There are a lot of people that think that it may be unsafe for you to perform Olympic weightlifting movements (the snatch and the clean and jerk during pregnancy). These movements are SPEED STRENGTH movements. In weightlifting competitions, you have 3 attempts to lift the most you can .

It is ABSOLUTELY SAFE to weightlift during your pregnancy. But everyone's pregnancy is different and HOW and WHEN has some unique considerations.

We dive into this in this week's episode!

___________________________________________________________________________
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 sport of powerlifting consists of the big three barbell movements: the squat, the deadlift and the bench press. 

During the competition, you have 3 attempts to lift the most you can in each of these movements to pre-specified movements standards. It is also a weight class sport so you are competing with females of the same relative weight as you. 

Powerlifting has absolutely exploded in popularity over the last decade and we are pumped to see it! We now have examples of moms competing pregnant (like Lucie Martinsdottor) or coming back and breaking postpartum world records (like Meg Scanlon)  and it is an exciting time! 

If you are a recreational or competitive powerlifter and are pregnant, thinking of getting pregnant or coming back to the sport postpartum, what are some considerations for us to think about? 

In this episode, we dive into it ALL. 
Want to learn more about our powerlifting track or programs, check out our website! 

___________________________________________________________________________
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!

Pelvic organ prolapse also known as POP is a  condition that occurs when one or more of the pelvic organs shift from their normal position and press against the walls of the vagina . This definition can sound scary and there is a lot of fear surrounding prolapse in the pregnancy and postpartum space.

In this episode, we break down what it is, how it presents, common symptoms of prolapse, risk factors for prolapse and how exercise fits in.

We mention our episode on bracing and weightlifting belts so make sure if you haven't caught the episode you check it out here! 

___________________________________________________________________________
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!

**Disclaimer: everyone has their own journey** 

At the Barbell Mamas, we are pretty against blanket statements. This "do nothing" for 6 weeks can be a help to guide you and give you time to rest ... but does it apply to everyone? 

We are getting more information and research about how to get back to early postpartum exercise if you so choose. 

Early postpartum exercise isn't BAD. 
We need to know our signs that we are pushing it too far, we need to be gradual and we need to be intentional. 

Christina breaks down how to get back to barbell work and exercise in general in this new podcast episode. 

We hope you enjoy it! Also a little life update from our end of the world :) 

___________________________________________________________________________
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!

Colette is a mom of three and now a PODIUM finisher in the Masters 35-39 category at the 2023 CrossFit Games. 

Being a mom makes training harder. It’s true. 

Being a mom of three, you start to embrace the chaos! That can make structured exercise, especially at the Games level, SUPER challenging. 

In today’s episode, Colette talks about her CrossFit love story, her journey in CrossFit through all her pregnancies (apparently something is in the air at Wodapalooza!) and her experience as a Games athlete this year with her three kids watching her compete. 

This is a jam-packed episode, I could have talked to Colette literally all day. We can’t wait for you to hear 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!

What a WEEKEND! 
Our mamas and all of our athletes showed up. The events were unreal. The energy unparallelled and the community so wonderful. 

In today's episode, Christina and Nick break down the Games. We talk about the experience being in the Games arena, the Masters athletes, our mama athletes, even our vendors. 

The ups, downs, injuries, pelvic health complaints and all the things in between are covered in this episode. 

It was so cool to be at the CrossFit games this year and seeing our athletes represent themeselves well. We loved meeting you all this week as well! Just so fun. It's the highlight of the year! 

___________________________________________________________________________
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!

There is this assumption that motherhood = retirement from sports or athleticism.

Kristi Brewer did the exact opposite. The first time Kristi picked up a barbell was when her two kiddos were little. This was at the age of 35.

Now, at the age of 41, Kristi is a multi-world record holder in the sport of weightlifting.
She was representing team USA on an international platform by 38.

Join us as we dive into weightlifting after pregnancy, autistism advocacy, the joy or movement, and barbell sports for moms of all level.

You can follow her journey over on Instagram here! 

___________________________________________________________________________
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!

Content Warning: In today's episode, Courtney is open about her experience as a CrossFitter who has struggled with recurrent loss.

Miscarriage happens in 1 of every 4 pregnancies.
When you experience multiple losses, many inidividuals are given well-meaning advice about their situation

They doubt themselves and their exercise decisions
They are told maybe they shouldn't be running so much or lifting so much

It makes them question

Infertility is on the rise in Canada and the United States. One in 9 couples struggle with infertility.

When you have had a pregnancy and then experience infertility, this is known as secondary infertility

In today's episode, Courtney recounts what is helpful, what has been harmful and her journey navigating exercise, miscarriage and motherhood.

If you want to follow Courtney's journey,  you can follow her on Instagram here. 

___________________________________________________________________________
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!

Preparing for the CrossFit games is a gruelling process. Athletes put in long hours, focus hard on optimizing every aspect of their recovery and prepare themselves for 10-15 tests of all aspects of fitness in Madison, Wisconsin.

They say that being a professional athlete can be a selfish job. You need to focus so much on your training.

When you're a mom, that isn't really possible. While some athletes are recovering with naps and sauna sessions, mama's have to go back to parenting. They can't just rest when they get home from training, that is when their next job begins.

Arielle Loewen is an incredible mama athlete and role model to all the aspiring athletes out there. She is a soon-to-be 3x CrossFit Games athlete and a mama to her daughter Blakely (4 years old).

In today's episode, listen to Arielle talk about her story into competitive CrossFit, what her training looks like going into the games season and her journey through pregnancy and postpartum/pelvic floor recovery.

Go follow @ariellearm on Instagram and we'll definitely be cheering her on in Madison in a couple of weeks! 

___________________________________________________________________________
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!

We can't help but be invested in Tia Clair Toomey's story. She is the reigning fittest on earth for SIX consecutive years.

She announced that she was pregnant with their daughter Willow late 2022 and many people have watched her social media and YouTube channels showcase what she has been up to.

In this episode, Christina is an outsider looking in and takes this opportunity to challenge some beliefs and highlight some of Tia's journey. She then blends it with some of the known (and unknowns) around exercise in pregnancy and postpartum.

Mentions in this episode:
Return to Gymnastics episode
C-Section Episode

___________________________________________________________________________
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!