Ever seen someone fire a ping pong ball out of their vagina and thought, “Maybe someday I can learn to do that”? ( Just me? Oh well. )
Training your pelvic floor (PF) is essential to developing those kinds of vaginal feats and fortunately, there are trainers available to help you.
Before working on this article, I barely knew anything about Kegels. I knew they were like crunches for your vagina and I’d had fun squeezing the muscles and giggling with friends and lovers about it.
Now, I’ve discovered that not only are there REVERSE KEGELS, meaning tightening that muscle isn’t necessarily what you want. I’ve also learned that anyone, regardless of genital design can have things to gain and be aware of where kegels are concerned. That’s right, there are kegels for outies (think of lifting your dick off the floor without using your hands). But I digress.
Now that I’ve spent some time testing out a lovely selection of kegel trainers and researching kegels, I’d like to share with you some of what I’ve learned so that you can start your PF training with confidence.
For those who are wondering, Ben Wa balls is simply another term for Kegel exercisers, so you’re definitely in the right place!
What is a pelvic floor and why should I exercise it?
The pelvic floor is a bowl of muscles that hold your pelvis. These babies play a big role in urination, defecation, sexual function, and posture, so misalignment can really do a number on many of your body’s basic functions.
Fortunately, you can do floor-shortening (or tightening) exercises aka kegels and you can also do floor-lengthening exercises such as reverse kegels.
In mainstream conversations, all you hear about is that women should do kegels and they’re really good for your sex life. That can absolutely be true, but it’s more nuanced than that as there can be such a thing as a too-tight pelvic floor ( That’s what Anti-Kegels are for! ).
For example, If you’re looking if you’re looking to add snugness & control to sexual play, Kegels might be your bag. But if sex is already very snug and even painful, learning to relax your pelvic floor with reverse Kegels (where you push out like when you’re peeing or pooping but with an empty bladder/butt). might be what you need instead!
It might be worth going to a urologist or similar professional for a check to see if you have a tight or loose pelvic floor. They can also help your kegel form so you know you’re doing it right. It can be tricky learning how to isolate the right muscles at first, so having a doctor help get you started is a good idea.
Kegels can help with bladder control, improving sexual satisfaction, ease of delivery, preventing and treating pelvic organ prolapse, and even just plain old confidence!
While everyone has these muscles and can learn to flex them, the exercisers in this article are made for vaginas only (including post-op MTF vaginas).
Do not put them up your butt. I know you think that little string is good enough to keep it from getting sucked up there, but I beg you, get yourself some proper anal beads instead.
How to use Ben Wa Balls & Pelvic Exercisers
Most of the sets reviewed in this article come with instruction guides, but a short intro is still in order!
The muscles used for Kegels are almost exactly the same ones you use to stop the flow of urine.
I don’t recommend practicing all your kegels while peeing as this can cause other issues. You’ll only want to try the urine flow trick once or twice just to isolate your muscles, then practice using those same exact muscles while not peeing.
Either way, while doing kegels with weights, you should naturally contract those muscles to prevent them from falling out.
But sometimes, when muscles lay dormant for too long, just like in the gym, it is good to know how to consciously fire them up!
Some details to keep In mind: If you find that you do need to shorten your pelvic floor, you don’t want to overdo it with Kegels.
You shouldn’t be doing them actively for more than 15 minutes in a day or 50 minutes in a week (according to the Perifit’s directions).
Overdoing it can cause just as many problems as doing them can solve. You should also wait at least 6 weeks after giving birth before trying these out (give yourself a break!) As with most things, listen to your body and do what feels right.
Contents
TL;DR
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Complete & affordable Kegel Weight set |
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Most gradual Kegel Weights with added sensation |
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Best kegel exerciser that vibrates for those who like to mix work and play |
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Great App-assisted Kegel machine with fun pelvic games |
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Most streamlined & premium App-assisted Kegel exercise device |
Satisfier V Balls training set
Weight: Regular 79.3 g / 2.79 oz; Skilled 114.1 g / 4.02 oz; Advanced 150.3 g / 5.30 oz
These are beautiful and this set has the heaviest weights by far. If you want to do some serious, no-frills weight-lifting, this is a great set for you! There’s nothing for bacteria to get caught in and the heavy ones could definitely double as a heavy-duty flogger. They’re no-tech, so you don’t have to charge them.
The packaging says they have inner balls that give a vibratory sensation, but I personally didn’t notice the vibrations so that may just be for the more sensitive of users. They don’t vibrate electrically and they don’t give you feedback with an app, but you might not want that.
This set is elegantly designed, can plunge into the deepest waters (if you’re into that) and has a wide range of weights to choose from. With some of the sales I was seeing online, this is the most affordable and classic set I’ve seen.
WHERE TO BUY
Lelo Beads
Weight : Mini – 2x 28g / 0.06 lb | Classic – 2x 37g / 0.08 lb
While the V Balls claimed to vibrate internally without tech assistance, the LELO Luna Beads actually do! Each ball has a second ball nested inside in such a way that you can feel them moving around as you move your body. I took my own out for a walk and I found that I didn’t often notice them, but when I did, it was fun and mildly sexy. If you’re hoping to incorporate ben wa balls into your sex life by holding onto them while out on a date for instance, I definitely recommend these beads for some gentle fun.
The beads are modular such that you can insert one on its own, or combine balls to get the right weight and/or feel that you want. This makes it really wonderful if you’re starting out and want to just try one on its own at first. In fact, they recommend you start that way and gradually increase the weight over the course of several weeks. The smallest weight is 28 grams, so you can start much slower than you can with the Satisfyer V Balls set.
There’s a harness to pop the balls into for combining weights. While this offers great flexibility, it can increase the risk of bacterial growth, so be sure you’re taking them out of the harness and washing everything separately and thoroughly with each use. And as with the V Balls, LELO Luna Beads can be totally submerged in water without any issues.
WHERE TO BUY
We-Vibe Bloom
Weight : 10g, 30g, 45g heads
This one was probably the sexiest of the sets I tested because it VIBRATES.
I found that using the app with these vibrating Ben Wa Balls led to a really great, orgasmic experience. It’s especially fun that you can have your partner take over the vibrations from wherever they are, be that across the room or across the world. Great for long-term relationships and sexy date nights. I used the ambient sound feature with some really great club music and I found that it was one of the best music-synced toy experiences I’ve had yet!
There are three heads of varying weights that screw onto the vibrating bottom so you have some variation in difficulty. While this design looks great in the box and makes a lot of sense from the perspective of limiting waste, it does increase the risk of bacteria getting trapped in the little crevices. Make sure you wash VERY thoroughly, especially if you’re switching between weights in a single session.
As with any vibrating toy, I’m always hoping for a separate button to step back vibrations rather than always having to cycle through the options and the Bloom only has one button. I found it a bit tricky to tell if it was off or not sometimes. However, this only affects non-app use. Once you add the app into the mix, there’s a lot you can do to control the stimulation range and type that you want.
WHERE TO BUY
Perifit
Now, here’s what we’re all here for: Vagina Pong.
Perifit is more advanced than all the previous options in that it has technology and sensors that can give you real-time feedback on your grip strength.
Tech that makes this kegel machine one of the best pelvic floor exercisers in the business!
The app has a virtual pelvis so you can explore your anatomy, various training exercises, a painting feature and of course, games. It also has a community section where you can connect with other users. It seems to be functioning mostly as a customer service tool for now but you can connect with other users on there if you like.
The free, pre-loaded game is pong that you can play against other actual users! You play by controlling your squeezes to move your player up and down the screen. Think of the Perifit as your joystick. The biggest caution I would say is that it can be so fun to play with, that you may overexert yourself, especially if you’re new to kegels and aren’t sure how they’ll affect you. I definitely had a little too much fun more than once and found myself aching the next day.
You also don’t have to charge it — ever! The Perifit is designed to be used for 5+ years and is not meant to be recharged. From an ecological perspective, I am curious as to why they chose to design it that way, but I do love that I will never have to recharge it. All you have to worry about is making sure you clean it each time.
WHERE TO BUY
Elvie Pelvic Floor Trainer
Like the Perifit, the Elvie pelvic trainer gives you immediate biofeedback on the strength of your kegel contractions. Unlike the Perifit, the Elvie is small and egg-shaped. If you’re not sure about shoving a whole joystick up your vag, the Elvie is a great, approachable option. It also comes with a cover that adds size to the design in case you need more bulk to hold onto and the whole thing packs away into a sleek charging case.
The app has fewer frills than the Perifit, which results in a more streamlined and focused app. There aren’t any games, but it will let you know if you’re not doing it correctly and if you like, it can send you notifications to remind you to train. I found that the progress trackers were really visually appealing and easy to understand. Overall, solid app and a solid product.
The Elvie is waterproof, but not recommended in the bath. There are warnings against boiling or sterilizing, but your regular sex toy soap and water is fine and there aren’t really spots for the bacteria to build up unless you’re using the cover.
WHERE TO BUY
Time To Get The Ball Rolling
Both Perifit and Elvie are amazingly advanced pieces of medical technology created by women for women. Let’s just have a moment to appreciate that. It’s so wonderful to see women leading the way in this industry and empowering others to work with their own bodies.
Whether you’re looking to invest in top-of-the-line trainers to really guide your workouts, or you’re just curious about exploring different ways to spice up your sex life, I hope this article helps to lay out what options are available to beginners.
With a little patience and consistency, perhaps you may one day achieve your goal of shooting ping-pong balls from your vagina.
We would like to thank Perifit, Elvie, Lovehoney, & Shevibe for sending us the pelvic floor exercisers included in this review. This roundup wouldn’t’ve been possible without their help!
