5 Pilates Exercises to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor
Ever wonder how Pilates can help your pelvic floor?
In this article, we’ll share 5 Pilates exercises that can help strengthen your pelvic floor, improve posture, and enhance your overall core stability.
Pilates is a form of exercise developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates, based on six key principles: concentration, control, centering, precision, breath, and flow. It combines strength training, flexibility, and mindful movement to create a holistic workout that benefits both body and mind.
Why Pilates is Good for Your Pelvic Floor
Pelvic floor issues are common among women of all ages. They can be caused by:
Pregnancy and childbirth
Aging
Obesity
Heavy lifting
Repetitive strain on pelvic muscles
Symptoms may include:
Urinary leakage or incontinence
Difficulty with bowel movements
Pelvic organ prolapse
Sexual dysfunction
Pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis
How Pilates Helps
Pilates emphasizes core strength, posture, alignment, and controlled breathing. These principles directly support pelvic floor health by:
Strengthening the muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and rectum
Improving stability for the hips and lower back
Enhancing posture to reduce strain on pelvic tissues
Increasing awareness of muscle engagement and control
When practiced consistently, Pilates can help prevent incontinence, reduce pelvic pain, improve sexual function, and lower the risk of prolapse.
5 Pilates Exercises for Pelvic Floor Strength
1. Pelvic Tilts
Benefits: Strengthens pelvic floor muscles, improves posture, and eases pelvic discomfort.
How to:
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Inhale, then exhale as you press your low back into the floor.
Hold for 5 seconds, then slowly release.
Repeat 10 reps daily.
2. Bridge Pose
Benefits: Strengthens the glutes, lower abdominals, and pelvic floor.
How to:
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
Inhale, then exhale as you press into your feet and lift your hips.
Hold for 5 seconds, squeezing your glutes.
Lower slowly and repeat 10 reps daily.
3. Pelvic Rolls
Benefits: Strengthens and stretches the pelvic floor and spine.
How to:
Lie on your back with knees bent.
Inhale and slowly roll your spine upward, one vertebra at a time, until in bridge position.
Exhale and roll down slowly.
Repeat 10 reps daily.
4. Cat-Cow Stretch
Benefits: Improves spinal mobility, relieves pelvic tension, and strengthens deep core muscles.
How to:
Begin on all fours, hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
Inhale, arch your back upward (Cat).
Exhale, drop your belly and lift your head/chest (Cow).
Repeat 10 reps daily.
5. Single Leg Stretch
Benefits: Strengthens lower abs, pelvic floor, and hip flexors.
How to:
Lie on your back, one knee bent at 90°, the other leg extended toward the ceiling.
Keep your head and shoulders resting on the mat.
Engage your core and pelvic floor, then switch legs smoothly.
Repeat 10 reps per side, daily.
Why Pilates is Ideal for All Fitness Levels
Pilates is low-impact, making it safe for most women—including those recovering from injuries, managing chronic conditions, or new to exercise. It improves:
Core stability
Flexibility and balance
Posture and alignment
Body awareness and control
For women with pelvic floor dysfunction, Pilates can be a gentle and highly effective way to strengthen and support these muscles — when each exercise is chosen and adjusted for your body. Some standard Pilates moves put more pressure on the pelvic floor, not less, which is why we check how your body handles each one before you start.
Want to Experience the Benefits of Pilates for Your Pelvic Floor?
At Revive PT & Pilates, we use therapeutic Pilates to help women strengthen their pelvic floor, improve core stability, and move without pain.
If you'd like a routine to follow at home, our guide The 5-Minute Pelvic Floor Routine walks you through three short steps that reconnect your breath, deep core, and pelvic floor, and explains the signs that mean it's time to be seen.
If you live in or near North County San Diego, start with a Pilates Intro Session, where we take you through the Revive Movement Screen™ and show you how Pilates can be adapted for your body.
If pain or a specific condition is what's holding you back, start with a Discovery Visit instead: one 60-minute session with a women's health specialist at our Encinitas studio, and you walk out with a plan built for the body you have now.
No referral needed. No pressure — just answers and a plan.
