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