Pelvic floor muscle workout: 4 exercises and maximum benefits

Why should women train their pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor muscles are deep core muscles that work simultaneously with the deep muscles of the back, abdomen and diaphragm to support the spine, pelvis, sacrum and control intra-abdominal pressure. They also support the functions of the pelvic organs, control the functioning of the bladder and intestines, and in addition affect intimate life.

It is worth paying attention to intimate muscles if:

• you began to observe leakage of urine (feces) while running, jumping, laughing, coughing, sneezing, strength training;

• began to run often in a small way;

• have difficulty urinating or are constipated;

• you feel discomfort, heaviness and protrusion in the perineal region;

• have pain during intercourse;

• notice vaginal sounds in inverted positions or during sex;

• you see a constantly bloated stomach;

• experiencing pain in the sacrum and lower back.

• you have an anterior pelvic tilt (hyperlordosis) or a posterior pelvic tilt (hypolordosis).

All women, regardless of age, are at risk.

Possible Causes of Weakening Pelvic Floor Muscles

• gastrointestinal tract diseases;

• diastasis;

• overweight;

• ineffective strength training with heavy weights;

• improper breathing;

• surgical interventions;

• sedentary lifestyle, pregnancy and childbirth.

The human musculoskeletal system is designed to function successfully for up to 120 years. But in order to really live a long and high quality life, you will have to take care of yourself not in jerks “for summer”, but every day.

How to deal with the disease?

You can improve the situation with the muscles of the pelvic floor, the main thing is to do the right exercises. They will help control the urge to urinate, gas and bowel movements, avoid urinary incontinence, improve the condition of the pelvic-lumbar region, and prevent or reduce symptoms of prolapse of the pelvic organs.

Pelvic floor muscle workouts

An integrated approach is needed here. We must start with the mobilization of tissues and respiration. Suitable for this MFF complex and breathing exercises to restore the amplitude of the deep block muscles.

1. Exercise “Breathing while standing with a belt”

• Take a belt, elastic band, or expander.

• Place it in the back, level with the bottom edge of the bra, and cross it in front.

• Next, we begin to direct our breath into this belt. We breathe in, resisting in the form of this strap, while not lifting our shoulders up.

• As you exhale, we expand the ribs and stretch the belt to the sides. We press the elbows to the waist.

• We breathe only through the nose.

 2. Exercise “Pelvic clock”

The next step will be exercises lying on your back, where it is important to feel the muscles of the pelvic floor. This exercise does not always work the first time.

• Lie on the mat, bend your legs, rest your feet on the floor. The sacrum is firmly pressed to the floor, an imaginary sheet of paper can be placed between the lower back and the rug.

• Relax your jaw and hips. Then imagine a dial in the pelvic area: tailbone – number 6, navel – 12.

• Start rolling your pelvis from 6 (inhale) to 12 (exhale). Then add an imaginary number 3 to the left thigh, and 9 to the right thigh.

• Make a full circle with your basin, pretending that the apple is rolling around an imaginary dial, like on a plate. Change the side of the spin after a few laps.

Important: the range of motion of the pelvis is barely visible to the eye. There is no task to strain your muscles with all your might or make a large circle with your pelvis. On the contrary, all movements should be smooth and soft.

3. Exercise “Shoulder bridge”

A more challenging exercise, where the pelvic floor muscles engage through the big toe and deep leg muscles, activating the entire deep frontal line right down to the tongue. This requires an emphasis on relaxing the chest, opening the hip joints, and engaging the pelvic floor muscles.

• We perform the exercise lying on our back. The legs are bent at the knees, the arms are at the sides, active, we stretch out through the fingers.

• Direct the inhalation into the rear lower ribs, with the exhalation we immerse our feet into the floor, stretching forward through the knees, we begin to raise the pelvis, articulating with the spine to the level of the lower angle of the shoulder blades.

• In the upper phase – inhale, feel the opening of the hip joints, the tongue, throat and chest are relaxed.

• As you exhale, lower yourself down, also segmentally feeling the spine. Continue doing the movements smoothly and gently.

4. Exercise “Rotation of the body back from a standing position with abduction of the arms, legs apart”

At the end of the workout, standing exercises are required for the pelvic floor muscles. It is important for us to consolidate the motor experience obtained earlier and transfer it to functional work in everyday life. As part of training, it is important to work out the whole body in 3 planes, to establish connections between the brain and muscles, to show many ways to solve motor everyday tasks.

• We stand on the mat, legs are wider than shoulder level, knees are soft, feet rest firmly on the floor. The arms are bent at the body, then we move the right hand to the right and twist the body to the right, after which we return to the starting position.  

• Then we take the left hand to the left, twist to the left and return to the original one. In this case, the pelvis can move, but not much.  

• We are moving slowly, in the future it will be possible to increase the pace. Do 10-12 reps on each side.

• Then we proceed to the second part of the exercise. This time, with the right hand, we stretch to the left, and with the left, to the right. At a slow pace, we twist on exhalation, and at a faster pace, on inhalation.

• And the third part of the exercise. Stretch your arms forward, fold your palm to palm. And we begin to rotate first to the left, then to the right.

If we pay attention to how we move during the day, we can see that this is 3D movement, namely functional multi-plane movement. Our body interacts with support, inertia and gravity, has a unique adaptability to environmental conditions. Reaching for a bag in the back seat of a car or keeping ourselves from falling when we stumbled – amazing muscle work and stabilization occur in the body.

What is important to pay attention to?

Not all exercises are effective.… For example, many have heard about kegel exercises, however, in dysfunction of the hip joints and buttocks, they do not make sense. We have the internal and external obturator muscles that braid the pelvic bone both internally and externally. And they are attached to the hip joints. If we have disturbed internal and external rotation of the joints, then this will hit directly on the muscles of the pelvic floor, according to the exercise technique and the lower back. In addition, if a woman’s pelvic floor muscles are overstrained for some reason, Kegel exercises can aggravate the situation.

Also not to be neglected the condition of the spine, since working with the deep muscles of the abdomen and pelvic floor will have an effect only when the spine is mobile, movements in the thoracic region will be normal and, accordingly, the respiratory rhythm and the state of all organs will also be normal.

Moreover, it is dangerous restrain or interrupt urination и defecation for training the pelvic floor. Stopping the urge to use the toilet can lead to genitourinary infections and neurogenic cystitis.