If you are 3–12 months postpartum and trying to lift or run again, you have probably been told to “listen to your body.”

That advice is incomplete.

At this stage, your body will send mixed signals. Fatigue from nights. Tightness that is not injury. Confidence that is ahead of capacity. Fear that is behind it. Listening without a rule set just turns every session into a debate.

A usable protocol answers one question before you start:

Progress, hold, or step back?

• Progress when the last session felt controlled, recovery was normal, and the next jump is small.

• Hold when you can complete the work but the quality is slipping — same load, better execution.

• Step back when symptoms, sleep, or form say the current level is too much. That is not failure. That is the plan working.

Most people skip hold. They either push or they stop. Hold is where postpartum training actually gets rebuilt.

If you want the full decision rules in one place, The Return Protocol is the guide I built for this exact window.