Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor with Pilates
Did you know a strong pelvic floor is essential to healthy digestion, sexual health, bowel movement, and so much more? Yet, it’s one of the most often overlooked muscle groups!
We’re here to show you how Pilates exercises can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles & why it’s so important for your overall health. Plus, by strengthening your pelvic floor, you’re also strengthening your deep core… hello abs!
**Disclaimer: If you have a specific circumstance with your pelvic floor, like recovering from injury or surgery, it’s important to consult with your doctor before incorporating new exercises.
Where is the pelvic floor & what’s its purpose?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that essentially form a hammock-like structure at the base of the pelvis. These muscles play a crucial role in urinary and bowel function, sexual health, and overall core stability.
Your pelvic floor can weaken from many reasons; like childbirth, weight change, surgery, abdominal issues, and more.
“Weak pelvic floor muscles can also put strain on other muscles (the pelvic floor is connected to many other muscles in the body!) causing them to work overtime to make up for the lack of support in the pelvic floor. This imbalance can cause pain in other areas of the body too (lower back pain or hip pain for instance). For these reasons, it’s important to make sure you’re incorporating pelvic floor and core exercises into your workouts each day. And don’t worry – the workouts don’t have to be long or strenuous. But just like every other muscle in the body, they need attention in order to maintain the strength needed to function properly.”
Why a Healthy Pelvic Floor is Important, National Association of Continence
Consistently practicing exercises that work at building strength in the pelvic floor is crucial to your overall health and stability… Pilates to the rescue! 🛟
How Pilates Can Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor
Step 1: Locate & feel your pelvic floor
These muscles tend to be difficult to locate within the body. A great way find them is to gradually lift and squeeze your pelvic floor muscles as if you are stopping the flow of urine. Release gently and slowly. *This is similar to performing Kegels.
Step 2: Activate your pelvic floor in Pilates exercises
When learning to activate your pelvic floor, move slowly through a few exercises that you commonly do with a focus on keeping a gentle contraction throughout. It may take practice and some weeks to start feeling a difference.
A few Pilates exercises that are great for your practice are:
• The Hundred
Step 3: Take Pilates classes designed to promote pelvic stability!
Pilatesology has tons of classes aimed at pelvic stability and the pace of these workouts is great for adding pelvic floor training! See a few below:
✔️ Pelvic Stability Challenge with Jessica Marcussen
✔️ Pelvic Stability Mat with Kathi-Ross Nash
✔️ The Wall for Better Posture with Alisa Wyatt
Check out this lesson with Molly as she covers pelvic floor exercises. Starting class with Pre-Pilates is a great place to focus on pelvic floor engagement.
Pilates Teacher Tips
If you’re a Pilates teacher, here are tools for your teaching!
Check out these workshops all about promoting pelvic stability & alignment:
Pelvic Floor & Pilates Workshop with Sonjé Mayo
Shari’s Purposeful Pelvis with Shari Berkowitz
Tips for Pelvic Stability in Movement with Victoria Torrie-Capan
If you have a client that needs to focus on pelvic floor strength, watch this lesson with Molly as she covers pelvic floor exercises. Starting class with Pre-Pilates is a great place to focus on pelvic floor engagement.
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