The Barbell Mamas Podcast | Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pelvic Health

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!

Leaking on a heavy squat can feel isolating, but the numbers tell a different story: pelvic floor symptoms show up in a huge share of resistance-trained athletes. We walk through what bracing actually is, how the “core canister” works, and why your pelvic floor is supposed to join the brace automatically rather than being forced on with constant kegel cues. We also explain what tends to change once you cross higher intensities, why breath holding and Valsalva show up above roughly 80% for most lifters, and how breath strategy can change intra-abdominal pressure without turning your lift into a fragile, overcontrolled routine. From there, we get specific about what drives symptoms like urinary incontinence, heaviness, and pelvic discomfort in the gym. We call out one of the most common coaching mistakes we see in female athletes: “big inhale and bear down,” especially when someone is told to push hard into a weightlifting belt. Instead of spreading pressure evenly through the trunk, those cues can send pressure down into the pelvis, creating a coordination problem that shows up as leaking or loss of support when the load gets real. We also dig into new pelvic floor research on a 5x5 heavy squat protocol using ultrasound, what the findings do and do not mean, and why normal pre to post “effort changes” are not the same thing as damage. Finally, we share practical belt guidance (fit, tightening on an exhale, keeping the same brace from warmups to top sets) plus postpartum considerations and realistic timing for returning to breath holds and belt use. If this helps, subscribe, share it with a lifting friend, and leave a review so more moms and athletes 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!

A scary headline can change how you move for months, even if the caption “adds nuance.” We’re talking about that uncomfortable truth and why it matters so much in pregnancy and postpartum fitness, where pelvic floor anxiety, diastasis recti worries, and return-to-exercise pressure are already high. We break down the rise of emotional hooks in social media marketing and how phrases like “ruining your pelvic floor” are built to stop your scroll, not to educate you. I share why our brains cling to threat-based messages (negative saliency bias), how misinformation can spread even when someone means well, and why the first thing people do is check the comments to see if everyone agrees. We also get real about the creator side: the push to post with total confidence, the temptation to trade context for reach, and how hard it can be to challenge peers publicly without it turning into personal conflict. Then we pivot to practical solutions you can use today. If you’re a mom or mom-to-be, you’ll learn how to “train” your algorithm by using notifications, marking content as not interested, and choosing long-form education where evidence-based pelvic floor physical therapy and postpartum recovery guidance can actually fit. If you’re a provider, we talk about finding a middle ground: getting attention without causing harm, holding our professions accountable, and connecting through stories without projecting our own fears onto someone else. If this helps you see your feed differently, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s overwhelmed by postpartum advice, and leave a review so more people can find calmer, more accurate pelvic health information. ___________________________________________________________________________ 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!

Most of us were never taught what “normal” actually looks like downstairs, so the first postpartum mirror check can feel like a jump scare. I’m Christina, a pelvic floor physical therapist and strength athlete, and I’m going straight into the anatomy most people avoid talking about: what your vagina looks like, why vaginal walls touch, and how movement is built into the design, not a sign you’re broken. We unpack why things can look and feel different throughout the day with gravity, coughing, workouts, pregnancy, vaginal delivery, and age and why that shift can trigger real fear around pelvic organ prolapse. I also explain why it’s rarely accurate to blame a single run, lift, or “doing too much too soon” as the sole cause of new pelvic floor symptoms. Like many overuse injuries, the full story usually includes recovery, stress, strength, and how your body is adapting to a new baseline. Then we get practical with pelvic health basics that change everything: how often you should poop, why toilet posture matters, and how pelvic floor relaxation is just as important as pelvic floor strength. I also dig into the messy side of diagnosis language, including diastasis recti cutoffs and how a label can sometimes create more alarm than clarity if it’s not paired with good education and a function-first plan. If you want calm, evidence-informed postpartum recovery guidance that supports both real life and strength training, hit subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more moms 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!

Catchy pregnancy fitness mantras can sound like wisdom, but they often collapse nuance into fear. I’m Christina Prevett, a pelvic floor physical therapist, researcher, and strength athlete, and I’m breaking down three phrases you’ve probably heard from coaches, social media, or even well-meaning medical providers. We look at what these lines are trying to protect you from, and where they quietly imply risk without solid evidence to back it up. First, we unpack “just because you can doesn’t mean you should” and why it can steer pregnant athletes toward unnecessary scaling. We talk pelvic floor symptoms like leaking and heaviness, common worries like diastasis recti and prolapse, and the uncomfortable truth: many “pregnancy-safe” modifications are treated as fact even when the data isn’t there yet. Then we shift to a more useful framework: body readiness. Your training history, your adaptation, and your current capacity matter, and pregnancy changes those inputs gradually not overnight. Next, we explore “if you were doing it before pregnancy, you can keep doing it now” and why that permission can be powerful, especially when access to pelvic floor PT and specialized coaching is limited. Finally, we tackle the postpartum classic “just listen to your body” and add the missing context: what signals are normal, what deserves a screening conversation, and how to think about progression when recovery timelines vary wildly after vaginal birth or C-section. If you want more grounded guidance on pregnancy exercise, postpartum return to exercise, pelvic floor health, strength training, and core training, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a training partner, and leave a review so more moms can find it. Which of these mantras have you been told, and did it help or stress you out? ___________________________________________________________________________ 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!

“Never do Kegels” might be the most shareable pelvic floor advice online and it can also be one of the most misleading. We’re digging into the anti-Kegel trend and why it frustrates us as clinicians who care about evidence-based pelvic floor physical therapy, especially for pregnant athletes, postpartum moms, and anyone dealing with stress urinary incontinence. We walk through how pelvic floor rehabilitation got so “squeeze” focused in the first place, and why the backlash makes sense emotionally. Then we get specific about what the research actually supports: pelvic floor muscle training has some of the strongest and most consistent data in rehab, and blanket statements like “nobody needs Kegels” erase the reality that many people do improve when training is prescribed well. We also unpack the viral EMG argument. Yes, planks and bracing can light up the pelvic floor as part of the core canister, but activation is not the same thing as an intervention that reliably stops leaking with coughing, sneezing, or jumping. That’s where specificity matters: sometimes you need the pelvic floor to work as part of the whole system, and sometimes you need to be able to contract and coordinate it in isolation, on demand, in real life. If you’re tired of clickbait rehab and want practical, nuanced pelvic floor guidance you can trust, listen through and join the conversation. Subscribe, share this with a training partner, and leave a review so more people can find evidence-based postpartum and pelvic floor health info. ___________________________________________________________________________ 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 workout routine doesn’t fall apart because you’re weak, it falls apart because your life changed. I’m Christina Prevett, a strength coach, pelvic floor physical therapist, and mom, and I’m sharing a more personal look at what training has felt like through an 18 month stretch of grief, pregnancy, miscarriages, parenting demands, and big professional growth. When your stress is high and your capacity is low, “just push harder” is not a plan. A realistic mindset is. We dig into five reflections that help active women and athletes stay connected to movement during hard seasons. We talk about the stories we tell ourselves about what a “real” workout is, why all-or-nothing thinking leads to skipping sessions, and how a 10 to 30 minute training block can still build strength and resilience. We also unpack goal pressure, especially around postpartum fitness and recreational competitions, and why changing your timeline is not failure. Your goals should support your recovery, not trap you. From there, we zoom out to the reality that time and energy are finite. Not every area of life can be in growth mode at once, and choosing a season of maintenance can be the smartest way to protect your mental health and your long-term consistency. I also share a simple tactic that works when motivation is gone: promise yourself you will do one thing, then let yourself leave. Finally, we talk about permission to stop doing workouts you hate and to choose the kind of exercise that brings joy back, whether that’s strength training, walking, or trying a class. If you’re navigating pregnancy fatigue, postpartum recovery, stress, or a life curveball, this conversation will help you reset your expectations and keep moving in a way that fits. Subscribe to Barbell Mamas, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with what “one thing” you’re doing this week. ___________________________________________________________________________ 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!

Pregnancy advice for active women is changing, and not a moment too soon. I’m Christina Prevett, a pelvic floor physical therapist and researcher in exercise and pregnancy, and I’m sharing three timely topics that keep showing up in the women’s health and birth space, along with the lived reality of training while pregnant after previous losses. First, I break down the proposed PCOS name change to PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome). The criteria for diagnosis and the core management approach are not suddenly rewritten, but the new language spotlights what many people with PCOS feel every day: this is more than “cysts on ovaries.” We talk androgen excess, insulin resistance, and why metabolic and endocrine risk matters for long-term health, fertility, and future cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention. I also name the downside: PCOS is already underrecognized, and a transition can create confusion if education does not keep pace. Then I dig into the new FIFA “Stay In Play” pregnancy decision aid for soccer athletes, a major step forward for pregnant athletes in so-called contact sports. Instead of a blanket ban, it uses shared decision-making and a biopsychosocial screen, looking at mental health, fear of movement, pelvic health symptoms, recovery, support, and contraindications. I walk through the stage-based framework that lets athletes modify, pause, or progress based on pain, preference, and medical clearance, not arbitrary week-by-week rules. We close with pregnancy after miscarriage and loss. I say this clearly: exercise does not cause miscarriage, and your loss is not your fault. But anxiety is real, and it makes sense if you choose to train differently in that vulnerable first trimester. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more active moms can find evidence-based 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!

I’m finally saying it out loud: I’m 15 and a half weeks pregnant with baby three. After two miscarriages, I didn’t expect to ever record this kind of announcement, and I definitely didn’t expect how complicated it would feel to share it. Pregnancy after loss changes you. It can take away the innocence, replace excitement with vigilance, and make every symptom and every quiet moment feel loaded. I walk through what 2025 looked like for us: drawn-out miscarriage management, the pressure of working and traveling while holding a private heartbreak, and the grief of losing my mom. That combination reshaped how I think about family planning and what I imagined our future “table” would look like. Then a Valentine’s Day oopsie turned into a positive test, and I was shocked, anxious, and honestly not ready to trust my body again. We also get practical about early pregnancy symptoms, why this first trimester felt harder, and what helped me feel more supported this time around. From choosing a provider who truly hears me to getting a dating ultrasound, NIPT planning, and the reassurance that comes from respectful timelines, I share what made a difference after a missed miscarriage. I also talk from an active pregnancy and pelvic floor perspective, including using supports earlier so I can keep moving in a way that feels safe and sustainable. If you’re navigating miscarriage, fertility, pregnancy after miscarriage, or the messy overlap of grief and joy, I hope this conversation makes you feel less alone. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more active moms can find Barbell Mamas. ___________________________________________________________________________ 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 viral video of a near term athlete lifting sparked a surprisingly supportive comment section and it signals a real shift: more people now accept that strength training during pregnancy can be normal, safe, and empowering when it is approached thoughtfully. We lean into that momentum and share the principles we use to help active moms train with confidence instead of fear, whether you are a recreational lifter, a CrossFit athlete, or someone simply trying to stay strong for everyday life. We start with the idea that there are no hard and fast rules for lifting while pregnant. Some people feel great bracing and moving heavier loads, others feel better dialing back intensity, range of motion, or volume, and both can be valid. The right approach depends on your fitness going into pregnancy, what movements you have practiced, and the specifics of your pregnancy. Our goal is to help you make individualized decisions rather than follow blanket restrictions that do not fit your body. Next, we break down the pregnancy changes that affect training: ligament laxity, rib and pelvis changes, shifting posture, and why muscles become your dynamic support system as your center of mass changes. Then we make “listen to your body” actually actionable by naming the signals that matter most for the pelvic floor and core. We talk about symptoms like heaviness, leaking, and pain as capacity cues that suggest adjusting load, effort, or technique, and we explain why coning alone is not always the deal breaker people think it is. We also challenge the outdated belief that pregnancy is never the time to start exercising, because smart, scaled strength work can make pregnancy and postpartum less punishing. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a training partner, and leave a review. What is the biggest question you have about lifting during pregnancy 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!