New patient offer: use code NEW10 for 10% off your first booking.Book with NEW10
P
PhysioOnClick
Sign InBook Now
Deep Core and Pelvic Floor Co-Activation exercise demonstration
Exercise library

Deep Core and Pelvic Floor Co-Activation

Gently drawing in the lower abdomen together with the pelvic floor, rebuilding coordinated deep core support.

Area
Pelvic health
Stage
Strength phase
Equipment
Exercise mat

Typical dose: 2 sets × 10 reps, 5s hold · once a day, 6 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 with your knees bent and feet flat, or sit tall. Rest one hand on your lower tummy, just inside your hip bones.

  1. Breathe out gently and lift the pelvic floor as you have practised.
  2. At the same time, draw your lower tummy in softly, as if a low waistband is tightening.
  3. Hold both together for about 5 seconds while breathing normally.
  4. Release your tummy and pelvic floor together and rest.

Form cues

  • The tummy draws flatter and firmer, but does not suck in hard or dome up.
  • Your back stays still and your ribs stay soft - no arching or flattening of the spine.
  • The pelvic floor lift and the tummy draw-in happen together, not one then the other.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the tummy in so hard that you cannot breathe or talk easily.
  • Letting the pelvic floor drop while you focus on the tummy.
  • Holding your breath to hold the position.

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 Diaphragmatic Breathing for Pelvic FloorSlow belly breathing that gently moves the pelvic floor with the diaphragm, foundational for pelvic floor retraining.Pelvic healthEarly rehabView 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