The Connection Between Your Pelvic Floor and Your Core

When most people hear “core,” they think of abs. Crunches. Planks. Six-packs. But your actual core is a pressure system — and your pelvic floor is the bottom of it.

Understanding this connection isn’t just anatomy trivia. It changes how you should train, what exercises to prioritize, and why some approaches backfire.

The Deep Core System: Four Players

Your deep core is made up of four structures that work together like a canister:

• Diaphragm (the top) — your primary breathing muscle
• Transverse abdominis (the front and sides) — the deepest abdominal muscle
• Multifidus (the back) — small muscles along your spine
• Pelvic floor (the bottom) — the muscular base of your pelvis

When you breathe in, your diaphragm descends and your pelvic floor gently lowers. When you breathe out, both lift. This coordinated movement happens thousands of times a day — and when it breaks down, the effects show up as leaking, back pain, pelvic pressure, or core weakness that no amount of planks will fix.

Why Traditional Core Exercises Can Backfire

Crunches, sit-ups, and heavy abdominal work create intra-abdominal pressure that pushes down on your pelvic floor. If your pelvic floor can’t match that pressure, you’re essentially loading a system that can’t handle it. This is how women end up with worse symptoms after returning to “core” workouts postpartum — or even years later during perimenopause.

The fix isn’t to avoid core work entirely. It’s to train the system from the inside out: pelvic floor first, then build outward.

The Breathing-Pelvic Floor Connection

This is the piece most exercise programs miss entirely. Your breath is the remote control for your deep core system. When you learn to coordinate your exhale with a pelvic floor lift, you create a natural support system that activates automatically during movement.

In my clinic, I spend the first several sessions on breathing before we ever do a traditional exercise. It’s that important. And in the Pelvic Floor Pro app, every program begins with this foundation.

4 Stretches That Support the System

Tight hip flexors, a stiff thoracic spine, and restricted adductors all affect how your pelvic floor functions. The video above walks you through four key stretches that help your entire deep core system work as it should.

These aren’t just “feel good” stretches — they directly improve your pelvic floor’s ability to contract and relax fully.

What This Means for Your Training

If you’ve been doing pelvic floor exercises in isolation — or core exercises without considering your pelvic floor — you’re training an incomplete system. The best results come from programs that integrate all four components of the deep core.