Exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles

What are the useful exercises for strengthening the pelvic muscles and who should you definitely strengthen these muscles? What exercises for strengthening pelvic muscles are most effective, and how to properly perform them?

Pelvic muscles, more precisely the pelvic floor muscles located in the perineal region (between the lower edge of the pubic joint, the tip of the coccyx and the sciatic tubercles) surround the rectum, vagina and urethra, providing their normal anatomical position. In addition, these muscles form the so-called urogenital diaphragm, which supports the bladder cavity, uterus and appendages in the pelvic cavity.

[1], [2], [3]

What are the useful exercises for strengthening the pelvic muscles?

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

The weakness of all the above-mentioned pelvic muscles can be a consequence of the individual genetic characteristics of the musculoskeletal system, pregnancy and childbirth, postoperative surgery, persistent excessive physical exertion, and involuntary loss of muscle tissue elasticity.

A significant weakening of the pelvic muscles can lead to the 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 incontinence); omission of the walls and vaginal vault; omission or prolapse of the uterus. To avoid these problems, it is useful to do exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles.

Complex exercises for strengthening pelvic muscles

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

• Exercise 1: Walking in a circle or on the spot - with the highest possible lifting of the knees.
• Exercise 2: feet shoulder width apart, bent at the elbows of the arm slightly in front of the chest; alternately raise our legs, bending them in the knee and touching the elbows with the knee - the left elbow of the right elbow, and the right knee - the left (crosswise). Repeat 10-12 times.
• Exercise 3: lie on your back and perform 25-35 seconds of movement with your feet, known as an imitation of riding a bicycle.
• Exercise 4: lie on your back, your legs are straight, your arms straight along your body; Raise your legs above the floor, dilute them to the sides and perform cross-flashes in the horizontal plane for 25-35 seconds.
• Exercise 5: The starting position is similar, raise your legs above the floor and perform swings in the vertical plane for 25-35 seconds.
• Exercise 6: in the supine position on the back - with an emphasis on the heels, hands, neck and neck - on inhaling, lift the pelvis, bend the body, strain and draw in the muscles of the perineum; on exhalation we relax the muscles and return to the starting position. The exercise is repeated 10-12 times.
• Exercise 7: lying on the right side, you need to lift the straight left leg 10 times; lying on his left side, many times to raise his right leg. In this case, the head should be on the arm, stretched out on the floor, and the free hand - rest against the waist.
• Exercise 8: we sit on the floor (legs are even), straight arms stretch forward; alternately lift the buttocks and move them forward 6-8 times, then in the same way we return back. The exercise is performed several times.

[4], [5]

Exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles of Arnold Kegel

Special exercises for strengthening pelvic muscles and training the muscles of the perineum in the middle of the last century were developed 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, standing and even while walking, so that you are not limited by time or space. In addition, with tension and relaxation of the perineal muscles, there are no external manifestations of these exercises. The guarantee of their effectiveness is the regularity of execution: at least 100 replays daily.

So, you need to squeeze the muscles of the perineum, three seconds to keep them in a state of tension, and then relax. As you train, the pause with strained pelvic muscles is prolonged to 10-15 seconds.

The second exercise for strengthening the pelvic muscles in the Kegel system is a rapid alternating compression-relaxation of the perineal muscles - at least 15-20 times.

Finally, the exercise, conventionally called "pushing out", in which it is necessary to strain the muscle ring surrounding the anal canal, that is, to strain, as in defecation, and then relax the muscles. This exercise is also performed with a delay and in a fast version.

Although most often these exercises are used by women, men exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles (the lumbosacral muscle and other muscles of the pelvic diaphragm) can help with premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction.

[6], [7]