The “Boring” Stuff That Lets You Do the Fun Stuff: Intention Before Intensity
When people think about getting stronger postpartum, they often picture big milestones—lifting heavier weights, symptom free running, or finally feeling comfortable in their body. But here’s the truth: lasting strength isn’t built on intensity alone—it starts with intention.
And let’s be honest… intention isn’t always exciting.
The reality is, the foundational work that feels slow or “boring” is actually the key to avoiding injury, rebuilding core and pelvic floor strength, and feeling strong for the long run (figuratively and literally). Whether you’re newly postpartum, pregnant, or getting back into fitness after a break, skipping these essential steps can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction, low back pain, and weak core stability. And most importantly, a delay in getting back to the activities that make you happiest.
Why the Basics Matter in Perinatal Fitness
🔹 During Pregnancy: A strong, functional core and pelvic floor don’t just make postpartum recovery easier—they also play a huge role in labor and delivery. Practicing breathing exercises and pelvic floor release during pregnancy helps your pelvic floor relax during labor, allowing your uterus to do its job of pushing baby out without unnecessary tension or resistance. Give these 2 exercises a try:
Core Connection: Bear Hold with Adductor Squeeze
Pelvic Floor Release: Table Top Rock Backs with Feet Turned out
🔹 The 4th Trimester: After pregnancy, your body has gone through major changes. Before adding intensity, you need to restore deep core and pelvic floor function. This means prioritizing breathwork, core activation, and gentle movement so your body relearns how to function without carrying a baby inside.
🔹 Before Lifting Weights: Strength training is amazing for postpartum recovery, but if you skip warm-ups and jump straight into heavy lifting, you risk compensating with the wrong muscles, reinforcing imbalances, and increasing your chance of injury. A proper warm-up increases blood flow, activates the muscles you need, and prepares your body to move safely. Give these two exercises a try before your next lift session:
Setting Postpartum Strength & Performance Goals:
Many Moms have specific goals they want to work toward—like returning to running without leaking, losing a certain amount of weight, getting back to rock climbing or mountain biking, lifting a certain weight, or simply feeling strong enough to keep up with their kids.
But how do you know if you're making progress toward those goals?
➡️ You need markers, measurements, or check-ins to assess where you are and how you're improving. That could be:
testing how long you can hold a bear hold for without coning or breath-holding
being able to consistently increase the weight you use in your goblet squats over a month
testing how long you are able to run without any pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms.
These checkpoints aren’t about perfection—they’re about tracking functional progress so that when you do push for that next kilometer, hike, climb, or lift, you know your body is ready for it.
Building strength, starts with the “boring” stuff
These small steps might not feel like “progress” in the moment, but they are. They’re the foundation that lets you do the fun stuff later—like lifting heavier, running without pain, and keeping up with your kids.
This is exactly why inside Strong Mom Collective, we start with function first. Each month, we build on the strong foundation you create at the beginning, ensuring you’re doing the right work to regain strength safely—without the guesswork.
So if you’re feeling impatient with the “boring” stuff, remember: It’s what allows you to move better, feel stronger, and confidently take on whatever adventure comes next.
And if you need support, guidance, and accountability - I am here to help!
Do you have a strength or movement goal you’re working toward postpartum?
I’d love to hear what you’re focusing on! Drop it in the comments!
