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The Physiology of Reverse Kegels
So I thought I'd make this post to help explain reverse kegels because I've noticed there's often a lack of understanding in the community as to what a Reverse Kegel ACTUALLY is. Just search this forum for "reverse kegels" and half of the posts are made by members who are totally confused about what Reverse Kegels are.
Half the descriptions of Reverse Kegels out there are ill-informed, or just do a bad job of explaining things. Threads like this, for instance:
https://www.pegym.com/forums/beginne...rse-kegel.html
And this:
https://www.pegym.com/forums/beginne...se-kegels.html
And EVEN (dare I say it) this post by imac, which may be ok in effectiveness but not in actual truth:
https://www.pegym.com/forums/prematu...se-kegels.html
Result in more and more confusion for members.
Many people say Reverse Kegels "target" the same muscles as the Kegel but this is entirely untrue, and a quick dive into the physiology of the muscles involved during a Reverse Kegel will explain why.
A totally different set of muscles are contracted during reverse kegels than during normal kegels. Guess what one of these muscle groups is? Your abdominals, for one.
During a "normal" kegel, the pubococcygeus, ischiocavernosus, bulbospongiosus, and cremaster muscles contract. This is what makes the entire body of a limp penis move slightly inward toward the pubis, and the tip of an healthy penis bounce slightly upwards during a full erection.
Reverse kegels aren't literally "reverse kegels", because we aren't actually targeting those same PC muscles in the opposite direction (that wouldn't even be possible, as it's in the nature of muscles to only contract or relax, not "contract in the opposite direction").
Instead, Reverse Kegels firstly involve abdominal flexion, which puts pressure on the bladder and forces urine into the urethra to pee. Those and Reverse "back" kegels also involve your chest muscles, diaphragm, and pelvic diaphragm (NOT FLOOR) muscles to put pressure on the digestive tract, as if you're about to have a bowel movement. As a side effect, your PC muscles to relax in order to urinate or defecate.
It's the side effects of your abs, chest, diaphragm, and pelvic diaphragmthat result in the relaxation of the PC muscles that we understand as "Reverse Kegels", not the actual "reverse" targeting of the PC and BC muscles. Don't believe me? Notice how your breathing pattern either stops completely or changes drastically during a hard Reverse Kegel, and your abs tense up. This is because you're flexing your abs and performing a weak Valsalva maneuver to put pressure on your defecatory and urinary tracts. The abs don't flex during a Normal Kegel. But you can't do a Reverse Kegel without flexing your abs. Go ahead, put your hand on your stomach and try it.
Hope that clears things up.
<links removed>
Half the descriptions of Reverse Kegels out there are ill-informed, or just do a bad job of explaining things. Threads like this, for instance:
https://www.pegym.com/forums/beginne...rse-kegel.html
And this:
https://www.pegym.com/forums/beginne...se-kegels.html
And EVEN (dare I say it) this post by imac, which may be ok in effectiveness but not in actual truth:
https://www.pegym.com/forums/prematu...se-kegels.html
Result in more and more confusion for members.
Many people say Reverse Kegels "target" the same muscles as the Kegel but this is entirely untrue, and a quick dive into the physiology of the muscles involved during a Reverse Kegel will explain why.
A totally different set of muscles are contracted during reverse kegels than during normal kegels. Guess what one of these muscle groups is? Your abdominals, for one.
During a "normal" kegel, the pubococcygeus, ischiocavernosus, bulbospongiosus, and cremaster muscles contract. This is what makes the entire body of a limp penis move slightly inward toward the pubis, and the tip of an healthy penis bounce slightly upwards during a full erection.
Reverse kegels aren't literally "reverse kegels", because we aren't actually targeting those same PC muscles in the opposite direction (that wouldn't even be possible, as it's in the nature of muscles to only contract or relax, not "contract in the opposite direction").
Instead, Reverse Kegels firstly involve abdominal flexion, which puts pressure on the bladder and forces urine into the urethra to pee. Those and Reverse "back" kegels also involve your chest muscles, diaphragm, and pelvic diaphragm (NOT FLOOR) muscles to put pressure on the digestive tract, as if you're about to have a bowel movement. As a side effect, your PC muscles to relax in order to urinate or defecate.
It's the side effects of your abs, chest, diaphragm, and pelvic diaphragmthat result in the relaxation of the PC muscles that we understand as "Reverse Kegels", not the actual "reverse" targeting of the PC and BC muscles. Don't believe me? Notice how your breathing pattern either stops completely or changes drastically during a hard Reverse Kegel, and your abs tense up. This is because you're flexing your abs and performing a weak Valsalva maneuver to put pressure on your defecatory and urinary tracts. The abs don't flex during a Normal Kegel. But you can't do a Reverse Kegel without flexing your abs. Go ahead, put your hand on your stomach and try it.
Hope that clears things up.
<links removed>
Admin of the Month Mar 2015
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