Every Exercise is a Pelvic Floor Exercise

What is the best pelvic floor exercise? Well, you know I’m probably going to mention breathing :) More on that here.

But, the truth is, EVERY exercise is a pelvic floor exercise, especially postpartum.

Whenever we are trying to improve motion at the femur, the hips, or quite honestly - the whole body, we are doing a pelvic floor exercise. The pelvic floor is our core, and quite literally at the center of our body. It’s a major pressure distributor and a central part of breathing and pressure management. It’s hard to consider the body’s movement without thinking about our deep core and stability system. And yes - both men AND women have a pelvic floor.

During a normal breath, the pelvic floor and diaphragm mirror one another.

Inhales and Exhales

Inhale —> Expansion

On an inhale, the diaphragm contracts and descends towards the pelvis, pushing pressure and our guts down. This downward movement increased pressure in the abdominal cavity. The pelvis responds to receive this increase in pressure by opening into external rotation (like a flower).

The ribcage should expand 360 degrees. An umbrella opening and closing is a helpful visual since an umbrella opens in a 360-degree fashion.

 In response, the pelvic floor eccentrically lengthens and descends. Think of the pelvic floor like a trampoline, lowering towards the ground, but getting ready to spring back up. The abdominal muscles lengthen and expand outwards slightly.

 Exhale —> Compression

 On exhale, everything reverses. The diaphragm and pelvic floor rise and the abdominal wall contracts inwards. The system is in constant motion as you inhale and exhale all day long.

The two are essentially playing catch with one another throughout the day. When the coordination between our inner core muscles is disrupted, we may start to see symptoms arise, such as leaking, pelvic organ prolapse, lower back pain, and diastasis recti. These are, in essence, a pressure management “leak.”

Breathing and Movement

When considering pressure management, force production, force absorption, building core strength, and addressing pelvic floor symptoms, we are talking about the pelvic floor. This is extremely important postpartum when we are reestablishing the diaphragm / pelvic floor connection.

From a movement lens:

• External rotation: thoracic diaphragm descends, pelvic diaphragm descends and relaxes

• Internal rotation: The pelvic floor contracts and ascends; the thoracic diaphragm relaxes and ascends. Think of internal rotation as producing force and getting heavy into the ground.

• Force absorption: absorb force. Need a pelvic floor that is able to absorb force and yield.

Propel: We need a pelvic floor that can contract and create tension to force pressure up and propel us forward (also need a ribcage that can expand and accept this pressure)

Every movement is a pelvic floor movement. If we are trying to improve overall movement of our system and body, we are also working to improve movement at the pelvic floor. More fun exercise examples in this Instagram post.

When looking to return back to dynamic activity postpartum, I love incorporating isometrics, yielding exercises, and overcoming exercises to train the pelvic floor in different ways to both produce force and accept force. Check out this post for a deep dive.

Questions about the pelvic floor and returning to higher level activity? I’d love to help! I offer 1:1 support, and you can explore DIY programs to learn breathing, pressure management, and building some postpartum.

Feel good mama,

Erica