Note: This article was updated on July 8, 2026.
“Shouldn’t everyone do kegels?”
“A ‘tighter’ pelvic floor is always better, right?”
Find out the answers in this post!
First of all, what is a kegel?
Before we get into the main question of this post, “should everyone do kegels,” let’s first look at what a kegel actually is.
A kegel is simply a contraction of the pelvic floor muscles. Because the pelvic floor is a deep group of muscles, the contraction feels different than contracting a muscle such as your bicep. However, the basic physiology is the same, a muscle contraction creates tension within that muscle.
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles located in your pelvic region. These muscles play an important role in urinary, bowel, and sexual function. They also help support the pelvic organs, including the bladder, rectum, and, in women, the uterus.
The purpose of a kegel is to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
This post is an exploration of whether or not everyone should be doing kegels, not a tutorial on how to perform them. This information is just here to give you a basic understanding of what a kegel is and how the pelvic floor works. If you’re looking for a more instructional post, check out this post here: Kegel Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make.
You can also learn more about the pelvic floor muscles in this post here: What Is The Pelvic Floor?
Kegels are often prescribed with the goal of improving pelvic floor strength, and they can be incredibly helpful. However, assuming that kegels will fix every pelvic floor problem or that they’re always the right course of action would be a mistake.
If kegels strengthen the pelvic floor, shouldn't everyone kegel?
Everyone has their own unique body and while some exercises may be beneficial for some people, we can never really generalize to everyone.
Kegels can be a great way to improve pelvic floor strength, and for many people, they can be beneficial if they’re performed correctly.
However, that doesn’t mean they’re the right exercise for everyone, especially if you’re already experiencing pelvic floor symptoms.
There’s a common misconception that kegels can fix all pelvic floor problems. It’s common to think, well I have pain in my pelvic region or I leak urine, so I guess I should do kegels, but this is not necessarily correct.
Especially if you have pelvic pain. With pelvic pain, the pelvic floor muscles are more commonly tight as opposed to weak. If the pelvic floor muscles are tight and you consistently kegel, you could be making things worse. When the pelvic muscles are tight, you need to teach these muscles to relax before starting to strengthen them.
"Ok so if I leak urine, I should kegel then, right?"
Well not necessarily. There are different types of urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control) which could change the answer to this question.
It’s also true that your pelvic floor muscles can be both tight and weak. I know it sounds weird, how can a muscle be tight and weak at the same time, but it does happen and it’s not that uncommon.
Basically, if your pelvic floor muscles never fully relax and remain in a shortened position, they can’t generate force as effectively because they aren’t working through their full range of motion. Over time, this can contribute to weakness.
Here’s an example that may make this more clear. Think about your bicep, the muscle in the front part of your upper arm. This muscle is responsible for bending your elbow. If your bicep was super tight, your elbow would be stuck in a bent position. If your elbow was stuck in this position, wouldn’t your bicep be weaker than if you could move your elbow through its full range of motion?
When this happens in the pelvic floor and the muscles are both tight and weak, you need to learn to relax your pelvic muscles before moving on to strengthening.
So, a "tighter" pelvic floor isn't always better?
Correct. A healthy pelvic floor isn’t just one that’s strong, it’s one that can both contract and fully relax.
If the muscles are too weak, they may not provide enough support. But if they’re too tight, they may not function properly either.
Like many things in the body, it’s all about balance.
Is the pelvic floor ever just simply weak?
Yes, there are times when the pelvic floor is truly weak.
If you have only weakness in the pelvic floor and no tightness, then kegels are probably going to be your go to. But with that being said, many people actually don’t know how to kegel!
As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I’ve assessed a number of pelvic floors. Some people do know how to do a kegel correctly, but some do not. Sometimes people think that they’re kegeling, but nothing is actually happening in the pelvic muscles. Another thing that can happen is that people bear down when they try to kegel which is the opposite of what we want when we’re looking to strengthen these muscles!
So after all that you're probably thinking, ok, well what do I do then?
You really need to see a pelvic floor physical therapist. They will be able to tell you if you have tightness or weakness (or both) in the pelvic floor and will be able to tell you if you’re performing kegels correctly.
Going to see a pelvic floor physical therapist doesn’t need to be scary and it doesn’t need to be a life long thing. They will be able to treat you as needed and guide you in the right direction for working on things by yourself at home!
On a final note, if you’re not experiencing any pelvic floor symptoms, kegels are generally fine to perform and can help maintain pelvic floor strength if they’re done correctly.
My biggest suggestion is to make sure you fully relax after each contraction so your pelvic floor muscles maintain their full range of motion. Remember from before, a healthy pelvic floor isn’t just a strong pelvic floor, it’s one that can both contract and fully relax. It’s also important to breathe while you’re kegeling, don’t hold your breath. Again this post, “Kegel Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make,” goes into more detail on performing kegels correctly.
I know the pelvic floor isn’t talked about all that often, and many people don’t know much about it. However, it’s a really important part of the body. I hope this post has helped you learn a little more about your pelvic floor. Learning about your body is a great way to improve body awareness and support your overall health.
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