The Barbell Mamas Podcast | Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pelvic Health

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?
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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!