Yes, with your prescriber's agreement, and it is close to the most useful thing you can do alongside the medication. Weight lost on GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP medications is not all fat; research consistently finds that a meaningful share can be lean tissue, including muscle, unless something tells the body to keep it. Resistance training two or three times a week, with enough protein spread across the day, is the strategy most often recommended to protect that muscle. The practical questions are about appetite, energy, nausea and timing, and this page covers them in general terms. Your physician or prescriber decides everything about the medication itself; a coach adjusts the training around what they say.
This is general information, not medical advice, and nothing here is about dose, timing of doses, or whether the medication suits you. Lifting while losing weight by any method has its own page; this one is about what the medication changes.
Why muscle is the thing to protect
Muscle carries strength, holds up joints and bones, and handles blood sugar. It is also the tissue that makes keeping the weight off easier later, because it is metabolically expensive and it lets you keep training hard. Rapid weight loss from any cause takes some lean tissue with it; the direction of the research on these medications is that resistance training and adequate protein reduce how much. That is why a physician's advice so often includes both, and why the training is not optional if the aim is to finish the medication phase stronger rather than only smaller.
What the training should look like
Simpler than a normal program, not harder, because recovery runs on less fuel.
- Two or three full-body strength sessions a week, the big patterns each time: a squat such as the goblet squat, a hinge, a push, a pull, a carry.
- Loads that are hard for you with about two reps in reserve, progressed in small steps. Holding strength through the phase is the goal; records can wait.
- Conditioning kept light: walking, an easy incline, nothing that empties the tank before the lifting.
- Sessions of moderate length, and a lighter week when energy dips rather than pushing through it.
A coach writes this into the individual loads on your sheet. In 1-on-1 personal training the assessment at the start records where your strength is before the loss, so it can be tracked through it.
Protein, appetite and the day
The common guidance is protein at each meal rather than one large serving, because a small appetite makes the daily total hard to reach in one sitting. When the plate is small, protein goes on it first. A dietitian sets actual targets, especially for anyone with kidney or other conditions; the general protein page explains where the commonly cited ranges come from. Fluids matter too: some people find thirst is quieter on these medications and intake falls without their noticing, so drink around sessions on purpose.
Energy, nausea and timing your sessions
Patterns people commonly report, which vary a lot between individuals: lower energy in the first weeks and around dose changes, and nausea that is worse for a day or two after the injection day. Plan the harder sessions on the days you usually feel best and keep the day after the injection light or off. Eat something small before training if a fasted session leaves you queasy. Tell the coach which day you inject so the sheet can flex around it, and if you feel shaky or dizzy mid-session, stop and say so; shaky or dizzy during a session covers what happens next.
What to tell your coach and your prescriber
| Tell your coach | Tell your prescriber |
|---|---|
| That you are on the medication; the dose is not their business | That you are starting or continuing resistance training |
| Your injection day and how the following day usually feels | Any dizziness, unusual fatigue or nausea around training |
| What your appetite and eating actually look like | Whether you are meeting protein and fluid needs, or want a dietitian referral |
| Any dizziness, cramps or gut symptoms during sessions | Any plan to change, pause or stop the medication |
A coach will never comment on dose, duration or whether to stop. Those questions go back across the table.
Expectations through the phase and after
Strength may plateau or dip during rapid loss even with good training; that is normal, and holding it is the win. The coach re-tests every block so you can see that it held. When the medication phase ends, whether by your choice or your prescriber's, the training habit is what protects the result, and the general case for lifting in a deficit applies fully from that point.
Common questions
Will strength training make the medication work less well?
There is no reason to expect that. Training changes what the lost weight is made of, not whether it is lost. If the scale slows while your lifts hold, that is usually muscle being kept; raise it with your prescriber rather than stopping the lifting.
Can I lift on injection day?
Many people can; some prefer the day before. It depends on how your body responds, which you will know within a few weeks. Tell the coach the day and let the sheet flex.
What if I have almost no appetite and cannot eat before a session?
Train anyway if you feel steady, keep it moderate, and get protein in afterward. If you feel light-headed, stop and say so, and raise the appetite problem with your prescriber or a dietitian.
Do I need to tell the studio I am on it?
Yes, on the consult or at the first session. It changes how the coach reads your energy and appetite and when they lighten a session. It goes in your record and nowhere else.
Is small group training okay, or do I need 1-on-1?
Either. Loads in a small group are individual, so lower-energy weeks are absorbed on your sheet. 1-on-1 suits people who want the assessment-first start and closer tracking through the phase.
