How to exercise pelvic floor muscles?

Why should you exercise your pelvic floor muscles?

The key role of the pelvic floor muscles is to hold in place the organs located in the lower abdomen – the bladder, uterus and colon. Pelvic floor muscles, like many other muscle groups in the human body, weaken with age. Their condition is also negatively affected by pregnancy and childbirth, obesity and lack of physical activity.

As a consequence of weakened pelvic floor muscles, complaints such as lowering of the lower pelvic organs, pain during sexual intercourse and urinary incontinence can occur.  

How to properly exercise the pelvic floor muscles?

As with any other muscle group, pelvic floor muscle training should be approached comprehensively – strengthening on the one hand, and relaxing on the other to prevent excessive tension. Both exercises focused on the Kegel muscles and general ones will help.  

  

Kegel muscle exercises

This is a basic training of the pelvic floor muscles. You can exercise as follows:

1. Find a comfortable position, such as sitting or lying down.

2. Imagine trying to stop the flow of urine – the subtle sensation of muscle contraction is what you are looking for.

3. Tense the muscles for 3-5 seconds, avoiding tensing other parts of the body, such as the abdominal muscles or buttocks. The movement of Kegel muscle tension should be invisible to an outside observer.

4. Relax the muscles for about 3-5 seconds. The phases of work and relaxation should last the same amount of time.  

5. Perform a series of 10 to 15 repetitions. When exercising regularly, try to gradually increase this number.

What to avoid when exercising?

Don’t tighten the muscles by force. This exercise is not about maximum tension on all the muscles located in the pelvis and hips – focus on one subtle movement that mimics stopping the flow of urine.  

Strengthening exercises

You can also exercise your pelvic floor muscles with a general workout that strengthens the other muscle groups. How to do it?

1. Stretch the hips – any exercise that “opens” the hips, stretches the buttocks and the ischiocrural group will have a positive effect on the pelvic floor muscles. 
2. Exercise core and abdominal muscles – focus on proper breathing, avoid generating too much pressure in the abdominal cavity. 
3. Strengthen your buttocks – especially if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. 

 

Training plan for pelvic floor muscles 

Day 1 – 3 series of Kegel muscle exercises:

• Tighten the pelvic floor muscles and hold the tension for 5-10 seconds. 
• Relax the muscles for another 5-10 seconds. 
• Repeat the cycle 10-15 times in each series. 

Day 2 – yoga

Focus on asanas that engage the pelvic floor muscles, such as Child’s Pose and Bridge Pose.

See how you can strengthen your body by practicing aerial yoga

Day 3 – Kegel muscle exercises

Perform the series of Kegel muscle exercises from Day 1. 

Day 4 – pilates

Do exercises that focus on strengthening the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, such as the glute bridge or bicycle crunch.  

Day 5 – Kegel muscle exercises

Perform the series of Kegel muscle exercises from Day 1. 

Day 6 – active recovery 

Go for at least an hour’s walk outdoors. You can also use a treadmill. 

Day 7 – active recovery 

Go to the pool – horizontal position training will relieve the pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, and swimming itself will bring you a number of other benefits.

Learn about the benefits of swimming

  

How NOT to exercise pelvic floor muscles

Mistakes made during general training can work against the pelvic floor muscles. Avoid, in particular:

• Excessive load – especially during exercises such as deadlifts and barbell squats. Very heavy loads can lead to overloading of the pelvic floor muscles. Don’t give up strength training completely, but adjust the weights to your capabilities.
• Jumping – jumps and jumping jacks can overload the pelvic floor muscles, which in turn increases the risk of urinary incontinence, for example. Do such exercises only if your pelvic floor muscles are in good shape.  
• Holding your breath – especially when exercising abdominal muscles. During such training, remember to breathe properly, matching the rhythm of the exercise.  

Pay attention to your body when performing exercises and avoid those that cause discomfort or pain in the pelvic floor area. If you have any doubts about the correctness of the exercises or any discomfort, consult a urogynecological physiotherapist.  

  

_References:

1. _{Fricke A., Fink P.W., Mundel T., Lark S.D., Shultz S.P., Mini-Trampoline Jumping as an Exercise Intervention in Postmenopausal Women to Improve Women Specific Health Risk Factors, International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2021.} 

2. _{Matsi A.E., Billis E., Lampropoulou S., Xergia S.A., Tsekoura M., Fousekis K., The Effectiveness of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise with Biofeedback in Women with Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review. Applied Sciences, 2023.}

3. _{Curillo-Aguirre C.A., Gea-Izquierdo E., Effectiveness of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training on Quality of Life in Women with Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Medicina, 2023.}