Leaking urine when jumping: why it happens and how to jump dry again

Leaking when you jump, on a trampoline, a skipping rope or in a jumping-jack set, is usually stress incontinence: each landing drives your body weight down onto the pelvic floor, and if the floor can't brace fast and hard enough, a little urine gets out. Jumping is the hardest test the pelvic floor faces, so it is often the first place a leak shows and the last place it goes.

It is common, it is not something you have to accept, and pelvic floor training is the first treatment guidelines recommend. This guide explains why jumping is harder than a sneeze or a run, what to do on the day you want to jump, how to tell if you're ready for impact, and a 12-week plan back to it.

Why do I pee when I jump?

Every jump has two pushes on your bladder. Taking off, you brace your belly, and pressure inside it rises. Landing, your whole body weight comes down and stops in a fraction of a second, and that force travels through your organs onto the pelvic floor. On a trampoline the bed throws you back up and you do it again, dozens of times a minute.

A healthy pelvic floor tightens a split second before each landing, lifts the bladder neck and keeps the urethra shut. If the muscles are weaker, slower to react, tired after a few minutes, or if the tissue that holds up the urethra has stretched, the pressure wins for a moment and a few drops or a spurt escape.

The common reasons the floor loses that contest:

• Pregnancy and vaginal birth, which stretch the muscles and the support around the urethra. Leaks can start years later, when other changes add up.
• Menopause. Falling estrogen changes the tissue of the urethra and vagina. Many women first notice jumping leaks in their 40s and 50s; see perimenopause incontinence.
• Fatigue. The floor may hold for the first minute and give way at minute five. That's why many women leak at the end of a set, not the start.
• A full bladder, which has more weight and pressure behind it.
• Extra weight, a long-term cough or constipation, which load the floor every day.
• High-impact training itself. Leaks are common even in young athletes who have never had a baby (see below).

How common is it?

Very. In a 2002 Swedish study of young elite trampolinists who had never given birth, 80% said they leaked during trampoline training. In studies of physically active women, skipping, trampolining, jumping jacks and running are the activities women most often name as the ones that make them leak. Jumping sits at the top because it combines the biggest landing force with the most repeats.

So if you sat out the trampoline at a child's party, or stopped skipping in a fitness class, you're in very large company. Common doesn't mean it's normal or permanent, though: the same muscles that fail on landing can be trained to brace in time.

Why jumping is harder than a sneeze or a run

That's why a woman who no longer leaks on a sneeze, or even on a short jog, may still leak on the trampoline. Jumping asks for everything the floor has. Our guides to leaking when you sneeze or cough and leaking when running cover those triggers; this one is about impact from both feet.

Is it a weak floor, a tight floor, or an urge?

A tight floor matters because more squeezing won't fix it. A muscle that's always partly on can't tighten further when the landing comes, so it leaks too. If that sounds like you, read how to relax your pelvic floor before you start the strength plan below. Our free 1-minute check asks when your leaks happen and points you to the right start.

What to do on a day you want to jump

These won't cure a leak, but they make a trampoline afternoon or a skipping class far more likely to go dry while you train.

1. Empty your bladder right before, and again every 15 to 20 minutes if you're jumping for long. Less urine means less weight on the floor.
2. Don't stop drinking. Cutting fluids all day makes urine stronger, which can irritate the bladder and raise urgency. Drink normally and go before you start.
3. Go easy on coffee, tea and fizzy drinks in the two hours before. Caffeine increases urine and urgency for many women.
4. Warm up the floor. Five quick squeezes and three slow 5-second holds before you start, so the muscles are awake.
5. Breathe out as you land. Holding your breath and bracing hard pushes pressure down. A soft "sss" or "ha" on each landing keeps pressure moving up.
6. Land softly. Low bounces, knees and hips bending, feet hip-width apart. On a trampoline, stay in the middle and keep bounces small; on a rope, about an inch off the ground is enough.
7. Short sets, real rests. 20 to 30 seconds of jumping, then rest at least as long. Stop the set before the floor tires, not after it gives way.
8. Wear protection while you train, not instead of training: a pad made for urine (not a period pad), absorbent underwear, or a vaginal support device from the pharmacy (more below).

Exercises that help jumping leaks

Jumping needs three things from the floor: strength (enough squeeze to close the urethra), speed (a squeeze that fires before you land) and endurance (one that still fires on the 50th landing). Train all three.

1. Slow holds, built to 10 seconds

Lie on your back, knees bent. Breathe out and lift the pelvic floor up and in, as if stopping wind and the flow of urine at once. Keep breathing. Hold, then let go fully and rest as long as you held. 8 to 12 holds, 3 times a day. Start where you are, often 3 to 5 seconds, and add a second every week or two. If you're unsure you're lifting rather than pushing down, check with how to know if you are doing Kegels correctly.

2. Quick squeezes

A hard 1-second lift, a full let-go, and again. 10 in a row after each set of holds. This is the reflex that has to beat the landing.

3. Squeezes standing, then moving

Once holds feel solid lying down, do them sitting, then standing. Then add movement: lift the floor, do a slow squat, let go at the top. Then lift, rise onto your toes, and lower your heels with a thud. The heel drop is a small, safe landing.

4. Squat and calf strength

Strong legs absorb more of the landing so less reaches the floor. 10 to 15 squats (to a chair is fine) and 15 to 20 calf raises on each leg, 3 times a week. Breathe out as you rise.

5. Small hops, practised dry

From week 6 or so, with an empty bladder: lift the floor, do 5 small hops on the spot, breathing out on each landing. Rest. Build to 10, then 20, then 30 seconds. This trains the exact pattern of jumping at a size your floor can win.

For sets and reps matched to every leak type, see pelvic floor exercises for incontinence.

Are you ready to jump? Six home tests

Pelvic health physiotherapists in the UK published return-to-running guidance in 2019 (Goom, Donnelly and Brockwell) with simple load tests. Adapted for jumping, try these with an empty bladder and no pain. Each should be done without leaking, heaviness or pain:

Pass all six and you're ready to start short jumping sets. Fail one, and that's the one to train: keep building the plan below and test again in two weeks. For a fuller set of impact tests and a running plan, see leaking urine when running.

A 12-week plan back to jumping

If you leak in a stage, go back one stage for a week. A leak doesn't undo progress; it tells you which stage still needs time. Cleveland Clinic puts first changes from daily training at about 6 to 8 weeks, and the UK's NICE guideline asks for at least 3 months of training before judging it. See how long Kegels take to work for what changes when.

Trampolines with grandchildren

A trampoline is the hardest jumping there is: the bed's rebound adds force you don't control, and children make you bounce longer and higher than you meant to. A few things make it easier:

• Go to the toilet first, every time, even if you went half an hour ago.
• Start sitting or kneeling on the bed while the children bounce. It's still fun and much lighter on the floor.
• Stand with soft knees and let them do the big bouncing; small bounces from you.
• Count in sets: "ten bounces, then Grandma rests." It gives your floor its breaks without spoiling the game.
• Wear absorbent underwear the first few times, so you can relax and enjoy it.

Skipping rope and jumping jacks in a class

• Skipping: low jumps, on the balls of the feet, a light rope you can turn with your wrists. Start with 20 seconds on and 30 off. Alternate with "step skips" (one foot at a time), which halve the load.
• Jumping jacks: swap for a step-out jack (one leg out at a time, arms still up) until weeks 9 to 12 of the plan. Most instructors are glad to offer it.
• Box jumps, burpees and tuck jumps are the biggest loads in a class. Leave them until plain jumping is dry for a few weeks.

Menopause and jumping leaks

Around menopause, falling estrogen thins the tissue lining the urethra and vagina, and muscle strength falls with age everywhere in the body. Women who jumped dry for years can start leaking in their late 40s or 50s. Training still works at this age; it may take the full 12 weeks or longer. For women past menopause with vaginal dryness or urgency too, NICE recommends doctors consider vaginal estrogen. It does not recommend hormone tablets or patches for leaks. See bladder leakage and menopause.

Support devices and pads

• Pads and absorbent underwear made for urine hold more and keep skin drier than period pads. Use them while you train.
• Over-the-counter vaginal inserts (for example Poise Impressa in the US) press gently on the urethra and can stop leaks during exercise for some women. Read the size guide; stop if it hurts.
• A pessary, fitted by a doctor or nurse, supports the bladder neck and is often used for exercise leaks and prolapse.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor before more impact if you feel heaviness, dragging or a bulge in the vagina; if you have pain, blood in your urine or burning; if you can't empty fully or have a slow, stop-start stream; or if leaks started suddenly with other new symptoms. See a doctor or a pelvic floor physical therapist too if you've trained well for 3 months and nothing has changed. They can check your squeeze, fit a device, and discuss other options, including surgery for stress leaks that don't respond.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I pee when I jump on a trampoline?

Each landing pushes your body weight down onto the pelvic floor. If the muscles can't brace in time, or tire after a few minutes, a little urine escapes. This is stress incontinence.

Is it normal to leak when jumping?

It's common, even in young athletes. It's not something you have to live with: daily pelvic floor training for at least 3 months helps many women.

Can I stop leaking when I skip rope?

Many women can, by building strength, speed and endurance in the floor, then adding impact in small steps. Low jumps, short sets and an empty bladder help while you train.

Why do I only leak after a few minutes of jumping?

The floor is tiring. Train longer holds and more quick squeezes in a row, and keep jumping sets short with full rests until it lasts.

Should I stop jumping until it's fixed?

You don't have to stop everything. Jump at the size your floor can win, short and low, while you train. Stop and see a doctor if you feel heaviness or a bulge.

Where to start today

Today, time one slow hold lying down and write it down; that's the number you'll build to 10. Then try the six tests to see where you start. If you'd like to see in one minute why Kegels often don't help on their own, take the free 1-minute check. For more on leaks, urges and the pelvic floor after 40, see all our pelvic floor guides.

Sources: NICE NG123, Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management, 2019. Dumoulin C., Cacciari L., Hay-Smith J., Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment for urinary incontinence in women, Cochrane, 2018. Eliasson K., Larsson T., Mattsson E., Prevalence of stress incontinence in nulliparous elite trampolinists, Scand J Med Sci Sports, 2002 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12121428). Goom T., Donnelly G., Brockwell E., Returning to running postnatal: guidelines for medical, health and fitness professionals, 2019. Cleveland Clinic, Stress incontinence and Kegel exercises (my.clevelandclinic.org). Training and education, not medical advice.