How should I exercise my pelvic floor muscle to increase sexual pleasure?

Here are some tips on how you can exercise your pelvic floor muscle (also called pubococcygeal (PC) muscle) to increase sexual pleasure:

Step 1: Locate it. You're looking for the same muscle you call into action when you've downed four Venti cappuccinos, there's no toilet for miles, and you have to hold it. Go pee, and repeatedly try to stop and start the flow. That's the muscle!

Step 2: Now that you've found it, work it! Women, you luck out. The motion is totally invisible, so you can do it while waiting in line or reading a book. Men, you may want to practice in private. The effect when you flex may be wildly adorable to your partner, but not so cute to people on the bus.

Sexperts say to do anywhere from 30 to 100 repetitions of the following patterns, spaced throughout the day. But start slowly. Like any muscle, you can overdo it at first. And don't expect overnight results; it takes a little time.

• Pump it. Tighten and relax 10 times in quick succession; pause. Work up to repeating 10 times.
• Hold it. Tighten and hold for 3 to 5 seconds; release. Repeat 10 times and build up.
• Hold it longer. Tighten slowly, building intensity as you count 1-2-3-4; release gradually to the count of 4. Repeat 10 times; build up to more.

Step 3: Here comes the twist. Up to this point, the exercises are basically Kegels, exercises used to enhance bladder control (often by women after childbirth, men after prostate treatment). But with the love-muscle workout, the point isn't doing pelvic push-ups to control pee. This is a muscle that can influence the intensity of your orgasms. So use your brain -- the other important sexual organ in your body -- to switch your image from peeing to pleasure. Visualize something sexy as you do it . . . naughty or nice, it's up to you. Just make the mental connection between sensual delight and this muscle squeeze.

Fair warning! Some people find that, with practice, just doing these exercises alone turns them on. So, if your partner's not around, you may want to do them privately.

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