Premature ejaculation exercises: how to do each one, and how good the evidence is

Search “premature ejaculation exercises” or “how to stop premature ejaculation naturally” in the UK and you get two kinds of page: online doctors selling pills and sprays, or listicles with 15 tips and no sources. Neither tells you the thing you actually want to know: does any of this work, and how sure are we?

This page does exactly that. For each exercise in the Duro method we show where it comes from, the best study behind it, how strong that evidence is, and what it can’t do. Then we say plainly what the app does, what it doesn’t, and when you should skip the app and book your GP.

Duro is a training programme, not a medical treatment. If coming too quickly keeps happening, talk to your GP.

Is it normal to want more control?

Very: in Natsal-3, Britain’s national sex survey, about 1 in 7 sexually active men said they came sooner than they wanted for three months or more in the past year, and our guide to how long sex lasts puts the real numbers in context.

How strong is the evidence overall?

“Strong” in this field still means a handful of small trials, and the ranking of every drug-free method, best-supported first, lives in our main guide to how to last longer in bed. This page goes one level deeper: how to do each exercise, what it is for, and where its limits are.

Stop-start and squeeze: the best-supported techniques

Both are classic sex-therapy techniques listed by the NHS and BAUS: you bring yourself close to the point of no return, stop (or squeeze the head of the penis for 10 to 20 seconds), wait for the urge to fade, then carry on. In a review of 10 trials, two found several extra minutes compared with a waiting list and two found no difference. Full walkthrough, solo and with a partner: the stop-start and squeeze techniques.

Pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises: promising, but read the small print

The muscles at the base of the penis contract during ejaculation, so learning to feel and control them gives you more say over when you finish. In a small Italian study, 33 of 40 men with lifelong premature ejaculation gained control after 12 weeks, but there was no control group and the programme ran in a clinic; a 2026 meta-analysis found pelvic floor work did better combined with breathing than on its own. Reps, timings and the full 12-week routine are in pelvic floor exercises for men, and the letting-go half of the skill is in reverse Kegels.

Breathing: the glue that holds the method together

There is no trial showing that a breathing pattern on its own delays ejaculation, and we won’t pretend there is. But slow breathing helps you notice your arousal rising and bring it down before the point of no return, and combined with pelvic floor work it did better in the meta-analysis above. The 4-6 method is in breathing techniques to last longer.

Strength work: squats, bridges and planks

Let’s be straight: no study has tested squats, glute bridges or planks for coming too quickly. They’re in the method for two honest reasons:

• Regular physical activity has trial evidence for erections. A meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (7 trials, 478 men) found aerobic, pelvic floor or combined exercise improved erection scores, with moderate to high risk of bias.
• Hips, glutes and core work around the pelvic floor, and short daily strength work keeps the habit going.

So treat this part as general conditioning, not a direct lever on ejaculation. In the app, each move is shown on a 3D model so you can check your form. Here is how to do them on your own.

Squat (10 to 15 slow reps)

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
2. Push your hips back and bend your knees as if sitting on a chair, keeping your chest up and your heels on the floor.
3. Go down only as far as is comfortable, then push back up through your heels.
4. Breathe in on the way down, out on the way up. Don’t hold your breath.

Glute bridge (10 to 15 reps, 2-second hold at the top)

1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
2. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips until your body makes a straight line from knees to shoulders.
3. Hold for two seconds, then lower slowly.
4. To link it with your pelvic floor, add a gentle pelvic floor squeeze at the top, then let both go fully as you come down.

Plank (20 to 40 seconds)

1. Rest on your forearms and toes, elbows under your shoulders.
2. Keep a straight line from head to heels: no sagging hips, no bum in the air.
3. Keep breathing slowly. If your lower back aches, drop to your knees.

Two or three of these a few times a week is plenty: the point is a habit you keep, not a gym session. Stop if anything hurts. For what the trials say about cardio and erections, see exercise and erectile dysfunction.

What the Duro app does, and what it doesn’t

Duro is an iPhone app for adults that turns the exercises above into a 5-minute daily session. Duro is currently in French only; an English version isn’t out yet, so bear that in mind before you download. If it isn’t on the App Store yet when you read this, you can leave your email on the homepage to hear when it’s live.

What it does:

• A 3-minute check, no account and no email, that spots your weak point: control, firmness or stress.
• A personalised plan and a 5-minute session each day.
• Guided Kegels over 5 levels, from finding the muscle to control.
• Breathing exercises.
• Strength work shown on a 3D model.
• Challenges.
• A Duro Score to follow your progress.
• Victor, an AI coach. He’s an AI, not a doctor.
• Privacy: Face ID lock, screen hidden in the app switcher, a discreet icon, neutral notifications.

The check and the plan are free. The full programme is a subscription; the price is shown in the app before you pay, and you can cancel from your iPhone settings.

What it doesn’t do:

• It doesn’t diagnose or treat premature ejaculation or erection problems.
• It has no sensor, so it can’t do the biofeedback used in most clinic studies.
• It hasn’t been tested in its own clinical trial. It’s built on the techniques studied above, nothing more.
• It doesn’t replace medication or therapy. Treatments exist, and they work for many men: the NHS lists several, and BAUS describes a mix of medication and behavioural therapy as the mainstay of long-term treatment. Exercises can sit alongside whatever your GP suggests. The options are laid out in treatment options.

Who it suits, honestly: men who want a short daily routine and a reminder to keep practising, and who are comfortable using an app in French for now. If you’d rather do it on paper, the steps below are all you need.

How to start this week, with or without an app

1. Find the muscle. Squeeze as if holding in wind. In a mirror, the base of your penis lifts slightly. If you’re unsure, find your pelvic floor with four simple checks.
2. Train it daily. A few slow squeezes (hold 3 to 5 seconds, relax for the same time) and a few quick ones, about 5 minutes. Breathe normally throughout.
3. Add breathing. Two minutes of slow breathing: in through the nose for 4, out for 6.
4. Practise stop-start solo two or three times a week. Our edging guide turns this into a week-by-week plan.
5. Add one strength move a day. A set of squats, bridges or a plank, as above.
6. Give it time. Studies measure at 6 and 12 weeks. Keep a simple note of how much control you feel.
7. Stop if it hurts. Pain during or after sex or ejaculation is a reason to see someone, not to squeeze harder.

Not sure whether what you have is premature ejaculation at all? Take the 5-question test before you start.

When should you see your GP?

Talk to your GP, a pharmacist or a sexual health clinic if it happens most of the time, has gone on for months or is causing you or your partner distress. See a doctor promptly if:

• you have pain when you ejaculate or during sex;
• there is blood in your semen;
• the problem started suddenly after years without trouble;
• you also struggle to get or keep an erection: the British Heart Foundation says erection problems can be an early warning sign of heart disease;
• it is weighing on your mood or your relationship.

For who to see and what happens at the appointment, read when to see your GP.