DISCLAIMER: This post is based on (my) actual life and has been in no way fabricated or dramatised for effect. No seriously, I wish it was.
If you’re a guy, you might not want to read any further. No I genuinely mean it – go back to your booby magazines or whatever it is that keeps you busy. I’m warning you now, your view of Crossfit girls will be tainted forever if you keep reading.
Now, let’s straighten a few things up before we start. I’m a 26 year old girl, I’ve never had a baby (that I know of!), I’m quite fit, I do the regular ladies downstairs exercises (pelvic floor), BUT if there is running or jumping and especially double-unders in any given WOD, by the end of it, I will feel like I’ve sat in a puddle of piddle.
Today was a prime example: lots of running and box jumps – it killed me right off! Exhausted afterwards I thought:
“How have I just managed to wet myself?”
The thing is, even after an “incident”, I’m still never quite sure whether it is sweat or have I just flat out wet myself. Can a girl really sweat that much down there?! Are people just too afraid to snitch on their failing bladders?
I’m not ashamed of it, I’m quite vocal about feeling like I’ve had little piddle. It makes the brutality of the WOD hilarious and a little bit more bearable. You know that feeling where if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry? Piddle Giggles – definitely the best post-WOD medicine out there. It’s only embarrassing when you’re wearing leggings any colour other than black with a short top, or if you sit on the floor and your ass has soaked its guilty pee print in the chalk. I know, I’m disgusting. But I speak the truth!
Exercise Induced Urinary Leakage
These little incidents also have their own proper terminology- Exercise Induced Urinary Leakage – it’s an actual thing!
Now, while I think it’s funny that I’m not alone in this unpleasant situation, I’m not about to wear a pensioner pad while training or ignore the situation completely. I do my pelvic floor muscle exercises, BUT any study of the anatomy of this area will tell you that the pelvic floor muscles do not work alone; I’m talking lower abs, inner thighs, hips and butt which all need engaging in order to get that pelvic floor of steel.
More squats, lunges and planks
By taking training right back to basics we can strengthen the supporting muscles (glutes and abs) quite simply by doing more squats, lunges and planks. I’ve also read, that the most beneficial time to strengthen the muscle, is while you’re actually on the lav. All you need to do is stop the stream completely a couple of times before going again. Psssssss Stop. Psssssssssssss Stop. Pssssssss Stop.
Whenever we strengthen the muscles around the pelvic floor, we are helping to strengthen and support the pelvic floor and hopefully, in doing so we won’t end up peeing ourselves mid WOD!