The NASM-CPT Podcast With Rick Richey

Rick Ritchie’s show is built for the practical middle of personal training: the place where anatomy, nutrition, motivation, scheduling, and money all collide. It is educational, but not sterile. One episode may walk through protein targets, RDA changes, bodybuilding ranges, whey versus collagen, and the point at which more protein stops helping because the person is not training. Another may slow down on the calves, tracing muscle names, joint actions, plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, tibial rotation, and why the lower leg is sometimes described as a second heart. The details matter here. They are usually followed by the question that matters more: what does that mean for a real client in a real session? Recent episodes also spend time on weight loss, including the limits of simple calorie math, adaptive thermogenesis, hormones, lifestyle factors, GLP-1 medications, and the supports required for major change. The show is not only about exercise science. It is also about becoming and staying a working trainer. Ritchie talks through why people choose the profession, how income can work, what commission-based training means, when specialization can raise value, and why breaks have to be planned before burnout takes over. Virtual training gets the same grounded treatment. Snow days, business trips, vacations, hotel gyms, safety concerns, balance issues, and exercise substitutions all become part of the coaching conversation. Older clients are treated with similar care, especially around back pain, joint stiffness, warmups, mobility, and the mismatch between young trainers and clients whose bodies have more history. The pacing is brisk. The style is conversational and sometimes repetitive in the useful way a coach repeats an important cue. Episodes often include sponsor reads and calls to like, subscribe, and share, but the instructional core is clear. This is a show for trainers who want certification knowledge to turn into better client decisions.