The Muscle No One Talks About

You’re wise to the fact that you can’t nail a bench press PB without strengthening your pecs, tris and delts. You know an inflamed IT band can call time on your 10km training.

But the gaggle of muscles that make up your pelvic floor? Perennial underdogs. Sit tight, it’s time to engage

- Jennie Agg

The old adage “out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t just bode badly for the baby marrows growing mould at the back of your fridge. It’s also the reason why you and too many others are paying so little attention to your pelvic floor – the muscles that sit in a crisscross to line the base of your pelvis, exist largely under the radar and rarely get a mention outside of antenatal classes or incontinence ads.

Forever considered in tandem with tried-and-trusted Kegel exercises and embarrassing wee scenarios, your pelvic floor goes beyond incontinence and is without doubt one of the most important muscle groups you’re not training. Keep your mind open, and your pelvic floor contracted, while we tell you all you need to know.

Anatomy Lesson

Your pelvic floor is a hammockshaped complex of muscles, a bit like a trampoline, that can change shape depending on how much pressure is on it. “It spans from the coccyx at the base of the spine to the pubic bone at the front, filling the bottom of the pelvis,” says pelvic-floor physiotherapist Katie Mann. These muscles have three important functions. “The first is for support,” says Mann. “It has to hold up the pelvic organs – such as the uterus, bladder and bowel – as you walk around. The second is a sphincter effect, helping to keep the bladder and bowel closed until you choose to go to the loo. The third is for sex – if it’s too weak, that can lead to loss of sensation and poor orgasmic response.”

WHAT ABOUT HIS?