How to do pelvic floor exercises correctly.
It is important to find the right muscles. Studies have shown that 30 % of all women trying to train their pelvic floor muscles are doing so incorrectly. Common errors include contracting the buttocks instead of the pelvic floor muscles, holding one’s breath, and pushing downwards rather than squeezing and lifting. Differentiating between the muscles of the buttock, abdomen and the pelvic floor: often, and especially when starting out, the buttock muscles are also contracted when training.
Recognising the difference between the muscles.
To recognise the difference between the muscles of the buttocks and those of the pelvic floor, sit on a hard chair and lean forward slightly. Now strongly contract all the muscles around your genital area: when you contract the muscles, you will feel a light upward movement of the body, followed by a downward movement when you relax: this shows that you are using the buttock muscles. Now try contracting the muscles in your genital area without causing the upward and downward motion just described. With time, you will become ever better at differentiating between the different muscle groups. Many people have little awareness of this area of muscle. Important is initially to and and feel the muscles in your pelvic floor. The great advantage of pelvic floor balls is the improved perception of the correct muscles.
And before you begin, think about the proper way to breathe: Exhale when contracting the pelvic floor! Inhale when relaxing the pelvic floor! The following test should be helpful for this. When urinating, try to stop the low mid-stream. Feel, which muscles you, are employing for this. This is the muscle group you need to train. Be aware that this is just a test for finding the right muscles. You should not interrupt the flow of urine doing urination.
When you contract the pelvic floor muscle correctly, you will feel pressure and a slight upward motion extending from underneath the pelvis to the inside of the body, around the vagina and anus. Other body parts should not move at this point (e.g. the buttocks or the inner thighs). Continue breathing steadily.
Tension and relaxation – alternation brings success!
It is only the alternation between contraction and relaxation that creates the actual training effect. During each exercise, ensure that you contract the muscles as strongly as possible, and maintain the tension for approximately 6–8 seconds. Breathe normally whilst doing so, and do not tense the stomach muscles.
So What Does Research Have To Say?
Researching women’s health and the muscles of the pelvic floor, studies have found that weakened pelvic muscles can be retrained and strengthened through the use of weighted vaginal balls. When inserted into the vagina, weighted balls activate the surrounding pelvic muscles. The silicone ball’s internal weights create random movements of direction that stimulate and strengthen the pelvic muscles. Weighted vaginal balls like MEDIballs Secret strengthen pelvic muscles (like the sphincter that surrounds the urethra and the detrusor located near the bladder), which can decrease the symptoms of incontinence. In relation to sexual dysfunction, research found that as weighted vaginal balls improved muscle tone and circulation, the muscle became tighter and thus more flexible during intercourse.