Advertise on podcast: The Barbell Mamas Podcast | Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pelvic Health

Cycle syncing, “women aren’t small men,” and female-specific workout plans have exploded online, but the science and the practical reality are messier than the reels make it seem. We’re breaking down what’s useful, what’s overhyped, and what can accidentally push a fragility narrative that makes active women feel like they need endless rules just to train. We talk through the difference between choosing women as your audience versus claiming women must train with totally different programming. We also zoom out to the history of exercise research, why so much data leaned male, and how the pendulum swung from under-including women to overselling cycle-based prescriptions. If you’ve been told to lift heavy only in one phase, avoid intensity in another, or plan your whole training year around ovulation, you’ll want this evidence-based reset. From there, we get practical. Your menstrual cycle symptoms, stress, sleep, mental health, and gynecological conditions like endometriosis can absolutely change how training feels and what you can tolerate. That’s where good coaching lives: specificity, progressive overload, recovery, and flexible modifications. We also cover key female health considerations that do deserve extra attention, including underfueling risk, pregnancy and postpartum training modifiers, the complexity of postpartum return to running, and menopause conversations with a clearer focus on bone health and impact training. If this helped you sort nuance from noise, subscribe, share it with a training partner, and leave a review so more active women can find it. What part of your training have you been told you “should” change because you’re a woman? ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

A nine-month pregnant athlete runs a 5:22 mile and the internet lights up. If that makes you feel inspired, skeptical, motivated, or weirdly pressured, you are not alone and that reaction is exactly why we wanted to talk about running during pregnancy with nuance instead of slogans. We walk through why impact exercise is often the most variable part of prenatal training. Strength work and low-impact cardio are usually easier to modify, but running can reach a point where your body simply says “not today,” whether that shows up as urethral pressure, pelvic girdle pain, pubic symphysis pain, or just a growing sense that the cost is too high. From there, we break down six variables that can change how long running feels good: your running experience, injury history, your goals and desire, how many pregnancies you have had, your previous birth experience, and your pelvic floor health history before pregnancy. Then we shift to what you can do now to set yourself up for postpartum return to running. We talk risk-benefit decision-making around pushing through symptoms, why impact tolerance matters for knees, hips, and shin splints after a long break from repetitive loading, and how lower-body strength supports the entire system around the pelvis while tissues heal. If you want a smarter, more individualized approach to prenatal running and postpartum running rehab, hit play, subscribe, and share this with a friend who needs permission to train without comparing. After you listen, leave a review and tell us what question you want answered next. ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

Running is supposed to feel harder in pregnancy, but what if it’s the only thing that makes you feel better? We dig into a handful of fit pregnancy questions pulled straight from Reddit and give you a grounded, pelvic floor PT lens on what’s normal, what’s a red flag, and what’s simply your body asking for a different plan. We start with first trimester survival mode: why easy aerobic activity like jogging, walking, or cycling can sometimes reduce nausea and boost energy, and why lifting can feel great one day and make you want to puke the next. I also share a practical nuance athletes don’t hear enough: hard bracing and breath-holding can increase intra-abdominal pressure and may worsen queasiness for some people, so adjusting intensity and breathing can keep strength training on the table. Then we zoom out to postpartum recovery after C-section and the common blanket advice to avoid high impact for 12 weeks. We break down incision healing, scar remodeling, and why progressive loading matters, plus the tradeoff that rarely gets discussed: the risk of doing nothing and letting your core and hips decondition. From there, we tackle brown spotting after lifting, increased discharge after workouts, and the most emotional one of all: crying because you can’t run. We talk about maintaining aerobic fitness with alternatives like zone 2 cycling, and separating “cardio readiness” from “impact tolerance” when planning a return to running postpartum. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with a training partner or new mom, and leave a review so more active pregnant and postpartum athletes can find the show. ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

Your second pregnancy feels harder and you can’t figure out why. The workouts that used to energize you now wipe you out, your symptoms show up sooner, and the mental loop of “I was doing so much more last time” won’t shut off. We’re naming what’s actually happening and why it’s normal, especially for active moms who care about training, strength, and feeling like themselves.  We walk through four big drivers that make later pregnancies feel different: your life logistics (because you’re parenting while pregnant), your recovery and interpregnancy window, the real physical changes after a prior pregnancy and delivery, and the role of age and accumulated life stress. I share how total load adds up fast, why intensity often needs to come down earlier than it did the first time, and how strength and conditioning between pregnancies can influence pelvic and hip symptoms. We also talk about abdominal wall recovery, pelvic floor sensations like heaviness and pressure, and why “my body has been here before” can make changes start earlier.  If you’ve been stuck in pregnancy guilt, mom shaming, or the highlight reel trap, this is your permission slip to choose grace and smarter training. Listen, then share this with a friend who’s comparing herself to pregnancy one, and leave a review if it helps you feel more grounded. What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed this time around? ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

A nine-month pregnant athlete chasing a five-minute mile sounds unreal, but it’s a perfect doorway into a bigger question: how do we talk about pregnancy fitness without turning elite outliers into pressure for everyone else? I’m Christina Previtt, and I’m weighing the headlines, the physiology, and the real-life decision-making that active people face when they’re training with a bump and trying to keep their pelvic floor, joints, and nervous system on board. We also get into the Hyrox moment that blew up online this week: a pro athlete finishing after a diarrhea accident, the internet labeling it “fecal incontinence,” and why that conclusion often misses the simplest explanation of all, a GI bug. Beyond the memes, there’s a serious conversation about athlete health, public hygiene, and whether Hyrox needs clearer rules for decontamination and disqualification when bodily fluids hit the floor during high-contact movements like burpee broad jumps. Then we go practical and specific: what Hyrox actually is (run-station repeats), why it’s a surprisingly predictable competition to plan for during pregnancy, and what I’d screen first if you’re considering racing. We talk heart rate over an hour, hydration, pacing, belly support, burpee modifications, confidence under sled load, and the one station that may be a deal-breaker if pelvic girdle pain shows up. On the postpartum side, we map Hyrox back to return-to-running principles, strength rebuild, and realistic timelines based on your birth story so you can train for longevity, not just a finish time. Subscribe for more pregnancy and postpartum training conversations, share this with a Hyrox-curious friend, and leave a review if it helps. What part of Hyrox feels hardest to navigate during pregnancy or postpartum? ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

The internet has turned pregnancy into a nonstop referendum. One scroll tells you birth should be effortless and “natural,” the next insists disaster is around every corner, and somehow you are supposed to feel calm, informed, and ready to deliver a baby. I sit down eight months pregnant with my third to name what many active women are experiencing: anxiety fueled by algorithms, polarizing birth narratives, and a real lack of support when recovery does not match the highlight reel. We dig into why birth injury is often treated differently than other major injuries, even when the impact on daily life is just as disruptive. After an ACL tear, you expect education, restrictions, rehab, and a return-to-sport plan. After delivery, many people get almost none of that structure, which is why pelvic floor physical therapy and a true postpartum recovery pathway matter. We also talk about informed consent, including the emotional fallout of “you were born for this” messaging when a person ends up with scars, pain, or pelvic floor dysfunction after even a textbook vaginal delivery. Then we zoom out to the bigger landscape: a justified rise in medical mistrust, the pendulum swing between hospital birth and home birth, and the damage that happens at both extremes when context gets erased. I share practical, grounded advice for consuming pregnancy and birth content online: stay healthily skeptical, look for bias, seek out both sides, and use the “not interested” button to protect your mental space. If this conversation helps, subscribe, share it with a friend who is pregnant or postpartum, and leave a review so more people can find balanced, evidence-informed support. ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

Your abs aren’t “failing” because you see a ridge down the middle of your belly. Coning and diastasis recti can look dramatic, and social media has trained a lot of active pregnant people to treat both like emergencies. We slow the whole thing down and translate the anatomy into plain English: the linea alba lengthens so your baby can grow, your rectus muscles naturally sit farther apart, and a visible dome during a hard effort can be tissue on stretch, not proof of damage.  We also unpack why the classic definition of diastasis recti has to be questioned. If a two-centimeter gap shows up in a huge chunk of the general population, labeling it as dysfunction may do more harm than good. That fear often leads to overly cautious exercise modifications, less progressive overload, and more deconditioning by the end of pregnancy, which can make the early postpartum window feel even harder. We share a more useful lens: aim for optimal over perfect, treat coning like a form issue you can try to minimize, and keep building capacity where it’s safe.  Finally, we zoom out to what actually predicts real-life outcomes: strength, bracing mechanics, tissue quality, and how supported you feel during daily tasks and training. We talk through practical ways we assess core function beyond “finger widths” and why postpartum rehab should prioritize function and quality of life, not just closing a gap. If this helps you rethink your pregnancy core workouts or postpartum plan, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more barbell mamas can train with confidence. ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

Fertility decisions hit different when your job is performance and your calendar is built around trials, contracts, and qualifying windows. We’re digging into the growing conversation around fertility in female athletics, sparked by athletes sharing egg freezing journeys, new research on delayed family planning, and leagues starting to protect athlete status during fertility treatment. The big reality we can’t ignore is simple: your athletic prime and your reproductive years overlap, and that forces choices that men in sport rarely face in the same way. We break down what the research and clinical language actually says about exercise intensity and fertility, including the commonly cited J-shaped curve and why “just train less” can be both true for some people and totally unhelpful for others. We spend real time on the missing piece too: fueling. Underfueling and low energy availability can change the menstrual cycle, disrupt hormones, and affect both current and future fertility, making nutrition and recovery a health issue, not a vanity metric. From there, we go personal and practical. We talk about how unpredictable timing really is when trying to conceive, how miscarriage can impact both body and mind, and why returning to exercise after pregnancy loss deserves far more guidance and research. We also zoom out to the policy layer: maternity leave protections, funding security, sponsorship risks, breastfeeding logistics, and the examples of sports organizations that are starting to get it right. If you’re an athlete, coach, clinician, or teammate, you’ll walk away with clearer language, better questions to ask, and a stronger sense of what support should look like. If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with someone in sport who needs it, and leave a review so more athletes can find it. What’s the one policy change you think would make the biggest difference? ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

Postpartum can feel like a single chapter, but for many of us it is the start of a longer hormonal story. I’m Christina Prevett, and I’m digging into the postpartum to perimenopause transition, especially as more families are having babies in their late 30s and early 40s. When estrogen drops after pregnancy, it can mimic menopause, which helps explain symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and genitourinary syndrome of lactation. If perimenopause begins eight to 10 years before menopause, some parents may move from postpartum hormone shifts directly into perimenopause without the “gap” we assume exists. We also pause on maternal mental health, because it deserves real gravity. I share personal context from my family’s experience with postpartum psychosis and why making light of tragedies and trials harms trust in healthcare. Postpartum anxiety, depression, insomnia, and postpartum rage can be complicated and under-recognized, and the same kinds of mood and sleep disruptions can show up again during the perimenopause transition, layered on top of parenting stress and sleep deprivation. From a practical standpoint, we walk through the big body systems that can take a hit when postpartum and perimenopause overlap: bone health and bone mineral density, joint pain, brain fog, and pelvic floor and sexual health. We talk about why perimenopause research is messy, why hormone panels can be misleading, and what to discuss with a trusted provider, including systemic hormone therapy options and local vaginal estrogen for tissue symptoms. We also cover strength training, impact, fueling, lubricant, and nervous system tools like CBT for insomnia, mindfulness, yoga, and other ways to close stress cycles. If this conversation helps you feel seen, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more parents can find it. What signals are you noticing in your own postpartum recovery right now? ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

The advice most pregnant people hear about exercise is weirdly contradictory: “movement is good for you,” followed immediately by “don’t change anything.” So what happens when you find out you’re pregnant and you haven’t been active, you stepped away from training, or you’ve only ever been told to stick to walking? We tackle that gap head-on and lay out a practical, evidence-informed way to start exercising during pregnancy without turning it into an all-or-nothing project. We talk through the real baseline recommendations for prenatal cardio and what “moderate intensity” can actually mean in real life, then challenge the fear-driven idea that pregnancy is a fragile time when you should avoid new movement. The key is body readiness, not blanket rules. You don’t need to jump from zero to a one-rep max, but you also don’t need to avoid building strength just because you’re new. As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I share why strength training in pregnancy can be a game changer for supporting your hips, core, back, and pelvic floor as your body adapts to relaxin, changing joint support, and the growing demands of pregnancy. We also connect the dots to pelvic girdle pain, the role of “strength in reserve,” and why being pregnant is hard but being pregnant deconditioned can be harder. Finally, I give clear starting principles: pick equipment you feel comfortable with, start low and go slow, aim for a manageable effort, expect fatigue to feel different, and focus on simple movement patterns you can repeat and progress. If this shifts how you think about prenatal fitness and postpartum recovery, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more moms can find it. ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

Coning in pregnancy can feel like a flashing red warning light. You see that ridge down the midline during a sit-up, a lift, or even just getting off the couch and suddenly the internet tells you you’re “making your abs split” and setting yourself up for diastasis recti forever. We slow that panic down and replace it with context, research, and a much more workable way to think about your core.  We start with how we got here: early social media advice, conservative medical messaging, and the rise of the athlete mom who kept training while everyone scrambled for rules. Then we dig into what diastasis recti actually is, how it’s typically measured, and why studies linking DRA to low back pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse, and incontinence are inconsistent when you look at the big picture. We also talk about the uncomfortable truth that DRA is often treated as cosmetic in medical systems, even though appearance concerns are real and valid for many postpartum people.  From there, we tackle the centerpiece: coning is not proof you caused damage, it’s not a diagnosis, and evidence does not show that avoiding coning in pregnancy prevents postpartum diastasis recti. We explain coning as a possible sign of pressure mismatch and movement strategy, why some coning can be normal in late pregnancy due to linea alba lengthening, and why obsessing over eliminating it can lead to under-training your core. Our takeaway is simple and empowering: prioritize smart coaching, pressure management, and progressive overload so your rehab matches the real demands of motherhood.  If you want a calmer, evidence-based approach to postpartum core training, diastasis recti, and pregnancy exercise, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a fellow active mom, and leave a review so more people can find this conversation. ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

“No exercise” can land like a punch to the gut when movement is how you manage stress, feel strong in your body, and stay connected to yourself. I’m Christina Prevett, pelvic floor PT and pregnancy and exercise researcher, and I’m digging into what to do when a pregnancy complication changes the conversation fast and your provider recommends activity restriction, pelvic rest, or even bed rest. We start by reframing the fear narrative. Yes, complications can raise risk and it makes sense that your mind goes straight to worst-case scenarios. But we also have to name the costs of too much sedentary time in pregnancy: mental health strain, inflammatory load, musculoskeletal deconditioning, and showing up to labor less prepared for the physical demands ahead. I walk through the complications that commonly trigger blanket limits, including placenta previa or low-lying placenta, subchorionic hematoma, gestational hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, cervical insufficiency, and intrauterine growth restriction. Then we get practical. I share how I recommend approaching your OB or high-risk OB with kindness and clarity, how to explain your “why,” and the exact questions that invite nuance: Is exercise truly known to make this worse? Is this a blanket rule or specific to my presentation? Can we lower intensity, reduce impact, or modify training rather than shutting everything down? We also talk about absolute risk versus relative risk, and why it’s okay to seek a second opinion if you feel dismissed. If you want support walking into your next appointment, I’m putting together a PDF of these questions plus a summary of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine guidance. Subscribe, share this with a pregnant friend who lifts, and leave a review so more active moms can find evidence-informed support. ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

A lot of pregnancy and postpartum fitness advice sounds confident until it hits real life. One mom feels ready to load a barbell at six weeks postpartum, another is rebuilding from pain, sleep deprivation, or a tough delivery, and both get handed the same plan anyway. I’m Christina Prevett, a pelvic floor physical therapist and researcher in exercise and pregnancy, and this short bonus episode is a clear announcement: Barbell Mamas is re-engaging and doubling down on nuance, not one-size-fits-all prescriptions. I share why we built our training programs around a templated workout style with “filters” and options. The backbone stays the same, but you can adjust based on what you’re feeling, what equipment you have, and the realities of your pregnancy or postpartum recovery. We also talk about why c-section versus vaginal delivery can change considerations, and why individualized strength training matters whether you are a CrossFitter, weightlifter, powerlifter, or simply a mom who wants to get stronger. Then I lay out what’s next: more educational products and deeper support, including ebooks, presentations, and personalized wellness consultations so you can apply research to your specific body and goals. The first new resource in the pipeline is a birth prep ebook for active women, plus tools to help you have better conversations with your provider about physical activity and preparing for birth. If you want evidence-based pregnancy fitness, postpartum exercise guidance, and pelvic floor-informed strength training without the quick-fix noise, follow along. Subscribe, share with a friend who lifts, and leave a review so more moms can find the support they actually need. ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

The military asks your body to perform on demand, and pregnancy does not pause that reality. Today we sit down with Dr. Chris Edwards, a researcher focused on the female military experience, to get honest about what happens when standards, equipment, and “evidence-based” training were never built with women in mind. If you have ever felt like your body is the problem, this conversation flips the script and shows how missing data and poor design can quietly drive injury risk. We talk about why the research pipeline moves slowly, what it takes to build strong injury surveillance, and why parity status and pregnancy exposure should be treated as real variables in musculoskeletal injury prevention. We also dig into gear fit, from body armor that rides up to boots that no longer match a postpartum foot, and how those seemingly small mismatches can change load transfer, gait, and overuse patterns. Then we get practical: pregnancy disclosure and stigma, postpartum return timelines, fueling and energy deficit, and why a rushed fitness test can backfire on recovery and readiness. Dr. Edwards shares why pelvic floor physical therapy should be early and routine support, not a last resort, and we zoom out to the bigger message: many women return to sport and service stronger than before, and performance can peak later than you were taught. If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a teammate, and leave a review so more active moms and service members can find evidence-informed support. What policy or training change would make the biggest difference where you serve? ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

You can train hard, lift heavy, and still feel blindsided by labor. A lot of the internet messaging aimed at “fit pregnancies” skips the messy middle: contractions still hurt, pushing is still hard, and sometimes the biggest challenge is navigating the gap between what you hoped for and what actually happens. I walk through a comprehensive birth prep plan for the active mom-to-be from my perspective as a pelvic floor physical therapist, researcher in exercise and pregnancy, and strength athlete. We talk about what pelvic PT birth prep looks like in real life, why coordination matters as much as strength, and how to practice pelvic floor relaxation so you are not accidentally tightening during the pushing phase. I also unpack the common myth that fitness guarantees an easy vaginal delivery, using a more honest, evidence-informed lens: activity may improve odds and endurance, but it cannot control breech presentation, medical complications, or the need to pivot. We dig into perineal massage with a nuanced take on the research and the “ring of fire,” framing it as exposure to stretching sensation and learning not to flinch, not a promise to prevent tearing. Then we zoom out to the paths labor can take, including induction (cervical ripening, mechanical options, Pitocin), epidural choices, and what it helps to know about cesarean birth before you are exhausted and making fast decisions. I also share a favorite resource that supports calm, informed preparation. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with a pregnant training partner, and leave a review so more active moms can find these conversations. What part of birth prep do you want us to go deeper on next? ___________________________________________________________________________ Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!