Coach Joy Black: Groundbreaking Study on Climbing While Pregnant, Busy Climber Tips, and My Pelvic Floor

Sep 23, 2026

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Break through plateaus, stay consistent, and make every session count with a free 14-day trial of Intentional Climber.

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Climbing Coach Joy Black joins to discuss:

How to make a 30-min session count
Removing friction to start workouts faster
Being strong doesn’t mean being good
Her groundbreaking study on climbing while pregnant
How dangerous is falling while pregnant?
Helpful signs to know when to end a session
Postpartum training and climbing
I HAVE A PELVIC FLOOR (and so do you)
Listener Q&A

Follow joy on IG, @climbingwithjoy, and email her for a copy of the study: [email protected]

BIG THANKS TO THE AMAZING SPONSORS OF THE STRUGGLE WHO LOVE ROCK CLIMBING AS MUCH AS YOU DO:

PhysiVantage: the official climbing-nutrition sponsor of The Struggle. Train harder, recover faster, and feel better than ever. I love all their stuff! Use code STRUGGLE15 at checkout for 15% off your full-priced nutrition order.
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Here are some AI generated show notes (hopefully the robots got it right)

00:00 Why This Paper Matters
00:48 Meet Joy Black
05:01 Small Talk and Cold Plunges
08:07 Parenting and Training Consistency
13:08 Beating Perfectionism
16:56 Joy’s Current Struggle
21:12 Coaching Pregnant Climbers
24:52 Sponsor Break
27:45 Replacing Opinion With Data
33:14 Study Methods and Fall Risk
36:24 Risk Rates In Context
37:29 Talking With Providers
40:01 Bouldering Falls Breakdown
41:38 How Climbers Self Modify
44:03 Misconceptions About Falling
45:50 Miscarriage And Birth Outcomes
46:48 Natural Taper And Guardrails
50:45 Pregnancy Not Performance Season
54:12 Intentional Climber Ad Break
56:04 Mental Health Benefits
58:18 Relaxin And Finger Training
01:03:21 Defining Postpartum Timeline
01:06:13 Breastfeeding Vs Recovery
01:08:11 Pelvic Floor Explained
01:12:55 Postpartum Pelvic Floor Rehab
01:16:04 Pelvic Floor Progression
01:17:04 Coaching Lessons for All
01:19:41 Consistency and Intentional Training
01:20:55 Finger Training Focus
01:22:31 Overcoming Iso Repeaters Setup
01:25:52 Overhead vs Ground Repeaters
01:28:32 Stacking Sessions and Block Pulls
01:30:22 Rapid Fire Listener Q&A
01:30:36 Kids at the Gym Tips
01:32:53 Caffeine During Pregnancy
01:34:05 Two Years Postpartum Rebuild
01:37:41 Where to Find Joy
01:39:06 Wrap Up and Next Pro Clinic
01:41:11 Host Updates and Upcoming Events
01:47:48 Final Thanks and Sign Off

Shoutout to Kent Olmstead, Michael Martin, and Sam Hancock for supporting at the Hero level on Patreon. So mega!

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This show is produced and hosted by Ryan Devlin, and edited by Glen Walker. The Struggle is carbon-neutral in partnership with The Honnold Foundation and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective, a diverse group of the best, most impactful podcasts in the outdoor industry.

And now here are some buzzwords to help the almighty algorithm get this show in front of people who love to climb: rock climbing, rock climber, climbing, climber, bouldering, sport climbing, gym climbing, how to rock climb, donuts are amazing. Okay, whew, that’s done. But hey, if you’re a human that’s actually reading this, and if you love this show (and love to climb) would you think about sharing this episode with a climber friend of yours? And shout it out on your socials? I’ll send you a sticker for doing it. Just shoot me a message on IG – thanks so much!