An interventional study of Supervised Postpartum Functional Strength Training and Aerobic Conditioning in Postpartum Physical Fitness and Functional Performance, sponsored by Penn State University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-09.
Sponsored by Penn State University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
This study will evaluate Strong as a Mother, an existing community exercise program for women returning to exercise after childbirth. The goal is to determine whether the program can be delivered consistently, whether participants find it acceptable, and how it may affect fitness and physical function.
Approximately 30 medically cleared women who are 3-12 months postpartum will be randomly assigned to begin the program immediately or continue their usual activities for 12 weeks before being offered the program. The program includes three supervised sessions per week combining strength training, aerobic exercise, and breathing and bracing instruction. Exercises will be adjusted to participants' abilities and symptoms.
Assessments will occur before and after the 12-week period, with a brief check-in at six weeks. Researchers will measure participation, program delivery, and adverse events, along with aerobic fitness, grip strength, and lifting, carrying, and chair-rise performance. Additional assessments will examine abdominal-wall characteristics, maternal functioning, postpartum quality of life, and pelvic-floor symptoms. This pilot study will provide preliminary findings to refine the program and plan a larger trial.
The study addresses the transition between postpartum medical clearance and participation in progressive community exercise. It will evaluate an existing program that combines functional resistance training and aerobic conditioning with breathing and bracing instruction. Strength exercises include squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry movements relevant to daily physical demands. A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with specialized pregnancy and postpartum training will individualize exercise selection and progression according to symptoms, training experience, technique, and current capacity.
The RE-AIM framework will guide evaluation of recruitment and participant characteristics, program implementation, and resources needed for future delivery. Session records will document exercise dose, progression, modifications, symptoms, and adverse events. Participant feedback will help identify barriers to attendance, assessment burden, and opportunities to improve the program. Adoption and future sustainment requirements will be described through the established community partnership; long-term maintenance will not be evaluated.
The study will also explore whether changes in physiological capacity correspond with changes in lifting, carrying, chair-rise performance, and perceived maternal functioning. Abdominal-wall ultrasound will provide complementary information about morphology and behavior during a standardized contraction; inter-recti distance alone will not be interpreted as abdominal-wall function.
Analyses will emphasize feasibility estimates, baseline-adjusted between-group differences, confidence intervals, outcome variability, and assessment completion. The pilot is not designed to establish definitive effectiveness or test causal mechanisms. Findings will inform program refinement, selection of a primary outcome, and design of a larger trial.
Penn State University is the lead sponsor of 269 studies on the registry; 52 are open to participants now.
Of its 15 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 11 (73%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will begin Strong as a Mother, a 12-week community-based exercise program comprising three supervised sessions per week. Sessions combine progressive functional strength training, aerobic conditioning, and breathing and bracing instruction. A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with specialized pregnancy and postpartum training will individualize exercises and progression according to symptoms, training experience, technique, and physical capacity.
Behavioral: Supervised Postpartum Functional Strength Training and Aerobic Conditioning
Participants will continue their usual activities for the initial 12-week comparison period without receiving the study exercise program. Outside exercise and relevant clinical care will be documented. After completing the 12-week assessments, participants will be offered the same Strong as a Mother program.
A 12-week community-based exercise program consisting of three supervised sessions per week, for 36 scheduled sessions. Training combines progressive functional resistance exercises-including squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry movements-with aerobic conditioning and pelvic-floor-informed breathing and bracing instruction. A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with specialized pregnancy and postpartum training individualizes exercise selection, resistance loads, conditioning intensity, and progression according to each participant's symptoms, training experience, technique, and physical capacity. Attendance, exercise dose, progression, and modifications are documented throughout the program.
Intervention Attendance
Mean percentage of 36 scheduled sessions attended across all participants assigned to immediate intervention, including those who discontinue. The progression target is at least 75%.
Time frame: During the 12-week intervention
Recruitment: Number of Participants Enrolled
Number of eligible, consenting women randomized, with a target of 30 participants. Numbers screened and eligible and reasons for nonparticipation will also be recorded.
Time frame: From recruitment initiation through recruitment closure
Perceived Program Feasibility
Feasibility of Intervention Measure: four items rated from 1 to 5. The mean score ranges from 1 to 5; higher scores indicate greater perceived feasibility.
Time frame: At completion of the 12-week intervention
Change in Peak Oxygen Uptake (VO₂peak)
Peak oxygen uptake measured using the PNOĒ metabolic analyzer during a standardized graded cycle test, expressed in mL/kg/min. Higher values indicate greater cardiorespiratory fitness.
Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Change in Grip Strength
Handgrip strength measured using a dynamometer under standardized testing conditions, expressed in kilograms. Higher values indicate greater grip strength.
Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Change in Five-Repetition Maximum Deadlift Load
Greatest load, in kilograms, lifted for five repetitions while meeting prespecified technique and symptom-tolerance criteria. Higher loads indicate greater lifting strength.
Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Change in Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Completion Time
Time, in seconds, required to complete five chair rises using standardized chair height, arm position, and instructions. Shorter times indicate better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Plan to share: No — There is currently no plan to share individual participant data from this pilot study. Aggregate findings will be disseminated through publications and presentations. Any future data-sharing proposal would require review of participant consent, privacy protections, and institutional requirements.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for May 2027; primary completion for May 2027, 0 months later.
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From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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