Claim OwnershipThe Barbell Mamas Podcast | Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pelvic Health
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© 2025 The Barbell Mamas Podcast | Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pelvic Health
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The Barbell Mamas podcast aims to be the go-to resource for women trying to conceive, who are pregnant or postpartum that love moving their bodies.
The times are changing and moms have athletic goals, want to exercise at high-intensity or lift heavy weights, and want to be able to continue with their exercise routines during pregnancy, after baby and with healthcare providers that support them along the way.
In this podcast, we are going to bring you up-to-date health and fitness information about all topics in women's health with a special lens of exercise. With standalone episodes and special guests, we hope to help you feel prepared and supported in your motherhood or pelvic health journey.
The times are changing and moms have athletic goals, want to exercise at high-intensity or lift heavy weights, and want to be able to continue with their exercise routines during pregnancy, after baby and with healthcare providers that support them along the way.
In this podcast, we are going to bring you up-to-date health and fitness information about all topics in women's health with a special lens of exercise. With standalone episodes and special guests, we hope to help you feel prepared and supported in your motherhood or pelvic health journey.
141 Episodes
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What if the advice you’ve been handed about training through pregnancy and after birth is more fear than fact? We close out a bruising year with honesty about grief, miscarriage, and the quiet ways movement held us together—then channel that hard-won clarity into a smarter 2026 playbook for active moms and moms-to-be. We unpack culture shifts that finally stuck: pregnant lifters drawing fewer trolls, more families sharing pregnancy loss without shame, and a growing acceptance that early post...
The loudest voices on the internet say “don’t lift heavy when you’re pregnant.” We say: let’s look at what the body does, what the research shows, and how to train with confidence. Christina Previtt, pelvic floor physical therapist, researcher, and mom of two, unpacks three persistent myths—weight caps, benching on your back, and never holding your breath—and replaces them with clear, symptom-led guidance that respects both performance and pregnancy. We start by clarifying the landscape: str...
What if the six-week postpartum rule is more tradition than science? We take you inside a smarter, kinder approach to early recovery—one that blends evidence with real life so you can move your body sooner, safely, and with confidence. Christina shares the research on moderate activity at two to three weeks postpartum, explains why vigorous intensity may be too much for healing tissues, and lays out clear “navigational buoys” that turn the vague advice to “listen to your body” into specific, ...
Most advice about training through pregnancy and postpartum gets boiled down to catchy lines that spark more fear than clarity. We take those mantras head-on and replace them with something better: a body readiness approach that respects training age, context, and real signals your body sends while it adapts. We start by unpacking “just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” a phrase that often implies harm without data. Instead of blanket restrictions on running, lifting, or core work, w...
Stop earning your workout. We make the case that exercise is the tool for healing during pregnancy and postpartum, not a prize you unlock after perfect recovery. From lifting to running, we unpack how smart, scaled training can reduce pelvic symptoms, rebuild capacity, and restore confidence without waiting on arbitrary timelines. We dig into the cultural and clinical biases that shape advice for mothers. Many pelvic health providers and coaches arrive in the field through their own birth st...
What if the “wait six weeks” rule after a C-section is holding you back more than it’s keeping you safe? We unpack a smarter, kinder approach to recovery that treats movement like medicine—careful, progressive, and tailored to your body and your birth story. We start by confronting a hard truth: post-cesarean recovery is wildly variable. Some moms coast, others struggle, and most get blanket restrictions that ignore physiology and context. Drawing on clinical experience and current research,...
The first sprint after birth can feel like your body forgot the map. We get honest about that moment, then build a smarter route back to running, lifting, and sport with real tools you can use today. We start with the emotional shock of early returns: missing your old speed, feeling awkward under a bar, and wondering where your core strength went. From there, we lay down clear buoys—simple checkpoints that guide when to push, when to hold, and how to pivot without fear. For CrossFit athletes...
Think you “caused” your diastasis by breathing wrong or lifting heavy? Let’s retire the blame. We dig into what the research actually says about diastasis recti, core tension, and the real impact of progressive strength training after birth. No magic fixes, no fear-mongering—just practical steps to feel stronger, lift smarter, and trust your body again. We also unpack the hormonal rollercoaster of early postpartum. Low estrogen can look like perimenopause: night sweats, dryness, joint aches,...
A wave of excitement hit social media over a perimenopause hormone therapy “study” that hadn’t even cleared peer review. We pull back the curtain on how posters at medical conferences actually work, why methods and nuance matter, and how hype from massive accounts can eclipse the careful voices of the researchers themselves. It’s a candid look at women’s health misinformation, how it spreads, and why long-form conversations offer a better path to clarity. From there, we dive into real questi...
Conflicting rules about pregnancy exercise can make even seasoned athletes second-guess their training. We cut through the noise with a practical framework that honors your history, your symptoms, and your goals—so you can keep moving with confidence. Christina Previtt, pelvic floor physical therapist and researcher, digs into why guidance still conflicts, what the latest research actually supports, and how to use simple guardrails to make smart decisions in real time. We break down the 150-...
Imagine your daily choices in pregnancy quietly shaping your child’s metabolism, stress responses, and emotional regulation for years. That’s the compelling throughline from our time at the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology pre-conference, where leading researchers shared how movement and food quality during pregnancy build health that lasts well beyond birth. We break down what the latest studies suggest about prenatal exercise, resistance training, and reducing ultra-processed foods...
Fear thrives where facts are fuzzy—especially around pelvic organ prolapse. We open the blinds with clear explanations, zero scare tactics, and a practical path back to the barbell. You’ll hear why the vagina isn’t a hollow tube, what normal movement of vaginal tissues looks like when you bear down, and how providers actually assess prolapse across the anterior, posterior, and apical walls. More importantly, we focus on what your symptoms mean for your life and training, not just what a grade...
The room got quieter when the number landed: HCG at 5,000—far too low for nearly thirteen weeks. From that moment, everything we’d been planning—the crib shuffle in our three-bedroom house, the baby names our kids were arguing over, the assumption we’d crossed into a “safe zone”—shifted into the harsh clarity of a missed miscarriage. We’re sharing the story we needed to hear: what the ER limbo feels like, how bedside ultrasound can foreshadow a formal diagnosis, and why lab values can be both...
The internet turned pelvic floor training into a turf war—“always Kegels” on one side, “never Kegels” on the other. We cut through the noise with a clear, evidence-backed framework that shows how to build strength, practice relaxation, and keep moving with confidence through pregnancy. We start by grounding the conversation in what the research actually supports: pelvic floor muscle training can reduce postpartum urinary incontinence and help many pregnant athletes and recreational movers ma...
Cesarean delivery affects one in three births in America, yet many expectant mothers remain unprepared for this possibility. As a pelvic floor physical therapist and athlete who has competed while pregnant, I'm pulling back the curtain on C-sections with compassion and expertise. The journey begins with addressing the emotional landscape. If you experienced an unplanned cesarean, hear this: you did not fail. You delivered your baby. This message resonates deeply with listeners who've felt di...
Exercise during pregnancy has long been shrouded in caution and confusion. What if many of the modifications we've been taught are unnecessary? Drawing from both cutting-edge research and personal experience through multiple pregnancies, this episode challenges conventional wisdom about prenatal exercise. The fitness landscape for pregnant women has dramatically evolved over the past decade. Where once pregnant women received advice limited to walking or gentle yoga, we now recognize the ben...
Pregnancy fitness has undergone a revolution. What was once a landscape of caution and restriction has transformed into one of empowerment and evidence-based freedom. In this candid exploration, pelvic floor physical therapist Christina Previtt shares both personal experience and cutting-edge research showing just how dramatically prenatal exercise recommendations have evolved. Remember when lifting anything over 20 pounds during pregnancy was considered dangerous? When heart rate limits wer...
That positive pregnancy test changes everything—suddenly you're questioning your exercise routine, wondering if you need to modify, and trying to navigate the world of first trimester symptoms while maintaining your identity as an active person. For athletic women, this period can be especially challenging as you balance your love for movement with new physical limitations. The nausea, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting that often peak around six weeks can derail even the most dedicated fitness...
Motherhood transforms our bodies, our fitness routines, and our expectations – especially when we're thinking about adding another baby to the mix. That second pregnancy truly "hits different," and preparing for it requires special consideration if you're an active woman who loves to exercise. Drawing from my experience as both a pelvic floor physical therapist and an athlete who has competed in CrossFit and weightlifting through multiple pregnancies, I explore the crucial elements of prepar...
Ever wonder if all those interrupted workouts and chaotic fitness sessions while raising little ones will ever pay off? In this deeply personal episode, I share a breakthrough moment that brought tears to my eyes and validated years of persevering through the challenges of maintaining fitness as a mother. My six-year-old daughter recently joined me for a 5.7-kilometer run (her biking alongside me) after previous unsuccessful attempts. The transformation wasn't just in her physical abilities,...
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