Pelvic floor and weightlifting
What you need to know about your Pelvic floor and CompetiTve weightlifting
If you can relate to being a powerlifter and wondering if leakage is something you have to deal with or annoyed by leakage distracting you on the Olympic weightlifting platform, you are not alone!
This blog will help you understand how pelvic floor issues show up for barbell athletes and what you can do to improve your performance and health.
In a recent study of national-level power lifters and Olympic weightlifters, accidental bladder leaks were reported by 41.7% of the women and 87.8% reported a negative influence on sport performance.
Get this - 80% of female lifters reported anal incontinence…but before you panic, let's talk about what that number actually means.
In the studies reviewing self reported data on anal incontinence included gas, liquid stool, and solid stool leakage—and gas incontinence was the most commonly reported symptom.
Furthermore in a study of national-level powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters, nearly half of female lifters and three-quarters of male lifters didn't know WHY or HOW to train their pelvic floor—and many said they would seek help if they knew how.
The problem is there is a gap in understanding the role of pelvic floor muscle training in an athlete’s training regimen, particularly when an athlete’s physiology is influenced by cycles and environmental factors.
Additionally, the pelvic floor is not only about muscle strength, but the muscles ability to react to impact, relax, endurance, and generate power within a whole system of the spine, thorax, pelvis, and hips.
This matters because while many athletes are strong on the outside, many are suffering on the inside from the cost of pelvic floor challenges
leakage that distracts
prolapse that worries
painful sex
chronic back & hip pain that takes up precious energy
Pelvic floor dysfunction is also why almost 50% of women will stop exercising the way they love or limit how they exercise.
This exactly why at Radiance PT, I don't just look at "the pelvic floor" in isolation with my athletes.
The pelvic floor is one piece of a much bigger picture.
Weightlifting, Your Pelvic Floor, and Bladder Leaks
Many women have been led to be that leakage is just part of life and sport, but the truth is leakage is a signal that the body is communicating for attention not a verdict.
Here is the thing- These aren’t just inconveniences.
They’re moments that pull you out of your body and out of the life you want to be living. When you’re constantly modifying at the gym or holding back on your performance because of fear or embarrassment, something that should feel joyful starts to feel like a source of anxiety.
Here’s the good news: sport can expose vulnerable areas of your capacity, but it’s possible to improve that capacity so your body can handle more of the demands of sport.
In other words, when the demand on your pelvic floor exceeds the current capacity, leakage will occur.
This matters because no 2 pelvic floor are like an understanding the variable factors influencing capacity like these examples can guide personalized
Pelvic floor muscle health
Hormone health
How will you nourish and fuel your body
Birth injury
Intraabdomnial pressure management
Recovery strategies
What to expect during a Pelvic floor assessment if you are a weightlifter or powerlifter
Your story first: a detailed history of your past injuries, symptoms, and medical factors that may be contributing.
Whole‑Body Assessment: a thorough look at the way your body works together—feet, hips, and pelvic floor—so you can understand what symptoms like pelvic heaviness, pelvic pain, bladder leaks, and urgency are actually telling you. That back injury or ankle issue you have been brushing off? All of that matters!
To assess the pelvic floor itself, this is similar to a gyno exam where you are in private treatment room, but the biggest difference is that as a pelvic floor therapist I check the performance of the pelvic floor muscles
Endurance, Coordination
Speed, Power
Flexibility
And most importantly- we put the findings together to curate your treatment plan
Your pelvic floor also gets tested standing especially if this is the area where you are having leakage or prolapse symptoms.
For folks who are an appropriate candidate for a pessary, a pessary fitting service is available at Radiance PT so that we can find a right fit for you!
3. We wrap up your consultation with clear next steps: we map out a plan based on your goal—whether that’s deadlifting without distracting leakage or PR your snatch without worrying about leaking at the bottom of your overhead squat.
The Radiance PT office has a treadmill, squat rack, barbells, and boxes to jump - yes that's right– everything a barbell athlete and weightlifter needs so that you feel confident exercising without pelvic floor issues like leakage slowing you down..
Be empowered by taking action and get clarity about about your Pelvic floor and CompetiTive weightlifting
If you've ever felt like a symptom or a season of your life was dismissed because you "looked fine," I want you to know: there's a name for what you're navigating, there are treatments available, and part of the work I do helps athletes just like you work through it and this is exactly what the Embodied Athlete Consultation is for!
Are you in the Durham, Raleigh, or Chapel Hill area and looking for a pelvic floor physical therapist to help you maintain a high level of athleticism?