The Pelvic Floor Guide to Mastering Deadlifts: Dos and Don'ts You Need to Know

You might have seen a competitive or recreational weightlifter at your gym or even on social media, and maybe you yourself are a weightlifter. I personally fell in love with weightlifting when I was younger, especially deadlifting, and have been a recreational weightlifter for many years throughout high school, college, and beyond. Weightlifting is a great way to get in shape and build some muscle – when done properly!

Have you ever noticed a weightlifter turning bright red when they’re attempting to pull a large amount of weight? This is mostly because weightlifters are told to hold their breath when lifting to increase the pressure in their abdomen in order to protect themselves from a back injury. This idea of breath holding when lifting heavy is due to the spinal stability it provides, which sounds like a great thing – no one wants to sustain an injury, especially not a back injury! For all the years I was weightlifting prior to obtaining my knowledge about the pelvic floor, I was holding my breath with every single repetition – and even that didn’t always prevent my back from injury. I had practiced bad biomechanics and breathing patterns for years, and not once did someone tell me that what I was doing was putting an incredible amount of stress on my pelvic floor!

Essentially, when you hold your breath to lift, all of that pressure you’ve created to stabilize your spine is also forced downwards through the pelvic floor. This can cause weakness in your pelvic muscles, leading to leakage and/or pelvic organ prolapse. Pelvic floor dysfunction is not specific to women, although there are many risk factors that can precipitate dysfunction, such as pregnancy and childbirth. However, you do not have to have birthed a baby to have pelvic floor dysfunction. Let me say that again:

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE BIRTHED A BABY TO HAVE PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION!

Many activities, in addition to weightlifting, can lead to pelvic floor problems, especially if they’ve been done improperly. If you are someone that has been experiencing any type of pelvic floor dysfunction due to improper weightlifting or any other activity, we are here and able to get you back to your goals without causing strain on your pelvic floor.

Just remember, absolutely anyone can have a pelvic floor issue since absolutely everyone has a pelvic floor.

written by Regina Saxon - August 2022