Reconnecting With Your Pelvic Floor
Pelvic floor balance
Forearm side plank
Side plank squeeze
This series helps you neurologically (brain to muscle connection) reconnect to your pelvic floor and deepest abdominal muscles - your transverse abdominals. It is an excellent series for pre or post partum bodies and much much harder than it looks. During a lot of rehabilitation exercises, the first important step is getting the brain to muscle connection. Think of this as the concrete slab of the house. You must ensure it is strong and stable before building the house. Same goes with your body. Get the basics right, ensure your brain is aware of what muscles are supposed to be working/not working, then progress and build.
During pregnancy, the weight and pressure of the growing fetus can cause neurological inhibition making it harder for your brain to connect with your pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles. This series is useful for repairing your neurological connection or preventing disconnect. Any ball is fine and if you don’t have one, layer up some pillows!
1. Pelvic Floor Balance
When coming up into your exhalation, try not to squeeze your glutes, let your transverse abdominals and pelvic floor help with stabilising! For your inhalation, don’t force your stomach out, allow for a relaxed lateral expanding ribcage. During the exhalation, you’ll want to be engaging your pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles. To locate your transverse abdominals, place your fingers on the inside of your hip bones. You should feel a tightening as you exhale to engage these muscles. A nice cue for this is thinking of your hip bones as magnets that are pulling toward each other. Another successful cue I give to my clients is trying to “squash” or “flatten” your public bone to your tailbone. By placing your fingers on the inside of your hip bones, you’ll feel what cue works for you.
10-15 reps x3
2. Forearm Side Plank
Your knees should just be gently squeezing the ball between your knees, no greater than 20-30% activation here. Inhale for ribcage expansion and abdominal relaxation, exhale for pelvic floor and transverse abdominal activation (no greater than 30%). It’ll feel like your muscles are gently hugging your spine (again, not forcefully) for the entire length of the exhale.
10-15 reps x3
3. Side Plank Squeeze
Inhale for full abdominal relaxation, exhale and squeeze the ball with your knees as you engage your deep abdominal muscles and pelvic floor. You should feel an even activation of timing and engagement as your exhale. Try really focus on whether your pelvic floor is wanting to activate before or after you transverse abdominals. You want them talking to each other and activating together as a team to no more than 30% (a gentle hug).
10-15 reps x3