Jay Shetty & Dr. Shannon Ritchey ON The 4-Part Strength Framework

Are you tired of crushing yourself in the gym every single day, feeling exhausted and depleted, yet still not seeing the physical results you desire?

In this On Purpose episode, Jay Shetty's guest is Dr. Shannon Ritchey, a physical therapist and founder of Evlo Fitness, a rapidly growing science-backed platform that focuses on sustainable muscle growth and health. She discussed and dismantled common fitness myths and offered a science-based approach for building muscle and burning fat.

Cardio Doesn't Help Weight Loss

Dr. Shannon Ritchey told Jay Shetty that, contrary to popular belief, endless cardio isn't the only way to lose weight. She warns that it's a damaging mindset because, in reality, it rarely works and leads to joint pain, disrupted hormones, and burnout.

Dr. Ritchey shared study results showing that adding cardio without making nutritional changes doesn't result in major weight loss; sometimes it can be as little as a few pounds over an entire year.¹ She explained to Jay Shetty that the reason for this lack of progress is biological compensation – our bodies don't like large energy deficits and, as we increase exercise, the body adapts to burning fewer calories.

Another reason cardio doesn't lead to weight loss is that after an intense workout, people overestimate how many calories they've burned and end up overeating. In some cases, they gain weight rather than lose it. Dr. Ritchey recommends separating exercise from fat loss and focusing primarily on nutrition and strength training. This way, the weight loss will come from fat rather than from muscle.

Gentle Workouts Instead of Exhaustion

When it comes to the "no pain, no gain" mentality, Dr. Shannon Ritchey exposed it as the result of decades of marketing that equates brutal workouts with success. Yet, she told Jay Shetty that exhausting yourself in the gym doesn't always yield the desired results.

Dr. Ritchey believes that you must focus on the correct biological stimulus, so you no longer need to feel physically or mentally drained to see results. She advocates for gentle yet consistent workouts that don't leave you feeling depleted afterward. She told Jay Shetty that people's relationship with their bodies improves significantly once they stop treating exercise as a punishment and instead see it as a targeted stimulus.

Making Room for Recovery

Dr. Shannon Ritchey introduced Jay Shetty to the concept of the "stimulus-recovery-adaptation" loop. She explained that many people believe that daily workouts keep them healthy; however, the body also needs time to recover. She explained that the workout itself is the stimulus, but the actual repair and muscle building occur during the recovery phase.

Recovery doesn't mean being sedentary, Dr. Ritchey clarified. You can continue being active, but without putting unnecessary pressure on your body. She told Jay Shetty that, for the average person, the body doesn't recover when it's overstressed; it adapts when it receives an appropriate level of stress, followed by sufficient time to repair.

Building Muscles Through Training and Proper Nutrition

Dr. Shannon Ritchey told Jay Shetty that weight lifting doesn't make a person look bulky. She explained that building substantial muscle mass takes months, sometimes even years of high-volume training. What people perceive as bulk is often a combination of years of dedicated training and a layer of body fat over the muscle.

The body doesn't get sculpted by exercise alone; diet plays an equally important role in adjusting the body composition. Dr. Ritchey told Jay Shetty that, if you want to build abdominal muscles, you need to train them like any other muscle and pay attention to your nutrition to achieve the desired effects.

Muscle Fatigue vs. Muscle Failure

Dr. Ritchey told Jay Shetty that, when we exercise, it's crucial to understand the difference between muscle fatigue and muscle failure. She explained that muscles grow when you train close to failure, the moment when you are physically unable to perform another repetition despite your best efforts. According to her, fatigue alone (shaking or burning feeling) doesn't reliably build muscle.

If you want to test if you are working hard enough, Dr. Shannot Ritchey revealed the rest test: after completing what you consider to be the final rep, set the weights down for five seconds, shake them out, and then try to do more. If you can do three or more additional reps, it was only muscle fatigue, not failure, and you need to increase either the weight or the number of repetitions in your next set. According to Dr. Ritchey, the last few reps, when you are truly struggling, are the most important for muscle building.

Don't Chase Soreness

The sweet spot for growth is working out each muscle group twice a week on non-consecutive days, Dr. Ritchey told Jay Shetty. This allows each muscle group 48 hours of recovery between sessions. However, you need to remain consistent and keep working out the muscle group once it has repaired.

Many people seem to put a lot of emphasis on soreness, Dr. Ritchey noted; it's used to measure the efficiency of a workout. However, she clarified that soreness is a poor indicator of muscle growth; instead, it signals new movement patterns or damage to connective tissue.

According to Dr. Shannon Ritchey, you should feel no or only mild soreness after a workout. This way, you ensure that you can show up for your next high-stimulus session. However, if you are chronically sore, this might be a sign that you are not giving your body enough time to recover.

The Path to Body Recomposition

Nutrition is essential for building strength. Dr. Ritchey told Jay Shetty that, while she is not a dietitian, her expert colleagues recommend 0.75 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily.² However, you need to understand how your body processes it and ensure that it uses it to build muscle, not store it as fat. If you want to achieve body recomposition, you need a slight calorie deficit, Dr. Ritchey explained, to avoid the bulky feeling.

There isn’t a single required exercise to ensure weight loss or muscle growth. Dr. Ritchey told Jay Shetty that you can choose exercises that you actually enjoy and that feel good in your body, rather than torturing yourself with the ones you hate. She explained that, when you choose exercises that work for your body, you are more likely to stay consistent and train closer to muscle failure.

Dr. Ritchey added that, if an exercise causes chronic pain or boredom, you should swap it for another one that targets the same muscle group. However, the most important thing is to maintain consistency and build muscles in a fun, enjoyable, and safe way.

Don't Neglect Your Feet and Eyes

Dr. Ritchey surprised Jay Shetty by affirming that feet are among the most neglected body parts – they are our platform and dictate the forces that travel up our knees, hips, and spine. She explained that most people lose the neuromuscular connection because they wear tight shoes. So, she recommends training barefoot or in socks to rewire this lost connection.

Additionally, eyes are just as undervalued as feet. Dr. Ritchey told Jay Shetty that the eyes can be a source of physical stress, as we stare at screens all day, providing the nervous system with constant streams of information. This can signal the body to tense up in response to the perceived threat, leading to headaches and neck pain. She recommends looking into the distance multiple times a day to help the eyes relax.

Posture is equally important. Dr. Ritchey shared a diaphragmatic breathing technique that can reset the body: it involves hugging the rib cage to feel it expand laterally while you breathe in, to reset the nervous system and improve core mechanics. All these short activities can deeply impact our overall posture and well-being.

The REPS Framework for Sustainable Strength

Dr. Ritchey shared with Jay Shetty the REPS framework for building muscle:

• R - Repetitions: Train close to failure (4 to 30 reps) in every set.
• E - Exercise Selection: Target one muscle group at a time and choose exercises that feel good for your body.
• P - Protein: Aim for 0.75 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (adjusted to your goals).
• S - Structure: Work each muscle group twice a week with adequate recovery days.

Visible muscle growth typically takes around 8 to 12 weeks of consistent workouts and balanced meals. Dr. Ritchey warned against the 30-day challenges advertised on social media because they often lead to burnout or muscle loss. Instead, Dr. Ritchey encouraged Jay Shetty's audience to be nice to themselves and follow the science to achieve a fit, strong body, without chronic pain or exhaustion.

More From Jay Shetty

Listen to the entire On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast episode “Dr. Shannon Ritchey: Why You’re Not Seeing Results in The Gym (Do THIS 4-Part Strength Framework to Completely Transform your Body” now in the iTunes store or on Spotify. For more inspirational stories and messages like this, check out Jay’s website at jayshetty.me.

Disclaimer: The practices described are based on personal experiences and preliminary research. They are not medical advice, nor are results guaranteed. Individual outcomes vary, and some claims are still being studied. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning any new health, wellness, or therapeutic practice.

¹Thorogood A, Mottillo S, Shimony A, Filion KB, Joseph L, Genest J, Pilote L, Poirier P, Schiffrin EL, Eisenberg MJ. Isolated aerobic exercise and weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Med. 2011 Aug;124(8):747-55. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.02.037. PMID: 21787904.

²Wu G. Dietary protein intake and human health. Food Funct. 2016 Mar;7(3):1251-65. doi: 10.1039/c5fo01530h. PMID: 26797090.