Strength training on a GLP-1: a plan for beginners

Short answer: start with two short whole-body sessions a week at a weight that feels easy, build to three sessions of three sets over about three months, and add weight only after a session where you finished every rep. Health guidelines call for muscle-strengthening work on at least two days a week for every adult.

The movements

Each session covers the big movement patterns. Pick the version that fits your equipment:

• Squat: sit-to-stand from a chair, goblet squat with a dumbbell, or a leg press.
• Hinge: glute bridge, dumbbell Romanian deadlift, or hip thrust.
• Push: wall or incline push-up, dumbbell bench press, or overhead press.
• Pull: band row, one-arm dumbbell row, or lat pulldown.
• Carry or core: farmer carry, dead bug, or side plank.

Week by week

1. Weeks 1 to 2, groundwork. Two sessions. One set of each movement in week one, two in week two, about 12 reps at a weight that feels easy. The goal is to learn the movements and show up, not to be sore.
2. Weeks 3 to 6, build. Two or three sessions, two sets of about 10 reps, and a fifth movement. Volume climbing is what protects muscle during a calorie deficit.
3. Weeks 7 to 12, load. Three sessions, three sets of about 8 reps. This puts most muscle groups at roughly ten hard sets a week.
4. Week 13 on, sustain. Keep full volume and take a lighter week every eighth week so progress keeps sticking.

When to add weight

Add the smallest step you can (about 5 lb, or the next dumbbell) after a session where you completed every set and rep with good form. If you fell short, keep the same weight next time. Last reps should feel hard but doable.

If you are over 65

Take each phase about half again as long, train in the 10 to 12 rep range, and lift with intent: lower under control, then stand or press up briskly. Most of the benefit comes over 12 to 24 weeks, not six.

No gym needed

Bodyweight, bands and a pair of adjustable dumbbells cover everything above. A bench and a pull-up bar widen the options, and a gym is a bonus, not a requirement.

On the day or two after your weekly dose, see how to adjust a session.