Ever heard of vaginal weightlifting? Yes, it exists, and it could be the best way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles & fix pelvic floor dysfunction!

Pregnancy is a special journey that ends with a wonderful gift – your baby! Your life changes forever as you hold your little one in your arms, excited for the journey ahead.

However, pregnancy and childbirth also bring with them some unpleasant ‘gifts’, the most common (and most unpleasant) of which is incontinence, also known as Stress Urinary Incontinence or SUI.

If you tend to leak a little urine when you sneeze, cough or laugh too hard, it’s likely you have an incontinence problem, which is a result of weak pelvic floor muscles. Don’t worry, this is a common problem, and there are solutions! But first, let’s try to understand a little more about the pelvic floor.

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is a term that collectively refers to the group of muscles at the bottom of your pelvis, lying at the base of your pelvic organs like the uterus, bladder and rectum. The main muscle lies near the openings of the vagina and urethra, which means that it plays a rule in urine flow.

During pregnancy, the extra weight puts a strain on the pelvic floor and a vaginal delivery puts a lot of extra stress on these muscles. As a result, the pelvic floor muscles are weak, and unable to hold in the urine completely, leaving you with dripping or leaking urine. Besides urinary incontinence, a weak pelvic floor can also cause stool or gas incontinence, uncomfortable sex and pelvic organ prolapse.

But this doesn’t have to be your life – pelvic floor muscles can be strengthened, just like any other muscle in your body. First, we need to identify these muscles, and there are two ways to do it:

1. When you’re on the toilet to pee, try stopping the flow of urine. The muscles you use for this are the pelvic floor muscles. Please do this only to identify the muscles – constantly stopping urine can lead to infection.
2. Insert a finger into your vagina and squeeze the vaginal muscles till you feel pressure around your finger. The muscles engaged here are the ones you need to focus on.

Now that we know the importance of strengthening the pelvic floor, let’s move on to one of the latest techniques for the purpose – Vaginal Weightlifting!

Vaginal Weightlifting for Pelvic Floor Strength

Vaginal weightlifting is exactly what it sounds like – you ‘lift’ some weight with your vaginal muscles! This is an exercise for pelvic floor muscles that was started by Kim Anami, a sex and relationship coach who became famous with the hashtag #thingsiliftwithmyvagina.

So what does vaginal weightlifting look like? The process involves inserting an object with a string into your vagina, letting the string hang out. You can attach a weight to the string or let it loose, and then use your pelvic floor muscles to contract and hold the object in the vagina in place.

Vaginal Weights

Vaginal weights are small objects that are inserted into the vagina to help with vaginal weightlifting or other exercises like Kegels. They are usually made of plastic or silicone and come in different weights.

The current Guinness World Record holder in vaginal weightlifting is Tatyana Kozhevnikova, for lifting a massive 14 kg with her vaginal muscles! But we’re not doing that – at least not just yet. As a beginner, you can start with basic vaginal weights like these.

1. Jade Eggs

Jade eggs are also known as yoni eggs and are a kind of vaginal weight. These eggs are also available in rose quartz and come in sets of different weights.

The benefits of using jade eggs are that the shape makes them easy to slide in, and some suggest that the jade can have healing benefits like controlling hormones and regulating menstruation.

On the other hand, some doctors fear that since jade is a porous material, it can trap bacteria and can be difficult to clean, which could lead to infections like bacterial vaginosis.

How to do Vaginal Weightlifting

1. Empty your bladder and if necessary, your bowels
2. Choose the lightest weight in your set
3. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water
4. Wash your weight with soap and water, rinsing well to get rid of all the residue
5. Apply a small amount of silicone-free lubricant on your weight to make it easier to insert
6. Either lie on your back with one leg lifted or stand with one leg on a chair
7. Insert the weight so that the string hangs outside the vagina after inserting
8. Once it’s inside, squeeze your pelvic floor muscles to hold it in place
9. Stand up with both feet on the ground and see if you can support the weight. If it’s too easy, move on to the next weight and so on till you reach a weight that can be supported but is a little challenging
10. Decide whether you want to do the exercise standing or lying on your side
11. When ready, lift your pelvic floor muscles and squeeze the weight for 5 seconds, then relax for 5 seconds
12. Continue the contraction and relaxation till you’re done – do not contract or relax for more than 5 seconds
13. When done, relax your muscles and pull out the weight slowly by pulling at the string till it slips out
14. Wash your weight well with soap and water or follow the care instructions on the pack

Start your practice with 3 sets of 12 repetitions each, twice a day, 3 times a week. Once your weight gets too easy, gradually increase your weight. After you’ve gone through all the weights in your set, you can start adding objects to the end of your string. Again, start slow, with something very light like a flower. You can also walk around or do some squats while holding the weight.

Precautions for Vaginal Weightlifting

It is important to know that while vaginal weightlifting is relatively safe, it can be uncomfortable at the start, and risks include tearing and pain. Here are some things to consider when starting out with this exercise:

• Talk to your doctor before starting vaginal weightlifting, and get the green signal from her first
• Avoid vaginal weightlifting if you have extreme vaginal dryness, infection or pain in the pelvis
• Vaginal weightlifting should not be done by pregnant women or women right after childbirth or any gynecological surgery
• When the object is inside your vagina, never contract or relax for more than 5 seconds or it could lead to pelvic floor issues

Other Ways to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor Muscles

1. Kegels

Ah, the classic! Kegels are a great way to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, provided you do them right. Here’s a step-by-step guide to performing the exercise:

1. Sit or lie down comfortably.
2. Imagine you’re trying to stop the flow of urine, so you can identify your pelvic floor muscles
3. Once you’ve found the muscles, squeeze them so you feel like you’re ‘lifting’ them
4. Hold for 5 seconds, release and relax for 5 seconds
5. Repeat 10-15 times for one set, and do 3 sets in one session

You can do two sessions per day, every day. When contracting, ensure you’re not squeezing the muscles in your buttocks, thighs or abdomen.

2. Pelvic Tilts

If Kegels are too confusing for you, a good alternative is to try pelvic tilts. Along with strengthening your pelvic floor, these are also great for your lower back and abs. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
2. Gently push your lower back into the floor by tightening your core muscles  
3. Hold for a few seconds, and release  
4. Repeat this 10-15 times per set, and aim for 3 sets, gradually increasing as it gets easier

3. Bridge Pose

The bridge pose is a great way to target multiple muscle groups in one go – the core, glute and of course, the pelvic floor. Here’s how to do it properly:

1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
2. Keep your heels as close to your buttocks as possible, and hip-width apart
3. Place your arms at your sides, palms facing down  
4. Inhale and lift your hips high, engaging your pelvic floor muscles and without overextending your back
5. Hold for 10-15 seconds while breathing normally
6. Exhale as you slowly lower your hips back to the floor
7. Repeat 10-15 times

4. Wall Squats

Wall squats are great for the lower body as a whole, and for the pelvic floor in particular. Adding a ball helps focus on a specific group of muscles. You can do ball squats two ways – with a large Swiss ball, or a small weighted ball.

Here’s how to do it with the large ball:

1. Place the ball between the wall and your lower back
2. Walk your feet out, and keep them hip-width apart
3. Lower your body into a squat till your knees are at 90 degrees, pushing the ball back so it doesn’t fall
4. Hold and do a Kegel, drawing your abs in
5. Keeping your weight on your heels, straighten your legs to return to starting position
6. Start with 5 repetitions and move on to 10 or 15

Here’s how to do a ball squat with a smaller ball:

1. Stand with your hips and shoulders touching a wall and a ball in your hands
2. Keep your feet hip-width apart and maintain a straight line from your head to your hips
3. If there is a large gap between your lower back and the wall, fill the gap with a rolled-up towel
4. Move your feet forward 6-12 inches and stretch out your arms so they’re parallel to the ground
5. Keeping your back in contact with the wall, slide down into a squat till your knees are at 90 degrees
6. Hold for 5 seconds and do a Kegel, drawing your abs in
7. Pushing your heels into the floor, straighten your legs and slide back up
8. Start with 5 repetitions and move on to 10 or 15

5. Yoga

Yoga is a gentle way to strengthen your pelvic floor while easing any pain and discomfort. Here are a few yoga poses that are great for pelvic floor muscles:

• Wide-Legged Squat or Garland Pose (Malasana)
• Wide-legged Standing Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)
• Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
• Cat Pose (Marjaryasana) and Cow Pose (Bitilasana)

If you can’t get into the poses completely, take it easy and follow your body’s cues. Use a pillow, blanket, yoga block or other aids to help you gently ease into the pose till you’re ready to take it further.

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 Prerna is the founder, editor and owner of ‘Maa of All Blogs’, one of India’s Top Parenting Blogs. Besides being a certified Ashtanga Yoga instructor, she is also a fashion designer and economics graduate.

When she’s not busy running her home and business, she ensures she stays active – whether it’s running the half marathon, completing the Oxfam walk or climbing to the Everest base camp. Prerna enjoys wearing all her hats, and she does so in style!

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