Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises: Strengthen Your Core, Improve Bladder Control, and Boost Confidence

Pelvic floor muscle exercises, commonly known as Kegel exercises, are essential for maintaining and enhancing the strength of the pelvic floor—the group of muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and bowel.

Regularly engaging in these exercises offers numerous health benefits, including improved bladder control, enhanced sexual function, and reduced risk of pelvic organ prolapse. (Harvard Health)

Even though I train regularly and consider myself pretty fit, I still struggle with bladder control when jumping on a trampoline or even sneezing. That's because pelvic floor muscles need to be trained differently than a typical strength training routine.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a network of muscles and tissues stretching across the pelvis. These muscles play a crucial role in supporting pelvic organs, controlling urinary and bowel functions, and contributing to sexual health.

Factors such as aging, pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, and certain medical conditions can weaken these muscles, leading to issues like urinary incontinence and decreased sexual satisfaction. (Cleveland Clinic)

Below are benefits and how to perform Kegel exercises according to Cleveland Clinic and Avant Gynecology.

Benefits of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises

1. Improved Bladder Control: Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can help prevent or reduce urinary incontinence, allowing for better control over bladder functions.
2. Enhanced Sexual Function: A strong pelvic floor can increase sexual sensation and satisfaction, as well as reduce pain during intercourse.
3. Support During Pregnancy and Postpartum Recovery: Regular pelvic floor exercises can ease the birthing process and decrease the chances of incontinence after childbirth.
4. Prevention of Pelvic Organ Prolapse: By maintaining pelvic floor strength, these exercises help prevent the descent of pelvic organs into the vaginal canal.

How to Perform Kegel Exercises

Identify the Right Muscles: To locate your pelvic floor muscles, try stopping the flow of urine midstream. The muscles used for this action are your pelvic floor muscles. 

Perfect Your Technique:

• Empty your bladder before starting.
• Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
• Contract your pelvic floor muscles, holding the contraction for three seconds.
• Relax the muscles for three seconds.
• Repeat this cycle 10 times.

Here is how it should feel:

• Stopping the flow of urine midstream (though this is just a test and shouldn’t be done regularly).
• Holding in gas when you don’t want to pass wind in public.
• A subtle pulling upward of the perineum (the area between the vagina and anus in women).
• It should feel like you’re keeping a gentle upward and inward pull without strain.
• You might feel a gentle pulling inward of the lower belly.

Common Mistakes:

• Clenching your buttocks - You might feel tension in your glutes instead of deep in the pelvis.
• Holding your breath – If you notice your breath stopping, try to breathe normally while contracting.
• Engaging the abs too much – While your lower abs may activate slightly, the focus should be deeper in the pelvis, not just in your stomach.
• Squeezing the thighs – If your legs tense up, you’re likely using external muscles instead of the pelvic floor.
• Sucking in the stomach too hard – This can create pressure in your abdomen and make it harder for the pelvic floor to contract properly.
• Bulging out the belly – If your belly pushes outward during the contraction, you’re likely bearing down instead of lifting the pelvic floor.

Consistency is Key: Aim to perform at least three sets of 10 repetitions daily. Consistency is crucial for noticeable results, which typically appear after a few weeks to a few months of regular practice.

Pelvic Floor Strengthening Exercises

These additional exercises strengthen your pelvic floor and deep core. Make sure to engage your pelvic floor muscles as learned in the Kegel exercises while performing these movements.

1. Supine Pelvic Floor Activation (Lying Kegels)

✅ Why it works: This exercise directly isolates and strengthens the pelvic floor muscles by mimicking their natural contraction and relaxation cycle.

💡 Benefits:

• Improves bladder control
• Helps with postpartum recovery
• Enhances core stability

2. Glute Bridge with Pelvic Floor Activation

✅ Why it works: This movement strengthens the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, and lower back), which supports the pelvis and reduces stress on the pelvic floor.

💡 Benefits:

• Builds pelvic and core stability
• Supports better posture
• Reduces lower back pain

3. Dead Bug

✅ Why it works: This exercise improves deep core control, requiring the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor muscles to work together while keeping the spine neutral.

💡 Benefits:

• Strengthens core muscles without straining the back
• Improves coordination between deep core and pelvic floor
• Helps prevent diastasis recti (ab separation)

4. Bird Dog

✅ Why it works: Engages the entire core and lower back while challenging balance and stability, which forces the pelvic floor muscles to activate.

💡 Benefits:

• Improves pelvic and spinal stability
• Reduces risk of lower back pain
• Enhances coordination and balance

5. Heel Slides

✅ Why it works: This movement requires slow, controlled engagement of the deep core and pelvic floor while preventing the lower back from compensating.

💡 Benefits:

• Trains core stability in a gentle way
• Helps strengthen the pelvic floor without excessive pressure
• Great for postpartum and beginners

6. Child’s Pose (Stretching Exercise)

✅ Why it works: Encourages full relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles, which is essential for preventing tightness or over-activation.

💡 Benefits:

• Relieves pelvic tension
• Reduces stress and promotes relaxation
• Improves mobility in the lower back

7. Happy Baby Pose (Stretching Exercise)

✅ Why it works: Opens the pelvic floor muscles and stretches the hips, which helps improve flexibility and reduce tightness.

💡 Benefits:

• Enhances pelvic mobility
• Supports relaxation of tense pelvic floor muscles
• Improves hip flexibility

8. Deep Squat Stretch

✅ Why it works: Strengthens and stretches the pelvic floor, requiring deep core activation to maintain balance in a low squat position.

💡 Benefits:

• Increases pelvic and hip flexibility
• Strengthens pelvic floor endurance
• Supports natural posture and alignment

9. Seated Forward Fold

✅ Why it works: Stretches the hamstrings, lower back, and pelvic floor, which helps release tension and promote relaxation.

💡 Benefits:

• Reduces lower back stiffness
• Helps relax tight pelvic floor muscles
• Improves overall flexibility

How to Progress Your Pelvic Floor Routine

1️⃣ Start with gentle activation (Kegels, Heel Slides)
2️⃣ Incorporate core-stabilizing movements (Dead Bug, Bird Dog)
3️⃣ Strengthen with compound exercises (Glute Bridges, Deep Squats)
4️⃣ Balance strength with relaxation (Child’s Pose, Happy Baby)

Would you like a Beginner’s Home Workout Cheat Sheet to help structure your routine? Click [here] to download it! 😊

👉 Ready to take your core and pelvic floor strength to the next level? My 4-Week At-Home Plan provides a full progression to build strength, endurance, and confidence. [Learn more here!] 💪