Exercising your vagina and pelvic floor for better sex. Is that really a thing? Yes, and if you are not doing it … now is the time to start.
The feeling of “tightness” during intercourse is primarily due to the muscles surrounding your vagina. These muscles make up your pelvic floor. If your pelvic floor is strong and responsive, it can lead to stronger and more frequent orgasms (internal ones too), which can improve sensation for both you and your partner. While you DO want a strong pelvic floor, you DO NOT want a tight one.
Having a tight pelvic floor can lead to issues such as painful intercourse, lower back pain, pelvic and tailbone pain, trouble orgasming, and even incontinence (peeing when you sneeze or jump). It is a hard concept for some women to grasp because most of us believe we should be “tight.”
So how do you get a stronger pelvic floor, yet one that isn’t too tight? Below are five exercises that will help you to strengthen, realign, and improve the elasticity and responsiveness of your pelvic floor. Do them three to four times weekly to support better sex. Promise.
Routine (stability ball needed for all exercises):
Ball Bounce
Pelvic Tilts, Side to Side
Pelvic Tilts, Front to Back
Hip Circles
Bridge, Knee to Shoulder
Watch each move below:
How to: Sit on top of a stability ball with your feet pointing straight ahead. Draw your lower abs in gently toward your spine and feel your tailbone drop toward the floor, relaxing your lower back. Keep your chest and spine lifting up toward the ceiling. Start bouncing on the ball and focus on the pelvic floor slightly descending as you bounce down on the ball and ascending (lifting up) as you bounce up. Repeat this for about a minute.
The Move: Pelvic Tilts, Side to Side
How to: Sit on top of a stability ball with your feet pointing straight ahead. Draw your lower abs in gently toward your spine and feel your tailbone drop toward the floor, relaxing your lower back. Keep your chest and spine lifting up toward the ceiling. Move slowly side to side, from sit bone to sit bone, keeping abdominals drawn in toward your spine. Focus on the pelvic floor lengthening and rebounding from side to side. Repeat several times.
The Move: Pelvic Tilts, Front to Back
How to: Sit on top of a stability ball with your feet pointing straight ahead. Draw your lower abs in gently toward your spine and feel your tailbone drop toward the floor, relaxing your lower back. Keep your chest and spine lifting up toward the ceiling. Begin by tilting your pubic bone toward your spine, ensuring your chest does not collapse forward as you do it. Slowly release, and this will bring your pubic bone closer to the ball. Focus on the pelvic floor lengthening and rebounding from pubic bone to spine. Repeat several times.
How to: Sit on top of a stability ball with your feet pointing straight ahead. Draw your lower abs in gently toward your spine and feel your tailbone drop toward the floor, relaxing your lower back. Keep your chest and spine lifting up toward the ceiling. Begin by tilting your pubic bone toward your spine and then circle toward your sit bone. Continue to circle to bring your pubic bone closer to the ball, over to the other sit bone, and finally finishing with your pubic bone toward your tailbone again. Focus on the pelvic floor lengthening and rebounding in all directions. Each time you do a full circle, reverse direction and continue to repeat several times.
The Move: Bridge, Knee to Shoulder
How to: Start by lying on the floor in a bridge position, feet pointing straight ahead. Place your right foot on the middle of the ball and keep arms by your side. Tilt your pubic bone toward your spine, which will lift your hips about one to two inches off the ground. Slowly bring your knee in and drop toward your shoulder, lengthening the pelvic floor. As you do this, you will roll onto the outside of your foot and then slowly reverse and roll back onto the heel while rolling the ball back to your starting position. Focus on keeping hips parallel to the floor and the lengthening and rebounding of your pelvic floor. Repeat for several repetitions and then repeat with the other leg. To advance, you can hold a light weight, with straight arms slightly above the floor, arms reaching away from your torso.
Courtney Virden has been a fitness trainer for nearly 20 years and specializes in women’s health and wellness. Being a mom of two and experiencing many issues from her own pregnancies led her to focus on women’s pelvic floors. With her passion for helping others, Courtney created an online program to share the tools and resources she uses with her private clients.
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