If you've recently tried jumping on a trampoline or jumping rope and felt pee just fall out of you [1], you're not alone. This has become part of the workouts for Liza Brice, a former gymnast and weightlifter, now CrossFit competitor. I was across from her while doing front squats when she made the joke "Pee-PR!" I looked on the floor and what I thought were drips of sweat were actually drips of urine.
I was at @champlainvalleycrossfit for a total of 4 hours today plus worked a full day. This was my last lift of the day...power clean + hang power clean + 2 jerks at #153 I wanted to push way more weight on this complex but it literally took every ounce of my soul not to die, pass out, puke or pee my pants. At least my jerks are less strict pressing! @dbgear_llc foam core belt and knee sleeves keeping my body from falling apart. #cvcf #imtryinglikehell #yagottawantit #maketime [2]
Liza told me, "After I had my son, I noticed when I sneezed or laughed real hard, I would pee a little." She thought it was normal but that it would soon stop. It didn't. "I remember the first time I front squatted 200 pounds (which was a big goal for me) I peed pretty bad and was really embarrassed. After that I felt self-conscience about it and would hold back the weight for fear of peeing in front of a room full of strangers." She went on, "One day I kept failing squat after squat and was getting very frustrated because I knew I was physically strong enough to make the lift."
"Just because my bladder is weak doesn't mean I am!"
She continued, "Dani [3] [my coach] pulled me aside and was like, 'Why are you failing this?! You are strong enough!' I told her my pee issue, and she was like 'So, who cares?! We can always clean up.'"
Dani explained that it's an issue with a lot of women who do CrossFit [4] and it happens a lot, especially when squatting, jumping rope, or doing box jumps. Liza said, "I realized it's not a big deal; I was making it a big deal. I got tired of letting something I really can't control hold me back. Just because my bladder is weak doesn't mean I am!" Once she stopped worrying about peeing, all of her lifts skyrocketed, which also increased her confidence — so now she's not afraid to just go for it!
She recounted the worst peeing-her-pants incident happened recently, when she wasn't planning on squatting that day. She usually wears a super jumbo tampon, overnight pad, and pants over her shorts, but it was 95 degrees, so she was just wearing shorts. "All the reps, pee was literally gushing out. . . . It was like a waterfall down my legs with a river of pee underneath me. I got pretty much an entire roll of paper towels and it looked like I was house-training a puppy. I was all worried I was going to slip there was so much pee."
She said at that point she felt pretty embarrassed because as one of the women who lifts the heaviest at this gym, "I felt like people were kind of watching me anyways, like, 'Who's this girl squatting a million pounds' (ha, not really, I wish I could squat a million pounds) 'and who is peeing all over?!'" She threw out her knee sleeves and socks because they were so saturated and thought her shoes were filling up with pee! But hey, who cares when you can front squat 250.5 pounds?
Liza wants other women to know that accidental peeing happens when lifting, running, or jumping on the trampoline with your kids! "There is disinfectant and paper towels all over the gym, so if it happens, finish the lift and clean it up after — a little pee is worth it." She adds, "I've seen people profusely sweat, bleed, and vomit all over the floor, so what's the big deal if it's pee? Guess peeing your pants is better than pooping [6] your pants!"