Kegel exercises: How many sets do you do per day?

Three sets, 10 minute each time, is pretty normal.

In one video the doctor asked participants to do 5 10 second holds then 5 1 second holds followed by 5 more with 10 second holds followed by the 5 1 second holds.

Take your pick

I spent three months working my pelvic floor and what Jeff says is pretty close to what my routine has been: 10 sets of quick engage and release, 5 sets of engage and hold for 10 seconds and release for 10 seconds. I do that 3-4 times a day while I'm working or watching TV or whatever.

What I've learned is that releasing properly is more important than simply engaging. You should always fully release for at least as long as you held it, you don't want to overwork the engagement. To ensure a full release just relax and take a big deep belly breath, that should make sure you are fully released before you engage again.

Don't try to do a marathon and go for 20 seconds or anything, 10 is fine. I did this both as kegels and as actual workouts (engaging the pelvic floor while doing weighted exercises like squats) and my pelvic floor therapist said I had one of the healthiest she's seen and, as a result, so far zero ED and not a single drop of incontinence.

You got this!

I'm 71 and 7+ months out from NS RARP. I'm continent so I'm only doing 2 sets a day for maintenance, although I used to do about 4 sets a day. I do a 10 count of 10 second holds with 10 second rests, followed by a 10 count of 1 second quick holds and releases. It takes me 4 minutes to do the routine. I don't know if I need to keep doing them since I'm continent, but they take so little time and since I'm continent I'm reluctant to change my routine. My experience was that they seem to get easier if you consistently do them. I assume that's because the muscle strengthens over time. I'm no medical professional nor expert in this area, but I think muscular development takes time and consistency. You can't rush it. Be consistent and watch your technique and it should get easier over time. Just my 2 cents. Best wishes.

Thanks for the info. I think I need to work on the release. Breathing. Is important.

I am 75. RALP as very successful. No nerve damage. Removed prostate and lymph nodes with no metastasis. Only at 4 weeks since RALP. Hoping to get to continence by 10 weeks. Wearing 1 diaper a day now. When do you get continent?

It’s different for everybody. For me (66), there was minor urge incontinence for 5 weeks after surgery (one pad or shield per day). It improved slowly over that time, and then, exactly 5 weeks after surgery, a switch was flipped and it went away, leaving only stress incontinence—from sneezing, coughing, etc., which happened maybe once or twice a day. I wore just shields then. At 7 weeks, I saw my pelvic floor therapist again, and she reminded me about my habit of not letting my pelvic floor relax enough, thus tiring it out. A few days after that, I quit wearing protection entirely.

I was basically continent as soon as the catheter came out. But I was able to do Kegals for about a month before surgery and I was in pretty good shape anyway as working out is part of my normal routine. Even though I was "continent", I did have several inadvertent urine releases as I figured out the new normal. Plus I had no confidence that I wouldn't have an accident for a few months. Frankly, it was 4 or 5 months before I considered myself essentially "back to normal" for continence. At this point, urine flow is way better than before with my BPH prostate. But I do know that if the right physical circumstances arise I might well have some minor urine release in the future. All that said, I consider myself fully continent. The ED is a different story. I am able to have intercourse and climaxes, but it's definitely a work in progress. But it is getting better, but very slowly. I attribute my good outcome to a very skilled and experienced surgeon at a CCOE, early PCa detection, and some good old fashioned good luck. Best wishes on your recovery.

Thanks , sounds like wearing a pad is a lifetime event.

I don't know about that, but carrying one just in case maybe. I've been 100% continent since the catheter came out, not a single drop, yet there are many new "firsts" ahead so I'll keep them around just until I test those firsts - like heavy lifting, bike riding, etc.

But, yes, for a lot of guys they will still have stress incontinence that will require pads, even if day-to-day is good.

I find Easy Kegel - https://easykegel.com/ - to be really helpful, mostly for the reminders, but also the squeeze/rest timers and ability to make it easy/med/hard.