Pelvic floor workouts are undergoing a revolution… it’s no longer all about Kegels but about more fundamental moves and connecting to your breath, says women’s fitness expert and pelvic floor specialist, Jane Wake.

Words: Jane Wake. Images: Shutterstock and Jane Wake.

Peeing yourself when you jump, sneeze, cough, laugh or lift something heavy is not normal. But here’s the good news: you can do something about it. I’ve been helping women strengthen their pelvic floors for decades, and the following exercises are a great way to not only reconnect with your pelvic floor but to effectively train these muscles for better function.

They’re taken from my Pelvic Floor Power Programme (janewake.com), designed to help you harness pelvic floor strength for a better, more active and fulfilled life. The programme includes a detailed health screening questionnaire and a referral service for more clinical support if required.

Work through moves 1-6, then, if you have time, repeat 4-6 and finish on exercise two. Aim to do the routine 2-3 times a week, doing moves 1-3 as and when you can. Try to think about what you need most.

If you are struggling to feel your pelvic floor relax or if you feel your hips are tight, do more of exercise two – the release work. If you struggle to even feel your pelvic floor lift at all, do more of moves one and three.

Moves 4-6 are dynamic exercises that also work surrounding muscles to support pelvic function. You only need do this routine 2-3 times a week and for 10-15 minutes at a time. You can also begin without a band or weight – the key is to feel fatigue in the areas described. If you can do more than the recommended repetitions, try increasing the depth of your move or add more resistance.

PELVIC FLOOR FACT: If you want easier, more frequent and bigger orgasms, all of these exercises will make an impact!

Remember to always seek support if you continue to struggle. If you are experiencing pelvic pain, incontinence, pain with sex or any dragging or discomfort in your vagina, you must see your doctor and get a referral appointment to a pelvic health physiotherapist. Now, lets get to work!

1. Finding your pelvic floor

THE WHY

Did you know your pelvic floor (PF) is connected to your diaphragm and naturally moves with your breath? This is what’s called involuntary movement, as you don’t control it, it happens automatically; it’s vital that you encourage this so that your pelvic floor can react and move to support you through all life functions from weeing and pooing to running, jumping and having sex.

THE HOW

Sit tall on a chair on your sit bones. To find your sit bones, lift your butt cheeks out of the way and find the boney part underneath. Wiggle on your chair so you can feel your sit bones. Your pelvic floor lies a little above and on the inside of these bones. It’s shaped a bit like a diamond between your pubic bone, tail bone and sit bones, has several layers and is a group rather than a single muscle.

Place your hands on your ribs. Now, visualise your torso as a drum with your diaphragm as the top of the drum, the ribs and abdominals wrapping around the sides, and your PF “diamond” as the base of the drum. Take a big breath in, ideally through your nose (this encourages the diaphragm to move) and feel your ribs expand.

Allow your belly to expand and imagine your pelvis and the sit bones widening with your in-breath and your pelvic floor expanding with it. Exhale slowly and, as your ribs come in, imagine your sit bones coming in too and your pelvic floor lifting in and up. Breathe again feeling it lower and repeat for 6-12 slow, long breaths.

QUANTITY

You can literally do this anytime, anywhere and as much as you like because we should be doing this with every breath. The more you do it, the more you will feel this movement rather than having to just imagine it. Try to remind yourself every time you sit at your desk or in the car.

2. Releasing your pelvic floor

THE WHY

Often your pelvic floor gets stuck so you can’t always feel it lift or lower. It can also misfunction so you end up with urge incontinence or prolapse, when the pelvic organs drop. Release work is therefore essential. All my clients feel they can connect more effectively to their pelvic floor if they’ve first done some release work.

THE HOW

Adopt child’s pose position, arms by your side (A). Use cushions underneath your forehead and/or at the back or your knees to help you relax. Using the breath technique from move 1, breathe in and feel your ribs pushing against your thighs. As your diaphragm/ribs expand on the in-breath, focus on your belly and sit bones widening and your tail bone lifting.

As you exhale, feel everything relaxing and letting go. Now, lie on your back, knees bent. Place your feet together and then allow your knees to drop out to the side, feeling length in the front of your pelvis and inner thighs. Breathe as described in the breathing exercise above, focusing on lengthening your outbreath.

If you feel any discomfort in your lower back, try bringing your knees up to your chest, holding onto your knees with your hands (B), keeping the knees wide.

QUANTITY

Try both the child’s pose and lying on your back positions for at least six slow breaths, but you can take longer. Listen to your body: it should always feel comfortable and relaxing, so change your position or stop if it doesn’t. Be intuitive. Part of the reason we have pelvic floor issues is because we don’t listen in to ourselves enough. How is your body feeling? Can you feel your PF move as you breathe? Feel free to move around in these positions, rocking, circling or gently swaying – it can really help.

3. Voluntary muscle contractions

THE WHY

Lots of research shows that Kegel-style exercises can help with incontinence. The science on them has been ongoing and whilst we now recognise many other exercises as helpful, Kegels can be useful in the right circumstances, such as if you struggle to find your PF, have pelvic organ prolapse after childbirth or for rehab back into exercise.

THE HOW

Sit tall as in move 1, and breathe in again as above. As you breathe out, think of drawing up through your pelvic floor by using the sphincter muscles around your anus, vagina and urethra. Draw up from the anus first, then move onto the vagina and urethra as if drawing them up and in together. Keep lifting up for as long as you can breathe out.

Imagine it’s like a volume switch and you are turning the dial on and up. Then relax the muscle (make sure you feel it lower) as you inhale, and repeat.

Note: if you only feel your pelvic floor lift but not lower, spend more time on moves 1 and 2 and come back to this afterwards to see if you have more movement.

QUANTITY

Traditionally we are told to do this move 10 times, 3 times a day, along with quicker movements and ones where you focus on holds and slower release. If you are practising all the exercises in this workout, you don’t have to do this one so frequently. Like the breathing exercise, you can do it anywhere. There are also lots of apps available like the free NHS Squeezey app, plus probe devices to help you do them more effectively too.

PELVIC FLOOR FACT: Kegel comes from the name Dr Arnold Kegel, a male gynecologist who invented Kegel exercises in the 1940s and who also created the first pelvic floor strength probe.

4. Pelvic Floor Bridging

THE WHY

One of the most interesting connections to the pelvic floor is your big butt muscle: the gluteus maximus. Through fascial connections, when you train the glutes you can also train the pelvic floor. The key is focus and getting as much range as you can.

THE HOW

Lie on your back with a band around your thighs that’s tight enough to feel resistance, with your feet hip-distance apart, knees bent, feet parallel. Start with your tail bone on the floor, take a breath in as above and, as you exhale, lift up, using your glutes to push upwards. Pause at the top, visualising your pelvic floor coming in.

If you struggle to feel anything you can do a voluntary contraction (see exercise 3) to help with your focus. Inhale as you lower, making sure to take your tail bone all the way to the floor and release the PF. Next, turn your toes in and repeat the move. Then, turn your toes out and repeat.

QUANTITY

Repeat the different positions 3-4 times or until you feel fatigue in your glutes and pelvic floor. To advance the move, raise your back off the floor using a glute bridge box, a ball (B) – or the sofa!

5. The Pelvic Floor Press

THE WHY

Research has shown that activities that work your entire core, including press-ups like this (below left), create more activation of your pelvic floor than some more traditional exercises. The key is your focus.

THE HOW

Start in a box position, knees under your hips, hands under shoulders. As you breathe in, rock backwards, butt towards heels, feeling your sit bones widen and pelvic floor expand. Exhale and rock forwards, with a slight bend in the arms.

You can do a voluntary contraction here to help you feel your PF and core muscles. To advance the move, lift your knees off the floor.

QUANTITY

Repeat 8-12 times or until you feel fatigue in your core, arms and PF.

6. The pelvic Floor Squat

THE WHY

Squats are one of the most efficient ways to strengthen your pelvic floor. Here’s a way to build up safely and effectively that will also emphasise using the feet and the inner thigh, both of which connect through different pathways to your PF and will help you to feel your PF working more.

THE HOW

Start by using a chair/door handle and a cushion/Pilates ball between your knees. Spread your toes by widening your feet, carefully placing the ball of your foot into the ground. Think of three points of a tripod: big toe, little toe and heel on the base of your foot. Envisage these three points pressing into the ground, helping lift the arch.

Inhale and squat back into as low a position as you feel comfortable, focusing on sit bones widening. Exhale as you push back up, focusing on feeling the sit bones coming in and your glutes and inner thigh working. Pause at the top, visualising your pelvic floor lifting up inside as you stand tall.

Advance by moving away from the support and using a weight.

QUANTITY

Repeat 8-12 times or until you fatigue.

Jane Wake MSc has been working as a health and fitness trainer, consultant and TV presenter for more than 35 years. Her masters research was focused on exercise for women and she has been championing that ever since, working to break down the barriers that make it harder for women to move. Find out more about her work and free Youtube workouts at janewake.com and follow her at instagram.com/janewakeuk.

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