Ladies who deadlift...

2

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    firef1y72 wrote: »
    Firstly I'm so glad I'm not the only one, I really couldn't ask at the gym as I'm the only lady (or even person 99% of the time) deadlifting at the time of day that I go to lift.
    JoRocka wrote: »

    I use period THINX panties to help- pads are nice- but they are really annoying to lift in. So I use a liner/pad and the thinx and eventually I get ride of the pad- but it happens. You're not alone.

    I've never heard of Thinx, are they an American thing? I was considering getting some scrundies customised with an absorbent gusset, I'm guessing they'd be similar, or maybe get some Tena pants, cos yes pads do tend to move about and ride in to some pretty uncomfortable positions.

    I don't know if American thing- but they are a recent "thing" within the last 2 years they have become popular.

    I love mine- like I said- pricey- but dual purpose- so WINNING!
    I'm extremely vocal about it. I don't want anyone to be embarrassed so I try to make people (I.e. the men) aware of it so if and when it happens to someone they know- they aren't surprised and no one is making fun of something unnecessarily.
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    everyone has peed on our deadlift platform. my gym bag includes a package of large size pads i wear every time i squat or DL. Squatting isn't as bad as DL for me, but i have peed on the squat box before so i dont take that chance. For me , i pee every time the DL gets heavy 80%+.

    I definitely originally was a squat pee-er- now it's far more a DL thing. I am able to control it better squatting. Also- on DL- sumo = instant (on anything over 85/90. Conventional is better- but still. Its way worse with DL than squats at this point.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    kenzienal wrote: »
    My day dreams of lifting heavy weights in the future have now turned to nightmares of pee running down my legs.

    You are not the only one.

    Mmph. I can't seem to be consistent enough to get past low-intermediate weights so I've got a while to go. Surely I'm safe until I break 2x bw, right?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    edited April 2017
    stealthq wrote: »
    kenzienal wrote: »
    My day dreams of lifting heavy weights in the future have now turned to nightmares of pee running down my legs.

    You are not the only one.

    Mmph. I can't seem to be consistent enough to get past low-intermediate weights so I've got a while to go. Surely I'm safe until I break 2x bw, right?

    You really want the answer to that question?

    I'm not 2x BW on deads... Weight 172, Dead 1RM 330.7 (and the mop incident wasn't 1RM)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    First time I used a belt- I piddled on squats. I wasn't expecting the internal pressure to increase (duh) from the belt. (least I'm using the belt correctly!)- wasn't even that heavy LOL



  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,481 Member
    edited April 2017
    Thanks for the couple of posts about the Thinx @jorocka.

    I wish they had been around when I was premenopausal and weak bladdered; now I am post menopausal and have a pretty strong pelvic floor (all the horror stories about peeing yourself once you passed menopause really got me working on being an exception).

    I have no problems, yet, when lifting, but I do find as soon as I finish a 10k I have a desperate urge to pee and if there is a queue at the portables there can be a slight problem.

    I think I am in for a couple of pair.

    For those interested they are not available in shops, but they do ship internationally.

    Cheers, h.

    Edit: https://www.shethinx.com/?gclid=COW7uoqykNMCFQ92fgoda-gA3g
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    So glad to see so many women get reassurance that this is normal. Well, I don't know if normal is the right word, but common. Two life changers for me....Impressa. A fellow MFP'er told me about it. It is a new tampon like insert that compresses your urethra enough that you don't leak with exercise induced incontinence. I always wear one now when I'm hitting anything above 80% 1RM. The second thing is that there is actually such a thing as Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. I have been going for a few months now and it's really helping me figure out how to strengthen those muscles.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    And yes, @JoRocka I quickly found out using a belt made things much, much worse. I haven't had any issues since I've started using Impressa. I'm not confident enough yet in my pelvic floor to attempt it without one yet. But I have been jogging without issue and that's pretty big for me.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    Morgaen73 wrote: »
    Be very careful. My wife had the same thing and it turned out she ended up doing damage to her pelvic floor.

    I'm not sure what your wife did, but for the other ladies I have specifically asked my PT if I would do any damage to my pelvic floor lifting at maximal weights with a belt and she has told me emphatically over and over NO.
  • cbl40
    cbl40 Posts: 281 Member
    The one good thing about having C sections! Your pelvic floor stays intact. Vaginal delivery better in every other aspect. I can jump and jump and jump and lift and no leaks, and I'm 45 yrs old! Sorry this is happening but it definitely is common. discreet pads should work just fine. :) Keep on lifting!
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    So glad to see so many women get reassurance that this is normal. Well, I don't know if normal is the right word, but common. Two life changers for me....Impressa. A fellow MFP'er told me about it. It is a new tampon like insert that compresses your urethra enough that you don't leak with exercise induced incontinence. I always wear one now when I'm hitting anything above 80% 1RM. The second thing is that there is actually such a thing as Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. I have been going for a few months now and it's really helping me figure out how to strengthen those muscles.

    Yes! I think the physical therapy is what the MegSquats video is about, or at least mentioned.
    I think this is a great idea. There are probably some at home exercises that could be done aside from seeing a specialist?
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    Hip thrusts are the culprit for me. Every single time. And jumping jacks.
  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
    So glad to see so many women get reassurance that this is normal. Well, I don't know if normal is the right word, but common. Two life changers for me....Impressa. A fellow MFP'er told me about it. It is a new tampon like insert that compresses your urethra enough that you don't leak with exercise induced incontinence. I always wear one now when I'm hitting anything above 80% 1RM. The second thing is that there is actually such a thing as Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. I have been going for a few months now and it's really helping me figure out how to strengthen those muscles.

    Yes! I think the physical therapy is what the MegSquats video is about, or at least mentioned.
    I think this is a great idea. There are probably some at home exercises that could be done aside from seeing a specialist?

    This is super common, and nothing to be embarrassed about. However, it is not "normal" in the sense that this is physiologically how your body should behave. I squat, deadlift, and hip thrust decently heavy weights and do not have an issue. Before I started lifting I had occasional issues while sneezing, but lifting helped me better engage my pelvic floor. Yay!

    Stress incontinence is typically caused by bracing incorrectly or a weak(er) pelvic floor. Generally speaking if there are huge gushes of urine during a lift that person is probably bracing incorrectly, and when there are little dribbles it's probably a pelvic floor issue. Sometimes the pelvic floor is just weaker than the abs and back so when those muscles contract the bladder is squeezed, and the pelvic floor is the weak link that lets urine escape. Another possibility is the pelvic floor is strong enough, but the lifter needs to learn to keep it engaged during lifts. In situations like this Kegel exercises and progressions can be done to help strengthen and/or engage the muscles. There are more complex situations where it would be beneficial to see a PT specializing in women's health to address the issue. For example if someone's weak pelvic floor is due to or contributed from also having anterior pelvic tilt. The PT would have to assess why this is happening and correct the APT and address the pelvic floor weakness.

    TLDR: Make sure you're bracing correctly, do your kegels, and if that doesn't work see a PT.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    ^^ This exactly. That's what I've learned. The PT just basically hooked me up to a machine so she can track my progress and and help me learn how to engage my pelvic floor correctly. I was engaging my abs WAY too much. It was super hard for me to learn how to do kegels without using my abs. My prescribed therapy is really just sets of kegels (done the right way) laying down, sitting down and standing up as well as isometric holds.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    Fittreelol wrote: »
    So glad to see so many women get reassurance that this is normal. Well, I don't know if normal is the right word, but common. Two life changers for me....Impressa. A fellow MFP'er told me about it. It is a new tampon like insert that compresses your urethra enough that you don't leak with exercise induced incontinence. I always wear one now when I'm hitting anything above 80% 1RM. The second thing is that there is actually such a thing as Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. I have been going for a few months now and it's really helping me figure out how to strengthen those muscles.

    Yes! I think the physical therapy is what the MegSquats video is about, or at least mentioned.
    I think this is a great idea. There are probably some at home exercises that could be done aside from seeing a specialist?

    This is super common, and nothing to be embarrassed about. However, it is not "normal" in the sense that this is physiologically how your body should behave. I squat, deadlift, and hip thrust decently heavy weights and do not have an issue. Before I started lifting I had occasional issues while sneezing, but lifting helped me better engage my pelvic floor. Yay!

    Stress incontinence is typically caused by bracing incorrectly or a weak(er) pelvic floor. Generally speaking if there are huge gushes of urine during a lift that person is probably bracing incorrectly, and when there are little dribbles it's probably a pelvic floor issue. Sometimes the pelvic floor is just weaker than the abs and back so when those muscles contract the bladder is squeezed, and the pelvic floor is the weak link that lets urine escape. Another possibility is the pelvic floor is strong enough, but the lifter needs to learn to keep it engaged during lifts. In situations like this Kegel exercises and progressions can be done to help strengthen and/or engage the muscles. There are more complex situations where it would be beneficial to see a PT specializing in women's health to address the issue. For example if someone's weak pelvic floor is due to or contributed from also having anterior pelvic tilt. The PT would have to assess why this is happening and correct the APT and address the pelvic floor weakness.

    TLDR: Make sure you're bracing correctly, do your kegels, and if that doesn't work see a PT.

    That was super insightful!

    I guess I was thinking at-home options not so much out of embarrassment, but more along the lines of affordability. Like if it would be something insurance would cover for everyone, or if it would be difficult to find a specialist without having to travel. (I am rural and uninsured, so that's where my mind goes I guess!)

    I've never had any issues lifting or otherwise, but it makes me kind of sad to see so many women dealing with it when there's likely options that could help!
  • fitbethlin
    fitbethlin Posts: 162 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Kimo159 wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    I pretty much emptied my whole bladder down my leg once. I already went pee multiple times- and had pulled multiple reps- including the one previously that DID piddle as well.

    I finally said *kitten* it and pulled the weight and pretty much voided everything liquid in my system.
    I have it on video- you can't tell- but holy crap was it miserable.

    I called it quits after that day after that lift.

    I use period THINX panties to help- pads are nice- but they are really annoying to lift in. So I use a liner/pad and the thinx and eventually I get ride of the pad- but it happens. You're not alone.

    I never thought to try thinx for deadlift days! Omggg! Good to hear that they're comfy. I don't have a pair yet but I was looking at buying them...so expensive though, blah! But, sounds like they're worth it.

    It doesn't happen to me everytime, and there's no rhyme or reason for the times it does. But it's happened for sure.
    I own 3 pairs- and I'm getting ready to order more. For real. They are a game changer for me as a woman and a lifter.

    If you are really heavy- they will NOT hold up. They are a really good back up method. I am pretty light- so I can use them for all but 1-2 days of my period. But they are great for lifting- great for sleeping in too- so you don't have to worry about tampons at night.
    Sara1791 wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    I use period THINX panties to help- pads are nice- but they are really annoying to lift in. So I use a liner/pad and the thinx and eventually I get ride of the pad- but it happens. You're not alone.

    Second time in two days I've heard of these. Can you get them in the regular aisle?

    Nope- gotta order them. They are 'spensive.
    But as someone who doesn't have a heavy flow- using pads constantly for spotting is REALLY annoying. Soooooo the thinx are great. They are also great for sleeping.

    ^^ THIS. All of this, except that I DO have a heavy flow. Sometimes a regular tampon can give up after an hour, and having the heavier-flow THINX on saves me a lot of hassle. And then as the cycle goes on, I can quit with the tampons and just use the THINX. And I wear the thong ones under my yoga pants a lot (I lift in those too) to help me feel more confident when I lift.

    They're so expensive, but soooooooooooo worth it.
  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
    Fittreelol wrote: »
    So glad to see so many women get reassurance that this is normal. Well, I don't know if normal is the right word, but common. Two life changers for me....Impressa. A fellow MFP'er told me about it. It is a new tampon like insert that compresses your urethra enough that you don't leak with exercise induced incontinence. I always wear one now when I'm hitting anything above 80% 1RM. The second thing is that there is actually such a thing as Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. I have been going for a few months now and it's really helping me figure out how to strengthen those muscles.

    Yes! I think the physical therapy is what the MegSquats video is about, or at least mentioned.
    I think this is a great idea. There are probably some at home exercises that could be done aside from seeing a specialist?

    This is super common, and nothing to be embarrassed about. However, it is not "normal" in the sense that this is physiologically how your body should behave. I squat, deadlift, and hip thrust decently heavy weights and do not have an issue. Before I started lifting I had occasional issues while sneezing, but lifting helped me better engage my pelvic floor. Yay!

    Stress incontinence is typically caused by bracing incorrectly or a weak(er) pelvic floor. Generally speaking if there are huge gushes of urine during a lift that person is probably bracing incorrectly, and when there are little dribbles it's probably a pelvic floor issue. Sometimes the pelvic floor is just weaker than the abs and back so when those muscles contract the bladder is squeezed, and the pelvic floor is the weak link that lets urine escape. Another possibility is the pelvic floor is strong enough, but the lifter needs to learn to keep it engaged during lifts. In situations like this Kegel exercises and progressions can be done to help strengthen and/or engage the muscles. There are more complex situations where it would be beneficial to see a PT specializing in women's health to address the issue. For example if someone's weak pelvic floor is due to or contributed from also having anterior pelvic tilt. The PT would have to assess why this is happening and correct the APT and address the pelvic floor weakness.

    TLDR: Make sure you're bracing correctly, do your kegels, and if that doesn't work see a PT.

    That was super insightful!

    I guess I was thinking at-home options not so much out of embarrassment, but more along the lines of affordability. Like if it would be something insurance would cover for everyone, or if it would be difficult to find a specialist without having to travel. (I am rural and uninsured, so that's where my mind goes I guess!)

    I've never had any issues lifting or otherwise, but it makes me kind of sad to see so many women dealing with it when there's likely options that could help!

    Thank you. I'm super passionate about this for some reason. I want to help all the ladies!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Fittreelol wrote: »
    So glad to see so many women get reassurance that this is normal. Well, I don't know if normal is the right word, but common. Two life changers for me....Impressa. A fellow MFP'er told me about it. It is a new tampon like insert that compresses your urethra enough that you don't leak with exercise induced incontinence. I always wear one now when I'm hitting anything above 80% 1RM. The second thing is that there is actually such a thing as Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. I have been going for a few months now and it's really helping me figure out how to strengthen those muscles.

    Yes! I think the physical therapy is what the MegSquats video is about, or at least mentioned.
    I think this is a great idea. There are probably some at home exercises that could be done aside from seeing a specialist?

    This is super common, and nothing to be embarrassed about. However, it is not "normal" in the sense that this is physiologically how your body should behave. I squat, deadlift, and hip thrust decently heavy weights and do not have an issue. Before I started lifting I had occasional issues while sneezing, but lifting helped me better engage my pelvic floor. Yay!

    Stress incontinence is typically caused by bracing incorrectly or a weak(er) pelvic floor. Generally speaking if there are huge gushes of urine during a lift that person is probably bracing incorrectly, and when there are little dribbles it's probably a pelvic floor issue. Sometimes the pelvic floor is just weaker than the abs and back so when those muscles contract the bladder is squeezed, and the pelvic floor is the weak link that lets urine escape. Another possibility is the pelvic floor is strong enough, but the lifter needs to learn to keep it engaged during lifts. In situations like this Kegel exercises and progressions can be done to help strengthen and/or engage the muscles. There are more complex situations where it would be beneficial to see a PT specializing in women's health to address the issue. For example if someone's weak pelvic floor is due to or contributed from also having anterior pelvic tilt. The PT would have to assess why this is happening and correct the APT and address the pelvic floor weakness.

    TLDR: Make sure you're bracing correctly, do your kegels, and if that doesn't work see a PT.

    can you give more information about bracing incorrectly?

    I've been doing some work on learning to brace differently- but it's been more upper transverse abs vs what assuming are the external obliques but if I'm bearing down on a DL- all *kitten* goes south- or rather all pee goes south.

    I would generally consider myself to have a reasonably strong pelvic floor- (or I did) as a bellydancer we use a lot of those low muscles and try to keep the pelvic floor engaged- but the more I learn- the more I realize despite years of lifting I have more to do- I still have a lot of work to tighten things up.

  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Fittreelol wrote: »
    So glad to see so many women get reassurance that this is normal. Well, I don't know if normal is the right word, but common. Two life changers for me....Impressa. A fellow MFP'er told me about it. It is a new tampon like insert that compresses your urethra enough that you don't leak with exercise induced incontinence. I always wear one now when I'm hitting anything above 80% 1RM. The second thing is that there is actually such a thing as Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. I have been going for a few months now and it's really helping me figure out how to strengthen those muscles.

    Yes! I think the physical therapy is what the MegSquats video is about, or at least mentioned.
    I think this is a great idea. There are probably some at home exercises that could be done aside from seeing a specialist?

    This is super common, and nothing to be embarrassed about. However, it is not "normal" in the sense that this is physiologically how your body should behave. I squat, deadlift, and hip thrust decently heavy weights and do not have an issue. Before I started lifting I had occasional issues while sneezing, but lifting helped me better engage my pelvic floor. Yay!

    Stress incontinence is typically caused by bracing incorrectly or a weak(er) pelvic floor. Generally speaking if there are huge gushes of urine during a lift that person is probably bracing incorrectly, and when there are little dribbles it's probably a pelvic floor issue. Sometimes the pelvic floor is just weaker than the abs and back so when those muscles contract the bladder is squeezed, and the pelvic floor is the weak link that lets urine escape. Another possibility is the pelvic floor is strong enough, but the lifter needs to learn to keep it engaged during lifts. In situations like this Kegel exercises and progressions can be done to help strengthen and/or engage the muscles. There are more complex situations where it would be beneficial to see a PT specializing in women's health to address the issue. For example if someone's weak pelvic floor is due to or contributed from also having anterior pelvic tilt. The PT would have to assess why this is happening and correct the APT and address the pelvic floor weakness.

    TLDR: Make sure you're bracing correctly, do your kegels, and if that doesn't work see a PT.

    can you give more information about bracing incorrectly?

    I've been doing some work on learning to brace differently- but it's been more upper transverse abs vs what assuming are the external obliques but if I'm bearing down on a DL- all *kitten* goes south- or rather all pee goes south.

    I would generally consider myself to have a reasonably strong pelvic floor- (or I did) as a bellydancer we use a lot of those low muscles and try to keep the pelvic floor engaged- but the more I learn- the more I realize despite years of lifting I have more to do- I still have a lot of work to tighten things up.

    Absolutely!

    To start with try to not bear down at all. For some reason this cue is bandied about the interwebs with insane frequency. Ideally you don't want to bear down ever except during childbirth. You should *theoretically* only have to relax the muscles to urinate/defecate. Bearing down can lead to hemorrhoids, in extreme cases vaginal and/or anal prolapse, and can also interfere with normal elimination patterns in the future.

    So if not bearing down what do I do? I think of it as bearing "out" like you're getting ready for a gut punch. I was lucky? enough to participate in tae kwon do as a kid so I learned how to do this real quick and it carried over. I'm not sure how to describe exactly how to accomplish this so I did a lot of googling. Apparently the internet agrees that "bracing for a punch" is a good cue, but it doesn't go a lot further into explaining it either.

    Now I've spent 20 minutes reenacting my bracing technique in order to describe it (I might have too much time on my hands today). I take a large diaphragmatic breath, then I pull my abs in slightly, and then push my entire midsection out either against my belt (which is a lever belt I keep fairly tight) or into an imaginary one. It's important to not just push your abs out like you just had all you can eat sushi, and you don't want to pull them in so far you're doing that weird 'belly button to your spine" thing they talk about in yoga class. A happy medium with a belly full of air should be good. If that doesn't work just have someone hit you a few times to practice. >:)

    Oh and there's some interesting information on bracing here: http://www.strongerbyscience.com/how-to-squat/#Bracing
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Well that's interesting- I would describe what I do is the brace "outward" (against my belt) rather than "bearing down" (although I realize that's the word I used).

    I'll have to revaluate when I DL- b/c I think/suspect my method of core stability is different from one to the other if I am thinking about it now.