How to Do Reverse Kegels for Men – Step by Step Guide ([CURRENT_MONTH_YEAR])

A reverse kegel is the opposite of a standard kegel. Instead of squeezing in and up, you gently push out and down. It trains your pelvic floor to relax on command – which is arguably more important than learning to squeeze.

Most kegel apps don't teach this exercise. The ones that do often gate it behind weeks of standard kegel training. That's a problem, because for men dealing with premature ejaculation, the reverse kegel is the most clinically important exercise they can learn.

Why Reverse Kegels Matter

A study by Pastore et al. (2014) found that pelvic floor relaxation – not strengthening – is the key mechanism that gives men control over the ejaculatory reflex. Men who learned to consciously relax their pelvic floor during arousal gained significant control over when they finished. (Full evidence breakdown in Do Kegels Work for PE?)

Additionally, some men have a hypertonic (too tight) pelvic floor. For these men, doing more standard kegels makes the problem worse. Reverse kegels are the treatment – they teach the muscles to release chronic tension. (See our best reverse kegel app comparison.)

Step by Step

Step 1: Sit comfortably. You can also do this lying down or standing, but sitting is easiest when learning.

Step 2: Take a deep breath into your belly. Let your stomach expand – not your chest. This engages the diaphragm, which works with the pelvic floor.

Step 3: As you breathe in, gently push outward through your pelvic floor. The easiest way to think about it: imagine the very beginning of urination. That gentle opening sensation.

Step 4: You should feel everything in the pelvic area relax and drop slightly. It's subtle – nothing dramatic should happen. If you feel pressure in your head or face, you're pushing way too hard.

Step 5: Hold the relaxed position for 3-5 seconds. Then return to neutral (not a squeeze – just neutral).

Step 6: Repeat.

Visual guide: Watch Dr. James walk through reverse kegel technique step by step.

What It Should Feel Like

• A gentle opening or lengthening sensation in the pelvic floor
• Your belly expands as you breathe in
• The area between your sit bones feels like it drops slightly
• No strain, no pressure, no bearing down

What It Should NOT Feel Like

• Pressure in your head or face (pushing too hard)
• Straining like a bowel movement (wrong muscles)
• Your abs tightening (you're bearing down, not isolating the pelvic floor)
• Nothing at all (you may not have found the right muscle yet – go back to the finding your pelvic floor guide)

Common Mistakes

Pushing too hard. This is the most common mistake. A reverse kegel is a GENTLE push. Think 20% effort, not 100%. If anything above your waist is working, you're trying too hard.

Confusing it with straining. A reverse kegel is not bearing down. It's an isolated relaxation of the pelvic floor, coordinated with diaphragmatic breathing. The abs should stay relaxed.

Skipping it because it feels weird. Reverse kegels feel counterintuitive at first. You've spent your whole life unconsciously holding your pelvic floor at a baseline tension. Consciously relaxing it is a new skill. It takes practice.

When to Do Reverse Kegels

• As part of a daily pelvic floor training routine alongside standard kegels and pulses
• During sex, when you feel yourself approaching the point of no return (this is the practical application)
• When you notice pelvic tension building – learning to release on command is the goal
• After standard kegel sessions, to prevent the pelvic floor from staying in a chronically tight state

Guided Reverse Kegel Training

Learning reverse kegels from text instructions alone is hard. Kegel King includes reverse kegels from Day 1 with distinct haptic feedback patterns that guide the relaxation timing. The app's tutorial system teaches correct technique using the verbal cues that clinical research proved most effective.

For a complete overview of all four pelvic floor exercises, read our complete kegel exercise guide for men.