Athletes train to build strength, endurance, and agility—but one crucial factor often gets overlooked: pelvic floor function.
Whether you’re a runner, weightlifter, or weekend warrior, your pelvic floor plays a vital role in stability, mobility, and overall performance.
If you’re experiencing stiffness, discomfort, urinary leakage, or inefficient movement patterns, addressing your pelvic floor could be the missing piece in your training.
Here are five key strategies to optimize your movement and protect your pelvic health.
1. Avoid Excessive Abdominal Bracing
Core engagement is essential for athletic performance, but constant abdominal tension is not the answer.
Many athletes mistakenly believe they need to hold their abs tight all day or brace their core during every movement.
While short-term bracing is necessary for activities like heavy lifting, excessive tension can actually cause stiffness, inefficient breathing, and pelvic floor dysfunction.
🔹 Instead of gripping your abs all day, focus on dynamic core engagement—allowing your muscles to activate when needed and relax at rest.
🔹 Practice diaphragmatic breathing, allowing your ribcage to expand with each inhale and naturally engage your core with each exhale.
🔹 Learn to control intra-abdominal pressure to prevent unnecessary strain on your pelvic floor during training.
By balancing core activation with proper relaxation, you’ll improve mobility, efficiency, and overall performance.
2. Improve Ankle Mobility
Your ankles may seem far removed from your pelvic floor, but limited ankle mobility can disrupt movement patternsand place unnecessary strain on your lower body.
If your ankles lack flexibility, your body compensates elsewhere—often in the knees, hips, or pelvic region—leading to tightness, pain, or even dysfunction in the pelvic floor muscles.
Poor ankle mobility can also affect:
✔ Squat depth and mechanics
✔ Running form and gait efficiency
✔ Balance and shock absorption
🔹 Test your ankle mobility with a simple knee-to-wall test—if your knee can’t move past your toes without your heel lifting, it’s time to incorporate ankle mobility exercises.
🔹 Include calf stretches, dorsiflexion drills, and ankle rotations in your warm-up routine.
🔹 Consider using resistance bands or mobility tools to release tension and improve flexibility.
When your ankles move properly, your entire kinetic chain benefits—including your pelvic floor.
3. Optimize Hip Mobility and Control
Your hips and pelvic floor work together to provide stability, power, and mobility during athletic movements.
When hip mobility is restricted, compensatory movement patterns take over, which can lead to:
❌ Low back pain
❌ Knee instability
❌ Pelvic floor tightness or dysfunction
Athletes with tight hip flexors, weak glutes, or poor movement control are at a higher risk of pelvic floor issues, including pain, incontinence, and performance limitations.
🔹 Prioritize hip mobility drills such as deep squats, lunges, and rotational movements.
🔹 Strengthen glutes, adductors, and deep core muscles to improve overall pelvic stability.
🔹 Avoid excessive sitting or over-reliance on hip flexors by incorporating dynamic warm-ups and mobility work into your routine.
By improving hip mobility and strength, you’ll enhance power, movement efficiency, and pelvic health.
4. Stop ‘Just in Case’ (JIC) Bathroom Trips
Many athletes develop the habit of going to the bathroom “just in case” before workouts, races, or training sessions.
While this might seem harmless, frequent unnecessary urination can train your bladder to send signals prematurely, leading to urgency, frequency, and even leakage.
Your bladder is designed to hold 1.5-2 cups of urine before signaling the need to empty.
If you’re using the restroom out of habit rather than necessity, your brain may start interpreting minor sensations as urgency, causing you to feel like you always need to go.
🔹 Trust your body’s natural urge signals instead of going “just in case.”
🔹 Space out bathroom trips to every 2-4 hours, unless you truly need to go.
🔹 If you’re experiencing frequent urges, leaking, or nighttime urination, a pelvic floor physical therapist can help retrain your bladder for optimal function.
A well-functioning bladder is key to athletic confidence and performance—so don’t let unnecessary habits hold you back.
5. Enhance Breathing Mechanics
Your diaphragm and pelvic floor work together as a unit—yet many athletes unknowingly disrupt this connection by breathing inefficiently.
Poor breathing patterns (such as shallow chest breathing or excessive breath-holding) can lead to:
🚫 Increased core and pelvic floor tension
🚫 Poor endurance and oxygen exchange
🚫 Inefficient core stabilization and movement control
Breathing properly can enhance movement efficiency, core control, and pelvic floor function.
🔹 Practice 360° diaphragmatic breathing, expanding your ribs outward with each inhale and gently engaging your core and pelvic floor on the exhale.
🔹 Avoid holding your breath during workouts—especially during heavy lifts or high-intensity training.
🔹 Incorporate breath-focused drills into your warm-up and recovery to improve oxygenation and performance.
By improving your breathing, you’ll not only support your pelvic floor, but also enhance endurance, strength, and recovery.
Take Control of Your Pelvic Health & Performance
Your pelvic floor is an integral part of athletic performance, movement efficiency, and overall health. Whether you’re dealing with leaks, stiffness, or poor mobility, implementing these strategies can help you move better, feel stronger, and train smarter.
At AK Pelvic Health & Wellness, we specialize in helping athletes optimize pelvic floor function, prevent injuries, and regain confidence in their movement. If you’re struggling with pain, leakage, or performance limitations, we’re here to help.
📍 Book an appointment today to take the next step in improving your movement, mobility, and pelvic health.