The best routine on GLP-1 medication is strength training at least twice a week, plus cardio you enjoy, kept simple enough that you keep doing it.
That is the short answer. Exercise is not an optional extra while you lose weight; it is how you protect your muscle and your long term results. The rest of this article is about getting started: how to begin when you are new to it, how to build the habit, and how to fit it around a normal life. For the full step by step workout, with sets and reps, see our GLP-1 workout guide.
Can you take a GLP-1 and work out together?
Yes, you can take GLP-1 medication and work out together.
In fact, I would go further and say you should. Reduced appetite and quieter food noise give you breathing space, and training is one of the best uses of it. In my book I call this the Window of Opportunity. The medication helps take the weight off, and what you do during that time helps decide what happens next. Training is part of how you protect the weight loss you have achieved, not an optional extra.
The evidence backs it up. Adding resistance exercise during weight loss reduces the amount of muscle people lose (Weinheimer, Sands and Campbell, Nutrition Reviews, 2010; Cava, Yeat and Mittendorfer, Advances in Nutrition, 2017). Exercise is the Training in our MNT approach, and you can see how we structure it in our glp 1 exercise program. It works best alongside the other two pillars: a clear Mission, or goal, and the Nutrition to support it.
Start where you are. If you have health problems or limited mobility, get advice from your prescriber or coach on what is suitable for you before you begin. Results vary from person to person.
How do you start exercising on GLP-1?
You start exercising on GLP-1 medication by doing one small thing you can repeat.
If the thought of exercise makes you want to join a gym you will dread, you do not need to. You can build strength at home. A press up is resistance training. So is a squat, a lunge, or getting up from a chair. If one press up is where you are, start with one press up. When I started, I could not do a single proper pull up. I just kept turning up, kept a note of what I did, and the numbers slowly moved. Turning up and keeping score is the key.
Do not make your programme so ambitious that you want to escape from it. Choose something you will actually do, because the best exercise is not the one someone on Instagram calls optimal. It is the one you are still doing a year from now. Anne, an illustrative example from my book, had trained for years then stopped. When she came back her instinct was to jump straight to her old weights, but she started lighter and built up, and her strength returned. Start where you are now, not where you used to be.
What exercises should you do on GLP-1?
The best exercises on GLP-1 medication are the ones that make your muscles work, plus movement you enjoy.
Resistance training simply means making your muscles work against something, whether that is a resistance band, a weight or your own body weight. Squats, press ups, lunges and chair based movements all count. Alongside that, keep the cardio you enjoy, such as walking, cycling or swimming. For the full step by step routine, with sets and reps, see our GLP-1 workout guide. The short version is simple: pick a few basic movements, do them regularly, and add a little more over time.
How much exercise should you do on GLP-1?
Aim for strength work at least twice a week on GLP-1 medication, plus regular movement you enjoy.
That is in line with UK physical activity guidance (UK Chief Medical Officers, 2019). Two sessions that actually happen beat six you plan and skip. Add cardio across the week, and build gradually, adding a little once something feels easier. Rest days matter too, because muscle repairs while you recover, not while you train (Schoenfeld, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010).
Should you do cardio or weights on GLP-1?
On GLP-1 medication you want both cardio and weights, because they do different jobs.
Cardio, whether that is walking, cycling, swimming or running, is excellent for your heart, your fitness, your energy and your mood. But if you want to protect your muscle while you lose weight, resistance training is the crucial part. Cardio complements it, it does not replace it. So keep the cardio you enjoy, and add something that specifically challenges your muscles. If you only have time for one thing while you are losing weight, make sure some resistance work is in there.
How soon after your injection can you exercise?
There is no set waiting time to exercise after your injection.
You can carry on with your normal activity. The thing to watch is how you feel, not the clock. These medications can cause side effects such as sickness or tiredness in some people, so build up gradually and do not force a hard session on a day you feel unwell. If side effects keep getting in the way, talk to your prescriber, and never stop or change your dose on your own.
Can I build muscle while on GLP-1?
Yes, you can build muscle on GLP-1 medication, with resistance training and enough protein.
The two work together: training gives your body a reason to keep muscle, and protein gives it the raw materials (Mozaffarian et al., Obesity, 2025). We cover exactly how to train for it, including sets, reps and a home and gym routine, in our GLP-1 workout guide. Ask your coach or a health professional to personalise your protein target, because needs differ from person to person.
Can I exercise while taking Mounjaro?
Yes, you can exercise while taking Mounjaro.
Mounjaro is a GLP-1 medication, so the same guidance applies as for the rest of this article. Aim for strength work at least twice a week, and add cardio you actually enjoy, whether that is walking, swimming or cycling.
Two practical notes. First, these medications can cause side effects such as sickness or tiredness in some people, so build up gradually and do not force a hard session on a day you feel unwell. If side effects keep getting in the way, talk to your prescriber. Never stop or change your dose on your own.
Second, do not overcomplicate it. Naomi, an illustrative example from my book, wanted better fitness but hated running, so she added three brisk twenty minute walks a week and kept her strength sessions untouched. The best routine is the one you will still be doing a year from now.
Can you lose weight on GLP-1 without exercise?
Yes, you can lose weight on GLP-1 medication without exercise, but keeping it off is much harder.
The scales tell you how much you have lost, not what you have lost. Research suggests around a quarter of the total weight people lose on this type of medication can be lean muscle rather than fat (Karakasis et al., Metabolism, 2025). That matters, because muscle burns energy even at rest, so losing it makes weight easier to regain. Some research also suggests that after losing muscle, the body drives you to eat more until it is rebuilt, an effect called collateral fattening (Dulloo, Obesity, 2017). I call the pull back towards your old weight the Rebound Effect.
A 2026 University of Oxford review found that weight returns considerably faster after stopping weight loss medication than after diet and exercise programmes (West et al., BMJ, 2026). So yes, you can lose weight without exercise. Keeping it off without exercise is much harder. Results vary, so build your plan with your prescriber and coach.
Losing the weight is only half the fight. Training is how you keep what you have won.
Simon Hill is Chief Executive of GLP-1 company Mission MNT, founder of the Hartfield Healthcare Group and author of The Rebound Effect, published by Rethink Press in January 2027, on why weight loss on GLP-1 medication so often doesn't last and what actually keeps it off.
Medically reviewed by Callum Jones (HCPC DT035272). Registered Dietitian with a Foundation Degree in Sport Development, BSc in Nutrition and PG Diploma in Dietetics, complemented by qualifications in Personal Training and Exercise Referral. Brings experience working within professional rugby, combining clinical dietetic expertise with practical exercise and training experience. Provides an integrated approach to nutrition, weight management, physical activity and long-term health, supporting individuals to make sustainable lifestyle changes.
Published: 25.09.2026 Next review: 25.09.2027
Sources
Full references held:
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Karakasis, P., Patoulias, D., Fragakis, N. and Mantzoros, C.S. (2025) 'Effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and co-agonists on body composition: systematic review and network meta-analysis', Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 164, 156113. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2024.156113.
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Dulloo, A.G. (2017) 'Collateral fattening: when a deficit in lean body mass drives overeating', Obesity, 25(2), pp. 277-279.
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West, S., Scragg, J., Aveyard, P., Oke, J.L., Willis, L., Haffner, S.J.P., Knight, H., Wang, D., Morrow, S., Heath, L., Jebb, S.A. and Koutoukidis, D.A. (2026) 'Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysis', BMJ, 392, e085304. doi:10.1136/bmj-2025-085304.
Drawn from the book's references (full bibliographic details to confirm from the manuscript reference list before publishing):
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Weinheimer, E.M., Sands, L.P. and Campbell, W.W. (2010) Nutrition Reviews.
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Cava, E., Yeat, N.C. and Mittendorfer, B. (2017) Advances in Nutrition.
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Schoenfeld, B.J. (2010) Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
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Mozaffarian, D. et al. (2025) Obesity.
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UK Chief Medical Officers (2019) Physical activity guidelines.
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