When most people think about pelvic floor training, they picture isolated kegels or direct exercises targeting the core muscles. While those muscles are important, the pelvic floor doesn’t work in isolation.

The pelvic floor is part of a larger system that responds to pressure, breath, and movement throughout the entire body. Every time you walk, lift, run, or even breathe, the pelvic floor coordinates with your glutes, adductors, ribs, diaphragm, deep core, and sling systems to manage load and maintain stability.

This is why true pelvic floor strength goes beyond one exercise. It’s about training the connections that support the pelvic floor, not just the muscles themselves.

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How Each System Supports Pelvic Floor Function

1. Glutes: The Pelvic Anchor

The glutes are more than just “hip muscles” — they form the foundation for how the pelvis moves and stays stable. When strong, the glutes help control pelvic tilt and rotation, which directly impacts the length tension relationship of the pelvic floor. For example, weak glutes often lead to an anterior pelvic tilt (hips tipped forward), which can overstretch the pelvic floor and reduce its ability to generate force.

On the other hand, when the glutes are active and balanced, they keep the pelvis aligned, so the pelvic floor doesn’t need to overwork to stabilize the system. This balance is especially important postpartum, when many women experience pelvic instability, hip weakness, or compensatory gripping patterns. Training the glutes gives the pelvic floor a solid anchor, allowing it to contract and relax in rhythm with breath and movement.

2. Adductors: The Pressure Regulators

The adductors, or inner thigh muscles, are often overlooked in strength training, but they play a critical role in pelvic health. They attach directly to the pelvis and feed into the same fascial system as the pelvic floor. This means they influence how pressure is managed inside the core. When adductors are weak or underutilized, the pelvis may become unstable, and the pelvic floor often compensates by holding excess tension.

Conversely, balanced adductor strength helps keep the pelvis steady, works synergistically with the glutes to control hip movement, and reduces the need for pelvic floor gripping strategies. This is particularly important postpartum, when adductors often lose strength and coordination, contributing to symptoms like heaviness, instability, or discomfort during walking and running. Training the adductors restores pelvic balance and makes pressure regulation inside the core more efficient.

3. Ribs & Breath: The Pressure Managers

The ribcage and diaphragm are inseparable from pelvic floor function because they work as part of the same pressure system. Every inhale expands the ribcage and moves the diaphragm downward, which lengthens the pelvic floor. Every exhale allows the ribs to close and the diaphragm to lift, which naturally supports pelvic floor contraction. If the ribs are stiff this breathing cycle is disrupted — pressure gets pushed outward or downward, and the pelvic floor loses its rhythm.

This is why rib mobility and breathing mechanics are often the missing link in core and pelvic floor recovery. Training rib expansion, rib closure, and diaphragmatic breathing allows pressure to be distributed evenly across the entire core system. The result is a pelvic floor that moves dynamically with breath rather than holding static tension.

4. The Sling System: The Cross-Body Connectors

The sling system describes the way muscles work across the body in diagonal chains. A classic example is the connection between the right lat and the left glute, tied together through the obliques and deep core. This cross body coordination is what makes walking, running, and rotational sports possible. If the sling system is weak or poorly coordinated, the pelvic floor is forced to pick up the slack by bracing and gripping. Over time, this can lead to fatigue or dysfunction. When the sling system is strong, however, force is transferred efficiently across the body, and the pelvic floor can act as a dynamic responder instead of the primary stabilizer. Training sling patterns ensures that the pelvic floor doesn’t overcompensate, allowing it to stay reactive, elastic, and resilient under load.

Exercises That Build the System

Glute Bridge with March and Iso Pull Apart or Band Adduction
This variation of the glute bridge goes beyond simply targeting the glutes. By adding a marching motion, one side of the pelvis is forced to stabilize while the other leg lifts, mimicking the demands of walking or running. Pairing this with an isometric band pull-apart or band adduction incorporates the lats or adductors into the movement, connecting the pelvis to the ribcage and creating full-body tension. This teaches the pelvic floor to stabilize under dynamic load while coordinating with both the upper and lower body.

90/90 Hip Lift with Cable Pullover
The 90/90 hip lift is a staple for rib-pelvis alignment, and adding a cable pullover makes it even more effective. In this position, the hamstrings are engaged to tuck the pelvis underneath, while the ribs are drawn down to stack over the pelvis. As the arms reach overhead with the pullover, the lats connect into the core and help regulate pressure. This exercise teaches the diaphragm, ribs, and pelvic floor to work together during breath and movement, which is foundational for restoring pressure management postpartum.

Short Seated Reach
In this upright position, the focus shifts to expanding the posterior ribcage. Many people develop a habit of upper ab gripping, which restricts rib expansion and limits how the diaphragm and pelvic floor coordinate. The short seated reach helps break that pattern. By reaching forward slightly while maintaining an upright posture, the ribs are encouraged to expand into the back, promoting better breathing mechanics. This expansion frees the pelvic floor to lengthen on inhale and contract on exhale, making the system more efficient.

Cable Lift
The cable lift adds a diagonal and rotational challenge that closely mirrors real-life movement, such as lifting a child or carrying groceries across the body. From a half-kneeling position, the arms pull a cable or band from low to high, forcing the ribs to close and the core to rotate while staying stacked over the pelvis. This teaches the pelvic floor to respond to diagonal and rotational load, integrating core and pelvic control with functional strength.

Lateral Lunge with Band Adduction
The lateral lunge introduces side-to-side movement, which is often neglected in traditional training. Stepping into the lunge challenges the glutes to stabilize and extend the hip, while the banded adduction component recruits the inner thighs. Together, these two muscle groups support the pelvis from multiple angles and train the pelvic floor to adapt to single-leg loading and frontal plane motion. This movement is especially useful for rebuilding strength and stability required for running, sport, and daily activities.

Deadbug with Banded Serratus Reach
The sling system connects opposite sides of the body. Think right shoulder to left hip, left shoulder to right hip — creating stability and efficient force transfer through movement. This exercise brings that connection to life.

Holding the band in a Pallof press position challenges the obliques and deep core to resist rotation, while the banded hip flexor march engages the lower abs and hip flexors to stabilise the pelvis. Together, they teach the body to coordinate tension diagonally across the trunk (from shoulder to opposite hip) instead of isolating one area.

The result is better integration between the ribs, core, and pelvis, allowing the entire system to share load evenly. For the pelvic floor, this means improved pressure control, stronger cross-body support, and a more efficient foundation for movement.

Bird Dog with Band Row
The bird dog already challenges core stability through cross-body control, but pairing it with a band row integrates the sling system. As one arm rows a band and the opposite leg extends, the lat on one side connects with the opposite glute, mimicking the natural sling pattern used in walking and running. This not only builds strength across the system but also reduces compensations that can place excess strain on the pelvic floor.

Dynamic Copenhagen with Hip Abduction
The Copenhagen plank is one of the most effective ways to strengthen the adductors, and adding hip abduction makes it even more powerful. In this exercise, the inner thigh works to hold the body up while the outer hip and lateral core are challenged through abduction. The result is a highly integrated movement that strengthens both adductors and abductors, forcing the pelvic floor to respond to load in multiple directions. This kind of dynamic training prepares the body for the unpredictable demands of sport, running, and daily life.

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Final Thoughts

The pelvic floor doesn’t need to be trained in isolation to become stronger. In fact, it functions best when the entire system is addressed. Glutes stabilize the pelvis, adductors help manage pressure, ribs and breath regulate load, and sling systems tie everything together.

By weaving these exercises into your training, you’re not only building pelvic floor strength — you’re restoring the coordination and integration that make the pelvic floor resilient. True pelvic floor strength comes from training the body as a system, not as separate parts.