Do Kegel Exercises Increase Size? The Honest Answer

Search for kegels online and you will quickly find claims that they add inches. So, does kegel exercises increase size in any real sense?

The honest answer: no, kegels do not make your penis longer or thicker. No study has shown a change in penile length or girth from pelvic floor training.

But that is not the end of the story. Kegels can make erections harder, fuller and more reliable — and for a lot of men, that is the change they were actually hoping for. Here is what the evidence supports, what it does not, and how to train for the result that is realistic.

Why kegels cannot grow the penis

The penis is not a muscle. According to Cleveland Clinic, its shaft is made mostly of spongy erectile tissue — two chambers called the corpora cavernosa and one called the corpus spongiosum — that fill with blood during an erection.

You cannot train spongy tissue the way you train a bicep. Exercise builds muscle fibres; it does not lengthen erectile chambers or the tough sheath (the tunica albuginea) that surrounds them.

Your pelvic floor muscles are a different story. They sit at the base of the penis, and two of them matter most for erections:

• Ischiocavernosus — wraps around the base of the erectile chambers and squeezes to raise pressure inside them
• Bulbospongiosus — surrounds the bulb of the penis, helps maintain rigidity and powers ejaculation

These muscles do not add size. They help control how much blood stays in the penis, which affects how hard and full an erection gets.

What kegels actually do for erections

The best evidence comes from a randomised controlled trial by Grace Dorey and colleagues, published in the British Journal of General Practice in 2004.

Fifty-five men with erectile dysfunction took part. The intervention group did pelvic floor exercises with biofeedback and lifestyle advice, while the control group received lifestyle advice only. After the control group was moved onto the exercises too, the results were:

• 40% of men regained normal erectile function
• 34.5% had improved erectile function
• 25.5% did not improve

At three months, the exercise group had a significant increase in erectile function scores compared with controls, and all measures improved further by six months.

That is a meaningful effect for a free, drug-free intervention. But notice what was measured: erection quality, not size.

Why firmer erections can look and feel bigger

This is where the size question gets more interesting.

An erection is not on-off. It is a spectrum from partly full to completely rigid. A partial erection is shorter, softer and bends more easily than a full one. Many men with mild ED, or who are stressed, tired or out of shape, are rarely reaching full rigidity.

If kegels help you get closer to 100% firmness, you may notice:

1. A fuller erection that reaches its natural maximum length
2. Better angle and stability during sex
3. Erections that last longer before softening
4. A firmer feel for you and your partner

None of that changes your anatomy. It changes how much of your existing size you actually use. Our guide on how to stay hard covers the other factors that feed into this.

How to do kegels for erection strength

To target the muscles involved in erections, use this approach:

1. Find the right muscles. Imagine stopping your urine stream and lifting your testicles slightly. You should feel a squeeze at the base of the penis and behind the scrotum. Your penis may twitch slightly upward.
2. Keep everything else relaxed. No clenching your buttocks, abs or thighs, and do not hold your breath.
3. Do slow holds. Squeeze for 5 seconds, then relax fully for 5 seconds. Build toward 10-second holds over a few weeks.
4. Add quick flicks. Ten fast one-second squeezes train the rapid contraction that raises pressure in the penis.
5. Aim for 3 sets a day, lying down at first, then sitting and standing as you get stronger.

The Dorey trial also included exercises during walking and after urination, so building kegels into daily routines helps. For more detail, see our full guide to male kegel exercises.

Always relax completely between reps. A pelvic floor that is always tense can cause pain and actually make erections and ejaculation harder to control.

What about things that claim to increase size?

If size itself is your goal, be sceptical. A 2021 systematic review in BJU International looked at penile enhancement studies from 2010 to 2019. Traction devices, fillers and surgery changed dimensions in some men, but the reviewers concluded the overall quality of evidence was low — too low to make firm recommendations.

Pills, creams and jelqing have no reliable evidence at all, and aggressive stretching or pumping can cause injury.

Two things that are safe and genuinely help how size appears:

• Losing excess belly fat. The fat pad above the pubic bone can bury part of the shaft. Losing weight can reveal length that was already there.
• Improving erection quality. Kegels, cardio, sleep and not smoking all support blood flow.

Our practical guide to penis size covers these options in more detail.

Is your size actually normal?

Most men who worry about being small are not. A systematic review of up to 15,521 men, published in BJU International in 2015, found:

• Average erect length: 13.12 cm (about 5.2 inches)
• Average flaccid length: 9.16 cm (about 3.6 inches)
• Average erect girth: 11.66 cm (about 4.6 inches)

Flaccid size also varies a lot with temperature and stress, and says little about erect size. See average penis length by age for more context.

What progress looks like

If you train consistently, here is a realistic timeline:

• Weeks 1-3: Better awareness and control of the muscles. Erections usually do not change much yet.
• Weeks 4-8: Many men notice slightly firmer erections and better control.
• Months 3-6: This is where the Dorey trial saw significant improvements, with further gains at six months.

Your length and girth will stay the same. Your erections may not.

The bottom line

Does kegel exercises increase size? Not in terms of length or girth — no research supports that. What kegels can do is strengthen the muscles that help keep blood in the penis, leading to firmer, fuller and more reliable erections. For many men, that is the improvement that matters most in the bedroom.