High Impact = High Pelvic Floor Strength.

The allure of high-impact workouts is the energy expenditure and the pure joy of bouncing around – like a teenager. Still, for some of us, our pelvic floor is not like it was when we were teenagers. For many women, it is a matter of going to the toilet before the class, not hydrating well, racing off to the bathroom during the workout or simply resigning to wearing pads. 

Safe pelvic floor exercise modifications

With Pelvic Floor First in mind, you can still enjoy these workouts. Work on improving your pelvic floor strength with regular specific exercises for this muscle. The following guidelines will assist you with making the right exercise choices that will keep you from compromising further.

1. Jumping jacks – jumping your feet out wide will certainly cause discomfort. The alternative is to do side taps, which can be low and stretched out to either side to maintain intensity. The other option is to have feet together and squat and stretch arms up in a ‘jumping motion’ without lifting the feet off the floor. Performed quickly, this will elevate heart rate and work the thighs leak-free.
2. Running or jogging – This is particularly challenging on the spot, whereas moving forward seems less stressful and going uphill easier. Also, marching with high knees improves the range of motion and reduces the load.
3. The kick – Can be performed to the front, side or back and again, on the spot, is very tough on the pelvic floor. The alternative is to lift and kick the leg without the bouncing action. Again, this can be intensified if an alternate arm action is incorporated.
4. Hopping or wide-leg knee lifts – The option with hopping is an alternating low-impact leg curl action, where you lift the heel to the buttocks, and the wide-leg knee lifts can be modified to narrow-leg knee lift. These moves are recommended to be performed without the bouncing action that is often performed simultaneously.
5. Low Impact is not low intensity. It is a common myth that low impact when there is no bouncing, is low intensity. This is not true, as low impact can use larger muscle groups of the thighs and buttocks more effectively. In addition, you need to lower the body more towards the floor with each move by bending the knees a little more.

Enjoy your workouts leak free

High-impact exercise is terrific when you are leak-free, but when you are compromised or at risk of weakening the pelvic floor, the outcome can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. So enjoy your workouts by simply applying the suggestions above, and have a great workout.