This is helpful. Could you make more videos on resistence/strength training? I used to weight lift before my prolapse, but now find it really exacerbates my symptoms. I need to be strong because I'm hyper mobile, but I feel like I'm having to relearn everything.
Yes! It’s on my list but I have been struggling to find time to get back to making videos. I am hoping I can start again soon and will be detailing strength training as well as yoga and relaxation.
Thanks! I found this while searching a workout that I can teach my wife which could possibly lessen this problem. I cannot allow her to lift anything heavier than 5kg per hand, or else she'll be pointing her abdomens saying how much it hurts during the night. Worst of all she won't listen and I have to force her to allow me to carry everything.
If she has prolapse, she should see a pelvic floor physio. If she has abdominal pain at night after lifting things, good to get checked by doctor. Everybody should be able to lift things and often some training is all that’s needed 👍🏻
This is really helpful, thank you sooo much ❤️ ... I would just like to know if it matters what kind of barbell you use? I don't have the one that you are showing with, the one that you can step in. I just have a bar... You know what I mean?🤔
When it comes to lifting at the gym, you should only do so once you have built good strength in the pelvic floor and good coordination between breathing, core and pelvic floor so you can manage the intraabdominal pressure and match increases in pressure with increased pelvic floor strength.... Once you have mastered that, it really should not matter which type of bar you lift. Just practice with good technique, keeping the weight close to your body and creating the strong canister to support your lift. If you take a look at my instagram account, you will see that I lift with many different types of bars, and also do pulling at many angles. Hope that helps!
Hi will this work for rectoceles. I have been scared to do any sort of exercises fearing itd make it worse and I read that if surgical repair is done then you aren’t aloud to lift more than 30 pounds for the rest of your life!! Please reply thank you ♥️
Hi! I personally have had a rectocele repair surgery (following which I still had a rectocele). I was told I couldn’t ever lift anything heavier than a kettle of water again. Blanket statements like that don’t take into consideration what the body is actually capable of. It took a lot of work over a long period but I can now lift heavy weights and participate in all types of sporting activities with controlled intraabdominal pressure and no symptoms from the rectocele. I’ve written a book about my experiences, you can find links to it from theflowerempowered.com along with lots of info and resources on pelvic floor dysfunction.
Help just found this video . Had a prolapse op before 2017 and still good .. but prolapse to back end in 2020. Had to have hysterectomy and prolapse repair with mesh to back wall. They all saying nah no one can do weights ever after prolapse surgery ? I’ve cried 3 days straight as I’m a avid lifter and love the gym and weight machines .?? So you’re saying you can learn to life again ? Do you have any other videos with this ? Am I right to think modifications and I can do ?
You can do life again, but it takes time to get there. The key is learning to manage your intraabdominal pressure. Your pelvic floor needs to be able to balance the pressure in normal day to day life, and especially if you lift heavy as the brace dramatically increased intraabdominal pressure so you need your pelvic floor to be strong. Are you seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist? I would do that if possible
@@TheFlowerEmpowered yes got a pt who is gyno specialist she gona work with me pf exercises she said then build up . Im just scared I’m never gonna be able to do weights again 😨
You will need to work with a physio if possible to build balanced core strength. The exercises will likely be gentle and progressive. While working to rebalance your core. Limit your weight lifting or work with weights that allow you to control your intraabdominal pressure without doming. A weight belt may also be helpful, but get assessed by physio before you commit to a weight lifting schedule.
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Hi ..She did all the exercises with weights and jumping rope exercise ..She is my inspiring after the doctor’s advice to eradication of my uterus.
my pelvic muscles are hypertonic as well as weak and I have small prolapse I’m finding it difficult to do a kegel as often now when lifting as it creates hypertension Is there something I can do and still lift 5 kg without pelvic pain and hypertonic muscles ?
It’s really important to work on pelvic floor relaxation. Hypertonic muscles are always weak, so if you focus on pelvic floor relaxation to address the hypertonicity, they should let go of some of the time giving the muscle fibers space to contract. Then you will find your strength. Have you seen the 30 day challenge on the channel? There’s a different relaxation pose each day in the challenge (you will find the time code for relaxation in the video description for each day). There’s also a lot of pelvic floor relaxation videos on the channel. Just skip any poses that don’t feel right for your body. Let me know if that helps 😊
Thank you for the video! :) You touched briefly on lifting your feet, i.e. getting on your balls/tiptoes. Is that a bad thing - except that it costs balance?
Hi S00nja, when it comes to lifting the feet, it's fine to do when the loads are smaller. If, however, your heels are lifting when lifting at the gym, that's an issue. You can get around it by placing a plank or a plate under your heels when you are lifting. You can also buy lifting shoes that have a heel with a flat sole (typically used by powerlifters). Does that answer your question?
There isn’t a specific weight - what you lift is always dependent on your own strength and at what stage of training you are at. For example, one person may find lifting 2kg is hard. For someone else 100kg could be hard. If you are in the early stages of training to reduce POP symptoms, you should train the movement/breathing without any weight and then add what is light for you. Over time, you can increase the weight. Listen to your body as you practice and don’t lift things that cause you to bear down
In my opinion, there are no “unsafe” exercises. Everything depends on how you do it. A squat is basically hip flexion, knee flexion and dorsiflexion (ankle). They are basic functional movements that a human body should be able to achieve. Loss of the ability to flex at the hip, knee and ankle will dramatically impact your quality of life. As an example, you need to be able to squat to tie your shoelaces. Rather than deciding to avoid these movements because of your POPs, I would work to build the strength to support the prolapses and manage intraabdominal pressures while you make the movements. You can start by doing wall squats (where you are lying on your back and your feet are against the wall). This will take gravity out of the equation making it easier to manage intraabdominal pressures. Come into the wall squat position and perform a strong lift of the pelvic floor while maintaining a solid abdominal canister. In the next progression, you could use a band under your feet which you can gently pull while maintaining the strong pelvic floor lift. Use the same breathing as I do in this video. There are many progressions that can take you from there before eventually coming to a heavy squat. Not that you ever have to do a heavy squat, but don’t let yourself lose the ability to squat down and lift something. Make sense? If you think it could be helpful, I will make a video showing potential progressions.
Pelvis should be neutral. If doming, lift lighter - a weight that doesn’t cause the doming, and work with a physiotherapist to rebalance the core in order to overcome the doming. It will take time and consistency, then a slow build up on weight in order to manage intraabdominal pressure without doming.
Hello! Should the co-contraction happen even without prolapse? And during weight lifting for example during squats, my pf gets automatilly contracted during the whole movement, is that okay or should i rekax during the lowering movement during squats? Thank you very much!
Yes, co-contractions are a natural happening. We work to retrain them to help overcome pelvic floor dysfunction. With weightlifting, especially heavy, there should be a brace of the core and pelvic floor throughout the movement. You don’t need to relax through the movement. The idea is that the pressure of contraction of the pelvic floor needs to be able to resist the downward pressure from the increase in intraabdominal pressure. When you have pelvic floor dysfunction, you may need to work to retrain this, which is what we are doing in the video. Make sense?
Hi Janet, there are a few videos on the channel that help to strengthen the glutes and legs. You could try this one: th-cam.com/video/p94zZnFVcY0/w-d-xo.html and this one with the ball (with it without Kegels): th-cam.com/video/a5qoLTrGem4/w-d-xo.html and then there is a hip strengthening series: th-cam.com/play/PLTrM-0Yl3PcuHA55VIw5Qx7gSf1xsggtw.html Make sure to listen to your body with these. Also, for the squats, use supports such as a blanket under the heels, a bolster under the hips and even wall squats as the most basic adaptation. Let me know if that helps!
I am trying research machines I can use at the gym, I just keep getting what feels like floor exercises, leg/butt exercises and breathing techniques, are there any real exercises I can do, or is this it, I want a tighter mid section, I want to sweat it out, I am on a weight lose journey, I lost 80 lbs, and now I an stuck around 170, I don't want to spend more time exercising to lose and tighten, I want a stronger work out for a shorter time, but all I am getting is what not to do....swear to God I will just do the work take the fall and have emergency surgery, cause I got the tri fecta, bladder, anal and uterus, ans I so frustrated that I can't do anything except reduce my intake of food, and I am sorry why am I alive if I have to live on over seasoned chicken and egg stuff and salad
Len, very well done on the weight loss so far! I hope you are celebrating your current success. Any machine in the gym is possible to use if you have good control over your intraabdominal pressure and good strength in your pelvic floor. How is your PF strength? And your core? There are two videos on the channel for lower and upper core strength test and the 30-Day Challenge begins with a pelvic floor assessment so that can help you decide if you are ready for machines. I suggest you always perform exercises with a pelvic floor first approach. If you feel when you are doing an exercise that you are losing control of your intraabdominal pressure and having excess pressure in your pelvis, you will need to drop weight or skip the exercise. I’ve a course planned for 2022 specifically focused on lifting with prolapse. If you join the community here: community.theflowerempowered.com/ you can follow the progress with the course. Meanwhile, some of the key things when working to build strength is to eat plenty. It sounds like you’re not enjoying your current diet. You should definitely have plenty of food if you are building muscle and good variety. Also, NEAT calorie burn will account for more than your daily exercise, so being active about the house, walking instead of taking the car, taking the lift instead of the stairs all will help.
@@TheFlowerEmpowered thank you, I will be looking into your program, I had given up after I got the news and gained 15lbs back, I exercise to keep my mood up and have been feeling down l, this program for the coming yr looks good and I will be giving it a try
Thank you Denise. Looking forward to learning a bit more about lifting weights. I have to build up my muscle mass and I want to do it safely🙂
This is helpful. Could you make more videos on resistence/strength training? I used to weight lift before my prolapse, but now find it really exacerbates my symptoms. I need to be strong because I'm hyper mobile, but I feel like I'm having to relearn everything.
What type of prolapse are you dealing with? New to prolapse after my first child.
Yes! It’s on my list but I have been struggling to find time to get back to making videos. I am hoping I can start again soon and will be detailing strength training as well as yoga and relaxation.
Can Pelvis be neutral while lifting weight?
How to avoid Doming while lifting weight?
Thanks! I found this while searching a workout that I can teach my wife which could possibly lessen this problem. I cannot allow her to lift anything heavier than 5kg per hand, or else she'll be pointing her abdomens saying how much it hurts during the night. Worst of all she won't listen and I have to force her to allow me to carry everything.
If she has prolapse, she should see a pelvic floor physio. If she has abdominal pain at night after lifting things, good to get checked by doctor. Everybody should be able to lift things and often some training is all that’s needed 👍🏻
Great video thank you so much for sharing ❤❤❤
You are so welcome 😊🌸
This is really helpful, thank you sooo much ❤️ ... I would just like to know if it matters what kind of barbell you use? I don't have the one that you are showing with, the one that you can step in. I just have a bar... You know what I mean?🤔
When it comes to lifting at the gym, you should only do so once you have built good strength in the pelvic floor and good coordination between breathing, core and pelvic floor so you can manage the intraabdominal pressure and match increases in pressure with increased pelvic floor strength.... Once you have mastered that, it really should not matter which type of bar you lift. Just practice with good technique, keeping the weight close to your body and creating the strong canister to support your lift. If you take a look at my instagram account, you will see that I lift with many different types of bars, and also do pulling at many angles.
Hope that helps!
Hi will this work for rectoceles. I have been scared to do any sort of exercises fearing itd make it worse and I read that if surgical repair is done then you aren’t aloud to lift more than 30 pounds for the rest of your life!! Please reply thank you ♥️
Hi! I personally have had a rectocele repair surgery (following which I still had a rectocele). I was told I couldn’t ever lift anything heavier than a kettle of water again. Blanket statements like that don’t take into consideration what the body is actually capable of. It took a lot of work over a long period but I can now lift heavy weights and participate in all types of sporting activities with controlled intraabdominal pressure and no symptoms from the rectocele. I’ve written a book about my experiences, you can find links to it from theflowerempowered.com along with lots of info and resources on pelvic floor dysfunction.
Thank you for the info.👍😊♥️
Very welcome 😊
Help just found this video . Had a prolapse op before 2017 and still good .. but prolapse to back end in 2020. Had to have hysterectomy and prolapse repair with mesh to back wall.
They all saying nah no one can do weights ever after prolapse surgery ?
I’ve cried 3 days straight as I’m a avid lifter and love the gym and weight machines .?? So you’re saying you can learn to life again ? Do you have any other videos with this ? Am I right to think modifications and I can do ?
You can do life again, but it takes time to get there. The key is learning to manage your intraabdominal pressure. Your pelvic floor needs to be able to balance the pressure in normal day to day life, and especially if you lift heavy as the brace dramatically increased intraabdominal pressure so you need your pelvic floor to be strong. Are you seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist? I would do that if possible
@@TheFlowerEmpowered yes got a pt who is gyno specialist she gona work with me pf exercises she said then build up . Im just scared I’m never gonna be able to do weights again 😨
Doming occurs while lifting weight 😔
What to do about it?
You will need to work with a physio if possible to build balanced core strength. The exercises will likely be gentle and progressive. While working to rebalance your core. Limit your weight lifting or work with weights that allow you to control your intraabdominal pressure without doming. A weight belt may also be helpful, but get assessed by physio before you commit to a weight lifting schedule.
I have a friend has get rid of the prolapse only by exercises with weights .
That’s great!
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Hi ..She did all the exercises with weights and jumping rope exercise ..She is my inspiring after the doctor’s advice to eradication of my uterus.
*to eradicate my uterus.
I need to hear more 😫 been unmotivated and been dealing with prolapse for years I’m only 21 😢
@@destinytavarez7612 hey I’m 22, you’re not alone ♥️
my pelvic muscles are hypertonic as well as weak and I have small prolapse
I’m finding it difficult to do a kegel as often now when lifting as it creates hypertension
Is there something I can do and still lift 5 kg without pelvic pain and hypertonic muscles ?
It’s really important to work on pelvic floor relaxation. Hypertonic muscles are always weak, so if you focus on pelvic floor relaxation to address the hypertonicity, they should let go of some of the time giving the muscle fibers space to contract. Then you will find your strength.
Have you seen the 30 day challenge on the channel? There’s a different relaxation pose each day in the challenge (you will find the time code for relaxation in the video description for each day). There’s also a lot of pelvic floor relaxation videos on the channel. Just skip any poses that don’t feel right for your body.
Let me know if that helps 😊
Thank you for the video! :) You touched briefly on lifting your feet, i.e. getting on your balls/tiptoes. Is that a bad thing - except that it costs balance?
Hi S00nja, when it comes to lifting the feet, it's fine to do when the loads are smaller. If, however, your heels are lifting when lifting at the gym, that's an issue. You can get around it by placing a plank or a plate under your heels when you are lifting. You can also buy lifting shoes that have a heel with a flat sole (typically used by powerlifters). Does that answer your question?
@@TheFlowerEmpowered Yes, thank you :)
How much weight to be lifted initially??
There isn’t a specific weight - what you lift is always dependent on your own strength and at what stage of training you are at. For example, one person may find lifting 2kg is hard. For someone else 100kg could be hard. If you are in the early stages of training to reduce POP symptoms, you should train the movement/breathing without any weight and then add what is light for you. Over time, you can increase the weight. Listen to your body as you practice and don’t lift things that cause you to bear down
Is it safe to squat though if I have trifecta prolapse? I feel like it’ll all fall out lol.
In my opinion, there are no “unsafe” exercises. Everything depends on how you do it.
A squat is basically hip flexion, knee flexion and dorsiflexion (ankle). They are basic functional movements that a human body should be able to achieve. Loss of the ability to flex at the hip, knee and ankle will dramatically impact your quality of life. As an example, you need to be able to squat to tie your shoelaces.
Rather than deciding to avoid these movements because of your POPs, I would work to build the strength to support the prolapses and manage intraabdominal pressures while you make the movements.
You can start by doing wall squats (where you are lying on your back and your feet are against the wall). This will take gravity out of the equation making it easier to manage intraabdominal pressures. Come into the wall squat position and perform a strong lift of the pelvic floor while maintaining a solid abdominal canister. In the next progression, you could use a band under your feet which you can gently pull while maintaining the strong pelvic floor lift. Use the same breathing as I do in this video.
There are many progressions that can take you from there before eventually coming to a heavy squat. Not that you ever have to do a heavy squat, but don’t let yourself lose the ability to squat down and lift something. Make sense?
If you think it could be helpful, I will make a video showing potential progressions.
How to overcome Doming while lifting weight?
Should Pelvis be neutral while lifting weight?
Pelvis should be neutral. If doming, lift lighter - a weight that doesn’t cause the doming, and work with a physiotherapist to rebalance the core in order to overcome the doming. It will take time and consistency, then a slow build up on weight in order to manage intraabdominal pressure without doming.
Hello!
Should the co-contraction happen even without prolapse?
And during weight lifting for example during squats, my pf gets automatilly contracted during the whole movement, is that okay or should i rekax during the lowering movement during squats? Thank you very much!
Yes, co-contractions are a natural happening. We work to retrain them to help overcome pelvic floor dysfunction.
With weightlifting, especially heavy, there should be a brace of the core and pelvic floor throughout the movement. You don’t need to relax through the movement. The idea is that the pressure of contraction of the pelvic floor needs to be able to resist the downward pressure from the increase in intraabdominal pressure. When you have pelvic floor dysfunction, you may need to work to retrain this, which is what we are doing in the video. Make sense?
I can't squat that far down. I would love to be able to. What exercises do you recommend to strengthen my legs?
Hi Janet, there are a few videos on the channel that help to strengthen the glutes and legs. You could try this one: th-cam.com/video/p94zZnFVcY0/w-d-xo.html and this one with the ball (with it without Kegels):
th-cam.com/video/a5qoLTrGem4/w-d-xo.html and then there is a hip strengthening series: th-cam.com/play/PLTrM-0Yl3PcuHA55VIw5Qx7gSf1xsggtw.html
Make sure to listen to your body with these. Also, for the squats, use supports such as a blanket under the heels, a bolster under the hips and even wall squats as the most basic adaptation. Let me know if that helps!
@@TheFlowerEmpowered thanks.
I am trying research machines I can use at the gym, I just keep getting what feels like floor exercises, leg/butt exercises and breathing techniques, are there any real exercises I can do, or is this it, I want a tighter mid section, I want to sweat it out, I am on a weight lose journey, I lost 80 lbs, and now I an stuck around 170, I don't want to spend more time exercising to lose and tighten, I want a stronger work out for a shorter time, but all I am getting is what not to do....swear to God I will just do the work take the fall and have emergency surgery, cause I got the tri fecta, bladder, anal and uterus, ans I so frustrated that I can't do anything except reduce my intake of food, and I am sorry why am I alive if I have to live on over seasoned chicken and egg stuff and salad
Len, very well done on the weight loss so far! I hope you are celebrating your current success.
Any machine in the gym is possible to use if you have good control over your intraabdominal pressure and good strength in your pelvic floor. How is your PF strength? And your core? There are two videos on the channel for lower and upper core strength test and the 30-Day Challenge begins with a pelvic floor assessment so that can help you decide if you are ready for machines.
I suggest you always perform exercises with a pelvic floor first approach. If you feel when you are doing an exercise that you are losing control of your intraabdominal pressure and having excess pressure in your pelvis, you will need to drop weight or skip the exercise.
I’ve a course planned for 2022 specifically focused on lifting with prolapse. If you join the community here: community.theflowerempowered.com/ you can follow the progress with the course.
Meanwhile, some of the key things when working to build strength is to eat plenty. It sounds like you’re not enjoying your current diet. You should definitely have plenty of food if you are building muscle and good variety. Also, NEAT calorie burn will account for more than your daily exercise, so being active about the house, walking instead of taking the car, taking the lift instead of the stairs all will help.
@@TheFlowerEmpowered thank you, I will be looking into your program, I had given up after I got the news and gained 15lbs back, I exercise to keep my mood up and have been feeling down l, this program for the coming yr looks good and I will be giving it a try
Could take direction from you all day lol
Thanks! 😊🌸