Exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles

What are the benefits of pelvic floor strengthening exercises and who should definitely strengthen these muscles? What pelvic floor strengthening exercises are the most effective and how to do them correctly?

The pelvic muscles, or more precisely the pelvic floor muscles, located in the perineum (between the lower edge of the pubic symphysis, the tip of the coccyx and the ischial tuberosities) surround the rectum, vagina and urethra, ensuring their normal anatomical position. In addition, these muscles form the so-called urogenital diaphragm, which supports the bladder, uterus and appendages in the pelvic cavity.

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What are the benefits of pelvic floor strengthening exercises?

In addition to the supporting function, the urogenital diaphragm (the second layer of the internal pelvic muscles) acts as a locking device for the urinary canal. And in the anal area, deep in the perineum, there is another very important muscle that holds the pelvic organs, lifts the anus and strengthens the back wall of the vagina.

Weakness of all the mentioned pelvic muscles can be a consequence of individual genetic characteristics of the muscular-ligamentous apparatus, pregnancy and childbirth, previous surgery, constant excessive physical exertion, as well as involutional loss of elasticity of muscle tissue.

Significant weakening of the pelvic muscles can lead to prolapse of the rectum with the formation of a hernia (manifested by a violation of defecation and functional disorders of the intestine); prolapse of the bladder (manifested by partial or complete urinary incontinence); prolapse of the walls and vault of the vagina; prolapse or prolapse of the uterus. To avoid these problems, it is useful to do exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles.

A set of exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles

This set of exercises for strengthening the pelvic muscles helps restore muscle tone, which decreases after pregnancy and childbirth.

• Exercise 1: walking in a circle or in place - raising your knees as high as possible.
• Exercise 2: feet shoulder-width apart, arms bent at the elbows slightly in front of the chest; alternately raise your legs, bending them at the knee and touching your elbows with your knee – the left knee to the right elbow, and the right knee to the left (crosswise). Repeat 10-12 times.
• Exercise 3: Lie on your back and perform a leg movement known as simulating cycling for 25-35 seconds.
• Exercise 4: Lie on your back, legs straight, arms straight along the body; lift your legs off the floor, spread them apart and perform cross swings in the horizontal plane for 25-35 seconds.
• Exercise 5: the starting position is the same, lift your legs off the floor and perform vertical swings for 25-35 seconds.
• Exercise 6: lying on your back – with support on your heels, arms, back of your head and neck – as you inhale, lift your pelvis, arch your torso, tense and draw in your perineal muscles; as you exhale, relax your muscles and return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10-12 times.
• Exercise 7: lying on your right side, lift your straight left leg 10 times; lying on your left side, lift your right leg that many times. Your head should be on your arm, stretched out on the floor, and your free arm should rest on your waist.
• Exercise 8: Sit on the floor (legs straight), straighten your arms forward; alternately lift your buttocks and move them forward 6-8 times, then return back in the same way. The exercise is performed several times.

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Arnold Kegel's Pelvic Muscle Strengthening Exercises

Special exercises for strengthening the pelvic muscles and training the perineal muscles were developed in the middle of the last century by the American gynecologist Arnold Henry Kegel (1894-1981), professor at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of California.

These exercises can be done sitting, lying down, standing, and even while walking, so you are not limited by time or space. In addition, when the muscles of the perineum are tense and relaxed, there are no external manifestations of these exercises. The key to their effectiveness is regularity: at least 100 repetitions daily.

So, you need to squeeze the perineal muscles, hold them in a state of tension for three seconds, and then relax. As you train, the pause with tense pelvic muscles is extended to 10-15 seconds.

The second exercise for strengthening the pelvic muscles according to the Kegel system consists of quickly alternately contracting and relaxing the muscles of the perineum - at least 15-20 times.

Finally, an exercise conventionally called "pushing out", in which you should slightly tense the muscular ring surrounding the anal canal, that is, strain, as during defecation, and then relax the muscles. This exercise is also performed with a delay and in a fast version.

Although these exercises are most often used by women, for men, pelvic floor strengthening exercises (PCM and other pelvic floor muscles) can help with premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction.

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