The Evolution Of Vaginal Strength Training With Kim Anami

Explore the evolution of pelvic strength training techniques — from ancient Taoist practices to Dr. Arnold Kegel’s work — and how holistic sex and relationship coach Kim Anami is reshaping the conversation.

In ancient cultures like Taoist China, the practice of strengthening pelvic floor muscles has long been documented. In fact, it’s been practiced for thousands of years. “Women would insert jade eggs inside the vagina as a way to strengthen pelvic floor muscles,” shares sex and relationship coach Kim Anami.

In 1947, American OBGYN Dr. Arnold Kegel introduced this concept to the modern-day world with his invention of the Kegel perineometer, a device that measures the contraction strength of pelvic floor muscles.

He created exercises for women to begin strengthening their vaginas to reverse urinary incontinence, and he had a 90% success rate. “The exercise that Kegel created involved putting a device inside of the vagina that had feedback and resistance,” explains Anami. “It works just like if you go to the gym and you press with a weight.”

But despite Kegel's initial successes, the modern adaptation of his exercises often lacks the use of devices and proper technique, leading to diminished results. The issue is that women today are told to practice by “clenching their vaginal muscles at random in the wind,” says Anami, which doesn’t really offer many benefits.

“You wouldn't just do airlifts and think you're going to build any muscle,” Anami laughs. Through her extensive research and personal experience, she has made it her mission to empower women to tune in to their sexual energy and further transform their lives.

“Women would often come to me and be like, ‘You know, these Kegels have just never worked for me.’ I would hear this over and over again, and they never worked for me either. But the difference was that I'd found the jade egg work decades ago, and I'd been using it and had incredible results with it, so much so that I would use the jade egg in the morning, and my partner would notice the difference at night,” she says.

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