The Barbell Mamas Podcast | Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pelvic Health
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.
Episodes
153 episodes
Pregnancy Exercise Modifications
If you’ve ever been told to “just walk” the moment you get pregnant, you already know how discouraging that can feel when training is part of your identity. We’re digging into a smarter, more flexible approach to exercise during pregnancy that ...
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21:18
Brace Better Lift Heavier
Half of women report leaking when they lift heavy, and we have somehow decided that’s normal. I’m not interested in telling you to accept it or to stop lifting. I want to help you understand what’s happening when you brace, why it shows up most...
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34:45
From Pregnancy Myths To Postpartum Power: What Sarah J. Maas Sparked
What if the most radical thing a mother can say is also the most honest: I adore my kid, and I hated being pregnant. We open that door and walk through it, using Sarah J. Maas’s candid interview as a springboard to unpack the real forces shapin...
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27:53
Should You Squeeze Before You Lift? A Clear Guide For Active Moms
Ever been told to “Kegel before you lift” and wondered if it actually helps? We take a clear-eyed look at leaking under heavy loads, how bracing strategies can make or break pelvic pressure, and why a breath-first approach often outperforms con...
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22:17
Olympic Mothers Are Rewriting The Rules Of Pregnancy And Postpartum Fitness
Gold medals and car seats can share the same backseat. We reflect on a Winter Games filled with mothers who didn’t just compete—they redefined what pregnancy and postpartum training can look like at the highest level. From Alana Myers-Taylor an...
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16:23
From FIFA’s Return-To-Play To GLP-1s: What Active Moms Need To Know
Ready to trade rigid rules for a smarter return-to-sport plan? We walk through a groundbreaking consensus published in BJSM that maps a postpartum pathway for soccer players—and any active mom—built on real-world variables: medical red flags, m...
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38:06
High-Load Training, Miscarriage Myths, And Pelvic Floor Truths For Active Moms
Heavy lifting in early pregnancy carries a long shadow of fear—but the data tell a different story. We unpack a newly published study on first-trimester high-load resistance training, revealing that pelvic floor symptoms actually decreased comp...
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24:52
How Social Media Shapes Women’s Health Choices
Ever feel like every scroll brings a new rule for your body? We sit down with Dr. Emily Fender, a health communication scientist whose research tracks how women’s health messages spread across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube—and why the loudest ...
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54:50
How Training, Fueling, And Stress Shape Fertility
Trying to conceive while training hard can feel like you’re being asked to choose between your identity and your goals. We go straight at the myth that vigorous exercise is the enemy of fertility and show where the real culprit often hides: low...
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26:10
Pelvic Floor Truths For Athletes, Soldiers, And New Moms
Leaks under a heavy deadlift, pressure during a ruck, or a sudden urge mid-sprint can derail training—and confidence. We go straight at the myths and mechanics behind pelvic floor symptoms in athletes and service members, unpacking how high loa...
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53:44
Mom 75: Real Fitness For Chaotic Seasons
The New Year avalanche of challenges and “perfect morning routines” can feel brutal when you’re sleep-deprived, healing, and parenting on a hair trigger. We take a kinder path for pregnant and postpartum athletes and active moms: small, repeata...
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19:39
Why I’m Choosing Intentions Over Resolutions in 2026
New years can feel loud and demanding, especially when you’re juggling motherhood, training, and a nervous system running hot. We’re choosing a different path: intentions over resolutions, performance over punishment, presence over perfection. ...
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29:16
Year-End Reflections On Strength And Motherhood
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 ha...
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26:29
Busting Myths about LIFTING during Pregnancy
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,...
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31:35
Moving Before The Six Weeks
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. Christin...
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33:44
Rethinking Pregnancy Fitness Rules
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 traini...
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23:55
Rethinking Pregnancy Fitness And Pelvic Health
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 sy...
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26:57
Early Gains After C-Section
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 you...
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31:31
How Active Moms Can Return To Running, Lifting, And Sport Without Fear
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 ...
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40:59
From Diastasis To Deadlifts: Evidence, Not Myths
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...
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33:54
Why Early Hormone Headlines Mislead And How Pregnant Athletes Can Train Smarter
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 f...
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33:05
From Conflicting Advice To Confident Training In Pregnancy
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 conf...
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27:39
BONUS Episode: CESP conference day 1 take aways
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-conferenc...
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23:19
You can lift with prolapse—and here's how
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 mo...
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34:20
Inside a Missed Miscarriage: Choices, Pain, and Partner Perspectives
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 assumpt...
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34:43