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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 |
OMG, it’s like you wrote this article just for me! Many thanks for it, Zuzka! I thought it’s just my problem, I didn’t think this is so common. It happens to me only when I’m doing double unders (and last time when I was doing jumping jacks), but it’s very embarassing. Sometimes I should interrupt my workouts to go to the toilet and empty my bladder completely… I loved the video you linked at the end, it cheered me up a little bit about my problem. 🙂
Private Member |
I have had 4 children, so this happens to me ALL the time. It drives me crazy, every time I jump rope, I can do 20 basic bounce in a row and then BAM gotta go pee even if I just peed. LOL… And I do kegels EVERY day
Private Member |
vancouver, british columbia, canada
When I was overweight/obese this was more of an issue, and one of the reasons I avoided running and jumping. As I became more active and lost weight, somehow my pelvic floor also strengthened over time.
Definitely one of the number one culprits for me is too much caffeine and sugar irritate my bladder, and two, not completely voiding my bladder on the toilet. I got a squatty potty and I make sure I really squeeze out every last drop (use your abs!). It’s not a problem anymore when I exercise, but sometimes when I sneeze…
Anyone fart when downward doggin’?! Hahaha.
Private Member |
I’m a physical therapist and I can tell you the research supporting pelvic floor physical therapy is enormous. I had a patient once referred to me for basically “everything hurts.” In taking her medical history she revealed she’d had three c-sections and a hysterectomy. So asked if she could stop pee midstream (as in to fill a urine sample cop or when interrupted). She could not. I asked her if once she experienced the need to urinate if she had to go immediately. She did. In other words, her core was weak at the absolute base level. She couldn’t even get herself from lying supine to sitting up on my treatment table without significant effort. By the time she got to me, then I referred her to a pelvic floor therapist, all her pelvic muscles had atrophied to the point it took surgical intervention. I tell this story because medicine failed her. I believe OB/GYNs should be educating before and asking about incontinence after childbirth. She had no idea these were symptoms, this was just her new “normal.”
Moral of the story: Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions. It’s very hard to ask an embarrassing question to a healthcare provider, we entered this profession to understand the human body and help people.
The other moral: If you’re having these symptoms go to your doctor. Ask about pelvic floor physical therapy.
Private Member |
cardwell, queensland, australia
I had incontinence after having my second child. When jump rope came into the ZGym I experienced it quite often but not with other exercises. I kind of figured that I was sweating so much it didn’t matter because it wasn’t that obvious and I don’t have an audience when I workout anyway. I love jump rope and I found that the more I practiced the less incontinent I became. I now workout completely pee free 😝 during our intense jump rope sessions, which have become some of my favourite workouts.
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
somehow I knew this topic would come up one day…because I mentionned it several times recently (thanks Z for making it open discussion)
I read and heard so much about it. In my country, the pelvic floor rehab after birth is mandatory. However I gave birth in another country and didn’t get it prescribed (because no vaginal deliveries…which is actually not a valid reason). Long story short, I am self-educated on the matter and had to nearly fight to get to see a woman physio to check my pelvic health. She said not even 1% of her patients has my awareness on the matter and my PF is OK. So no therapy for me.
HOWEVER, my only struggle is when doing double-unders because it is the most extreme situation the body can go. The last thing I read on the matter is in Kelly Starrett’s book and I am exploring that way: the pelvis and ribs need to be aligned in a certain way (horizontal), but high leaps for getting the DBU is breaking the form and shutting off the pelvic muscles. (my PT thought if only a wet feeling, it may be a vaginal discharge and not pee…I still think it is pee..that it TMI) so I need to work on being able to go high without getting the chest up and curving the back. a DBU is not life essential, but to me it reveals if I have PF dysfunction or not.
the rest is totally in check.
Private Member |
Since we are all sharing. I am 41 and don’t have any kids. I also train in mixed martial arts. I started to experience some minor leaking with high intensity impact jumps. I noticed, well because it’s hot. I got some kegel balls and that did help. But I do know that it is controversial and it can cause those muscles to be too tight. So I didn’t do it too often but it did help. I figured the problem was an aging thing and needed to be sure my bladder was empty. Plus my Mom has issues, so maybe hereditary. I also started taking classes at an aerial and pole studio. Despite being pretty strong I had a hard time doing anything. I’ve learned that my smaller secondary muscles are pretty weak including my lower abs. I stumbled on to the fact that even though I’ve spent years working out I don’t contract my abs below the navel. I’ve been compensating with my hip flexors (which are very tight). Now that I’ve learned to scoop (hollow body) my abs below the navel I haven’t had an leakage issues. I didn’t think about it again until this article. I did the basic beginner jump rope this week and didn’t have any issues. When I do any physical activity including the Zgym, I have to actively think to pull in and use my abs below my navel. They are very lazy! Plus I have a significant curve in my lower back and have a tendency to sink into that and have a little tummy. Not that it is a good thing to have my abs contracted all the time. But pulling in my lower abs to curl my hips up is completely opposite to the way I naturally exist. Once I learned to pull in my lower abs and stop compensating in all kinds of other ways, I could barely hold a plank. But things have gotten better. I was just lucky to stumble onto aerial instructors with a lot of detailed knowledge about the pelvic floor and using the core. The core is key to stabilizing yourself in the air. I also have heavy hips so strengthening that area hasn’t been easy. (I also have heavy hips.) I have to poke myself in my lower abs to be sure I’m using them. If you haven’t been using them, it might not be so easy.
Private Member |
valras plage, france
Oh my god…..please don.t forget pregnancy. Here in FRANCE: Rééducation (physical therapy) of the perineal muscle after childbirth is mandatory and free (of course). It is estimated to have saved millions of euros as a preventive care.I teach yoga and Pilates here and the emphasis is always perineal first. Women have a much more fragile pelvic floor than men. Absolute no crunches or compression exercises during or just after pregnancy. These create a terrible pressure on the perinal. and yes kegils there is NO controversy. Every time you engage your abs you engage the perinal first..period.
Private Member |
Zuzka, thanks so much for opening up this discussion. I’m thrilled to see that people are talking about it more openly. It has been a “silent” or rather, “whispering” epidemic. I’m a CrossFit coach and a pelvic floor physical therapist and have published some of my research on the topic and want to thank Zuzka for such a well-researched and balanced article. There is some “controversy” surrounding the universal applicability and appropriateness of kegels for every woman. I’d like to echo the statements of many women who have commented, you can go see a women’s health physio or physical therapist. A Google search in your area, or looking at the listing on the http://www.APTA.org (in the USA) should yield some results or at least a starting point. If I may, I’d like to offer my own article that I wrote to add to the conversation: http://www.tabatatimes.com/womens-only-no-peeing-with-double-unders/
It’s a few years old, but I still stand by many of the topics that I wrote in the article.
Z, thanks so much for your years of tireless work. I was hooked on BodyRock.tv about 7 years ago when I was attempting to lose baby weight. You even taught me how to do a pistol squat. 🙂 I took the conditioning and fitness you gave me and was able to join in on classes at my local CrossFit box again. I’m excited to be following your programming again and just received my Zuzka sweatshirt in the mail. Thanks for everything, Z!
Private Member |
I only became aware of this issue after joining the zgym and starting jump rope exercises. I was nervous about it and so grateful this article just popped up on the home page for me to see. I will bring it up to my obgyn at my next appointment!
Private Member |
THANK YOU !!!!