{
  "$schema": "https://openexercise.org/schema/v0/exercise.json",
  "aliases": [
    {
      "text": "Gentle Reverse Kegels",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Gentle Reverse Kegel",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Pelvic Floor Drop",
      "kind": "common"
    }
  ],
  "anatomy": {
    "muscles": [
      {
        "muscle": "transversus-abdominis",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "multifidus",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      }
    ],
    "joints": [
      {
        "joint": "lumbar-spine",
        "actions": [
          "isometric-stabilization"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "classification": {
    "modalities": [
      "rehabilitation",
      "mobility"
    ],
    "movement_patterns": [
      "mobility-drill"
    ],
    "mechanics": "isolation",
    "force": "static",
    "kinetic_chain": "not-applicable",
    "laterality": "bilateral",
    "planes": [
      "sagittal"
    ],
    "contraction": [
      "isometric"
    ],
    "level": "beginner"
  },
  "equipment": {
    "optional": [
      "mat"
    ],
    "required": []
  },
  "external_ids": {
    "wger": "2655"
  },
  "id": "oec:reverse-kegel",
  "instructions": {
    "setup": [
      "Lie comfortably on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor in a hook-lying position.",
      "Rest one hand on your chest and the other on your lower abdomen, ensuring your neck, shoulders, and glutes are completely relaxed."
    ],
    "steps": [
      "Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, directing the air down into your lower belly and pelvic basin.",
      "Consciously allow the pelvic floor muscles to lengthen, drop, and expand downward and outward without forcing or straining.",
      "Hold the open, relaxed sensation gently at the top of the inhalation for a brief pause.",
      "Exhale passively through your mouth, letting the abdomen and pelvic floor naturally recoil back to neutral resting tone without actively squeezing."
    ],
    "breathing": "Inhale deeply to expand and release the pelvic floor, and exhale passively without actively contracting the muscles.",
    "cues": [
      "Breathe down into your sitting bones",
      "Drop and release, do not push",
      "Keep glutes and thighs completely loose"
    ],
    "common_faults": [
      {
        "fault": "Bearing down or forcefully straining as if having a bowel movement.",
        "correction": "Focus on passive relaxation and gentle outward expansion with the breath rather than forceful downward pressure."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Tensing the glutes, adductors, or abdominal wall.",
        "correction": "Ensure your buttocks and legs remain entirely soft and unsupported by muscle effort throughout the breath cycle."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Breathing shallowly into the upper chest.",
        "correction": "Place your hands on your lower ribs and belly to guide expansion into the 360-degree lower cylinder."
      }
    ],
    "safety": {
      "precautions": [
        "Stop and consult a pelvic floor physical therapist if you experience sharp pain or increased pelvic pressure."
      ],
      "spotter": "not-needed"
    }
  },
  "measurement": {
    "duration_counted": "total",
    "load": {
      "kind": "none"
    },
    "profiles": [
      {
        "required": [
          "duration"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "reps"
        ]
      },
      {
        "required": [
          "reps",
          "duration"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "records": {},
    "reps_counted": "total"
  },
  "name": "Reverse Kegel",
  "previous_ids": [
    "oec:gentle-reverse-kegels"
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "generated": [
      "/name",
      "/summary",
      "/classification",
      "/anatomy",
      "/equipment",
      "/measurement",
      "/instructions",
      "/setup",
      "/relations"
    ],
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "review": {
      "status": "machine-generated",
      "model": "gemini-3.8-flash",
      "at": "2026-10-31"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "wger: Gentle Reverse Kegels",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/2655/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
      }
    ]
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "type": "variation-of",
      "target": "oec:diaphragmatic-breathing"
    },
    {
      "type": "regression-of",
      "target": "oec:supported-deep-squat-breathing"
    }
  ],
  "setup": {
    "position": "supine"
  },
  "status": "active",
  "summary": "A pelvic floor relaxation exercise that uses diaphragmatic breathing to release tension and lengthen the pelvic floor muscles."
}