MEN NEED TO DO PELVIC-FLOOR EXERCISES, TOO!

PELVIC-FLOOR exercise are not only for women — they can also help men, protecting against and treating symptoms of conditions such as an overactive bladder and stress incontinence.

One study found that they can even help with premature ejaculation, a problem thought to affect up to 40 per cent of men at some point in their lives.

The study, at the Sapienza University of Rome, showed that doing the exercises for 12 weeks increased the time it took the men to orgasm from under a minute to nearly two-and-a-half minutes. A previous study found the exercises as effective as Viagra for impotence, without the side-effects.

The research, which was published in the British Journal of General Practice, found that after three months, 40 per cent of the men regained full sexual function, while a further 30 per cent had improved function.

‘The pelvic-floor muscles sit in your deep pelvic area and help to control the bladder and other functions,’ explains Tim Allardyce, a physiotherapist from Surrey.

If you have trouble finding them, sit relaxed and tighten the muscle around the back passage, as if trying to control wind. You should be able to feel the muscle move.

To do the exercises, sit, stand or lie with knees slightly apart. Slowly squeeze the muscles and hold for a count of five. Try to breathe normally. Relax, and then repeat the process of holding the muscle contraction. Start with ten repetitions, and repeat three times per day.

Training any muscle takes practice: you need to do the exercises for a few weeks to get the full benefit. With the right technique you should feel a dip at the base of the penis, while the scrotum moves up slightly.