No, alas, the penis isn’t a muscle. If it were, erections to order would be as easy as raising a hand – and anxiety levels for men the world over would instantly plummet. There are, though, muscles attached to the basic erectile machinery. One of these, the pubococcygeus (PC) muscle, though it can’t guarantee you an erection, can certainly add extra lift and do wonders for the quality of your orgasm.
The PC muscle runs from the base of the spine to where the penis attaches to the pubic bone. It helps to support the pelvic floor and, since the prostate gland and urethra pass through it, and since it generally keeps things together inside, it is centrally involved in the sensations of sex and orgasm. Develop your PC strength and you’ll increase control and the degree of sensation throughout the genital region, both the bits that you can see and the bits you can’t.
The simplest way to locate your PC muscle is to stop yourself while urinating. It is the muscle that contracts to enable you to do this. Once you’ve found it you’re ready to exercise without passing urine. (Indeed, this is preferable, since prematurely halting the flow of urine too often can lead to bladder infection.)
The PC workout is easy and quite discrete – ideal for whiling away time on the buss or as your email downloads in the office. Contract the muscle forcefully and hold for a second, then release. You should feel your genitals lift slightly and your penis might twitch. Pause a moment, relax, then repeat the clenching – initially aiming to do this about twenty times. As with any workout, you might find your muscle tires. That’s good: it means the muscle will strengthen.
Over time, as the muscle develops, you can build up to two or more sessions a day and increase the period for which you hold each contraction, progressing from one second to three or four. Learn as well to breathe in time with the clenches. Breathing is central to your emotions, as to the physical sensations of sex, and your sense of your genitals should be integrated with it.
You should soon find that when you have sex or masturbate you feel stronger and as if the sense of pleasure spreads more fully and deeply within you. As you reach orgasm, it is as if there is more built up inside, and the climax is both more intense and lasts longer. If you’re feeling tired and jaded this can make you feel young again.