Resistance or Cardio: What to Prioritize
When it comes to weight loss with GLP-1 medications, resistance training carries specific weight. A review published in 2024 in the journal Diabetes Care examined how incretin-based medications affect body composition. The data is clear: up to 40% of weight loss during treatment can be lean mass, not fat, when physical activity is not part of the routine.
That number deserves attention. Losing muscle mass is not just an aesthetic concern. Muscle is metabolically active, which means it burns calories even at rest. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism runs, and that creates a cycle that makes maintaining lost weight harder.
For people on GLP-1 treatment, the priority should be strength training at least twice a week. This does not mean lifting the heaviest weights in the gym. It means challenging your muscles progressively, whether with dumbbells, resistance bands, or even your own body weight. Free weights or elastic bands help preserve and even build lean mass during weight loss.
Cardio still has its place, but order matters. Jensen SBK et al. published a 2024 study in EClinicalMedicine showing that participants who maintained aerobic exercise and resistance training during GLP-1 receptor agonist use had better body composition after one year without active treatment. This means starting with resistance and then adding cardio produces better results than doing cardio alone.
