Let’s talk about the Pelvic Floor – what it is, why it’s important and how we can relate it to classes. We use our pelvic floor every day and it coordinates with many functions of our body, not just those that are bathroom or sexual health-related (although those are very important!)

What is it?

• The Pelvic Floor (PF) is a group of muscles supporting our pelvic organs (the bladder, bowel and uterus) located between the tailbone and the pubic bone within the pelvis (see below)
• The muscles are mostly made up of slow-twitch fibers (70%), with fast-twitch being only 30%. What does that tell us? The pelvic floor is built for endurance, coordinating with your “deep core”  diaphragm and Transverse abdominis that stabilize your pelvis and spine all day long. Their Fast-twitch fibers are there to help us catch those unexpected sneezes and any powerful jumps.

Why should we pay attention to it?

• These muscles weaken over time (or become hypotonic) due to pregnancies, aging, or engaging in sports or high-intensity workouts. 
• These muscles can also be overly tight (hypertonic) due to too much contraction and not knowing how to relax, usually from stress or improper breathing.
• Both conditions can lead to dysfunction including: 
  • Incontinence
  • Prolapse
  • Painful sex
  • Pelvic pain
  • Back pain
  • Tailbone pain
  • Constipation

How/When do we talk about PF in our True40 classes?

• Strengthening the Pelvic Floor:
  • PF Coordinating muscles include the gluteals, Adductors/Abductors and Core
    • Example exercises include, but not limited to Glute Bridges, Cat/Cows, All-Fours Hold, Squats and Lunges.
  • Relate it to your breathing cues:
    • When you exhale during an active lift, weave your core inward and lift your PF “up”
• Relaxing the Pelvic Floor:
  • The PF LOVES rotation and mobility! Implementing any exercises relating to hip or torso rotation
    • Examples include, but not limited to Glute Dives, Side Diamond, Russian Twists, Standing Obliques, Butterfly Stretch, Garland Pose, Child’s Pose
  •  Relate it to your breathing cues, especially in core:
    • When you inhale through your belly, your diaphragm should push down allowing your PF to lengthen.

Let me know if you have a specific PF question that I could maybe do a “deeper dive” in future continued ed, or if you’d like me to provide specific talking points.

Extra Credit 🙂

If you’re like me, just reading that gives me anxiety! How do we find the balance of a strong but also relaxed PF? Make sure you know how to contract your pelvic floor correctly (click here for a tutorial) and that you don’t have any pelvic floor tightness which can hinder strengthening.

Having a “strong” PF is often thought of as a sign of a healthy PF but I think a better way to describe it is one that is coordinated.

• A coordinated PF is one that knows how to contract but also (more importantly) knows how to relax.
• A coordinated PF responds appropriately when the abdominal muscles are engaged to provide bottom-up stability
• A coordinated PF ascends and descends with each diaphragmatic inhale and exhale
• A coordinated PF responds appropriately to hips that have great mobility
• A coordinated PF helps manage intra-abdominal pressure