Follow These 12 Best Pelvic Floor Exercises

Keeping your pelvic floor healthy and strong is a daily effort. Just as with normal strength training and exercise, it’s important to regularly work your pelvic floor so it can fully contract, relax and function properly. Add these strengthening pelvic floor exercises to your workout routine to improve your sex life and reduce your risk of incontinence.

Before getting into the pelvic floor exercises, first have a look on major causes of weakening your pelvic muscles:

What causes pelvic floor muscle weakness?

The possible causes of pelvic floor muscles weakness are given below:

• Pregnancy
• Being overweight
• Excessive coughing
• Growing older
• Constipation (excessive straining to empty your bowel)
• Persistent heavy lifting
• Childbirth – particularly following delivery of a large baby or prolonged pushing during delivery
• Changes in hormonal levels at menopause

The following are best exercises for pelvic floor ranges from easy to moderate levels of difficulty. Continue to read.

1. DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

Difficulty:  EASY – ALL FITNESS LEVELS 

Type: Breathing

GOAL: Body Awareness 

Procedure:

1. While lying down on your back, place one hand on your breastbone and one hand on our abdomen near your navel. 
2. Slowly take a deep breath in and focus on trying to get your hand on your stomach to rise while the hand on your breastbone remains still. 
3. As you breathe in, the hand on your stomach should rise. 
4. When you breathe out, the hand on your stomach should lower. 
5. Repeat 1 time. 6. Complete 1 set once a day

2. SINGLE KNEE-TO-CHEST STRETCH 

Type: Stretch

Goal: Flexibility

Procedure 

1. Lie on your back; relax your spine and pelvic floor muscles. 
2. Take a few deep breaths, then raise your leg up towards your head. Hold your thigh under your knee while pulling into your chest for a gentle stretch. 
3.  Hold for 30 seconds. 
4. Lower your leg and repeat by alternating sides. 
5. Repeat 3 times. 

3. TRANSVERSE ABDOMINUS

Type: Conditioning 

Goal:  Core Strength

Procedure:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the surface. 
• Contract your lower abdominal muscles as if you were lifting your foot off the surface about 1 inch high. 
• Hold for 2 seconds. 
• Lower your leg while keeping your lower abdominal muscles engaged. 
• Perform the same exercise as above with your other leg, like you’re doing a low level march. 
• Repeat 10 times. 
• Complete 1 set once a day 

4. LOWER TRUNK ROTATIONS

Type: Range of Motion

Goal: Enhance range of motion

Procedure:

1. Lie on your back with your knees comfortably bent and your feet on the floor.
2. Gently rotate your pelvis and spine as you move your knees to drop on one side.
3. Hold five seconds.
4. Reverse directions and move your knees to drop on the other side.
5. Hold five seconds.
6. Repeat 10 times as you move through a comfortable range of motion.
7. Complete 1 set once a day

5. SEATED MARCHING WITH ELASTIC BAND

Type: Conditioning

Goal: Core Strength

Procedure:

• Sit upright in a firm chair with an elastic band wrapped around your lower thighs.
• Engage your deep abdominal muscles and raise one knee upwards towards your chin.
• Hold for 2 seconds.
• Set your knee back down and alternate with the other knee.
• Repeat 10 times.
• Complete 1 set once a day.

6. STANDING MARCHING

Type: Stretch/ Range of Motion/ Balance

Goal: Flexibility/ Enhance range of Motion

Procedure: 

• While standing, engage your deep abdominal muscles.
• Lift one knee up.
• Hold for 2 seconds.
• While keeping your abdominal muscles braced, set your foot down.
• Repeat 10 times.
• Switch sides and perform the same exercise with the opposite leg.
• Complete 1 set once a day.

Read Also: Strengthen your Pelvic Muscles with Magnetic Chair

7. WALL PUSH UPS

Type: Conditioning

Goal: Core Strength

Procedure:

1. Begin standing facing a wall slightly closer than arm’s length away. Place your arms in front of you with your elbows straight so your hands just reach the wall.
2. Engage your deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.
3. Bracing yourself with your arms, move towards the wall.
4. Before you reach the wall, push back to return to the starting position.
5. Release your deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.
6. As you go through this motion, make sure your feet remain planted and your hands are on the wall the entire time.
7. Repeat 10 times.
8. Complete 2 set 2 times a week

8. BIRD DOG

Type: Conditioning

Goal: Core Strength

Procedure:

1. Begin on your hands and knees with a neutral spine.
2. Engage your core by pulling your belly button up towards the spine and tightening your pelvic floor muscles lightly.
3. Slowly extend one leg and the opposite arm outwards. Your hip will move into a hip extension as you do so.
4. While keeping your muscles engaged and maintaining a stable pelvis and spine, hold for 3 seconds.
5. Lower your arm and leg back to the starting position.
6. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg.
7. Repeat 10 times.
8. Complete 1 set 4 times a week.

9. SUPINE CRUNCH TOUCH

Type:  Balance

Goal:  Core Strength

Procedure:

• Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the surface. With a ball or pillow in your hands, extend your arms over your head.
• Draw both knees towards your chest while you bring the ball/pillow towards your knees. Touch your knees to the ball/pillow.
• Hold for 3 seconds.
• Slowly return the starting position, with your knees bent and feet flat on the surface and with the ball or pillow extended over your head.
• Repeat 10 times.
• Complete 2 sets per day.

10. ISOMETRIC OBLIQUE STABILIZATION

Type: Conditioning

Goal: Core Strength

Procedure:

1. Lie on your back with both knees bent.
2. Bring one knee up towards your head, keeping a bend of about 90 degrees in your knee and hip.
3. Place resistance on the lifted knee by pushing back against it with the opposite arm to contract your obliques (these are your side abdominal muscles).
4. Make sure to keep your head and shoulders on the floor while doing so, and note that there should be minimal movement of the knee as you contract your obliques.
5. Hold 5 seconds.
6. Perform the same exercise as above using your other knee and arm.
7. Repeat 10 times.
8. Complete 2 sets per day

11. MINI SQUAT

Type:  Conditioning

Goal:  Build Core Strength

Procedure:

1. Begin with your knees shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward. Use a chair, counter, wall or other stable support if needed for balance and safety.
2. Engage your pelvic floor muscles and keep them held while you bend your knees and lower your hips down in a sitting motion. Lower yourself down about as far as you would go if you were to sit in a chair.
3. Throughout the motion, keep your knees in line with your toes. Do not allow them to come forward over your toes.
4. Return to the starting position and release your pelvic floor muscles.
5. Repeat 10 times.
6. Complete 1 set 3 times a week

PLIE SQUAT

Type: Conditioning

Goal: Core Strength

Procedure:

1. Begin standing with your legs apart, slightly wider than your hips.
2. Keep your weight on your heels. Use a chair, counter, wall or other stable support if needed for balance and safety.
3. Squat, lowering yourself down as if you were sitting on a bench.
4. As you do, contract your pelvic floor muscles.
5. Return to the starting position and release your pelvic floor muscles.
6. Repeat 10 times.
7. Complete 2 set 2 times a week

In Conclusion:

Not all pelvic floor exercises are for everyone, and we strongly urge you to talk to your doctor before beginning any new workout routine, and, if possible, see a physical therapist trained in pelvic floor health to receive a diagnosis and treatment recommendation