A question that comes up a lot before someone orders a set of kegel balls is which weight to begin with. It feels like the kind of thing you should know before you spend the money, and many product pages don't say. Our guide on how to start with kegel balls covers the routine itself: how to put them in, how long to wear them, and how to build up over the weeks.
This article is the other half. It's about the load: where to start, how to tell when you're ready for the next step, and the signs that a weight is wrong for you right now. We use our own set, Tone, as the worked example, because its seven levels make the steps easy to see, but the same logic applies to any set.
In this article
- Why the starting weight matters
- Where to start: the lightest one
- The seven levels in a four-ball set
- When to move up a step
- Signs a weight is too heavy
- Who should see a physiotherapist first
- About Tone
- Frequently asked questions
Why the starting weight matters
It's tempting to think a heavier ball means a better workout, the way it does at the gym. With the pelvic floor, a weight that's too heavy mostly teaches you to clench hard and hold on, which works against a muscle that should lift and then let go.
Cleveland Clinic makes the point clearly in its guide to Kegel exercises: doing too many Kegels, or doing them when you don't need to, can make the muscles too tense or tight. The same guide says Kegels shouldn't hurt, and that a sore stomach, lower back or head afterwards usually means you're holding your breath or squeezing the wrong muscles.
A weight works by giving the muscles something to hold. If the load is right, you hold it with a light, steady lift and you can breathe and walk normally. If it's too heavy, your body recruits everything it can to keep it in place, and the session becomes a clench from start to finish.
Writing about stone eggs, Cleveland Clinic warns that having to clench continually to keep an object in can lead to painful muscle spasms in the pelvic floor. A light weight is how you avoid that with any insert.
Where to start: the lightest one
Start with the lightest weight in the set, even if you've done Kegels for years and even if it feels too easy. In Tone, that's a single white ball, 30 g, on the short strap.
You're learning a new feeling, and it's easier to notice what the muscles are doing when the load isn't fighting you. A light weight also lets you check your technique: if you can hold it while breathing normally, with your thighs, buttocks and stomach relaxed, you're using the right muscles.
If the lightest ball feels effortless from the first day, stay with it for the first sessions anyway and use the signs below to decide when to move on. Feeling nothing at all is a good result at this stage, because it means the weight sits comfortably and your muscles aren't straining.
The seven levels in a four-ball set
Tone comes with four balls and two straps. The balls weigh 30 g (two white), 40 g (orange) and 50 g (red). The short strap is 110 mm and holds one ball; the longer one is 160 mm and holds two. Put together, they give seven load levels from 30 to 90 g.
| Level | What you use | Strap |
|---|---|---|
| 30 g | one white ball | 110 mm, one ball |
| 40 g | the orange ball | 110 mm, one ball |
| 50 g | the red ball | 110 mm, one ball |
| 60 g | both white balls | 160 mm, two balls |
| 70 g | one white and the orange | 160 mm, two balls |
| 80 g | one white and the red | 160 mm, two balls |
| 90 g | the orange and the red | 160 mm, two balls |
Each step adds 10 g, which is small on purpose. A gentle progression means you can move up without the next weight feeling like a jump.
One ball to two is a bigger change than it looks
Going from 50 g on one ball to 60 g on two looks like the same 10 g step as the others. In practice you're adding size as well as load, because you now have two 31 mm balls on a longer strap instead of one, so the first two-ball level can feel harder than the number suggests.
If that happens, it's fine to go back to a single ball for a while, or to spend longer at 60 g before moving on. The numbers are a guide, and your own comfort is the better one.
When to move up a step
The general rule is simple: move up when the current load feels effortless. Our starting guide sets out how long a session should last at each stage, so here we'll focus on how to read your own body at the end of one.
You're likely ready for the next step when all of these are true at your current weight:
- you can hold it for a full session without thinking about it
- it doesn't slip when you stand, walk or climb stairs
- you breathe normally the whole time, with no clenching in your thighs, buttocks or stomach
- your pelvic area feels normal afterwards, with no ache or heaviness
Move up one level at a time, never two. Give each new weight several sessions before you judge it, because a new load often feels harder at first than it will a week later.
Going back down is part of it
Some days the muscles feel more tired than others, after a long day on your feet or a week of coughing, for example. Dropping back one level on those days doesn't undo your progress, and forcing a weight on a tired muscle is how sessions start to hurt.
Signs a weight is too heavy
These are the signals to drop back a step, or to take a few days off:
| What you notice | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The ball slips or drops when you stand or walk | The load is more than the muscles can hold yet | Go back one level |
| You're holding your breath | You're bracing instead of lifting | Go back one level and breathe through the session |
| Your thighs, buttocks or stomach are working | Other muscles are doing the job | Go back one level and check your technique |
| An ache or heaviness afterwards | The muscles are tired or tense | Rest a day, then go lighter |
| Pain when you put it in, wear it or take it out | Something isn't right | Stop, and see a healthcare professional |
Pain is different from the rest of the list: stop, and have it looked at, because weights aren't meant to hurt at any level.
Who should see a physiotherapist first
Weights suit someone who can already find their pelvic floor and wants to add a little resistance. In a few situations they're the wrong first step.
During pregnancy, and after childbirth or surgery. The Tone page says not to use it during pregnancy, and not after childbirth or surgery without speaking to a healthcare professional first. Our article on the pelvic floor after birth explains why recovery takes its own time.
If you have pain during or after sex, or pelvic pain. Some pelvic floors are too tight rather than too weak. Cleveland Clinic describes a hypertonic pelvic floor as muscles that stay in spasm or constant contraction, with symptoms that can include pain during or after sex, and it calls physical therapy a highly effective treatment. Adding weight to a muscle that can't relax tends to make things worse.
If you have trouble going to the bathroom. Straining, a feeling that you can't empty fully, or trouble starting can be signs that the pelvic floor isn't coordinating well. Cleveland Clinic lists pelvic floor physical therapy and biofeedback among the usual treatments. Our article on pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms goes through the signs.
If you can't tell whether you're using the right muscles. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can check this for you, which saves a lot of guessing.
If a clinician has given you a pelvic floor plan. Follow it. Tone is not for medical use, and it isn't a replacement for care you've been prescribed.
About Tone
Tone is our kegel ball set. It has four balls (two white at 30 g, one orange at 40 g, one red at 50 g), a 110 mm strap for one ball and a 160 mm strap for two, which together give the seven levels in the table above. Each ball is 31 mm across, made of medical-grade silicone over a stainless steel core, with a free-moving weight inside that shifts as you move. A storage pouch and a bilingual manual come in the box.
Use a water-based lubricant only. Silicone lubricant isn't meant for silicone toys, so if you use our Honey lubricant, choose the aloe version, which is water-based.
Tone has no reviews yet, so this article sticks to what's on the page. It's $54 CAD ($41 USD), and the full details are on the Tone product page. If you're still comparing sets, our kegel ball set buying guide covers what to look for.
Frequently asked questions
What weight kegel ball should a beginner use?
The lightest one in the set. In Tone, that's a single white ball at 30 g. Starting light lets you check that you can hold it while breathing normally, with your thighs, buttocks and stomach relaxed. Once that weight feels effortless for a full session, move up one level.
How do I know when to move to a heavier kegel ball?
Move up when your current weight feels effortless: it doesn't slip when you walk or climb stairs, you breathe normally, no other muscles are working, and you feel normal afterwards. Go up one level at a time and give each new weight several sessions before you judge it.
Are heavier kegel balls better?
Not on their own. A weight that's too heavy teaches you to clench and brace, and Cleveland Clinic notes that overdoing pelvic floor work can make the muscles too tense. The right weight is the one you can hold comfortably with a light lift, and that changes as you get stronger.
What if the kegel ball keeps slipping out?
That usually means the weight is more than your muscles can hold yet. Go back to a lighter ball and build up again. If even the lightest one slips, or you can't tell whether you're squeezing the right muscles, a pelvic floor physiotherapist can check your technique.
Should I use one ball or two?
Start with one. A single ball on the short strap is the lightest and smallest option. Two balls on the long strap add weight and size at the same time, so the first two-ball level can feel harder than its number. Move to two once the heaviest single ball feels easy.
Can I use kegel balls after giving birth?
Only after a healthcare professional says it's fine. The Tone page says not to use it after childbirth or surgery without speaking to one first, and not during pregnancy. Pelvic floor muscles need time to recover after birth, and a physiotherapist can tell you when weights make sense.
Sources
- Doing Kegels correctly, and the risk of muscles becoming too tense: Cleveland Clinic, Kegel exercises
- Continual clenching to hold an object in, and pelvic floor spasms: Cleveland Clinic, Are yoni eggs safe
- Muscles that stay tight, symptoms and physical therapy: Cleveland Clinic, Hypertonic pelvic floor
- Pelvic floor physical therapy and biofeedback: Cleveland Clinic, Pelvic floor dysfunction
About this article
Written by the Peach & Cream team, based in Montréal. Published October 15, 2026. Last updated October 15, 2026. Product facts come from the Tone product page; Tone has no customer reviews yet, so none are quoted. This article is general information, not medical advice. Tone is not for medical use and does not treat or prevent any condition.