Why Constantly Engaging Your Pelvic Floor During Exercise Can Backfire
Walk into almost any fitness class, postpartum exercise program, or personal training session and you'll hear it:
"Squeeze your pelvic floor."
"Pull everything up and in."
"Don't forget your Kegels while you lift."
While these cues are often given with good intentions, constantly squeezing your pelvic floor during exercise may actually create more problems than it solves.
Let's talk about why.
Your Pelvic Floor Was Designed to Move
Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that forms the bottom of your core. Like any other muscle in your body, it needs to be able to both contract and relax.
Imagine trying to walk around with your biceps flexed all day long. Eventually they would become fatigued, tight, and less effective.
The same thing can happen when you're constantly gripping your pelvic floor.
Healthy pelvic floor function isn't about being tight—it's about being responsive.
Strength Is Not the Same as Constant Tension
Many people assume leaking, prolapse symptoms, or pelvic pain automatically mean their pelvic floor is weak.
In reality, many of the people we see at Arancia Physical Therapy have pelvic floors that are actually working too hard.
When muscles remain in a state of constant tension:
Blood flow can decrease
Coordination can suffer
Muscles may fatigue more quickly
Pressure management becomes less efficient
Pain and urgency symptoms can increase
A muscle that never relaxes is not a strong muscle. It's an overworked muscle.
What Happens When You Lift?
During lifting, your body naturally creates pressure within the abdomen.
This pressure isn't bad.
In fact, it is a normal and necessary part of movement.
Your diaphragm, abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, and fascial system are designed to work together to manage this pressure.
When you intentionally squeeze your pelvic floor as hard as possible during every lift, you may disrupt this natural coordination.
Instead of moving as a team, the system can become rigid and less adaptable.
Breathing Matters More Than Squeezing
One of the most overlooked components of lifting is breathing.
Your diaphragm and pelvic floor move together.
As you inhale:
The diaphragm descends
The pelvic floor gently lengthens
As you exhale:
The diaphragm rises
The pelvic floor naturally recoils
This movement helps create a healthy pressure system throughout the body.
Rather than focusing on squeezing, try focusing on:
Breathing naturally
Avoiding breath-holding whenever possible
Maintaining good movement mechanics
Allowing your body to respond to the load
The Fascia Connection
At Arancia Physical Therapy, we often look beyond muscles alone.
Your pelvic floor is connected to the rest of your body through an intricate fascial network.
Restrictions in the abdomen, hips, diaphragm, low back, or even the rib cage can affect how pressure moves through the body.
If these areas aren't moving well, your pelvic floor may begin compensating by gripping or guarding.
Sometimes the solution isn't more strengthening.
Sometimes the solution is restoring mobility, improving breathing mechanics, and helping the nervous system feel safe enough to let go.
So Should You Never Engage Your Pelvic Floor?
Not exactly.
There are situations where a specific pelvic floor contraction can be helpful.
But the goal is not to squeeze all day, during every workout, or every time you pick up a grocery bag.
The goal is coordination.
A healthy pelvic floor knows when to contract, when to relax, and when to simply respond automatically to the demands placed on it.
That's real strength.
The Bottom Line
If you've been told to squeeze your pelvic floor every time you lift, it may be time to rethink that strategy.
Your body was designed to move, breathe, and manage pressure dynamically—not through constant tension.
If you're dealing with leaking, pelvic pressure, pain, urgency, or feel like you're always "holding on," your pelvic floor may need more than another set of Kegels.
It may need a different approach altogether.
At Arancia Physical Therapy, we help people uncover the root cause of their symptoms and restore the natural coordination between the pelvic floor, diaphragm, fascia, and nervous system—so they can move with confidence again.
If any of this speaks to you, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Schedule a Discovery Visit with us today!