New patient offer: use code NEW10 for 10% off your first booking.Book with NEW10
P
PhysioOnClick
Sign InBook Now
Bridge with Pelvic Floor Engagement exercise demonstration
Exercise library

Bridge with Pelvic Floor Engagement

A hip bridge combined with a light pelvic floor lift, integrating pelvic floor control into a functional strength movement.

Area
Pelvic health
Stage
Strength phase
Equipment
Exercise mat

Typical dose: 2 sets × 10 reps · once a day, 5 days a week. This is a general starting point, not a plan matched to your condition or stage.

Check if this is right for me

Embed this exercise on your website

Free for clinics, gyms, clubs and blogs. Paste this code into your page's HTML.

Free to embed unchanged, with the credit link kept. Embedding terms

How to do it

You need: Exercise mat.

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Rest your arms by your sides.

  1. Breathe out, lift your pelvic floor and gently draw in your lower tummy.
  2. Squeeze your buttocks and lift your hips until your body makes a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
  3. Hold for a moment, keeping the pelvic floor lifted and breathing normally.
  4. Lower your hips down slowly, one part of your spine at a time, and let the pelvic floor release.

Form cues

  • The pelvic floor lifts just before the hips do, and stays lifted while the hips are up.
  • Your hips stay level with each other, not dropping to one side.
  • The effort is felt in your buttocks and the backs of your thighs; your lower back stays comfortable.

Common mistakes

  • Lifting so high that your lower back arches and feels pinched.
  • Holding your breath to keep the pelvic floor lifted.
  • Letting the pelvic floor drop as soon as the hips come up.

Safety: Stop and message your physio if you notice new pelvic pain, a dragging or heavy feeling, or any bleeding.

Part of these recovery programmes

This exercise is one step in a staged plan for the conditions below. Each link opens the full programme and shows where this exercise fits.

Related exercises

Other exercises from the library that pair well with this one.

Pelvic Floor Activation (Basic)A gentle 'lift and squeeze' pelvic floor contraction, the foundation exercise for pelvic floor rehabilitation.Pelvic healthEarly rehabView details Pelvic Floor Endurance HoldHolding a pelvic floor contraction for progressively longer counts, building the endurance needed for daily continence.Pelvic healthStrength phaseView details Fast-Twitch Pelvic Floor 'The Knack'A quick pre-emptive pelvic floor squeeze timed just before a cough or sneeze, a technique proven to reduce leakage.Pelvic healthStrength phaseView details Deep Core and Pelvic Floor Co-ActivationGently drawing in the lower abdomen together with the pelvic floor, rebuilding coordinated deep core support.Pelvic healthStrength phaseView details

More pregnancy & pelvic health exercises

See all pregnancy & pelvic health exercises

Written and clinically reviewed by Shivaliba Zala, HCPC-registered physiotherapist (PH155757)

Reviewed 8 September 2026

This exercise is generic - you're not

Get a plan personalized to you

Book a £40 online assessment with an HCPC-registered physiotherapist and get a rehab plan matched to your condition and stage - not a generic starting point.

Get my personalized plan