The mindbodygreen Podcast 627: How to build muscle in less time (without burning out) | Shannon Ritchey, P.T., DPT
Dec 7, 2025
Shannon Ritchey, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and founder of Evlo Fitness, discusses smarter training techniques for building muscle without burnout. She emphasizes that muscle is built during recovery, not just workouts. Shannon highlights the downsides of group fitness classes, the importance of training to failure, and the benefits of intentional strength sessions. She also offers insights on efficient weekly workout structures, nutrition tracking, and postpartum muscle rebuilding, all while advocating for a balanced approach to fitness that promotes long-term health.
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Stopped Working Out, Felt Better
- Shannon stopped exercising completely for a couple weeks and felt better than she had in years.
- She later rebuilt strength with intentional hypertrophy and eliminated chronic pain.
Overuse And Recovery Are Key
- Shannon attributes her pain to overuse and constant repetition with too-light loads.
- She emphasizes that muscle is built in recovery, not during workouts.
Weekly Layout For Strength And Cardio
- Spread strength work so each muscle group is trained ~2x weekly with shorter sessions across 4–5 workouts.
- Put most cardio on active recovery days and limit HIIT to one or two short sessions weekly.