Work Those Muscles: Candida Royalle Talks Kegel

From erotic filmmaker to author to creator of a beautiful line of sex toys, Candida Royalle wears many hats. Here, she shares her “ Energie” and insight on how to keep your genitals in shape and achieve the best orgasms of your life.

SexHerald: Where are my PC muscles?

Candida Royalle:Your PC muscles are the entire band of muscles that wraps around your vagina. If a woman is looking to find them, insert a finger. Squeeze your vaginal muscles around your finger like you are trying to stop the flow of urine—those are your PC muscles, your “kegels.” We used to think that the clitoris was just that little area that looks like the end of your pinky sticking out but your clit is connected to this entire band of muscles that wraps around the vaginal opening.

SH: In your book, you say that one way you can keep your PC muscles strong and tight is by remaining sexually active and having orgasms. What if you’re between lovers?

Royalle: They say that even masturbating to orgasm is very important for keeping those muscles active and strong. But doing the actual contractions—contracting those muscles consciously, repetitiously in addition to remaining sexually active will make your muscles even stronger. A woman can just lie there and do them or be on the train and do them. And, inserting a weighted object is even better. It gives your muscles resistance to work against.

SH: How do else can your PC muscles get weak? Are some women born with weak kegels?

Royalle: I don’t know if they’re born with them but there certainly are women who have weak muscles and, yes, they would have to probably work at it more.

SH: What if your man has a big cock? .

Royalle: No, that won’t weaken them, because they are muscles and go right back to their original shape. Now, if a man has a skinny, very narrow cock, you may have trouble “feeling” it if you don’t have strong PC muscles. Your muscles—when you don’t have something in them—close up. Your vagina always closes to its original shape. After sex…before sex…it really shouldn’t have any bearing. But if a woman’s concerned about it, it’s all the more reason for her to do her exercises.

SH: How do I do them? How many do I have to do?

Royalle: I think you should do them every day. I set a schedule for myself. When I wake up in the morning, I give myself a few moments and do my kegel exercises. I do reps of 12 and hold it for 12 seconds. Then, I breathe and relax and then I do it over again. The most effective thing is to do them for 5-10 minutes every day. Once you feel like you’re pretty strong, then you can do them every other day. Do them in the shower, sitting at your desk, no one will know if you’re doing them. But if you’re using a kegel exerciser like the Energie, it’s good to lie down. It’s good to do them in morning in bed. I get excited and masturbate afterwards and that’s the best way to start the day—with an orgasm.

SH: Will you have stronger orgasms if you do your exercises?

Royalle: Yes. The great thing about exercising your kegels is that it gives you better orgasms. You’ll feel more pleasurable sensations and it just intensifies your ability to receive pleasure and give pleasure.

SH: What if you have sex with women? Can doing kegels have the same benefits on your sex life?

Royalle: Oh yes. It’s just making your muscles stronger and more responsive. You’re just going to have better orgasms no matter who you’re having sex with or what kind of sex you’re having.

SH: Can men also do kegels?

Royalle: It’s just as important that men do these exercises. You get your guy erect and then you rest a dry wash cloth over his erect cock and he just starts lifting his penis to lift the wash cloth.

There’s another thing he can do. I have a good friend that’s produced a lot of my stuff and he’s a riot. When I had my office downtown, we used to use the same bathroom. He’d be in the next stall over and we would be peeing and then I would say, “Stop,” and we would both have to stop. Then I’d say, “Go,” and we’d start peeing again. Then I’d say, “Stop,” again, and he loved it. This is another way to get your man to exercise his kegels.

SH: You say that men who have been doing kegels should build up to lifting a full-size wet towel on their cock. Is that really possible?

Royalle: Yes. You start with a dry washcloth and graduate to wet washcloths then bath towels.

SH: And, how will this benefit a man’s sex life?

Royalle: It helps them to have stronger erections and more control over when they climax. It’s really strengthening their PC muscles that are around their prostate. This band of muscles wraps around his prostate to his anus and his penis and these all get strengthened.

SH: Can a man feel a difference when you use your PC muscles to grip his cock? Is there a benefit for men who suffer from premature ejaculation?

Royalle: Yes, absolutely. And if he has trouble getting rock-hard erections as he gets older, these exercises will help also.

SH: You've come up with a product women can use to exercise their PC muscles called the Energie. What inspired you?

Royalle: I have a designer partner and we always talk about what we can do next and what would be interesting and innovative. We knew there were kegel exercise products on the market and we just thought, “Let’s do something different that’s a little more sleek, more feminine looking.” I have to credit him with coming up with the shape. It’s really brilliant. It has a dual purpose with the shape. It’s an ergonomic shape that follows the natural curve of the pussy. The other great thing is that it can stimulate the G-spot.

SH: You call it the “one pounder”…how does the weight of Energie help with doing your kegels?

Royalle: It provides resistance and something to lift. One of the most commonly asked questions we get is, “Do I have to hold it in place? Do I have to support it with my hand?” And what I always say is that you can start that way but once you get really strong you may not need to. If you’re able to get it in place and NOT hold it, you’re literally lifting that one pound with your vaginal muscles.

SH: Can you “cum” exercising your kegels? Has it ever happened to you?

Royalle: Yeesss. I personally also need to stimulate my clitoris at the same time. It’s the best orgasm when you stimulate both your clit and your G-spot. It’s called “floating” because it’s so intense. I still believe that the pleasure center for a woman is the clitoris and that must be stimulated to reach climax. That doesn’t mean that a woman can’t climax if she’s just having intercourse, but what’s happening is that her clit’s being stimulated. So no matter which way you look at it, you’re still stimulating the clitoris. Some women, depending on where the clitoris is located—such as if it’s close to the opening to the vagina—can get it stimulated through partner sex, but others can’t. I know that there are women who say that they have G-spot orgasms without touching their clitoris, but most women need to have their clits stimulated.

When I’m doing my regular workout –say, I’m doing my situps and I’m waiting between reps—I use that time to exercise my kegels. So I’m lying there and start doing my kegels and I get really excited because flexing and contracting them brings blood to the muscles. The blood going to the muscles is what gets you excited and makes your nerve endings more sensitive. When you’re having sex, if you notice, all the tissue around your vagina gets engorged and puffed up. And that’s what makes it more sensitive. So, you feel more pleasurable sensations. I have had times during my work out when I have to stop and masturbate!

SH: Is there a downside to a tight pussy?

Royalle: I sometimes have had problems with men. At my age now (57), finding men who are as fit as I am starts to become more difficult. That’s why the sexually and physically active woman who keeps herself in shape needs to find a partner who matches her.