I noticed two things about my pelvic floor whilst masturbation and sex:
(1) I constantly need to flex my pelvic floor muscles to maintain m erection (flex=as if I stop peeing). When I don't, my penis deflates.
(2) Also, when I flex those muscles, my corporas and my glans become harder...as if I am flexing my biceps so that it becomes "more pronounced".
Are (1) and (2) normal? After one year of excessive masturbation, (1) did not work so well anymore -- clenching did not help me that much maintaining an erection.
Recently though maintaining erection has become much easier...I reduced stress and started reverse kegels. I suspect I need to relax my pelvic floor even more?
Would be great to read your thoughts.
i can't really answer your question but its similar to me, i always feel like i need to flex my pelvic floor or penis to keep it hard.
Can you recommmend some reverse kegel exercises that helped you?
That "clenching" is the same as a Kegel exercise." These exercises are recommended for bladder control and sexual functioning. However, some men have the opposite problem and need to relax the pelvic floor.
The short answer is it is very normal for the "clenching" you describe to make your penis harder.
Since much of the penis is internal (the crus), tightening of the pelvic floor, in essence, squeezes the internal part of the penis. It is the same effect you will get if you wrap your hand around the base of your erection and squeeze. Nothing is surprising about this response. If you squeeze the base of the penis, it forces that blood into the remainder of the penis. The same is true if your Kegel squeezes the internal base of the penis. The kegel action can cause the erect penis to jump as the blood from the internal penis is forced to the external part of the penis. It can happen involuntarily during orgasm or by voluntary action, as you describe. If you have strong Kegal muscles, a woman can feel this during intercourse.
What is NOT normal is that you have to clench this Kegel motion to maintain an erection. It is an indication that your erections are not 100%, and this just helps compensate. You would no doubt benefit from an oral Erectile Dysfunction drug like Cialis or Viagra. Taking over-the-counter L.Arginine 2500 mg might be the best first-line approach. L-Arginine is a natural food nutrient that relaxes the arteries and promotes blood flow. You could take it the arginine daily or 30 minutes before sex. A "cockring" would also likely help but it has some potential to injure you unless you are very careful with it.
Thank you Hawk.
Could the need to clench in order to maintain erections be an indication of venous leak? I am very afraid of this condition.
I am already taking Cialis 5mg a day and 3g of l arginine...with that I am still clenching but it is very easy to maintain erections (as it was before, but WITH clenching).
Sometimes, when I am super aroused I can also maintain my erection without clenching. But I often have to and can successfully maintain the erection by clenching.
I think Kegal flexing would improve a deficient erection no matter the cause.
You say you sometimes get good erections. Keep in mind that venous leak does not come and go. Are those times of "good erections" with or without a partner?
I have good erections with my partner only these days (stopped watching porn 3 months ago, before I was an excessive porn consumer). But in the past I could also get good erections without a partner, but of course clenching. Only with constant clenching my penis gets Rock hard and stand in a 45 degree angle up. I think if I don't Kegel it will stand straight and hard only if I am super aroused. But as I said there's a higher chance of deflating..
But even with my partner, I think I have always been clenching those muscles. Therefore I am now worried that I may have always had a physical issue that I used to compensate by clenching (if that clenching isn't normal)...and now Peyronie's or worsened venous leak may have led to clenching not being effective anymore.
If you have any residual worry or stress of re-injury, you could have the stress hormone adrenalin in your bloodstream. It specifically attaches to the same receptor that Nitric Oxide has to attach to to cause an erection. This would be referred to as psychological Erectile Dysfunction even though the stress causes a very real physical interruption in the erection process.
Thank you Hawk for taking the time to elaborate.
I did have a lot of stress, sorrow and a burnout...but my erections have become much better as I have worked on that stress, living a healthier lifestyle etc.
But your view that clenching to maintain an erection is not normal worries me. Is that really the case?
If that is the case: besides adrenaline (your explanation from above), does it mean that blood flow isn't right or could it also mean that the pelvic floor is all messed and not working properly?
A lack of a full erection ALWAYS means blood flow is not right. What it does not answer is why.
It could be:
Mental distraction from arousal
The adrenalin from stress, embarrassment, anger, fear, worry, blocking nitric oxide.
Nerve damage from surgery or injury that leaves all feeling intact but blocks the expansion of arteries in the penis
Low Testosterone (total and free) that results in lower desire
Diabetes and Heart disease that impair nerves and blood vessels
Plaque that prevents veins from being squeezed closed from the pressure of an erection
This is not an exhaustive list, but ALL of these can interrupt proper blood flow. A healthy male does not have to tighten any muscles or make ANY conscious decision or voluntary action to get or maintain an erection. It just happens like it has a mind of its own, often when you least want an erection. I think most teen males have been in class and had to go to the blackboard or whiteboard or otherwise stand up only to wonder what they are supposed to do about their unwanted erection.
I just wanted to chime in and say I used to be like this too prior to my injury and I actually was happy when I was like this. I'd flex the muscle and my dick would point straight forward and slightly upwards fully engorged. Now when I become hard and flex the muscle my dick actually starts falling down shortly after almost as if it can't handle the weight.
Clenching to maintain erection is very common, but bad for you long-term. Try not to get into the habit. I've had such a difficult time trying to unlearn it
I think this is very common with people affected by peyronie, they just do not notice it because it has become a standard.
It is not normal to kegel and it is not needed in a healthy male. Blood flow alone should be able to maintain a good eerection.
In my case i had very bad involuntary contractions and pe and loss of sensation.
The more i managed to push my nether area to relax it, less contractions i got, less pe and more sensation.
I think it is 100% linked to a tight psoas and exercises that stretch the psoas help a lot.
I found that training for the splits and standing down as little as possible made the biggest difference
Thanks for all the recent answers, I am the OP.
Just to give you an update. I did a few exercises on a daily basis to relax m pelvic floor muscles. I also reduced some stress and worked out consistently.
I am now able to maintain my erection without kegling for about 20 seconds without touching at maximum hardness. This is better than before when the erection immediately subsided.
Note that this is when I just manually stimulate without watching something erotic (and of course without a partner). With my partner, I noticed it's better. Recently we showered as "foreplay" and I my erection was maintained for approximately 10min under the shower. I probably clenched the muscles once or twice during the shower time.
So perhaps this is an improvement. I should note though that I have begun taking 5mg of Tadalafil every night, so perhaps this has a positive effect on maintaining erections, too? Generally though, Tadalafil hasn't that big of an effect on my erections... Vardenafil has a very strong one.
I hope that I can improve. Arousal seems to be key.
Because I also noticed that the first round, when I am extremely horny, I get rock hard and have an easy time maintaining it. For the second or third round that night, if I am NOT in the mood, I lose my erection quickly. So I guess that arousal plays a key role not only in getting an erection, but also in maintaining it.
hey @Pierre. What exercises did you do?