Ozempic workouts build muscle that weight-loss drugs shrink. But are they anything new?

It is 10am on a Friday at Surfcore Fitness, a boutique gym in Los Angeles, and a 52-year-old woman is following an exercise circuit as her trainer watches on. The fashion consultant, who is squeezing in a session before work, lifts relatively light weights while doing simple movements to build strength: goblet squats with a 3kg (6lb) kettlebell, then bicep curls with a 5kg weight. You would never guess it, but this is the latest exercise craze in action: the Ozempic workout. GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Mounjaro have helped millions of people combat type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as shed weight. The class of drugs – GLP-1 receptor agonists – has been around for two decades as a diabetes medication. The drugs’ popularity as a tool for weight loss skyrocketed after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Wegovy for weight management in 2021. But these drugs have also created new challenges. The weight loss they spur often comes with a reduction in lean body mass that includes muscle, making people physically weaker. Because GLP-1 drugs send signals to the brain telling people to feel full on fewer calories, those taking them are often operating in a caloric deficit. Reduced appetite, if not overseen properly by a doctor, could cause nutritional deficiencies and leave people with less energy for workouts, says Dr Martha Gulati, director of preventive cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, in Los Angeles. It is then harder to exercise at the intensity needed to gain back the muscle they have been losing. “Depending on the drug, people can lose between 25 per cent to 50 per cent of their lean body mass,” Gulati says. This is where the GLP-1 workout comes in. The routine’s aim is to help patients build and preserve muscle mass by prioritising strength training over cardio. It often incorporates education around nutrition and post-workout recovery techniques, helping participants develop new, healthy lifestyle habits to prevent weight gain once they go off the GLP-1 drugs. Over the last year, the hashtags #ozempicworkout and #glp1training have populated TikTok and Instagram, and the GLP-1 workout has been promoted at gyms, on blogs and on personal trainers’ YouTube accounts. Luxury fitness chain Equinox introduced a “GLP-1 protocol” in January 2024 and has since rolled it out at 80 clubs internationally. Planet Fitness posts GLP-1 workout guidelines on its blog. Independent gyms in Los Angeles, such as Surfcore Fitness, are promoting GLP-1 workouts on Instagram “to stay ahead of the curve”, says owner Carlos Sosa. The beginner’s strength-training regime is not new. Rather, it has been repackaged for a new fitness audience. “It’s just marketing,” says Shawn Arent, professor and chair of the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina. “We might have to take into account a lack of energy [on the part of GLP-1 exercisers]. But in terms of our general guidelines for resistance training, there really is nothing special about a GLP-1 workout. At the end of the day, it’s just resistance training. But that’s not sexy.” Regardless, the routine appears to be here to stay. About 6 per cent of adults in the US say they are taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, according to a 2024 poll conducted by the San Francisco-based health policy non-profit organisation KFF. That is more than 15 million people. With these branded workouts, fitness facilities and trainers are courting a new class of consumers. The trend has had a ripple effect on organisations that administer certification programmes for fitness trainers. The US’ National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise are now offering GLP-1 education. The National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (Nesta) debuted a “GLP-1 Exercise Specialist Certificate” in January. I train twice a week and it’s helped everything, massively. I definitely feel stronger Jessica Bunge, 37, who does GLP-1 workouts regularly Regardless of whether these GLP-1 workouts are innovative, promoting these exercises helps build community among those who are using the drugs, says Eric Durak, a California-based exercise physiologist who wrote Nesta’s GLP-1 certificate programme. “It’s about changing the mindset and lifestyle of overweight people, many of whom have never exercised before,” Durak says. “Some may be people who didn’t feel accepted by society because they weighed more than 300lbs. We want to get them in the door, then create a space for them that they feel is more a community than a training centre.” At Surfcore Fitness, Sosa is in touch directly with clients’ doctors, he says. “Doctors are sending people here: ‘I’m not going to give you the [GLP-1] drug unless you work out,’ they tell them. So I talk with their doctor about what their needs are, the specific drugs they’re on and the dosage, any side effects, plus any other health concerns,” Sosa says. One of Sosa’s clients, the 52-year-old fashion consultant, went on Mounjaro in March 2024 and has since lost 18kg – but she saw muscle on her triceps and legs dwindle. The GLP-1 workout has helped her body composition, Sosa says, and his being in touch with her doctor has given her confidence. “She feels comfortable to be working out with me, specifically, because I know what her needs are, medically,” he says. Mike Kimani, an independent trainer who works out of LM Fitness Centre in Los Angeles, says his GLP-1 workouts are particularly data-driven. “The whole workout is choreographed and timed to a T,” Kimani says. He requires clients on GLP-1 drugs to get body scans every two to four weeks. “It’s so we’re not just guessing. We’re feeling good, but what does that mean, data-wise? We’re looking to track muscle growth,” he says. Kimani’s client, Jessica Bunge, 37, went on Ozempic in June for diabetes. She had never been a serious exerciser – the gym was “an intimidating place”, she says. But she lost more than 13kg on the drug, which has been a game-changer. “I no longer feel, ‘Oh, my gosh, is everyone looking at my body?’ I feel more confident here now,” she says. “I train twice a week and it’s helped everything, massively. I definitely feel stronger, even just running up the stairs.” Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. 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Ozempic workouts build muscle that weight-loss drugs shrink. But are they anything new?

Workouts at gyms to combat muscle loss caused by GLP-1 drugs are gaining traction, but do they differ from regular strength training?