by First, a quick anatomy lesson: The pelvic floor is located between the tail and the pubic bone and supports the bladder, intestines, vagina and uterus. “Observance [the pelvic floor] “As much as possible it can help maintain sexual function, bowel and bladder and prevent problems such as pelvic prolapse and urinary incontinence,” Amy Hoover, DPT, a physiotherapist with P.volve, told Well + Good.
When a fitness trainer asks you to block your pelvic floor, they give you the opportunity to strengthen this key area of the body. However, there are some common mistakes that De Winter wants to avoid the next time you use your pelvic floor to jump on a hand base or gather strength for a perfect plank.
Do not just grab all your muscles
First, resist the urge to stretch your whole body. Lifting the pelvic floor does not require you to hold your entire core. Instead, it is simply a gentle pull on these muscles between the tail and the pubic bone. If you do it right, says De Winter, no one else should see anything happen.
Keep breathing
“The next mistake I make all the time with pelvic floor contractions is to hold my breath,” says De Winter. Obviously, holding your breath prevents oxygen from reaching your muscles (which is So is not what you want in the middle of a workout), so keep your breathing as uniform as possible while pushing your pelvic floor.
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Relax your buttocks
Finally, “there is a tendency to want to tighten and tighten your pool cheeks,” says De Winter. Again, this only adds unnecessary tension to the body when the pelvic floor muscles are the only thing you need to work on. “Really, your pelvic floor and your gluteal muscles are two very different things,” he says. You can work those buttocks later, okay?
If you’re ready to try pelvic floor activation the right way, tune in to the full episode The right way.
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