Pelvic floor training – 5 great exercises!
Pregnancy and childbirth put a lot of strain on the pelvic floor, and to avoid problems, it’s important to kneel. We guide you through the kinks and your pelvic floor training, which makes it both easier to keep tight and provides more pleasant sex.
5 key things to think about with pelvic floor exercises
1. How to find the muscle-knot
Lie on your back with your knees bent and relax. Remember that your back, buttocks and stomach should be relaxed. Then start squeezing from back to front, from the rectum up to the vagina and urethra. Imagine that you are going to lift something with the vagina and that it should be like a pinch around the opening of the urethra. Hold the squeeze for 2-3 seconds and then slowly release. Continue practicing this way until you can do it ten times in a row.
2. How to practice the strength-squeeze
To strengthen the pelvic floor, you need to practice squeezing hard. Squeeze almost as hard as you can and hold on for five seconds. Release the grip slowly and then relax completely for five seconds. Repeat this exercise until you can do ten crunches in a row.
3. How to increase your squeezing speed
To be able to react when you cough, sneeze, lift something heavy or suddenly exert yourself in some other way, it’s good to have fast-working pelvic floor muscles. To practice your speed, squeeze almost everything you can for three seconds, then relax for the same amount of time. Repeat ten times in a row.
4. How to hold out longer
In order to be able to last longer when you’re training or exerting yourself in other ways over a longer period of time, you need to have a durable pelvic floor. To train the endurance of the muscles, squeeze for a long time but less hard. Squeeze about half as hard as you can and start by holding it for 30 seconds. With practice, the goal is to be able to hold the squeeze for two minutes without relaxing. Do the endurance squeeze a couple of times every time you train your pelvic floor.
You should do the endurance squeeze a couple of times every time you train your pelvic floor.
Be patient with your pelvic floor exercises!
Start by doing different types of squeezes, and preferably practice three times a day a while after you’ve given birth. Only when you feel that you can deal with one specific exercise should you move on to the next one. And be patient! If you have a weak pelvic floor, you may need to train for up to six months to build up strength. When you get stronger, you can reduce your training to a few times a week. It’s also important to really relax between turns and not train too hard. Otherwise, the risk is that you walk around with a pelvic floor that is constantly tense, which in turn can cause problems.
Source: BB Stockholm and 1177.
PELVIC BALLS & APPS FOR MORE ENJOYABLE PELVIC FLOOR TRAINING
Get tips on everything from squeezing balls to more advanced aids for pelvic floor training. The Elvie Trainer Apotek is a popular, award-winning product where you can follow your training and your progress via an app. It also provides feedback and helps you to develop your training. You can crunch both with and without equipment, but by getting help to find the right muscles it can make squeezing more fun and help you ramp up your training faster and gradually get stronger.
