This week, we’re joined by someone I’ve been looking forward to having on for so long, Dr. Shannon Ritchey! She’s a mom, strength training expert, Physical Therapist, 200 hour trained yoga teacher, personal trainer and founder of Evlo Fitness, a fitness app that’s changing the game, and a voice I deeply respect in the fitness space.

I’ve always loved how she cuts through the noise with science-backed info and a realistic, sustainable approach to building strength, especially for women. If you’re tired of trendy “fitspo” and quick fixes, this convo is going to resonate. We dive into the real stuff: why body composition matters more than the number on the scale, how much protein women actually need, and what it really takes to build lean muscle (yes, even if you’re lifting from home with dumbbells!) We also get into Dr. Shannon’s journey from physical therapy to fitness coaching, her take on being “skinny fat” and why muscle is the long game, how often women actually need to train to see results, her thoughts on heavy lifting and training to failure, what her workouts look like before, during, and after pregnancy, plus, the top 3 fitness myths she wants women to stop believing. She even takes us through what she eats in a day and how she fuels her full, busy life.

This episode is packed with practical tips, a grounded perspective, and tons of encouragement for women who want to feel strong, empowered, and in control of their fitness journey!

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Topics discussed:

00:00:20 : Intro

00:01:30 : How Dr. Ritchey started her career

00:05:12 : Pregnancy workouts

00:10:36 : Dr. Ritchey’s body comp journey

00:13:36 : Body recomposition and diet 

00:19:14 : Emotional eating

00:23:26 : Gentle consistency

00:26:25 : Debunking bulking myths

00:31:26 : The aesthetics and strength of body recomposition 

00:33:21 : Lifting heavy vs. light/lifting to failure

00:41:59 : Heavy lifting and metabolic health

00:43:11 : Progressive overload

00:45:49 : Body weight exercises

00:50:26 : Progressive overload length

00:54:18 : Finding the right exercise

00:56:15 : Squats

01:02:54 : Core exercises

01:06:36 : Constrained total energy expenditure model

01:10:54 : What empowerment means to Dr. Ritchey 

01:11:46 : Love it or Leave it game

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SHOWNOTES:

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Follow SamInsta: @samcfit_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Samantha_Christine

Follow Dr. ShannonInsta: @dr.shannon.dpt

Evlo :https://evlofitness.com/

Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thedrshannonshow/

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