From Core to Floor: Integrating Pelvic Floor Workouts into Triathlon Training Plans

The pelvic floor muscles lie at the base of our pelvis and function as a part of the core. They are responsible for bowel, bladder, and sexual function – relaxing (lengthening) as we urinate or have a bowel movement and contracting (shortening) as we need to stabilize ourselves. The pelvic floor muscles coordinate with our breathing as well as with the other core muscles in order to achieve optimal stability. This is why it’s important to pay attention to these muscles – from your core to your floor.

Why Do We Need Stability?

Our muscles work together to stabilize our spine and our pelvis in order to take pressure/strain off the joints and ligaments. If we are not properly stabilizing, this can lead to injury because the joints and ligaments are doing more work than they are equipped to handle. It’s also likely that other muscles will be compensating in order to help provide the stability, which can result in a strain of those muscles from overworking. When we’re performing any weight bearing activity, our stability starts in our foot and travels up the kinetic chain to our hips/pelvis. When we land, our foot and ankle joints absorb the force, then our knee joints, and up to the hip, pelvis, and spine. There are a lot of things that need to hold steady in order to effectively and efficiently absorb that force.

Why Is This Important For Triathlon?

For triathlon specifically, stability is essential for optimal performance. An increase in stability will result in an increase in efficiency. Think of when we’re swimming – if our core is not held steady/stable, we could be deviating from the center line. If that happens repetitively, this could potentially knock seconds/minutes off our swim times.

Ever feel like it’s impossible to hold the aero position for an extended period of time? Maybe some of your stability muscles need some work. Our core muscles are essential for holding steady in the aero position. The less we’re shifting around in that position, the more efficient we will be.

For the run portion, we’re accepting 3x our body weight each time we land on one foot. If our pelvic stability is lacking, that’s 3x the amount of force going straight to our pelvic ligaments and joints. Our muscles should be able to absorb that force versus the ligaments and joints taking the hit – leading to possible injury. Certain muscles are also responsible for propelling us forward, and if they’re busy compensating for the muscles that are lacking, it’ll result in less efficiency and slower times!

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How To Incorporate The Pelvic Floor Into Your Workouts: 

The easiest way to increase your pelvic floor activation for workouts would be to add to your strength or mobility routines.

Here are my top 10 pelvic floor and core/hip stability exercises to add to your workouts:

• Side bridge/plank
• Bridge with adductor ball squeeze
• Single limb deadlift
• Hip thrusts
• Bird dog
• Dead bug
• Lateral band walks
• Copenhagen adductor planks (don’t be afraid to modify because this one can be difficult)
• Pallof press
• Adductor slides

All of these exercises help promote stability throughout your hips/pelvis and spine.

Lengthening The Pelvic Floor Muscles

Sometimes your pelvic floor muscles don’t need the activation because they are actually too tight. A muscle can be dysfunctional both when it is weak and when it is tight. As mentioned in my previous article, “The Hidden Key to Injury Prevention: Pelvic Floor Exercises for Triathletes”, we want to make sure the pelvic floor muscles are fully lengthening and fully contracting. When we take a deep diaphragmatic breath (think expanding your ribcage in all directions), the muscles will fully lengthen. During the exhale, the muscles activate. Breathing this way brings our pelvic floor muscles through their full range of motion, which is one reason why it’s important to incorporate meditation/breathwork and mobility into your training.

Unsure where your pelvic floor muscles stand and what they need? Contact a pelvic floor physical therapist!

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