Double-Unders and Peeing: The Power of the Kegel!

Double-Unders and Peeing: The Power of the Kegel!
Written by Nichole DeHart

Ladies, you know the scenario all to well: You walk into the gym, happy to be getting your workout in for the day. You walk up to the whiteboard to see what your fate holds for you and you see the dreaded words – double-unders. “Oh no!”, you think to yourself. You may be excited to work your double-unders or be happy to crank out the 100+ reps in the workout but your fear stems from something else: Double-unders and peeing in the middle of the workout! Once you get a little dribble, the flood gates open and it’s non-stop peeing! You race to the bathroom to empty your bladder before class starts but it seems to not make a difference; you still pee the minute you start jumping.

This is a very common issue with most women and peeing in a workout is not limited to just double-unders. Any bounding can cause a lack of pelvic control. This can also happen when lifting heavy and exerting so much force that one ends up peeing. Don’t feel alone if you are one of the many women (and men) who suffer from this!

Peeing during physical exertion is actually a condition called stress urinary incontinence. According to Mayo Clinic, urinary incontinence is prompted by a physical movement or activity (coughing, sneezing, running, bounding, heavy lifting) that puts stress on your bladder. Sound familiar? Not to fret, however, as there are ways to combat this condition. The key to mastering your urinary incontinence is by strengthening your pelvic floor.

Lets talk pelvic floor for a minute. First of all, your pelvic floor is very important. Your pelvic floor supports the urethra, bladder, uterus, cervix, small intestines and extends into the diaphragm. When you take a big breath to brace for your 1-RM squat, you are actually putting pressure on your pelvic floor to create stability and support to your lumbar spine. A strong pelvic floor isn’t just to help you control your bladder but it also can help with pelvic stability.

Usually, when a person pees during physical exertion, it is because their pelvic floor is weak. Many of us hit the gym everyday to improve our lifts but do we think about strengthening our pelvic floor every day? Pelvic floor strength is just as important as starting a back squat cycle to increase your back squat. You need to do work to get that pelvic floor at its ultimate potential!

And here, my friend, comes the power of the Kegel. Men, read up because the Kegel will also help you improve the strength of your pelvic floor! The great thing about Kegels is that you can do them anytime (in fact, I am doing my Kegels while writing this post)! To perfect the Kegel, follow these steps:

1 – Figure out which muscles you are trying to train. Next time you go pee (not in a workout), stop your pee mid stream. Those are the muscles you want to contract when doing your Kegels.

2 – Contract the right muscles. Try not to squeeze the glutes when you do your Kegels. Instead, focus on tightening the muscles you felt activate when you stopped your pee midstream and lift them up and inside.

3 – Relax while doing your Kegels. Breathe through them and relax the rest of your body (holding your breath, concentrating really hard, going from regular eyes to wide eyes back to regular eyes are all a dead give away that you are doing Kegels).

4 – Be consistent. Start with three sets of 10 reps and go from there. Just make sure to do them every day!

Add Kegels into your daily workout routine to improve your pelvic floor strength. As you master the Kegel, watch your habit of peeing during exercise disappear! You will also be surprised by how stabile and strong you feel when lifting. It is a win win for both men and women.

If you have a success story with mastering peeing in the middle of the workout, please share below!