Hypopressive / Low Pressure Fitness - Europe's not so secret secret

Did you know that France provides ten physiotherapy sessions to ALL of their women who have just delivered a baby? During that time, the physiotherapists there implement an exercise routine often incorporating Hypopressive/Low Pressure fitness exercises. France has taken into consideration the importance of rehabilitating the inner core and the pelvic floor after pregnancy and made it available to all.

​I recently took a course with two fabulous ladies who have been promoting Hypopressive/Low Pressure exercise within Canada. It’s fairly new to North America but has been widely researched in Europe. Most of the research has been geared towards women’s health, however Low Pressure Fitness can be appropriate for anyone dealing with core and pelvic floor dysfunction – this includes men! Both men and women can be faced with prolapse of their abdominal or reproductive organs, with incontinence related issues, or with abdominal muscle weakness/ruptures. In fact, it was Arnold Schwarzenegger who integrated this type of technique into his body building regimen to ensure his waist line stayed slim (you can read about it in his Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, 1998).

Hypopressives is a series of poses and breathing exercises that reduce the amount of pressure into the abdominal and pelvic cavities. It promotes a balance between your posture, your pelvic floor health, and your cardiovascular system. By holding certain postures you tap into the slow twitch muscles fibers which are great for improving your posture. The poses themselves create a natural way for your inner core and pelvic floor to become engaged. When you add the breathing techniques you are not only training your cardiovascular system but enhancing the strength of your muscles as well. Working through these exercises can at first be more of a mind game as it can be difficult to hold a pose for an extended period of time but the results of a regularly performed program are outstanding.

Benefits of Low Pressure Fitness:

• Postural muscle re-education
• Respiratory improvement
• Sexual enhancement
• Waist-line reduction
• Pelvic floor restoration

Hypopressives and Low Pressure Fitness exercise take a whole body approach to improving your overall well being.  For more information, you can take a look at http://hypopressivescanada.com.  Book an appointment with me at Empower Physiotherapy to see how hypopressives can help you.

​Written by Jacqueline St. Martin
Registered Physiotherapist
Level 1 Hypopressives Certified Instructor