Building strength now, whether you’re taking a GLP-1 medication or thinking about it
Dr Nicola Tik
If you are taking a GLP-1 medication or thinking about starting one, most of the conversation tends to be about the number on the scales. What that number is made of matters just as much. Strength work is one of the simplest ways to protect the muscle you have, and you can start without any equipment.
Any weight loss includes some muscle alongside fat. Muscle responds to how you use it. When you ask it to work against resistance, it gets a signal to stay.
The research on this is encouraging. A review of trials in older adults losing weight by eating less found that adding strength training prevented almost all of the muscle loss that came with dieting alone. Another study followed adults in their 60s for 18 months. Those who combined weight loss with strength training lost about half as much muscle as those who combined it with walking.
Most of these studies looked at weight loss through diet rather than medication, and research on GLP-1 medications and strength work is still growing. The principle is the same, though. Muscle that is used is muscle that stays.
Starting before treatment, or early on, gives you time to build both strength and the habit. It is often easier to learn new moves while your appetite and energy feel familiar. Once strength work is part of your week, it is much easier to keep going as things change.
Most studies used strength training two or three times a week. How hard it feels matters more than how long it lasts. The last few repetitions of each move should feel challenging while you can still keep good control. Twenty to thirty minutes is plenty.
Two rounds of 8 to 12 repetitions each, with a short rest in between, is a good starting point. If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of moves like sit to stands, worktop press-ups and heel raises.
Some people find their energy dips from time to time. On those days, a shorter session still counts. You could do one round instead of two, or pick your two favourite moves. Many people find it easier to train a little while after a meal, when they have more energy.
Your muscles adapt to what you ask of them, so a routine that feels hard now will feel easier in a few weeks. That is your cue to build. You could slow down the lowering part of each move, add a few repetitions, or wear a rucksack with a few books in it.
Keeping a simple note of what you did each session makes it easy to see your progress. Watching your strength grow, even while your weight changes, is often really motivating.