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Do You Pee Your Pants When You Exercise?
Uncategorized | February 03, 2017
Full disclosure: This is an article for my women followers. And I want to be really honest with you here and talk about something that happens to so many of us who really give our workouts every ounce of oomph we have. Yep, I’m talking about peeing yourself.
Maybe it’s just a few drops or maybe it’s enough to soak through your lululemons and send you running to the restroom. Maybe it happens to you when you do wide jump squats or attempt a big jump that needs a lot of thrust, like a box jump or when we jump onto a chair or bench in the ZGYM. One of the biggest culprits for pee pants is the jump rope. Lots of women lose some urine control when they attempt double unders or even just regular jumping for a continuous amount of time.
Honestly, this isn’t a problem for me anymore. It happened a few times in the past (like a couple years ago) and only when rope jumping. I think it stopped happening because I got also a lot stronger and more flexible. Maybe it’s due to my core strength, which I really feel like I’ve increased dramatically over the last two years. But I know it’s something that plagues a lot of women. Now let’s get to the facts.
In a really great article on Thrive.com by fitness writer, Jen Sinkler, Ann Wendel, a trainer and physical therapist explains what happens when we pee during workouts and how common it is; “Leaking urine during exercise — called stress urinary incontinence, or SUI — is common, but not ‘normal’. In the U.S., the national average of women who experience incontinence is 1 in 3. A 2002 study done by Thyssen et al. surveyed 291 elite female athletes competing in a variety of sports from basketball to ballet regarding their history of urine loss during participation in their sport or day-to-day activities. A full 151 reported leakage of some kind. Of the 151, five discussed it with a medical provider, and only six got pelvic floor training. Can you imagine only 5 out of 151 athletes with an ACL tear seeking treatment? That would never happen! Incontinence is very prevalent in the athletic community, yet most women do not seek treatment because they are either embarrassed or they assume it’s normal because everyone else they know has the same issue”.
I’m also going to add that I think a lot of women don’t report pee pants to their doctor because it’s an annoying thing that doesn’t matter all that much to them. Being a woman means putting up with all sorts of little (and big!) physical inconveniences and I think we just categorize exercise pee pants as such. Sometimes when I exercise, my tights are so sweaty that I wouldn’t notice if I peed my pants or not!
So why do some women pee when they exert themselves? The article on Thrive.com goes on to say, “Incontinence is just one way of identifying a pelvic floor insufficiency. It is a signal that an imbalance in the deep core exists. The deep core is a closed-pressure system, and insufficiency in any component will impact the capacity of the whole. A female athlete may not be incontinent, but do they have any hip pain? Or low-back pain? How about osteitis pubis? Pain, joint instability and incontinence are all just signals that the system as a whole needs attention”. (If you’d like a more technical anatomical description of the body parts involved and what happens when they work improperly, check out this super detailed article from BreakingMuscle.com.)
And having a weak pelvic floor or deep core imbalance isn’t just a result from pregnancy and birth, although that can certainly be a cause. Some other culprits of incontinence are overactive or damaged pelvic floor muscles.
The Cure
Now I’m certainly no doctor and I would never presume to give medical advice. And if you have UI or SUI you should definitely see your doctor, physical therapist, or OBGYN for treatment. But if you’re curious about what exercise experts have to say on the matter, here are a few thoughts.
1. Kegels?: I put a question mark there because this is hotly debated. Some people think kegles are the cure-all for lots of vaginal issues and they believe that the strengthening of the pelvic floor will help you stop leaking urine. If you’re not familiar with kegels, they’re pelvic floor exercises you can do anytime. Read more about kegels (including how to do them) here.
2. Relax the Pelvic Floor: According to Wendel, PT, you need to learn to completely relax your pelvic floor if you want to strengthen it by creating the strongest contraction possible. Here’s a video on how to do just that.
3. Wear Flats: Wearing heels all day every day tends to make your pelvis tilt backward, which is unhelpful when trying to strengthen your pelvic floor.
4. Squat…a lot: Doing bodyweight squats where you hang out in the squatting position can lengthen the pelvic floor and help you to become more aware of your pelvic alignment. Read more on how to do a proper bodyweight extended squat in another great article from BreakingMuscle.com here.
5. Stretch: Wendel, PT, also says, “Stretch and do mobility drills for your hamstrings, calves and adductors (groin muscles). When the pelvic floor is weak, folks use the glutes and adductors to keep the bladder closed (instead of the sphincter muscle of the bladder). Many women I work with tell me that they cross their legs when they sneeze to avoid leaking urine. This conscious and subconscious gripping with the adductors can lead to tight muscles. Learn to relax the adductors and fire the pelvic floor muscles”.
So (after talking to your primary care provider) if you’re tired of hearing people tell you to do some kegels, you can try a few of the suggestions above and see if it helps. And if you feel alone in your pee pants woe, check out this fun, funny, and inspiring video about CrossFit female athletes peeing their pants.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with SUI! Does it plague you? Do you do anything to counteract it? How well does it work? Have you ever tried kegels or any of the suggestion above to keep your yoga pants dry? As always, please let me know in the comments. Your thoughts, feelings, and experiences are what makes this website so special. Thank you for sharing!
In good health,
Zuzka
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Private Member |
I had this problem after I give a birth for my second child.2years ago.I went to the gynecologist and he told me my pelvic need training. 🙂 I sold out the problem! 🙂 It was really uncomfortable for me…
Private Member |
Omg, that’s me! For me it always happens when I’m rope jumping. And it’s really bad. Just before I will start to exercise I have to go to the toilet otherwise I will have to do breaks. I thought that it’s because I have Ataxia and it makes all your muscles weak. But now I know that it’s an overall problem.
Thank you for this article Zuzka 🙂
I have also a problem wit working out in the morning. I can’t really do it because I’m feeling so weak, have no strength and getting dizzy. It’s annoying specially during the weekends when I would like to do the workout in the morning. Maybe you could give me some advise?
Private Member |
czech republic
Totally normal after giving birth. I had to do lots of exercises to strengthen my pelvic area. I did it each day several times and very soon I had no problem. It really needs your time to do exercises each time you think of it. I did not feel nervous about it, I felt so angry about 😀 cause it ruined my workouts and I was like … “noooo nooo, not now… hold on for more 100 jumps… I am done soon :D” I was so angry , I remember. It just needs patience and simply exercise , best exercise for me was acting like I need to hold my urine, tighten the area. I did it like 20 times a day 5-10 reps. It really helped soon.
Lots of luck ladies 🙂
Private Member |
Yeeeeuuuuuup! I have done it before while doing double unders. I had a baby 16 months ago – but I had peed once while jumping up on a trampoline when I was only 25 so I had this issue PRE baby too! The only thing I’ve noticed that has helped is SQUATS SQUATS SQUATS!!!
Private Member |
bulgaria
After my pregnancy I pee my pants during jump ropes. I start doing some exercises after reading a lot about, and certainly there is improvement, but still leaking … :/ Thank you for the article Zuzka, I’ll try all the suggestions and may be after month or two I’ll be happy to say “No more pee pants” 🙂 I am just wondering why it happens to all the cross-fit athletes? Aren’t they strong enough?
Private Member |
québec, canada
I do when I jump on the trampoline with my kids. 🙁
Otherwise when training I am ok, but I don’t do jump rope. I had a hard time even doing jump squats a few years ago (my youngest son is 5 now) but I progressed a lot.
Private Member |
ca, usa
I have birthed 4 children so the answer is most definitely yes!! It didn’t happen until after the 4th child. I am considering getting the surgical procedure that will correct the issue. Nothing I have tried works.
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
have you tried Mutu system? and read Katy Bowman books? the surgery will not treat the root cause and will likely come back. Also get yourself checked by a women physio…an OBGYn is not the right person.
Private Member |
ca, usa
I haven’t but will definitely check into it, thank you for the suggestions.
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
I am currently reading the diastasis recti book from katy bowman. since she has a holistic approach to whole body daily movements, then all things PF are covered there.
Private Member |
ca, usa
Thank you, I looked up the Mutu system and will check out the book!
Private Member |
bad oldesloe, schleswig holstein, germany
Which Book of Katy Bowman do you recommend?
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
I have not read them all, but did start with her blog katysays , and watched YouTb vids and would like to read “movement matters”, however I have currently “diastasis recti” which is more focused on core and PF. However since she has a holistic approach (posture, breathing, movement) all is covered.
I discovered her, because Mutu system is based on her approach.
I also discovered recently Eric Franklin book of imagery (pelvic power), if you have troubles “sensing” pelvic floor muscles.
I also like Michelle Kenway, australian women health physio, which has accessible vids on Youtb and her website.
Private Member |
Start with “Move your DNA” by Katy Bowman
Private Member |
bad oldesloe, schleswig holstein, germany
have you tried the Mutu System, is it worth to buy the 12 week program?
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
yes I tried it and worth it. I took the complete program because I wanted the workouts for whole body. The videos are great, the plan is well outlined, fool-proof.
you can take the “core” only which is less expensive.
I recommend being on their newsletter so you can be on lookout of promo codes . I did purchase on black Friday (3 years ago) and was 40% off.
you also have a forum available to ask any question and FB related group.
Private Member |
bad oldesloe, schleswig holstein, germany
Thank you!!!
Private Member |
tx, usa
Yep. Anytime we do jumping exercises in the Zgym, I have to make sure my bladder is completely empty. That also means that sometimes I have to take a break in the middle of the workout to go empty my bladder. It’s annoying. I haven’t talked to my Dr about it, but I will. I just figured it was from childbirth.
Private Member |
crawfordsville, indiana, usa
So glad you posted this. I love the jumprope but I sure do pee myself when I do double unders!
Private Member |
I think the majority of women that have birthed children can relate! I have several friends that have had surgery to correct the problem. But…it doesn’t really work long-term. One of them had the surgery where they insert a mesh band for strenghtening and she suffered terrible health issues because of it. After given birth to 2 very large babies, a hard sneeze would cause me to leak a little. It was so embarassing. Forget about jump rope or the trampoline. I tried kegels with no luck. I started researching and came across a woman named Kim Anami that recommends jade egg weight lifting to strengthen & tone. She likens kegels to doing bicep curls with no weight. Not very effective. There is a ton of information online about vaginal weight lifting and jade egg practices. Do your research. Within 2 weeks of doing her protocol, my SUI went COMPLETELY away, and many other great changes took place. I can now do any type of jumping activities with no issues. Sneezing in public? No worries 😉 Some may need to be a little open-minded to give this a try, but it really does work!!!