Training that protects
the body you’re building.
On a deficit — medicated or not — your body will burn both fat and muscle unless you give it a reason not to. Strength training + adequate protein is that reason. Two to three sessions a week is enough.
The muscle-loss tax
Up to a quarter of weight lost on a GLP-1 without training is lean mass. That’s the difference between “thinner” and “stronger.” Lifting defends it.
Sessions per week
You don’t need five-day splits. Two full-body sessions, progressively loaded, out-performs six half-hearted ones every time.
The over-40 reality
Lean mass decline accelerates after 40, faster still in perimenopause. Lifting isn’t vanity work at this age — it’s preventative medicine.
Home · Bodyweight
For anyone with no equipment, no gym membership, no time. Resistance bands (£15) optional but recommended after week 4. Three 30-minute sessions.
Full body · A
Rest + walk
30–40 min walk, conversational pace. No zone-2 math needed. Protein at breakfast.
Full body · B
Rest
Gentle day. Stretch if stiff. Otherwise, nothing.
Full body · C
Move for fun
Walk, swim, garden, carry shopping the long way. The point is unstructured movement — not another workout.
Progression: weeks 1–12
Add load before reps, reps before sessions. The plan doesn’t change — the effort does.
Show up. That’s it.
Three sessions, any quality. Get comfortable with the movements. Soreness is expected; injury is not — stop sets two reps before failure, always.
Extend the top of each set.
Pick one exercise per session and add 2 reps to the top set. When the top set hits 15 reps, it’s time for more resistance — a loaded backpack, a band, a slower tempo.
Backpack in, bands out.
Weighted backpack becomes your default. Aim for +5kg per month. Bodyweight push-ups become incline then flat then decline. Track one metric per exercise in a notes app.
One easy week, then decide.
Week 9: half the reps, same movements. Then assess — join a gym, buy a £80 adjustable dumbbell set, or run the same plan with harder progressions. All are valid.
The training stays. That’s the point.
The muscle you defend now is the muscle carrying you through the post-medication phase. That’s where lifts stop being optional.