Why many women are heading to Pilates studios rather than the doctor’s office

by Emma Cunningham

So many women are opting for surgery to tighten, tuck, re-virginise, and otherwise “fix” their vaginas in order to improve sex, either for their own pleasure or for their partner’s. But plastic surgery is expensive, and let’s face it, kind of embarrassing. What can you do to reap all the benefits of a tightened vagina without ever stepping foot in a surgeon’s office and asking to be put under the knife? Pilates.

Pilates exercises all initiate from the pelvic floor, which is made up of two muscles, your pubococcygeus muscle and your levator ani muscle. To be crude, the pubococcygeus muscle is the one that contracts during orgasm and childbirth, and your levator ani is the one you use while squeezing out poo. Both muscles are intimately involved in sex, and I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate.

Want a tighter grip on your boyfriend’s penis? Learn to squeeze those pelvic floor muscles. Sit upright on the floor and feel your sitbones pressing into the floor. Now try to pull those bones towards each other. You’ll feel a little bit of a “lift” between your legs. Try to keep that lift for ten seconds, then release. And repeat. Once you get the hang of it, you can contract them sitting, standing, lying down, bent forwards over the kitchen counter… and believe me, the orgasmic rewards for both you and your partner will be outstanding.

Your pelvic floor is connected to your abdominals, and if you’ve ever had sore abs after a particularly good sex session, you’ll know how invaluable strong abs are – and especially how important abdominal endurance is. Since Pilates exercises all start from your core, you’ll build up the strength and endurance that will make your love life go from “Mmmm” to “MMMMMM!”

Two exercises in particular that will help are the Rollover Prep and Shoulder Bridge. To do the Rollover Prep, lie on your back with bent knees. Contract your pelvic floor muscles, and imagine that you’re pulling on jeans that are two sizes too small – pull those abs in! Then, lift one leg at a time off the floor, keeping your knees bent. Without changing the angle at your knees, use your abs to lift your bum away from the floor. Now try it again – but this time, don’t let your shoulders and upper back lift off too! After five to eight reps, stop, and do Shoulder Bridge. Go back to your original starting position on your back with bent knees, and lift your hips towards the ceiling, then lower back down. Again, aim to do five to eight reps. Now your abs and glutes are geared up for thrusting movements!

Everyone wants to be able to contort themselves into fun shapes for different angles of penetration, right? Learn to open those hips up while keeping the muscles strong enough to wrap your legs firmly around your partner’s hips. Lie on your back with bent knees, pull on those tight jeans again, and bring one leg up to tabletop. Without letting your hips shift or your bum lift off the mat, straighten your leg as much as you are able. Then, draw some medium-size circles with your foot – without letting your hips move! As you get stronger and your hips get more stable, increase the size of your circles, but keep the top of the femur firmly anchored in the hip joint.
Once you’ve tried all these tips, and experience first-hand how much better a Pilates-enhanced sex life can be, I know you’ll be running to the nearest studio to see what else Pilates can do