The 3 most common pelvic floor training mistakes

Pelvic floor training is simple – but easy to get wrong. People who see no results usually aren't training too little; they're training incorrectly. These three mistakes cost the most.

## Mistake 1: contracting the wrong muscle The classic one. Instead of the pelvic floor, many people tense the belly, glutes or thighs. It looks like effort from the outside, but the actual muscle stays untrained. Check: hand on the belly – it stays soft. Glutes and legs stay loose. The movement is small and pulls inward and upward.

## Mistake 2: only contracting, never releasing A muscle doesn't get stronger by staying under constant tension – it cramps. That's exactly what happens if you only practise the contraction and forget the release. Fully relaxing after each repetition isn't a side step; it's half the exercise. A chronically tense pelvic floor can even make symptoms worse.

## Mistake 3: too much, too soon, too impatient More is not better. An over-worked pelvic floor fatigues and tenses instead of growing. Start with a few clean repetitions and build up slowly over weeks. And plan realistically: muscles change over weeks, not days. Quitting after five days never gives the training a chance.

## In short Right muscle, clean release, patient progression. Get those three right and the training works for you. See a doctor for pain or persistent symptoms.

Sources: Dorey et al., Br J Gen Pract 2004; Pastore et al., Ther Adv Urol 2014.

_This article is for information and does not replace medical advice._