Rachael Regains Her Strength – Second Time Round
Rachael Regains Her Strength – Second Time Round
Rachael first trained with me over two years ago, initially coming to rebuild her running strength and confidence after a difficult recovery. With support and guidance, she proved what was possible, running a PB 30s faster than her pre-pregnancy time! (read her story here)
So when she became pregnant with Arthur, the trust was already there, and she returned, committing to antenatal classes with Lauren to maintain strength, protect her pelvic floor, and prepare her body for birth.
With no complications at just 6 weeks postpartum, Rachael began 1–1 personal training with me. This wasn’t about rushing back or pushing through; it was about safe rehabilitation, rebuilding confidence, having clear guidance, and learning to trust her body again.
Although Rachael still runs, this time, the focus was on strength gains, learning to lift, not only for running strength, but for safeguarding future health.
The progress you see, watch the reel here, didn’t happen overnight.
Behind the scenes, we focused on:
Returning to the basics
Repeating movements with intention
Gradually increasing load and challenge
Building strength before impact
The real work came from Rachael herself.
Despite broken sleep and busy days, she committed to:
Making small, realistic nutrition changes to fuel her training. No foods were eliminated
Showing up independently to follow her programme
Staying consistent, even when it felt hard
She even brought along a friend, another new mum, for motivation and accountability. I love that we’ve created a supportive, baby-friendly environment for our mums and babies to thrive.
Strength doesn’t just appear. It’s built, earned, and respected.
The results
In just 3 months, Rachael achieved:
11lb weight loss
31cm reduction
3.9% body fat decrease
But weight loss was never the focus
At 6 months postpartum, her strength gains tell the real story of success…
40kg hip thrust
40kg Romanian deadlift
27.5kg barbell back squat
27.5kg leg extension
20kg bench press
20kg barbell row
All lifted pain-free, and she has since lost a further 6lb.
Rachael, I couldn’t be prouder of your incredible journey - such an inspiration to other mums.
What happens next
Rachael has now moved away from Sheffield, but we continue to stay in touch and will do catch-up sessions online when shes settled, because strength built properly doesn’t disappear when life changes.
If you’re a postnatal mum and reading this, thinking, That looks hard, it is! But it’s also worth it. And you don’t have to do it alone.
Real people. Real results. Proper support.
👉 If you’re ready to rebuild your strength postnatally, book a consultation via the link below.