Pelvic Floor Training For Athletes
Athletes train hard. But too often, one essential muscle group gets overlooked: the pelvic floor. Whether you're running marathons, lifting heavy, or just trying to stay active, your pelvic floor is foundational to your performance, recovery, and long-term health. If you’ve ever asked yourself why is pelvic floor health important, the answer lies in its role as the base of your core—supporting stability, movement, and overall function.
This blog breaks down the why and how of pelvic floor training for athletes, so you can move better, feel stronger, and stay injury-free from the inside out.
Do Athletes Need Pelvic Floor Training?
Yes - every athlete can benefit from pelvic floor muscle training. Your pelvic floor is part of your deep core system, working alongside your diaphragm, abdominals, and spine stabilizers. It helps manage pressure, supports your organs, and plays a key role in everything from jumping and squatting to controlling your bladder on a long run. So when we say pelvic floor training - we also mean WHOLE body training because it works in a system.
Still, pelvic floor dysfunction is surprisingly common in active populations - especially in:
Runners
CrossFit athletes
Gymnasts and dancers
Weightlifters
Postpartum athletes returning to sport
Ignoring the pelvic floor can lead to symptoms like leaking, pressure, back pain, or core instability - all of which can sideline your training goals. But with the right approach, pelvic floor training can be a game-changer.
Benefits of Pelvic Floor Training for Athletes
Enhanced Core Strength and Stability
Pelvic floor muscles act as the base of your core. When they work in coordination with your breath and abdominal wall, they help stabilize your spine and pelvis during dynamic movement. That means better power transfer, safer lifts, and improved movement efficiency.
Improved Breathing and Endurance
Your pelvic floor and diaphragm move together with every breath. Learning to coordinate them helps you optimize breathing patterns, improve endurance, and avoid breath-holding that leads to poor pressure management or fatigue during workouts.
Better Bladder and Bowel Control
Athletes shouldn’t have to choose between personal bests and bladder control. If you leak urine during double-unders, deadlifts, or long runs, you're not alone. It’s also not normal. An individualized assessment with a pelvic floor therapist can improve coordination and pressure control, helping you stay dry and focused.
Injury Prevention and Faster Recovery
When the pelvic floor is weak, overactive, or uncoordinated, other muscle groups often compensate, increasing the risk of hip, back, or core injuries. Pelvic floor therapy is all about finding balance in your body. Proper training supports optimal alignment and pressure distribution, helping you recover faster and stay injury-free.
Support For Postpartum Athletes
Returning to sport postpartum is not just about clearance at six weeks - in fact, six weeks is just the bare minimum for superficial tissue healing. The connective tissue, and core & pelvic floor muscles actually need the better part of a year to return to a pre-pregnancy state. Training your core and pelvic floor intentionally and gradually with a specialist who understands the postpartum body helps prevent issues like prolapse, incontinence, or core weakness down the road.
Who Can Benefit From Pelvic Floor Exercises?
Short answer: almost everyone. More specifically, pelvic floor training is helpful for:
Lifters & CrossFit athletes who brace heavily or experience leaking
Runners dealing with urgency, leakage, or pelvic pressure
Dancers, gymnasts, and yogis who rely on mobility and control
Postpartum athletes returning to impact or sport
Weekend warriors or recreational athletes training for races or competitions
Pregnant athletes wanting to train safely and prepare for labor
Men and women with core, hip or back injuries that never seem to fully resolve
How to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor as an Athlete
Strengthening your pelvic floor isn’t about doing endless kegels or squeezing during every lift. In fact, we often see that approach leads to MORE problems. It’s actually about building coordination, mobility, and balanced strength through your whole core and hips - starting with the basics.
Start With Awareness and Breath
Your pelvic floor works with your breath. On an inhale, it lengthens. On an exhale, it gently recoils. Before jumping into any kind of training, learn to tune in:
-Can you feel your breath move through your ribs, belly, and pelvis?
-Can you feel your pelvic floor relax on the inhale and lift slightly on the exhale, without gripping?
-Can you soften your belly and pelvic floor without holding tension?
-This foundation is key for pressure management, injury prevention, and true core strength.
Mobilize Your Hips
Healthy hips support a healthy pelvic floor. Restrictions in hip movement, especially tightness in the front, inner thighs, or deep rotators, can lead to compensation and dysfunction in the pelvic floor. Try adding these hip mobility exercises into your warm-up or cooldown:
-90/90 hip rotations for internal/external rotation
-Deep squat holds (with heels supported if needed)
-Pigeon pose or figure-4 stretch
-Lateral lunges with a pause at end range
-Focus on moving through full ranges of motion with control, not force
Build Strength in Balance
Pelvic floor function is deeply connected to surrounding muscles, especially the core, adductors, internal rotators, and glutes. These often-overlooked groups are essential for pelvic stability and load transfer, but they need both length and strength to do their job well. Incorporate exercises that challenge these muscle groups:
-Hip hikes or banded lateral walks for glute med
-Adductor bridges or Copenhagen planks for inner thigh strength
-Internal rotation lifts or resisted IR with a band for deep rotators
And remember, being strong isn’t just about activation. It’s about control through your full range.
Don’t Skip the Release Work
Tension in the pelvic floor can be just as problematic as weakness. Recovery work isn’t optional - it’s essential. Incorporate regular tension release through:
-Breathwork and nervous system downregulation (think 4-7-8 breathing or extended exhales)
-Foam rolling or massage ball work for hips, adductors, and glutes
-Mobility flows like deep lunges, cat-cow, or spinal twists
-Stretching focused on hip flexors, pelvic floor, and inner thighs
Creating space in your tissues improves circulation, range of motion, and your body’s ability to respond rather than brace under load.
Every athlete is different, and pelvic floor issues are not one-size-fits-all. A specialist can assess your movement, breath mechanics, strength, and symptoms, and tailor a plan that fits your training style and goals.
Pelvic Floor Training for Peak Performance
Whether you're trying to hit a new PR, get back into your sport after baby, or simply move through your daily life with confidence and strength, pelvic floor training can be a missing link in your performance. At OWN Your Pelvic Health, our team specializes in working with active individuals and athletes. We go beyond basic kegels to give you:
Functional assessments tailored to your sport or movement goals
Breath and core coordination drills
Return-to-run and return-to-lifting protocols
Support through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond
We understand training. We understand performance. And we understand pelvic health. You don’t have to choose between athletic goals and pelvic floor wellness - you can have both.
Your pelvic floor is part of your power system. If you’re dealing with leaks, core instability, pressure, or pain—or just want to optimize your performance—it’s time to train differently.
At OWN Your Pelvic Health, we specialize in pelvic floor therapy for athletes. Whether you’re lifting heavy, running long, or getting back into your sport postpartum, we’ll help you build strength, function, and confidence from the inside out.
Stop guessing. Start training with purpose.
Schedule a discovery call to learn more.