Updated October 22, 2024
The pelvic floor muscles are perhaps the most neglected group of muscles in your body, but they are critical core muscles that have very important functions, especially during pregnancy. Properly functioning pelvic floor muscles can be the key to avoiding pregnancy pains and injuries, improving pushing, and minimizing tearing and other trauma during delivery. However, traditional guidance of ” just do Kegels” with a focus on squeezing your “pee-stopping” muscles is not the most effective way to train these muscles during pregnancy (or any time for that matter).
Read on to learn:
- The structure and function of your pelvic floor muscles
- How to train your pelvic floor during pregnancy
- Why we don’t use the term “Kegels”
- Additional resources to support you
Understanding the “Floor of Your Core”
Below are the muscles we refer to as the Core Canister. These are the deep core muscles that form the shape of a canister. Your pelvic floor muscles form the bottom of the Core Canister, or the “floor of the core.”
Many people think of their pelvic floor muscles as just those “pee-stopping” muscles, but actually, that is just the front of your pelvic floor. As you can see in the image below, the pelvic floor muscles span the entire base of your core. There are three layers of 14 different muscles in total, and they have connection points in the front, back, and sides of your pelvis.
Together, the pelvic floor muscles are responsible for:
- Supporting your pelvic organs: uterus, bladder, rectum
- Helping to stabilize your spine and pelvic-hip region
- Controlling continence (making sure you pee when you want to, and don’t pee when you don’t want to)
- Aiding in sexual response and satisfaction
- Assisting in guiding the baby out during delivery
How to Train Your Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy (“PFAs”)
During pregnancy, we want the pelvic floor muscles to develop:
- Strength: The PF muscles must be strong enough to withstand all the added stresses placed on them from weight gain, to alignment shifts, to decreased pelvic stability from the hormonal changes of pregnancy.
- Length: It is essential that these muscles know how to lengthen to help guide the baby out during childbirth. This is key to mitigating tearing during delivery.
We accomplish the objectives of developing strength and length with exercises we call PFAs (Pelvic Floor Activations).
Watch the video to learn how to perform these exercises. It takes you through a 4-step process to help you first find your pelvic floor muscles, then learn how to perform the two PFA variations: PFAs-Slow and PFAs-Fast.
Let’s review the 4-steps from the video:
- Step 1: Find your pelvic floor muscles: front, back, and sides
- Step 2: Practice moving them together (lifting up, then fully releasing)
- Step 3: Align this movement with your 360˚ Breathing. This is a PFA-Slow
- Step 4: Continue this same motion, but at a slightly faster tempo, not aligned with your breath (just breathe comfortably). This is a PFA-Fast
Practice both PFAs-Slow and PFAs-Fast because they target different muscle fibers:
- PFAs-Slow target the slow-twitch fibers that are responsible for supporting the pelvic organs and stabilizing the pelvic region
- PFAs-Fast target the fast-twitch fibers that help to resist unwanted leakage (urinary or fecal) – especially during sudden movements like coughing, laughing, sneezing, or impact exercise.
There is no set number of reps you have to do each day. The most important thing is to practice them enough so you feel you have good control through that full range of motion. As one example, you could say 1 set = 3-5 PFAs-Slow + 8-10 PFAs Fast. Perform 2-3 sets per day.
Why don’t we use the term “Kegel”?
Kegels are a tricky term because of the connotation they have today. They have become synonymous with “squeezing the muscles used to stop the flow of urine.” By now, perhaps you can see there are two issues with this description:
- Your “pee-stopping” muscles are only the front of your pelvic floor
- A focus on the contraction only is problematic. This can not only create greater issues for delivery, but it can also lead to other pelvic floor complications. Like any other muscle in your body, your pelvic floor muscles must be worked through a full range of motion.
Want Additional Resources?
To help you effectively train your deep core muscles — and the rest of your body — explore our Prenatal Workout Programs. Just select the program that’s right for you based on your stage when starting and the easy-to-use app will guide you through a complete training program for the duration of your pregnancy to help you experience an easier pregnancy, smoother delivery, and faster recovery.
Are You A Health & Fitness Professional?
Are you interested in training pre & postnatal clients or supporting them better in your current line of work? Explore our ProNatal Professional Education & Certification to find courses, resources, and community to help you build your pre & postnatal fitness expertise.
