Common Mistakes People Make When Exercising with Bladder Leaks
Leaking during exercise can be common – many consider it as something that just happens after you have kids. Although it may be common, it doesn’t have to be something that you just deal with. Pelvic floor therapy can help to get rid of leaks during exercise!
Leaking during exercise can be caused by several different factors including:
Increased abdominal pressure
Muscle coordination issues
Muscle weakness issues
Incorrect bracing techniques
Breathing coordination issues
In this blog, I will detail some common mistakes people make when exercising with bladder leaks and what they can do differently.
Mistake #1: Ignoring Leaks or Pushing Through Them
Many people tend to ignore things when they’re a small problem and only address them when it becomes a bigger problem. Just like any other leak (plumbing, for example), a small leak is easier to fix than a big leak!
Leaking doesn’t mean that you’ve failed at postpartum or are unfixable, it just means there is a breakdown in the system somewhere that needs to be addressed. Ignoring symptoms can reinforce poor patterns rather than making them better.
Leaks are information – not something to tough out!
Mistake #2: Doing Too Many Kegels (or Doing Them Incorrectly)
Many people are told to “just do kegels” and assume that it is the fix for their leaking. Unfortunately, it isn’t always that easy! If you aren’t doing them correctly, you could be doing more harm than good. Just like any other muscle in the body, the pelvic floor muscles need to be able to both contract and relax to strengthen them.
Muscles also need to be coordinated in order to contract and relax when needed. If your “go to” strategy is to hold the pelvic floor muscles tight for as long as possible, they will eventually fatigue and not be able to respond to changes in impact or pressure. If the muscles don’t respond quick enough, leaking will also occur. Timing, coordination and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles are equally as important as strength.
Mistake #3: Bracing the Core or Holding Breath During Exercise
Many people think they need to brace their core constantly while exercising. Like I mentioned above, muscles need to be able to contract and relax for strengthening and this includes your pelvic floor muscles. Our pelvic floor muscles need to be able to respond appropriately to changes in impact and pressure.
For example, think about a soccer player, they need to be able to run, cut, jump and kick. Their pelvic floor muscles need to be able to contract and relax as necessary while completing all of these moves. If the soccer player was holding their pelvic floor muscles tight the whole time, they would most definitely experience leaking due to fatigue.
Our pelvic floor muscles also respond to our breathing. When you inhale, your diaphragm moves downward to pull air into your lungs, abdominal pressure increases and your pelvic floor responds by lengthening and lowering. When you exhale, your diaphragm moves upward, pressure decreases and the pelvic floor muscles gently lift and engage.
When you hold your breath, you are keeping the pressure in your abdomen and your pelvic floor muscles stay lengthened. You are also pushing pressure downward. The pelvic floor muscles are also not able to respond quickly in the lengthened position. This can lead to leaking, even if the pelvic floor muscles are strong.
Mistake #4: Returning to High-Impact Exercise Too Soon
Postpartum, many are given the “all clear” to return to exercise at 6 weeks. However, many don’t understand that this simply means that your cervix is healed rather than you are able to jump back into high level activities.
Ideally, return to exercise should follow a progression. Even if you exercised throughout your pregnancy, your core needs time to recover, as well as your joints and ligaments. And guess what, your pelvic floor muscles are a part of your core AND have some ligaments that may need to recover from housing a growing uterus!
You can find a postpartum exercise progression checklist here.
Red flags that your body may not be ready for higher impact yet – (think running, jumping, heavy lifting) include:
Bladder leaks
Heaviness or pelvic pressure
Pain during or after exercise
Increased urgency or frequency
The goal is always to get back to the level of activity that you desire, but giving your body the time and grace to get there is important!
Mistake #5: Avoiding Exercise Altogether
For many people, the fear and stress about leaking during exercise is enough for them to hang up their workout leggings or running shoes for good. Unfortunately, this only weakens the body which can cause more issues down the road.
When movement and exercise is reduced:
Core and pelvic support muscles lose coordination
Decrease strength in stability muscles – core, glutes and pelvic floor muscles
Confidence in the body decreases
Bladder urgency and leakage can become more noticeable
Strength, bone density, and overall health may decline
By avoiding exercise to avoid leaking, you are actually setting yourself up for more symptoms and leaking, especially as you continue to age.
Rather than avoiding exercise all together, modification and targeted exercises are more effective to get rid of bladder leaks.
With the right guidance, most people can:
Learn to modify movements temporarily without giving them up
Learn how to use breath and timing to manage pressure
Gradually return to impact, lifting, or higher intensity exercise
Rebuild trust in their body
Pelvic floor therapy focuses on helping you move with confidence, not restriction. Exercise should support your bladder—not work against it.
What to Do Instead
If you’re leaking during exercise, the solution isn’t to push harder, squeeze more, or stop moving altogether. Instead, focus on changing how your body manages pressure during movement.
Start with these key shifts:
Learn to Coordinate Breath With Exercise
Exhale during the hardest part of a movement—like lifting, standing, or landing. This helps your diaphragm and pelvic floor work together to manage pressure, rather than pushing downward on the bladder.
Prioritize Timing Over Constant Bracing
Your pelvic floor should respond when pressure increases—not stay clenched all the time. Practicing gentle engagement just before and during effort (and fully relaxing afterward) improves bladder support more than doing endless kegels.
Allow Full Relaxation Between Reps
A muscle that never fully relaxes fatigues quickly. Letting the pelvic floor lengthen and reset between efforts improves responsiveness and endurance during workouts.
Modify—Don’t Eliminate—Exercise
High-impact or high-load movements may need temporary adjustments. Modifications allow you to stay active while rehabbing coordination and strength.
Build a Gradual Return-to-Impact Plan
Jumping, running, and heavy lifting require more than strength—they require readiness. Progressing in stages allows your pelvic floor and core system to adapt without overwhelm.
Get Individualized Support
Every body leaks for different reasons. A pelvic floor assessment can identify whether weakness, timing, tension, breath patterns, or movement strategy is contributing—and create a plan tailored to your goals.
You don’t have to plan your workouts around bathroom breaks, pads, or fear of leaking. If exercise is making you leak, your body is asking for a different strategy!
Pelvic floor therapy can help you:
Understand why leaks are happening
Learn how to coordinate breath, core, and pelvic floor during exercise
Return to the activities you enjoy with confidence
Schedule a pelvic floor evaluation to create a personalized plan that supports your bladder and your goals. If you’re in the Lancaster, Ohio area,
Click here to book a discovery call to answer any questions you may have in a one on one free phone consultation
Click here to book a 90 minute evaluation so we can develop a plan that works best for you!
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