The Pelvic Floor: Improved Core Work & Sex

Are You Sure You’re Properly Engaging Your Pelvic Floor?

Throughout my 12+ years of teaching, I’ve had countless clients (both men and women) ask me, “How do I engage my pelvic floor?”

I love this question because it means they’re paying attention. They’re tuning in and want to understand their body better.

But let’s be honest, pelvic floor conversations aren’t exactly everyday small talk. Unless you’re postpartum or navigating specific pelvic health challenges, this muscle group rarely gets the attention it deserves.

Yet understanding how to properly engage your pelvic floor is essential—not just for core work, but for overall stability, function, and yes, even better sex.

So if you’re still unclear on what the pelvic floor is and how to activate it, here’s a straightforward explanation (backed by the Continence Foundation of Australia) plus a practical exercise I learned years ago in a pelvic floor workshop that I now share with all my VB Method members.

WHAT IS THE PELVIC FLOOR?

“The pelvic floor muscles give you the ability to control the release of urine, feces (poop), and flatus (wind).

When you contract the pelvic floor muscles, they lift the internal organs of the pelvis and tighten the openings of the vagina, anus, and urethra. Relaxing the pelvic floor allows passage of urine and feces.

This function is especially important if your urethral or anal muscles do not work normally, as may be the case after giving birth or after prostate surgery.

Pelvic floor muscles are also important for sexual function in both men and women. In men, it’s important for erectile function and ejaculation. In women, voluntary contractions (squeezing) of the pelvic floor contribute to sexual sensation and arousal.

The pelvic floor muscles in women also provide support for the baby during pregnancy and need to be relaxed during the birthing process.”

-Continence Foundation of Australia:

Now that you understand what the pelvic floor does, let’s talk about how to engage it, especially during abdominal work, which is where I cue it most often in our VBM workouts.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR PELVIC FLOOR: FRONT & BACK

Think of your pelvic floor as having two sections: anterior (front) and posterior (rear).

Anterior Pelvic Floor:

For women: Your vagina and urethra make up the front part of your pelvic floor. So imagine you’re holding your pee, or preventing a tampon from sliding out when running or jumping (which can happen with a weakened pelvic floor—this is something pelvic floor training helps prevent).

For men: This is similar, but think more in terms of controlling the urge to ejaculate or holding back the need to urinate.

Rear Pelvic Floor:

For both men and women: Imagine you need to hold in gas during an ab workout in a Pilates class. That’s your rear pelvic floor (your anus).

HOW TO ENGAGE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR

When you’re doing abdominal work, especially in Pilates, you want to activate both your anterior and posterior pelvic floor areas together.

You’ll often hear me cue “squeeze your pelvic floor in and up” during core exercises. 

This engagement is especially important for tapping into not just your pelvic floor but also your transverse abdominals (your deepest abdominal muscle). It’s also how I personally connect with my lower abs.

Keep in mind this isn’t a constant clench. Your pelvic floor should be engaging and releasing rhythmically as you move through core work. Think of it as a dynamic muscle that works in coordination with your breath and core, not something you grip and hold tension in.

PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISE:

Here’s a practical exercise you can do at home to strengthen your pelvic floor and connect more efficiently with your deep core.

Important note: While doing pelvic floor exercises, keep your hips, inner thighs, and glutes relaxed. This is crucial. While there’s a close relationship between these muscle groups, in order to properly strengthen your pelvic floor, you need to learn to isolate it first.

Imagine your pelvic floor as an elevator moving up through five floors.

1. Begin by gently engaging both the front and back of your pelvic floor (using the imagery above). Visualize the elevator starting at the first floor.
2. Slowly begin drawing that engagement upward to the second floor, then the third, fourth, and all the way up to the fifth floor.
3. At the fifth floor, you’ll reach your deepest, strongest engagement. This is where your pelvic floor lifts highest and your lower abs naturally begin to activate. Hold this for 10 seconds.
4. Then, slowly and with control, begin releasing back down—fifth floor, fourth, third, second, until you return to the first floor.

The descent is just as important as the ascent. Take your time and move deliberately. Allow yourself to fully release the engagement before starting the next rep.

Practice this exercise for 5-10 minutes, one to three times a day, to strengthen and realign your pelvic floor.

This will make a huge difference in your core work and yes, it will make sex better too;)

For women, it helps with achieving stronger orgasms and preventing leakage when jumping or running. For men, it helps with lasting longer during sex 😉.

Both men and women benefit equally from a strong, functional pelvic floor.

I hope you found this helpful!

xo,

Vilmaliz