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Many people want to strengthen their pelvic floor but do not realise the role that plays in their overall health and well being.
When your pelvis is supported by strong core muscles, you are protected from injuries, enjoy greater balance and stability, and have better control over your bladder and bowel functions.
Pilates is one of the most readily available forms of exercise. It's simple to practice, cost-effective and applicable to all ages and fitness levels. What's more, it has a direct positive impact on your pelvic floor.
Fundamental Pilates That Directly Target the Pelvic Floor
Here's a look at seven pilates exercises that directly impact your pelvic floor:
1) The Hundred
The Hundred exercise is a core strength and stability exercise that involves raising both legs and holding them in a 'tabletop' position, or raising the hips and knees above the body at a right angle.
Here's how it's done:
- You can intensify the Hundred by raising your head and shoulders while in the tabletop position, or by extending one or both legs at a 45-degree angle from the floor.
- You might notice that doing this exercise or its variations with both legs raised has the potential to contribute to pelvic-floor overload and increased pelvic-floor muscle tension.
2) Shoulder Bridge
It's a difficult exercise for the muscles of the posterior chain (or back of the body) and the pelvic muscles. This is also a good exercise for people who have weak pelvic floor muscles, as it raises the hips, allowing gravity to relieve some of the pressure on the pelvic floor, making activation simpler.
It's done as follows:
- Lie on your back with a slightly natural curve under your low back and your feet hip-distance apart.
- Take an inhalation to prepare, and use your glutes to lift your bottom off the floor till your shoulders and knees form a straight line.
- Try not to press up into your shoulders and neck by keeping your weight in your heels.
- Inhale to hold at the top; exhale to lower back down to a neutral position. Repeat for 10-15 repetitions.
3) Dead Bugs
Another way to enhance core stability and strength when employing the tabletop position is dead bugs. The dead bugs are positioned on a tabletop, with the arms lifted to the ceiling at a right angle to the body.
Here's how it's done:
- The arms are hoisted above the head to the ground, and one leg is straightened, while the other is held aloft from this position.
- Dead bugs trigger muscles that have the potential to cause pelvic floor overload, as well as encourage hyperactive pelvic floor muscles due to a lack of muscle relaxation.
4) Lunge
This is a fabulous functional exercise that works the pelvic floor and can be utilised in everyday life while lifting or picking up larger objects.
It's done as follows:
- Start in a stride stance with your feet hip distance apart, inhaling as you bend your knees, keeping slightly more weight in your front heel.
- Just before you change directions, start exhaling, and lift the pelvic floor, holding the contraction as you push back up to the start position while stepping forward or backward into a lunge position and returning to the start position.
- Repeat 10-15 times on each leg.
5) Pilates Scissor
While practicing diaphragmatic breathing, the Pilates Scissor is an excellent place to start connecting with your pelvic floor and deep core muscles.
Here's how it's done:
- Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, feet hip-width apart, and a slight natural curve in your low back.
- While exhaling, gently engage your pelvic floor and deep core to keep your pelvis stable as you float one leg up towards the ceiling.
- Hold for a few breaths before slowly lowering it to the floor with control. Repeat ten times on each side.
6) Roll Ups Pilate
Rolling Up uses the same abdominal muscles as the Roll backing but with the knees bent. When reclining and rolling back, as well as when returning to the upright position, the strong upper core abdominal muscles flex strongly
It's done as follows:
- Lie down on a mat from whatever exercise you were doing, whether it was the Hundred or the Half Roll Down, and regulate your descent to the mat.
- Raise your arms up towards the ceiling, right up to the lights; prepare by inhaling, then exhaling, curling your chin toward your chest and rolling up off the mat.
7) Planks Pilates
The Planks Pilates exercise is designed to strengthen and stabilise the core and upper limbs. The body weight is taken through the forearms or hands and the balls of the feet while the body is raised and held off the ground for many breaths.
It's done as follows:
- Kneel on the ground with your hands and knees under your shoulders, with your knees precisely under your hips and your hands under your shoulders.
- Engage your core muscles to lift your body. Make sure you construct a perfect bridge.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds, before gradually increasing it to 40 seconds, then 60.
Takeaway
If done properly, Pilates is one of the best forms of exercise for pelvic health. Pilates incorporate the use of trunk and pelvic floor muscle groups, resulting in greater strength, stability and control. The improved strength and stability allows for better posture, less back pain, better balance and a longer life.
