Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise: An Evidence-Based
Approach (Recorded Webinar)
Presented by Barb Hoogenboom and Shefali Mathur Christopher
This course is one of several recordings from the Female Athlete Health Symposium, a previously hosted live, multi-lecture webinar event. In this session, the primary instructor is introduced by another instructor who also facilitates the Q&A portion. Polling and question submission features are not available for this recording. Format and structure may differ from those of standard Medbridge courses.
In recent years, many elite athletes have openly shared their perinatal journeys, and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games featured several mothers competing at the highest level—highlighting that returning to elite sport after pregnancy is possible. Although early research in this area was limited, the past decade has seen a growing body of evidence on exercise during and after pregnancy. At the same time, social media has fueled misconceptions and fear around perinatal exercise, with some movements inaccurately labeled as harmful to the musculoskeletal system. This webinar will review current evidence-based recommendations for exercise during pregnancy, outline safe and effective parameters for training, and provide practical guidelines for return to sport in the postpartum period. Common myths will be addressed, and participants will gain a clear, comprehensive framework for supporting pregnant and postpartum individuals in both exercise and athletic performance.
Learning Objectives
- Examine current guidelines for exercise in pregnancy and postpartum
- Correlate guidelines compared to recent evidence as it relates to pregnancy and postpartum exercise
- Apply knowledge through case-based learning to support safe and effective practice
Meet your instructors
Barb Hoogenboom
Dr. Hoogenboom is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Physical Therapy Program at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Barb holds a Bachelor Degree from Calvin College (1983), a Master’s Degree from Grand Valley State University (1997), and an EdD from Eastern Michigan University (2006). She has been in…
Shefali Mathur Christopher
Shefali Christopher PT, DPT, PhD, LAT, ATC serves as the director of admissions and is a core faculty member of the Tufts DPT Seattle program. She is a clinical specialist in sports physical therapy through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. Christopher has numerous publications and presentations related to…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Exercise During Pregnancy
This chapter will cover ACOG guidelines for exercise as well as recent literature on exercise during pregnancy, including heavy lifting and high-intensity interval training.
2. Exercise After Childbirth
This chapter will cover screening and gradual progression of exercise when returning to exercise or high-impact sport (running) postpartum.
3. Case Study
This chapter will include a case study to synthesize the information learned in the earlier chapters.
4. Question and Answer Session
This chapter includes a viewer-submitted Q&A session with questions answered by Shefali Mathur Christopher and facilitated by Barb Hoogenboom.
More courses in this series
Female Athlete Health: Energy, REDs, and Nutrition (Recorded Webinar)
Barb Hoogenboom
REDs in Clinical Practice: Screening, Management, and Multidisciplinary Care (Recorded Webinar)
Christine Morgan and Barb Hoogenboom
Specific Populations of Female Athletes: Triad and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (Recorded Webinar)
Teresa L. Schuemann and Barb Hoogenboom
Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise: An Evidence-Based Approach (Recorded Webinar)
Shefali Mathur Christopher and Barb Hoogenboom
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