How many reasons have your heard not to lift weights?
Has it sneaked into your brain that lifting weights will make you “bulky”?
Maybe you saw videos making it look so frighteningly technical that the mere thought of the weight room has kept you on the treadmill, elliptical or the spin bike, and using the myriad of weight machines that many gyms love to fill up the max floor space.
Did an influencer or a program (not naming names) suggest that lifting many, many reps of light weights will “tone” muscles (that’s a BS term – you cannot tone a muscle, and tiny weights will not help you get you strong), or maybe someone told you to stop lifting all together?
Maybe a doctor or therapist instilled fear suggesting that you might get injured, especially if you have a diagnosis of Pelvic Organ Prolapse, known as POP.
Many women stop exercising because of their diagnosis of POP.
I was diagnosed about 10 years ago with a type of POP, a stage 4 rectocele. Not surprising as a 61-year-old mother of 6. (Age, and constipation can also contribute to POP).
The idea of surgery was suggested, which I was absolutely not going to consider, so I learned everything I could for my diagnosis, and as a strength coach to help others I got a certification in Pregnancy And Postpartum Athleticism,
When my beloved gyno saw me at the gym training for a powerlifting competition he told me to “be careful”… not helpful advice coming from anyone ever, particularly someone with zero experience lifting.
It’s common for medical professionals to tell women with POP they should not lift weights, and avoid high impact exercises, or to stop lifting weights all together. If you have children you’ve already been lifting. Whether you have kids or not, whatever your age, learn to lift weight effectively and safely for your real life.
Instead of fearing lifting weights, I continued lifting and applied knowledge about breathing, pelvic floor health, and intra abdominal pressure.
Strategies to optimize intra-abdominal pressure involve engaging the core muscles effectively. Bracing (contracting the abdominal muscles while maintaining normal breathing), diaphragmatic breathing, and specific exercises targeting core stability are very effective.
To the surprise and delight of my doctor my prolapse improved! A year after being told to be careful, and after winning that competition in 2019, and another one in 2024 my rectocele is now stage 1.
Tips for pelvic floor training:
- I’ve been coaching my clients to stop clenching and squeezing their glutes, and to stop tucking their tailbones.
- Activating glutes with specific movements and heavier weights contributed to the change in my pelvic floor and the improvement in my rectocele, and has helped me and my clients get strong.
- Create strength and length with eccentric movements (with gravity), and of course concentric (against gravity) as well.
If we’re training together you already know my favorite exercises:
- Deadlifts of all kinds.
- Squats, of course.
- Single leg (unilateral) split/staggered/hinging – love Bulgarian split squats!
- Lunges – add rotations for stabilization.
- Hip thrusts – and many variations of bridges
⚠️ Caution: there are a rare few who really should not lift weights, so talk with your doctor, and get more than one opinion.
And keep in mind that “heavy” is relative to the lifter.
Your coach will help you progress, adjusting weight and reps to achieve your goals.
Train smart for the life you live.
x
Polli
