You’re at your local West Ryde gym, you’ve got 100kg on the bar for a deadlift, and as you brace—it happens. A small leak.
For many women in the strength community, “stress urinary incontinence” is treated as a joke or a “side effect of being a hard trainer.” It isn’t. It is a sign of a pressure management issue.
It’s Not Always “Weakness”
Most people think the answer is more Kegels. But for many lifters, the pelvic floor isn’t weak—it’s overactive. If you are constantly “bracing” your core, your pelvic floor can become hypertonic (too tight), meaning it can’t react quickly enough to the sudden spike in Intra-Abdominal Pressure (IAP) during a lift.
We use a simple pressure equation to explain this to our athletes:
If your pelvic floor cannot counteract the pressure coming from the top (your breath and core), the “seal” breaks.
The Fix: Breathing Mechanics
We work with lifters to coordinate their “exhale on exertion” and pelvic floor “pre-tension” so they can hit PRs without the pads. If you’re in West Ryde and tired of “leaking on the platform,” let’s look at your mechanics, not just your muscles.
Click here to book in an assessment now: https://recovery-physio.au1.cliniko.com/bookings?appointment_type_id=488955
Or call us here 0421 867 437
