Kegel Balls: Try Them at Home (and Anywhere Else, Too)

Kegel exercises have become popular in recent years, and I wonder if it’s because they have a reputation for tightening the vagina.

After all, as a society we are obsessed with tight vaginas.

Buy Beauty Kegel Balls here.

Exercise? My vagina?

FFirst of all, what are Kegel exercises?

The pubococcygeus (PC) Kegel muscle is a muscle located along your pelvic floor. When you have the urge to pee but are holding it in because society says women should pee in porcelain toilet bowls and not squat among daisies, it’s your PC muscle that’s doing the squeezing. This squeezing, or squeezing, if you will, is the basis of all Kegel exercises. Repeated contractions and releases are the way to strengthen the PC muscle.

The usual Kegel exercise that women do

Contract your pelvic muscles as if you were holding your urine. Hold this position for 3 seconds. Release for 3 seconds. Some people go longer, up to 10 seconds. Do sets of 10 to 15 per session, up to 3 or 4 sessions per day.

You can do this while taking notes in class, on the bus, sipping a latte, or anywhere else, and no one will ever know.

Fun fact: Although Kegel exercises are almost exclusively marketed to people with vaginas, anyone can do them, even if they have a penis.

So what are Kegel exercises? balls?

Around 500 AD, simple Kegel balls, also called ben-wa balls, usually made of silver, were mentioned in Asian sexual writings in Burma and Japan. Some were solid, others hollow, with clappers that made a ringing sound when rolled inside the vagina.

Although the original idea was to increase men’s pleasure during sex (because it’s so hard for them, right?), geisha balls were eventually used in pairs and re-appropriated by women to increase the strength of their pelvic floor muscles, the ones involved in their own orgasms.

Today, these body-safe devices come in a variety of sizes, some attached by string, others made of metal or glass. It’s common to start with larger balls if you’re new to them (even if they seem intimidating), and work your way up to smaller ones, which are harder to keep inside. As Cosmo puts it, standard-sized beginner Kegel balls are “about the size of a Paul Bunyan gumdrop.”

Although you can do Kegel exercises without any tools, Kegel balls are useful because they do not require any concentration: you simply insert the balls and they directly stimulate your Kegel muscle, it is very simple.

This is especially helpful if you have trouble identifying your Kegel muscles. But many women also start by doing regular Kegel exercises and then gradually move on to using Kegel balls to increase the resistance.

Benefits! Or, “can they make me tighter”?

Ladies, balls strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. This brings the following possible benefits:

· Prevention and treatment of urinary and fecal incontinence

· Prevention of vaginal prolapse

· Faster vaginal recovery after pregnancy

· Vaginal stimulation and increased arousal

· Better control of your muscles and your ability to contract them, which provides a “tightening” feeling during sex

· Easier to reach orgasm

· Increased sexual pleasure for both partners

· Increased libido (due to increased sensitivity!)

· Easier childbirth

How to Use Kegel Balls

When inserting Kegel balls, especially for the first time, try to lie down with your legs relaxed. And go pee first.

Apply a generous amount of water-based lube to the balls (silicone-based lubes can damage your Kegel balls if they’re also silicone). Then slide them in one at a time. If it hurts or they feel too big, try masturbate a little first to get your natural juices flowing.

Once they’re in place, push them in as far as they will go, just like you would a tampon or Diva Cup. Once they’re inside you, the weights will bounce and your Kegel muscles will involuntarily contract due to this movement. It’s actually pretty easy and you may want to wear them all day.

Let them be your dirty little secret while you’re running to the store or giving that important presentation to your boss.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for women to achieve orgasm simply by having their Kegel balls in their genitals. Test them out first and know your limits, of course.

Also consider them as a sex toy. Try keeping them inside while you rub your clit or have your partner stimulate your anus at the same time. It’s just an idea.

To remove them, insert a finger into your vagina and gently pull the first ball downwards. Wash them with warm water and mild soap, then rinse them well.

Exercises

Don’t like the passive role? That’s okay. Aside from simply inserting the balls and letting them do their magic, there are also some Kegel ball exercises you can be proactive about:

The seated exercise. Sit with your legs together. Find your PC muscle and use it to try to move the balls back and forth. If you can’t do this at first, try squeezing the balls and holding them for a few seconds, then relaxing for a few seconds, just like you would for exercises without the balls.

The standing exercise. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Use your PC muscle to hold the testicles inside your vagina. If you stop contracting them, the testicles will fall or drop. Do this 3 times a day and try to do it for longer each time.

The squat exercise. Spread your feet as wide as possible. Bend your knees slightly to squat down gently.

Use your PC muscle to hold the Kegel balls in place and move them back and forth. For a more intense challenge, move to a deeper squat.

Remember to put your all into it.

And most importantly, as always, have fun.

Image source: Tony Futura