You Don’t Need to Stop Lifting With Prolapse

By Liesbeth Peeters, Pelvic & Women’s Health Physiotherapist & Functional Strength Coach

Being told to “stop lifting” because of a prolapse is one of the most common, and most damaging, pieces of advice women receive.

It comes from caution, not evidence.

Telling women to stop lifting because of prolapse is not protective, it’s limiting. It keeps women weak, fearful, and disconnected from their bodies, and it’s the complete opposite of what your body actually needs to cope with life, motherhood, and long-term pelvic health.

Strength training is not the problem.
The strategy is.

My approach? (backed with 18+ years of experience in the field and research)
Functional rehab to strength. Because your pelvic floor doesn’t need fear, it needs capacity. And unfortunately this is what many programs lack.

Why “Just Rest” Isn’t the Answer

Prolapse symptoms like heaviness or pressure can feel confronting, and rest can feel like the safest option. But daily life is loading:
You lift your baby.
You push a pram.
You carry shopping bags.
You get up off the floor.

These are all forms of functional strength.

If your body isn’t trained to handle load in a controlled environment (functional program), it will struggle under everyday demands.

Your pelvic floor doesn’t need protection, it needs smart progression and load-tolerance training.

It’s Not “Don’t Lift”. It’s “Learn to Lift Well”

The pelvic floor is part of a whole pressure + movement system.

When we train it in isolation, we miss the bigger picture. This is where my treatment / training has stand out over the past years.

Functional training for prolapse means improving:

• Breath mechanics

• Pressure control

• Pelvic floor coordination

• Whole-body strength & stability

• The ability to absorb and manage load

This is performance-informed pelvic rehab. And it’s how we create durable, capable, athletic women, at all life stages.

Your Core Isn’t Fragile — It’s Adaptable

Think of your core as a force-transfer system.

When breathing, core, ribs, and pelvic floor coordinate well, load is shared, not dumped downward.

When they don’t, pressure shifts where you don’t want it. (on pelvic organs)

It’s not about being gentle or bracing harder, it’s about timing, coordination, and controlled strength.

You don’t avoid load; you have to build capacity for it.

What Most Programs Miss

Many “pelvic floor” or “core” programs focus on activation, not the correct application.

True rehab to strength includes:
1. Coordination
Breath + pelvic floor timing
Control without gripping
2. Mobility
Hips + mid-back move well so the pelvis doesn't compensate
3. Strength Progression
Load tolerance through functional patterns

Rehab → Functional strength → Performance

This is how we shift from “I hope this is okay” to “I know my body can do this.”

How We Return to Lifting With Prolapse

Every woman begins with a full assessment: breath, pressure strategy, pelvic floor response, movement patterns, current strength.

Then we build capacity in phases:
Phase 1 — Foundations
Breath coordination & Pelvic floor re-timing + use movement
Phase 2 — Strength Capacity
Anti-rotation + core endurance + single leg ….
Phase 3 — Load + Performance
Weights return & Impact tolerance when appropriate

Movement Builds Confidence

The moment a woman realises she can lift again, without fear, without symptoms, and with control, everything shifts.

Training stops being scary and becomes empowering.

Your body isn’t fragile. It’s adaptable, intelligent, and capable for much more than you think.

Prolapse isn’t the end of strength, it’s the beginning of a smarter, stronger season.

Where to Start

If you're ready to return to a symptom-free, active lifestyle, my Core Floor Confidence Program was built for you!

Inside you’ll learn how to:

• Coordinate breath, core + pelvic floor

• Manage pressure under load

• Build strength progressively

• Return to exercise, running, impact or just daily life symptom-free safely

Start your 5-day free trial inside the StrongHER App,
OR work with me for a more personalised approach (F2F or online coaching),
and begin your journey from rehab → functional training → strength.

Let’s start your strong journey, happy to help you on the way!