Pelvic floor exercises

[scratchbass]

I see people talking about pelvic floor exercises and just wanted to check what you're all doing?

I have an app to help with timings of tensing/relaxing but I feel like I'm missing something and there should be more to it.

I do pilates and some of the moves make you more aware of your pelvic floor, but, if I just want to focus just on pelvic floor, are there other exercises out there?

Three times a day - ten long squeezes and ten quick squeezes.

Unless you have specific issues with your pelvic floor, then that should be all that you need to do. Anything more complicated should only be necessary if a HCP has indicated so.

What app do you use? The NHS one "Squeezy" is great IMO.

Ten long, ten short, ten lifts.

Make sure you relax the muscles completely between repetitions.

So them in different positions - laying down, sitting, standing, walking.

There was a brilliant poster here, very knowledgeable about this, haven’t seen her around recently though.

@TheSubtleKnifeAndFork I'm using Kegel - Pelvic Floor Exercise, also searchable under KPFE.

Thanks for the feedback, good to know that I don't need to over complicate this! 👍

I run a pelvic floor and core rehabilitation programme and may be able to help. Rather than just ‘squeezing’ like you’re trying to stop the flow of pee, you want to do the following: imagine you’re pulling the front of the pelvis (pubis) and the base of the spine (sacrum) together, and then try to pull and lift the pelvic floor upwards. It should feel much more intense than just normal kegels. Once you have mastered this you can do it whilst performing exercises for the glutes (butt), abductors and adductors (outer and inner thighs), which makes it much more effective.

Hope this helps.

A friend of mine had a baby last year and she said it ruined her 'down there' parts and advised me to start pelvic floor excersies as soon as possible (I'm due in August)
She says she regrets not doing them sooner..
That made me frightened! 😂😬

Thanks @Harriettink that's very useful. I went to a prenatal pilates class today and we were doing pelvic floor in combination with a number of exercises so that makes a lot of sense now. I also need to focus more on the release (as well as the squeeze) as I think I was just 'letting go' before.

Sorry to dig this out but I'm 16 weeks pregnant and a fitness addict! I train hard 5/6 times a week. I was doing some intensive skipping with a rope and noticed after about 20 seconds of continual skipping I felt like a little bit of wee was coming out. I stopped and tried again and it happened again! This has never happened before!
Will Intense jumping damage my pelvic floor when pregnant? I'm only just in the 2nd trimester and not showing a bump, didn't expect it to happen to early!!