And your PF is attempting to do the job of a much larger, more capable, and much more mechanically advantaged muscle. That would be your glutes. I'm sure this has been talked about in the past, but it's nice to bring it up as more knowledge becomes available.
You can start by Googling:
"Everything I Know About Pelvic Floor Health" by Kara Douglass Thom
Women have been working on their pelvic floor issues for years, but it's an afterthought to men. Only until it becomes a problem or it is pointed out to them, does it become visible. Luckily for us, the musculature is very similar so we can glean some information from our female counterparts.
This is a MEN's sexual health forum, so it only makes sense to filter that info for our needs, which is the point of this thread.
The Pelvic Floor needs to be stretched AND strong.
We are already aware of this through the numerous K and RK balance threads posted throughout the forum. PFD (pelvic floor disorder) is "first caused by slack in the pelvic floor due to the fact that the sacrum is moving anterior, into the bowl of the pelvis. Because the PF muscles attach from the coccyx to the pubic bone, the closer these bony attachments get, the more slack in the PF (the PF becomes a hammock)." A loose muscle is one that cannot generate force. It is "weak."
So we do kegels to strengthen it, right? No. "A kegel attempts to strengthen the PF, but it really only continues to pull the sacrum inward promoting even more weakness, and more PF gripping. The muscles that balance out the anterior pull on the sacrum are the glutes."
But don't the RKs loosen your PF? I don't believe so. From what I am interpreting, RK's allow the glutes to do their job easier actually tightening the PF muscles by pulling the sacrum back. This tightening allows for a harder kegel contraction. Hindi squats are great building glute muscles, and opening up the hips is something I believe is a secondary benefit. "The squat is the most effective and natural glute strengthener--using the full range of motion and your body weight. It is entirely more effective than any gym machine or contrived exercise."
She also goes on to say something about pelvic alignment...
In a well-aligned muscle-balanced body, Kegels would not be necessary
I agree with this statement, somewhat. I don't believe 400+ kegels a day are necessary as much as 100 pushups a day are necessary. She is saying that "spot training" a problem area isn't the best method. If you lift weights, you know the difference between a compound exercise (recruiting a lot of muscle groups) and an isolation exercise (recruiting usually a single muscle). That is what this conversation revolves around. You don't need to do leg curls if you can already squat 400 lbs. Your body adapts holistically to the compound exercise. The heavy squatter will be able to leg curl more weight, but the heavy leg curler will not be able to squat because the body works as an entire system, not individual components. You should still do kegels, just make sure the bigger things are taken care of first like posterior strength, posture, etc.
Just my 2c
You can start by Googling:
"Everything I Know About Pelvic Floor Health" by Kara Douglass Thom
Women have been working on their pelvic floor issues for years, but it's an afterthought to men. Only until it becomes a problem or it is pointed out to them, does it become visible. Luckily for us, the musculature is very similar so we can glean some information from our female counterparts.
This is a MEN's sexual health forum, so it only makes sense to filter that info for our needs, which is the point of this thread.
The Pelvic Floor needs to be stretched AND strong.
We are already aware of this through the numerous K and RK balance threads posted throughout the forum. PFD (pelvic floor disorder) is "first caused by slack in the pelvic floor due to the fact that the sacrum is moving anterior, into the bowl of the pelvis. Because the PF muscles attach from the coccyx to the pubic bone, the closer these bony attachments get, the more slack in the PF (the PF becomes a hammock)." A loose muscle is one that cannot generate force. It is "weak."
So we do kegels to strengthen it, right? No. "A kegel attempts to strengthen the PF, but it really only continues to pull the sacrum inward promoting even more weakness, and more PF gripping. The muscles that balance out the anterior pull on the sacrum are the glutes."
But don't the RKs loosen your PF? I don't believe so. From what I am interpreting, RK's allow the glutes to do their job easier actually tightening the PF muscles by pulling the sacrum back. This tightening allows for a harder kegel contraction. Hindi squats are great building glute muscles, and opening up the hips is something I believe is a secondary benefit. "The squat is the most effective and natural glute strengthener--using the full range of motion and your body weight. It is entirely more effective than any gym machine or contrived exercise."
She also goes on to say something about pelvic alignment...
In a well-aligned muscle-balanced body, Kegels would not be necessary
I agree with this statement, somewhat. I don't believe 400+ kegels a day are necessary as much as 100 pushups a day are necessary. She is saying that "spot training" a problem area isn't the best method. If you lift weights, you know the difference between a compound exercise (recruiting a lot of muscle groups) and an isolation exercise (recruiting usually a single muscle). That is what this conversation revolves around. You don't need to do leg curls if you can already squat 400 lbs. Your body adapts holistically to the compound exercise. The heavy squatter will be able to leg curl more weight, but the heavy leg curler will not be able to squat because the body works as an entire system, not individual components. You should still do kegels, just make sure the bigger things are taken care of first like posterior strength, posture, etc.
Just my 2c
Comment