Working out the day after your GLP-1 shot

Short answer: keep the session, make it smaller. The day or two after your weekly dose, lift the same weights you normally would but do one set fewer of each movement. You keep the habit and most of the training effect, and you are not grinding through a full session on a bad day.

Why shot days feel different

Nausea and fatigue are among the common side effects listed for the weekly GLP-1 medications, and many people notice them most in the day or two after a dose, especially after a dose increase. Appetite is often at its lowest then too, which makes the protein target harder to hit.

Why not just skip?

Muscle responds to weekly volume, and a skipped session is a third or half of a week's training gone. A shorter session at the same weight keeps the signal that tells your body to hold on to muscle. Keeping the weight the same, rather than dropping it, also means next week's progress picks up where it left off.

Practical rules

• Same weights, one set fewer, on the day or two after the dose.
• If you feel fine, do the full session.
• If you feel genuinely unwell, dizzy or dehydrated, rest, drink, and talk to your doctor about persistent side effects.
• Eat some protein before training, even a shake, on the days food is unappealing.
• Plan your heaviest sessions for the days you usually feel best.

Ballast does this for you: tell it your shot day and the next sessions shrink automatically, with one tap to run the full workout instead.