The muscle men always forget to train

I talk about the pelvic floor a lot with my pregnant clients. They quickly understand how important this kind of work is to keep them comfortable during pregnancy and for their postpartum recovery.

But the pelvic floor isn't just a women's health topic. You might be surprised to learn that... men have one too! It's just as worth looking after, but nobody talks about it.

sorry about the unsollicited d*ck pic

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, kinda like a hammock at the base of the pelvis, that supports the bladder and bowels (and in men, the prostate). When it's weak or poorly coordinated, it can cause A LOT of issues that we wouldn't expect.

In men, it can show up as incontinence, chronic pain in this area, and sexual symptoms like erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation. (Do I have your attention now..?)

What really saddens me is that around 15 to 20% of men have pelvic floor issues at some point, and the majority of them are either misdiagnosed or suffer in silence. Because they don't feel comfortable talking about this area of their body, especially if there's a problem.

And it's such a shame because it doesn't take much or very long to feel a difference, if you do the right exercises.

If I ask you to contract your pelvic floor, do you know what I'm talking about?

If not, I would definitely start there. In the work I do with clients, we start with building awareness of these muscles (learning to feel them contract and release), and work on both strength AND relaxation. Because many people grip without even realising it, and it's as much of a problem as a weak pelvic floor.

If the symptoms above sound familiar to you, please get over the embarrassment you might be feeling, and contact a doctor or a pelvic floor physiotherapist. And of course, it's also something we can work on together :)

Om, peace 🧡

Clem

PS: Forward this email freely. It might open a conversation that's overdue!