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💥“Wait…you’re STILL lifting?” “Won’t you hurt the baby?”

If you’ve ever picked up a barbell during pregnancy & felt the judgment—or second-guessed yourself thanks to outdated advice—you’re not alone.

On this episode of the #ActiveMomPodcast, I’m joined by @amymoolyk—certified strength coach, clinical exercise physiologist, & former Canadian National Olympic weightlifter—who lifts the lid on what it REALLY looks like to train heavy during pregnancy & return to sport postpartum.

Amy’s not just talking from experience—she’s also a grad student in the Program for Pregnancy & Postpartum Health at @ualberta & lead author on the 2025 @bjsm_bmj study:

🔍 “Maternal & fetal responses to acute high-intensity resistance exercise during pregnancy.”

This is the FIRST study to directly measure fetal AND maternal responses to heavy lifting (yep, including the Valsalva), & guess what? 

It found high-intensity resistance training is safe and well-tolerated by both mom AND baby. 

We cover:
🔹 Competing at the national level navigating pregnancy
🔹 What research actually says about lifting during pregnancy
🔹 How to filter smart modifications from straight-up fear-mongering
🔹 Climbing out of the anxiety spiral around exercise
🔹 Why we all deserve better than “just walk and do kegels”
🔹 How strength sports CAN be safe and empowering for pregnant/postpartum moms

Amy also co-authored a 2025 BJSM "Impact of postpartum physical activity on cardiometabolic health, breastfeeding, injury & infant growth and development: a systematic review & meta-analysis"

This episode is science + real talk + zero guilt. Whether you’re a coach, a curious mom, or a barbell-lover navigating pregnancy—this one’s for you.

🎧 Hit play. Learn. Lift.

💬 Ever felt judged or unsure about lifting while pregnant? Drop your story in the comments—we’re listening.

#PregnancyStrength #PostpartumAthlete #StrongMomsLift #OlympicLiftingMoms #PrePostnatalTraining #PregnancyFitness #ActiveMomPodcast #EvidenceBasedPregnancy #PelvicHealthMatters #WomenInStrength #FitnessWithoutFear #paglianopregnancy

Time Stamps

1:00 Introduction

3:55 how weightlifting changes in pregnancy

7:12 systematic review on postpartum injury

11:12 researching how how heavy lifting affects pregnancy

22:50 choosing exercises for the study

27:26 considerations during a training session

36:33 advice for first time moms

38:30 rapid fire questions

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

CONNECT WITH AMY

IG: https://www.instagram.com/amymoolyk/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/connectptex/

The Active Mom Podcast is A Real Moms' Guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond for active moms & the professionals who help them in their journey.

This show has been a long time in the making!

You can expect conversation with moms and professionals from all aspects of the industry.

If you're like me, you don't have a lot of free time (heck, you're probably listening at 1.5x speed), so theses interviews will be quick hits to get your the pertinent information FAST!

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