Is Your Pelvic Floor Letting You Down During Jumps? Here’s What the Research—and Real Life—Is Telling Us
Why strength isn’t enough, and what to do when you’re leaking despite doing all the “right” things.
A deflating marshmallow. A slow leak. A gradual let down.
That’s how I describe it to patients when I feel that subtle delay in pelvic floor relaxation after a contraction.
It’s not dramatic. It’s not even obvious at first. But it’s that moment when your body should be resetting… and it doesn’t.
Sometimes I even squeeze a patient’s finger like how I feel their pelvic floor… so they can feel what I’m feeling. That solid lift? Great. But then comes the slow fade—like the muscle just can’t quite let go.
I see the same thing on Real Time Ultrasound Imaging. We’ll watch the pelvic floor lift and support the bladder beautifully during contraction… and then wait, and wait, for it to return to baseline. It’s like watching molasses drip uphill.
And yes—it matters.
Because a pelvic floor that doesn’t relax can be just as problematic as one that doesn’t contract.
Why the Words, the Imagery, the Analogy?
Because this stuff is hard to feel, let alone understand.
We’re not working with muscles you can see in the mirror. No one’s flexing their pelvic floor at the gym between sets of squats. It’s internal, invisible, and for many women? Mysterious.
So we use what we’ve got: touch, proprioception, visuals, and lots of metaphors. And once we see how the pelvic floor responds during impact—thanks to real-time ultrasound or EMG studies—we realize just how much timing, coordination, and relaxation matter.
So What’s Actually Going On in the Research?
We’ve got a growing pile of data now—some of it finally starting to clarify the blurry picture of pelvic floor function during movement.
📚 Systematic reviews (like Moser 2018 and Leitner 2015) tell us that PFM activity ramps up during jumping, coughing, running—but women with incontinence tend to show delayed activation. In other words, they miss the timing window when reflexive support is needed most.
🔬 Exploratory studies (like Leitner 2019 and Moser 2019) dig deeper and show that even when strength and speed of contraction are similar between continent and incontinent women, it’s the relaxation phase that’s slower in those who leak.
Let that sink in:
➡️ The issue isn’t just about strength (which is what so much of the research & our clinical approach has focused on in the past)
➡️ It’s also about how quickly and efficiently the pelvic floor can let go.
What Does That Mean for the Mom Leaking: What about Jumping Rope?
Here’s how I take this science and bring it into real life for my clients:
1. Train for Reflexive Control, Not Just Voluntary Strength
If you’re only doing isolated Kegels in supine and hoping that translates to staying dry while jumping rope, we’re missing the boat.
The pelvic floor needs to respond automatically—like a reflex—to things like foot strike, breath pressure, arm swing. That means we need to build reflexive strategies through movement. Think overhead presses, resisted breathing, rapid arm swings, jump prep drills.
Start slow. Build patterns. Then layer in intensity.
2. Assess and Train Relaxation—Not Just Contraction
This one is so overlooked.
Yes, you can squeeze. But can you release just as effectively?
In the studies, women with incontinence had a harder time letting go after contracting. That means your pelvic floor might be “stuck on” and never resetting, which affects how it reacts to the next impact.
Teach the let go. Use exhalation. Visualize melting, dropping, opening. Add in gentle down-training after activation sets. Relaxation is a skill, and you can train it.
3. Use Fast Voluntary Contractions (FVCs)
We need to train quickness, not just endurance.
Fast voluntary contractions (FVCs)—as studied by Leitner—show us that the pelvic floor can respond quickly when trained to do so.
Start with 3 sets of 6 lifts to build power, then rest. Start slow to make sure you’re getting the relaxation. Build from there to get to those rapid contractions. You’re targeting the fast-twitch fibers needed for sudden impact (like a jump rope landing).
Power first. Endurance second.
Not the other way around.
4. Cue Anticipatory Engagement
Your pelvic floor is designed to increase activity and displacement just before impact. Use that knowledge to cue more effectively.
Instead of “squeeze and jump,” try:
🔹 “Visualize lift before you land.”
🔹 “Eyes up, breathe out, land softly.”
Teach the anticipation, not just the reaction.
5. Be Wary of Overtraining with Load Alone
Jumping is a big ask and task. Your pelvic floor doesn’t always have the capacity to respond to that much force—especially repetitively.
Moser’s 2019 study showed that even with high muscle activity (404% MVC!), women still had pelvic floor descent. We’re not trying to prevent something that happens normally.
So if someone’s leaking during box jumps?
Don’t just keep jumping. Step it back. Rebuild timing and control first.
6. Use Whole-Body Coordination Cues—Especially During Impact
Your pelvic floor doesn’t work in a vacuum—it’s part of a team effort every time your foot hits the ground.
When we jump, it’s not just about what’s happening down there—it’s breath, core, glutes, arms, feet… all syncing up to manage force and timing. Your pelvic floor is reacting to the entire chain.
So instead of barking “squeeze your pelvic floor,” try cues that reflect real-life movement:
🌀 “Exhale and think “lift as you prep to land.”
🌀 “Eyes up, land light like a ninja.”
🌀 Feel the lift from the floor up.”
These cues help integrate breath, posture, and reflexive activation—just like your pelvic floor is designed to do.
We’re not trying to isolate the pelvic floor—we’re trying to train it in context, where it can show up and do its job when impact hits.
7. Teach Relaxation Like It’s a Skill (Because It Is)
Just like strength, relaxation takes practice. It’s not passive. It’s intentional.
Cue it. Train it. Time it.
Try contrast sets (contract-relax cycles), breath work, downtraining drills. Use ultrasound or tactile cues if needed.
If you can’t feel the difference between contraction and relaxation? Start there.
8. Match Exercises to the Timing Demands of Life
You can’t contract and hold your pelvic floor for an entire run or jump class. You need timing.
So… train timing. (REST dosing is clutch here!)
🔁 Drop-step into quick arm raise.
🔁 Reactive hops with rest between.
🔁 Rhythm-based drills with built-in recovery.
Teach the on-off switch, not just “squeeze and hope.”
9. Respect Load vs. Capacity
Just because someone is strong doesn’t mean they have the capacity to absorb repetitive impact.
Pelvic floor displacement happens even in continent women. We’re not trying to stop movement—we’re building resilience and recovery.
Adapt training based on symptoms, not ego.
10. Integrate Sensorimotor + Strength Work
Start with breath, alignment, motor control. Build up to full-body, impact-based movement.
It’s not one or the other. It’s a progression—from subtle to strong, from slow to reactive, from isolated to integrated, from power to endurance.
Final Thoughts
Pelvic floor rehab isn’t just about getting stronger—it’s about getting smarter.
It’s about learning timing, training reflexes, teaching relaxation, and layering in the right load at the right time for the right person.
And most importantly?
It’s about getting women back to doing what they love—without fear of leaking.
Leaking during workouts?
Does your return-to-impact plan actually address timing, relaxation, and reflexive function?
Message me on Instagram if you’re stuck or feeling like you’re missing something in your rehab plan. I’ll help you figure out what your pelvic floor might be trying to tell you.
References:
Leitner M, Moser H, Taeymans J, Kuhn A, Radlinger L. (2015). Pelvic floor muscle displacement during voluntary and involuntary activation in continent and incontinent women: a systematic review. Int Urogynecol J, 26(11), 1587–98.
Leitner M, Moser H, Eichelberger P, Kuhn A, Radlinger L. (2019). Pelvic floor muscle activity during fast voluntary contractions in continent and incontinent women. Neurourol Urodyn, 38(2), 625–631.
Moser H, Leitner M, Baeyens JP, Radlinger L. (2018). Pelvic floor muscle activity during impact activities in continent and incontinent women: a systematic review. Int Urogynecol J, 29(2), 179–196.
Moser H, Leitner M, Eichelberger P, Kuhn A, Baeyens JP, Radlinger L. (2019). Pelvic floor muscle displacement during jumps in continent and incontinent women: An exploratory study. Neurourol Urodyn, 38(8), 2374–2382.
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