Pelvic Floor Exercises for Continence: An Australian Guide
By Kim Hando
, Owner & Founder
│ 01 July 2026
Clinically reviewed by
Marcus Hando
, BHlthSc (Public Health), MParamedic Practice, GradDipCritCarePara (Monash)
Last reviewed: 27 June 2026
Share
The most common reason pelvic floor exercises don't work is that they're being done wrong. People squeeze the wrong muscles, hold their breath, or clench the buttocks and call it done. Pelvic floor exercises for continence are one of the first things any Australian continence professional will recommend, and the evidence behind them is genuinely good. The catch is all in the detail.
Pelvic floor strength is one of the most practical parts of living well with incontinence, because it works on the cause rather than just the symptom. This guide covers how to find the right muscles, a routine you can do anywhere, how long it takes to feel a change, and when it's worth bringing in a professional. None of it needs equipment or a gym.
What pelvic floor exercises do for continence
Pelvic floor exercises, sometimes called Kegel exercises, strengthen the sling of muscle that supports the bladder and bowel and helps keep the urethra closed. Stronger muscles give you more control over when urine is released, which cuts down leaks from coughing, sneezing, exercise, and sudden urgency. Most people notice a difference within three to five months of regular practice.
The pelvic floor runs like a hammock from the pubic bone at the front to the tailbone at the back. In women it also supports the uterus. When the muscles weaken, that support drops, and the result is leaks you can't always predict.
Plenty of everyday things weaken these muscles over time. Pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, prostate surgery, ageing, a chronic cough, repeated heavy lifting, straining with constipation, and carrying extra weight all play a part. This affects men as well as women, which often surprises people.
Continence professionals call this conservative management, and it's the recommended first step before anything more invasive. Continence Health Australia (formerly the Continence Foundation of Australia) runs the Pelvic Floor First program, which is a good independent starting point for technique and motivation.
How to find the right muscles
Here's the part most people get wrong. The muscles you're after are the ones you'd use to stop yourself passing wind, or to stop the flow of urine midstream. Squeeze and lift those, and you've found your pelvic floor.
You should feel a gentle squeeze and lift inside, around the back passage and, for women, the vagina. What you should not feel is your stomach, buttocks, or thighs tightening. If those are doing the work, you've recruited the wrong muscles. Keep breathing normally the whole time. Holding your breath is a sign you're straining rather than lifting.
One word of caution. Stopping your urine midstream is a useful way to identify the muscles once, but don't make it a regular exercise. Doing it repeatedly can confuse the bladder's emptying signals over time.
A simple daily routine
A complete pelvic floor routine has two parts, and you need both. Slow holds build endurance. Quick squeezes build the fast reaction that catches a sudden cough or sneeze.
For the slow holds, squeeze and lift the muscles, hold for up to ten seconds, then fully relax for ten seconds. Repeat up to ten times. For the quick squeezes, do short, strong contractions and let go straight away, up to ten in a row. Aim for three sessions a day, and you can do them lying down, sitting, or standing.
The rest between each squeeze matters as much as the squeeze itself. The muscle has to relax fully to get stronger, so don't rush the recovery.
The hardest part isn't the exercise, it's remembering to do it. The trick that works is tying each session to something you already do every day. One set while the kettle boils, one at a red light, one during the ad break. Anchor them to a habit and they stop slipping off the to-do list.
There's one more move worth learning, and continence physios call it "the Knack". Just before you cough, sneeze, laugh, or lift something, brace the pelvic floor by squeezing and lifting. That brace protects against the exact moment a leak would normally happen, and a lot of people feel the benefit straight away.
How long until you notice a change
The pelvic floor is a muscle like any other, so it responds to training but not overnight. Give it three to five months of daily practice before you judge whether it's working. Many people feel a small improvement sooner, which is a good sign to keep going rather than a reason to stop.
Consistency beats intensity here. Ten minutes a day, every day, does far more than an hour once a week. And like any muscle, the strength fades if you stop, so the goal is to fold these into your routine for good rather than treat them as a short course.
Pelvic floor exercises for men
Pelvic floor exercises are often thought of as a women's issue, but men have a pelvic floor too and it does the same job. The most common reason men take them up is recovery after prostate surgery, where leaks are common in the early months and pelvic floor work is a standard part of getting control back. Continence physiotherapists often suggest starting the exercises before surgery where that's possible, so the muscles are already in good shape going in.
The technique is identical. Find the muscles you'd use to stop passing wind or stop the flow of urine, squeeze and lift without tensing the stomach or buttocks, and keep breathing. For men, a helpful visual cue is the base of the penis drawing in slightly and the testicles lifting as you contract. If you can see that movement in a mirror, you've got the right muscles.
Common mistakes to avoid
A few errors come up again and again, and each one quietly cancels out the work:
- Squeezing the buttocks, thighs, or stomach instead of the pelvic floor.
- Holding your breath, which means you're bearing down rather than lifting.
- Pushing down as if straining, the opposite of the lift you want.
- Doing them only now and then, rather than every day.
- Skipping the full relaxation between squeezes.
- Stopping urine midstream as a routine exercise rather than a one-off check.
If you've been doing pelvic floor exercises for a few months with no change at all, the most likely explanation is technique, not effort. That's the point to get a professional set of eyes on it.
When pelvic floor exercises aren't enough
Conservative management works for a lot of people, but not everyone, and not for every type of incontinence. If you've given the exercises a fair go without progress, the next step is a GP or a continence physiotherapist. A continence physio can check your technique internally, confirm you're using the right muscles, and set a plan for your situation. Many GPs can refer you under a Medicare chronic condition management plan (the GP Chronic Condition Management Plan), which may reduce the cost of allied-health visits including a continence physiotherapist.
The type of incontinence you have shapes how much pelvic floor work will help. It's one of the main tools for stress incontinence, the leaking that happens with coughing, sneezing, or exercise. For urge incontinence, the sudden need to dash to the toilet, exercises usually sit alongside bladder retraining rather than replacing it. If you're not sure which one you're dealing with, our guide to the difference between stress and urge incontinence is a useful place to start, and we cover the wider day-to-day options for managing stress incontinence in a separate guide.
For free, confidential advice from a nurse continence specialist, the Continence Health Australia National Continence Helpline is open on 1800 33 00 66. It's funded by the Australian Government and a good first call if you'd rather talk it through before booking an appointment.
Where the right product fits while you build strength
Pelvic floor training takes months, and life doesn't pause while you wait. Day-to-day confidence is what lets you keep going to work, exercise, and see friends without second-guessing every cough. The right product covers that gap.
One thing worth knowing from years of fitting people: the difference between a product that works and one that leaks usually comes down to fit, not absorbency. A pad or pant that sits correctly will outperform a higher-capacity one that gaps at the leg. A well-fitted Comfort First pull-up pants gives discreet protection that moves with you while the exercises do their slower work underneath.
If you're not sure what suits you, that's exactly what a free sample is for. Test the fit and feel at home before committing to anything.
What to do next
Start today, even if it's just one set of slow holds while the kettle boils. Get the technique right first, build the habit second, and give it a few months before you judge the result. If progress stalls, book in with your GP or a continence physiotherapist, or call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66.
It also helps to know which type of incontinence you're working with, so the plan actually matches the problem. Our guide to the different types of incontinence walks through the signs of each. And if you'd like to find the right product for your situation while you build strength, request a free Comfort First sample.