your case. In the end, the professional will want to help you, and if you don't provide all the information, it may be more complicated to propose the most suitable approach for you🔋.

Will i improve? is it too late?

It’s never too late to take care of yourself and improve your quality of life. Although starting treatment as soon as possible is ideal, it’s not a problem if you’ve been waiting. Even if you're older or have been experiencing these overwhelming symptoms for a long time, there are many tools🔑 that can facilitate your daily life and help you feel better about yourself.

What can i do at home to care for my pelvic floor?

Whenever you have a pathology or dysfunction, the best initial approach is to consult a qualified professional to guide you on what you can do.

If you do not experience any symptoms and your goal is to maintain your pelvic floor health, consider these factors:

• Good diet and proper hydration
• Avoidance of stress, smoking, and other toxic habits
• Restful sleep
• Exercise: avoid a sedentary lifestyle as much as possible
• Sun exposure
• Contact with nature

As we’ve mentioned before, the pelvic floor doesn’t stand alone, and many factors can affect our pelvic health. So it’s never too late to start caring for your pelvic floor!