The Real Reason High-Intensity Workouts Might Be Making Things Worse
High-intensity workouts aren’t bad.
But they aren’t always appropriate.
And this is something I didn’t always understand myself (Even as a fitness trainer!)
After having kids, I did what so many women do. I jumped back into movement the way I always had (it was my job afterall). I ignored the back pain. I pushed through discomfort. I told myself I just needed to work harder, be more consistent, hustle more.
Because that’s what we’re taught, right?
Pain means weakness. Slowing down means falling behind. And intensity is the only way to see results.
But what I didn’t realize at the time was that my body was already overwhelmed.
My nervous system was fried.
My core was disconnected.
My pelvic floor was struggling to manage pressure.
So every high-intensity workout I layered on top of that wasn’t helping. It was asking a system that had no foundation to perform at full capacity.
And it backfired.
Instead of feeling stronger, I felt more pain.
Instead of feeling energized, I felt exhausted.
Instead of seeing progress, I felt stuck and frustrated.
This is something I see constantly with the women I work with now.
When your nervous system is already overloaded, your core isn’t functioning well, or your pelvic floor doesn’t have the support it needs, intensity adds stress instead of strength.
Some common signs that high-intensity workouts might not be serving you right now include:
Increased back, hip, or pelvic pain
Leaking during workouts, jumping, or lifting
Feeling wiped out instead of energized after exercise
Plateaued results despite consistent effort
None of these mean you’re weak.
They mean your body is asking for a different entry point.
Intensity should come after foundation, not before it.
Real strength is built when your body feels safe, supported, and coordinated. That starts with breath, deep core connection, pressure management, and alignment. When those pieces are in place, intensity becomes effective instead of exhausting.
This was a huge shift for me as a coach and as a woman.
Slowing down didn’t make me weaker.
Rebuilding my foundation didn’t set me back.
It allowed me to build strength that actually carried over into life. Strength that felt good. Strength that lasted.
Building strength doesn’t mean destroying your body.
It means supporting it.
And when you do that, everything changes.
Ready to Train Smarter, Not Harder?
If you want to build real strength without pain, leaking, or burnout, start with your foundation.
Breathe For Your Core teaches you how to reconnect to your breath, deep core, and pelvic floor so your body can handle strength and intensity the way it’s meant to.
Start there. Build the foundation. Then layer strength on top in a way that actually works. 💛
And if you don’t want to do it alone I’m happy to help- simply set up a FREE CORE CLARITY CALL and we can chat about your struggles, goals and how to get you there!
