Why Understanding Pelvic Floor Function is Crucial for Every Woman’s Training Journey
You’re halfway through your kettlebell swings when it happens again – that telltale leak with each explosive hip drive. You quickly switch to a lighter weight and shorter sets, hoping no one notices, and make a mental note to empty your bladder completely before every session. Sound familiar? You’re not alone, and more importantly, this isn’t something you just have to live with.
The Reality No One Talks About
Here’s a statistic that might shock you: 46% of women stop exercising due to pelvic floor symptoms. That’s nearly half of all women experiencing these issues who simply give up on activities they love. Among women in high-impact sports and exercise, 42% stop participating entirely, while over 50% modify their training to less vigorous or less frequent sessions.
But here’s what’s even more concerning – this isn’t just affecting women after childbirth. One in three women who haven’t had children are also stopping sports or exercise due to pelvic floor symptoms. We’re talking about women across all life stages, from their twenties through menopause, who are being told this is just “normal” and they should simply accept it.
What You’re Usually Told (And Why It’s Not Enough)
If you’ve ever mentioned leaking during exercise to a healthcare provider or trainer, you’ve probably heard one of these responses:
- “Just do more kegels”
- “It’s normal after having kids – you’ll have to avoid high-impact exercise”
- “Try emptying your bladder before you train”
- “Maybe switch to low-impact activities like walking”
While these suggestions come from a place of trying to help, they’re missing the bigger picture. Your pelvic floor isn’t an isolated muscle that you can simply squeeze harder. It’s part of an integrated system, and without understanding how this system works together, you’re likely to keep experiencing the same frustrating limitations.
The Real Problem: It’s All Connected
Here’s what most people don’t understand about pelvic floor function: your pelvic floor is part of a complex system of muscles that work together to provide stability and support during functional movement.
When you’re doing that kettlebell swing, your pelvic floor needs to coordinate with your deep abdominal muscles, your diaphragm, and your hip muscles to manage the pressure and forces created by the explosive movement. If your pelvic floor can’t contract and release in a functional way, it often prevents – or is a symptom of – poor connection and poor function with your deep core and hip muscles.
This disconnection shows up in training as:
- Inability to progress with certain movements, no matter how hard you try
- Pain or discomfort during exercises that should feel good
- Incontinence during dynamic movements like jumping, running, or lifting
- Tension in certain muscle groups that won’t seem to release
- Instability that makes you feel unsteady or unconfident in your movements
The Strong Women Can Difference: Training Your Body as a System
At Strong Women Can, we don’t just tell you to “do more kegels” and hope for the best. We understand that your pelvic floor is part of an integrated ‘functional movement’ system, and we train it that way.
When a woman comes to us with these challenges, we take a completely different approach than what you’ll find at most gyms:
We assess the whole system, not just the obvious symptoms. That leak during your kettlebell swing isn’t just a pelvic floor problem – it might be related to how your diaphragm is functioning, how your hips are moving, or how your deep core muscles are (or aren’t) connecting.
We integrate pelvic floor work into strengthening movements so that it becomes part of how you naturally move, rather than something you have to think about separately. Instead of doing isolated kegels and then hoping they transfer to your training, we teach your pelvic floor to work properly during the actual functional movements you want to do.
We modify training to get the most sustainable results. If your pelvic floor is the limiting factor preventing you from progressing or enjoying your workouts, we address it directly through our training approach. Our goal isn’t to work around the problem – it’s to solve it so you can get back to doing everything you love.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Recently, we held a pelvic floor workshop for our members, and the response was incredible. We covered how to properly engage your pelvic floor during dynamic whole-body movements (not just static kegels), how supporting muscles impact pelvic floor function, and how to test your readiness to return to activities like running.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many women expressing that they wished they’d known this information earlier. Most importantly, they finally felt like they could connect with and “find” their core muscles in a way that actually translated to their training.
The Cost of Accepting “Normal”
When women are told that leaking is just “normal” and they should stop doing activities that cause it, the impact goes far beyond missing a few workouts. This affects overall women’s health and fitness in profound ways.
We see women who:
- Have given up running, netball, or other sports they used to love
- Avoid group fitness classes or social activities because they’re worried about leaking
- Feel like their body has failed them or that they’re somehow “broken”
- Lose confidence in their physical capabilities and start to see themselves as fragile
- Accept a sedentary lifestyle that puts them at risk for chronic health issues
This “just accept it” mentality doesn’t just limit your exercise – it limits your life. And it’s completely unnecessary when you have access to proper education and training.
Your Body Deserves Better
Here’s what we want every woman to know: caring about your body means doing things right for the best outcomes. You don’t have to choose between being active and being comfortable. You don’t have to accept limitations that can be addressed with proper understanding and training.
The worth of women-specific trainers lies in exactly this – we understand that women’s bodies function differently, go through different life stages, and have different needs than the “one-size-fits-all” approach that dominates the fitness industry.
Your pelvic floor issues aren’t a life sentence. With the right education, functional movement patterns, and an integrated training approach, you can get back to doing everything you love – whether that’s running, jumping, playing with your kids, or simply sneezing without worry.
Understanding Your Body’s Needs
If you’re tired of modifying every workout, avoiding certain movements, or feeling like your body is holding you back, remember that there are different approaches to training. At Strong Women Can, we believe in understanding how women’s bodies actually work – including how your pelvic floor functions as part of your whole system.
Because you deserve to feel strong, confident, and capable in your body. And with the right understanding and approach, that’s exactly what’s possible.
Want to learn more about how we integrate pelvic floor health into strength training? We’d love to share more about our women-specific approach to helping you reach your goals.
Contact us at support@strongwomencan.com for more info
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