Could Anal Kegels Save You From Unnecessary Sharting Disasters? Here’s What an Anal Surgeon Says

Let’s just jump into it, shall we? You probably know that flexing your Kegels is solid method to prevent urinary incontinence, intensify your orgasm, and strengthen your pelvic floor. But sharting mishaps can happen faster than you can say “Not my 1,000-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets!” So what about anal Kegels? Just like any other part of our bodies, muscles get used and overused over time, especially if anal sex is a big part of your sexual repertoire.

“Laxity is a common occurrence because, after all, the ass is no different from, say, our wrinkly faces,” says anal surgeon and founder of Future MethodEvan Goldstein, DO. “When you compound daily defecation with anal play, you can see over-stretching and weakened sphincter muscles potentially develop over time. I frequently see it in my practice not only due to the big D, toys, or fists, but also because of over-douching, which is common for those who engage in backdoor play.”

When Dr. Goldstein was developing the Future Method Anal Douche and Bulb ($30), he made sure the team engineered smaller douching bulbs prevent excessive anal douching. The thing to remember when it comes to keeping your backdoor fit is that less is actually more.

So, for better butthole health, something they sadly do not teach you in sex ed, we need to find balance between relaxation and strengthening. You know, that fine line of being super disciplined and knowing when to chill. An adult butthole, for adult fun.

“The key is to learn how to relax when it’s needed—for defecation and anal play—and stay tight the rest of the day,” says Dr. Goldstein. “What some people may not know is that you can actually be too tight and this can also cause problems in and of itself because it can limit your daily and sexual activities.”

Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. But if you need to close things up a bit, these are where Kegels come into play, looking to strengthen that pelvic floor. And wonderful news here: If you’ve done Kegels for your vagina, it works pretty much the same way.

“What you’ll want to do is contract and ‘pull in’ your butt cheeks,” says Dr. Goldstein. “Just like any other muscle, doing this exercise repetitively can assist in building strength in the area. I even go so far as to recommend doing Kegels while inserting a small anal plug. Of course, this isn’t for everyone, but it will allow you to train the entire sphincter mechanism. ”

For something simple, we can recommend the b-vibe Snug Plug ($45), or if you want to add a rimming sensation to you Kegel exercises, sex writer extraordinaire Gabrielle Kassel is crushing on the b-vibe Rimming Plug Petite ($145). Or if you need an even more luxe solution for the tightest a-hole in town, Dr. Goldstein recommends a pelvic floor stimulator called the BTL Emsella Chair, which can deploy about 11,000 Kegels in 28 minutes.

“What’s unique about this chair is that the contractions go way higher—high up into the anal canal—regions that no one could ever stimulate on their own,” says Dr. Goldstein. “Historically, this device has been used for urinary and fecal incontinence, but now, in our practice, Bespoke Surgical, we use it for sexual weaknesses as well. Most people are put on a regimen of six sessions over three weeks and they see a tremendous improvement.”

And that’s all, folks. Now you know what you need to know about anal Kegels.