There’s an abundance of myths about training while pregnant and returning to activity postpartum. Our guest on this show is an expert in the field who helps separate fact from fiction with the latest research and knowledge.
Exercising during pregnancy and returning to training postpartum can be challenging for female athletes and their coaches, but our guest on this Fast Talk Femmes episode, Catherine Cram, is one of the experts in the field. Cram has published extensive work on prenatal and postpartum exercise, helping to improve the knowledge and information available to those looking to stay active during pregnancy and return to activity and training after giving birth.
In the show, Cram helps to dispel many of the outdated myths surrounding training during pregnancy, such as “don’t let your heart rate rise above 135 bpm.”
Co-host Julie Young said: “As a coach, I was always a bit tentative to work with pregnant athletes as there was no definitive or individualized guidance. The information I found to guide training with pregnant athletes evoked a bit of fear, implying that pregnant athletes were very fragile and training could jeopardize the health of the baby.”
Armed with the latest knowledge and having authored a number of books on the topic, Cram underscores the importance of being educated and sensible when training while pregnant, yet she also highlights the fact that pregnant women are much more durable than antiquated information would lead us to believe.
Cram has a master’s degree in exercise physiology from San Diego State University. Some of her publications include Exercising Through Your Pregnancy, which she co-authored with Dr. James Clapp, and Fit Pregnancy for Dummies. She is also a contributing author of Women’s Health Care in Physical Therapy. She has developed and teaches MedBridge courses on postpartum and prenatal fitness programs, all of which provide the most recent, evidence-based maternal fitness guidelines.
Cram is also the owner of Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness Consulting, a company that provides pre- and post-natal fitness certifications and information to hospitals, health/wellness organizations, and the military. They offer innovative information to pregnant and postpartum women and their health/fitness providers.
Also included in this show is an interview with Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, an elite track runner who finished 4th in the 800m at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and is the current Canadian record holder at this distance. After giving birth to her first child in 2018, she competed in the Tokyo Games in 2021. In July of last year, she gave birth to her second child and is now ramping up her training with a view to the 2024 Olympics. In this episode she shares her personal experience as a mom and athlete, how she approached exercise during her two pregnancies, and how she’s returning to full-time training now.
Fast Talk Femmes Podcast: Training During Pregnancy- with Catherine Cram
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