The Truth About Women & Muscle ft Dr. Shannon, DPT

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! ____________________ 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 ____________________ SHOWNOTES: Sam’s LINKS: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/Samcfit Dream Recovery | code: SAM15 https://dreamrecovery.io/ BONCHARGE | code: SAMCFIT15 https://boncharge.com/ Branch Basics | code: EMPWR https://branchbasics.com/EMPWR Promix Supplements | code: SAM https://promixnutrition.com/?dt_id=1140742 EMPWR by Sam App | *free 7-day trial* https://www.empwrbysam.com/ My Macro Guide:https://samcfit.com/macro-guide-only Running Programs: https://www.samcfit.com/running-programs   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/