Tips to Avoid Peeing While you Squat
Do you leak when you squat? Does it feel heavy or uncomfortable?
Not all squats are created equal when we are rehabbing our pelvic floor.
I have a couple tips for you to help you feel strong in one of the most important functional exercises.
💫Work on your body weight squat before adding in weights.
💫Keep your ribs in line with your hips & a nice straight back.
💫Play around with your breathing - you may find it better to take an ice big inhale at the top and then exhale through the down and up of the squat. Resetting at the top. Or you may find it better to inhale on the down and exhale on the drive up. I like to exhale on the drive up to get more power, especially when lifting heavy.
💫Test out different foot positions. Your hips go through a lot in pregnancy, you may find it is more comfortable if your feet are turned out slightly vs parallel to one another.
💫Work on narrow squats and then progress outward to sumo/plié squats if you are struggling with leaking or prolapse. There is a reason we naturally clam up our legs when we have to pee. It is easier to quickly contract a muscle that is not stretched (as in the sumo squat). You may find you can build your strength better in a more narrow stance before you can with your legs out wide. It also helps for a quick pelvic floor contraction if you are doing quicker paced squats.
💫Add in tempo to your squats (speed) before you start jumping. And focus on the soft landing if you are jumping. Jump squats or plyo squats can be extra tough on a weaker or slow to contract or even overly tight pelvic floor. You can still get in a quick cardio blast by upping your tempo without needing to leave the ground.
I hope this was helpful! Let me know if there are any other exercises you are finding tougher after baby!
~Renee