GLP-1 coaching
The medication handles hunger. Something has to handle the rest.
HPHGenetics coaches the training, protein and habits alongside a GLP-1, so that more of what you lose is fat instead of muscle, and so you have something to stand on when the medication changes.
We do not prescribe, adjust or advise on your medication. That is your doctor's job, and we will not step into it.
Where we stop and your doctor starts
Let us settle this before anything else, because it is the question that should decide whether you trust us.
- We do not give medical advice about your medication. Not the dose, not the timing, not whether to stay on it, not whether to come off
- We do not tell you to stop taking it so you can "do it naturally." That is not our call and it is not a good one
- We do coach your training, your protein, your hydration, your sleep and the habits that decide what happens next year
If a coach anywhere offers you an opinion on your prescription, that is a reason to leave, not a reason to listen.
The muscle loss question, answered honestly
You have probably seen the claim that 40 percent of what you lose on Ozempic is muscle. It is not quite right, and the correction matters.
Two things get conflated. Lean tissue on a body scan includes water, glycogen and the lean component of fat tissue itself, not just contractile muscle. Researchers who study this caution specifically against assuming a change in fat-free mass equals a change in muscle.
What the trials actually show:
- Some lean tissue loss is normal in any weight loss. Low-calorie diets: a median around 14 percent of weight lost. Very low calorie diets: about 23 percent. Bariatric surgery: 18 to 31 percent
- GLP-1s land in an overlapping range, roughly a sixth to a little under half depending on the drug and the study
- In the STEP 1 body composition analysis, lean mass as a proportion of total body mass went up, because fat came off faster than lean tissue did
- No trial measured whether people actually got weaker. A 2026 meta-analysis says so explicitly. Anyone claiming these drugs make you weak is filling in a blank the research left empty
So the risk is real but routinely overstated. And the tools for managing it are not exotic.
Sources: Tinsley GM, Heymsfield SB. J Endocr Soc, 2024; Laverde LP, et al. Int J Obes, 2026.
What actually protects your muscle
An international expert panel published consensus recommendations for supporting people on GLP-1 therapies. The line worth reading twice: resistance training at moderate to high intensity is what preserves lean body mass during weight loss, and protein intake alone is not enough.
Their recommendations, with the level of agreement they reached:
- Protein: 1.2 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day during active weight loss (87 percent panel agreement), and at least 1.0 to 1.2 for older adults
- At least 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity plus resistance training (93 percent agreement)
- More than 2 liters of fluid a day (87 percent agreement). These medications can blunt thirst, so this has to be deliberate
- If 150 supervised minutes is not realistic, the panel's stepped alternative is 4,000 to 6,000 steps a day
That is expert consensus rather than trial evidence, and we would rather label it accurately than dress it up.
Source: Sievenpiper JL, et al. Obesity Pillars, 2025. See also Cleveland Clinic on exercising while taking GLP-1s.
The part that decides everything: after
There is a randomized trial that answers the question you actually care about. Researchers put people on exercise, a GLP-1, or both, then followed them for a full year after all treatment stopped.
- Medication alone: regained 9.6 kg in the year after stopping, ending 8.7 kg up from where they finished
- Exercise alone: regained 3.6 kg
- Both combined: net regain of 3.5 kg, and the best body composition of the three groups
Read that again. The group that trained kept most of what they built. The group that only took the drug did not.
This is why we do not treat coaching alongside a GLP-1 as optional support. The medication buys you a window where eating less is finally not a daily fight. What you build inside that window is what you keep.
What the coaching looks like week to week
- A protein target you can actually hit on a suppressed appetite, revisited when the dose changes and the appetite changes with it
- Resistance training with real effort, scaled to how you feel that week rather than to a fixed template
- Permission to train lighter on the bad days without calling the week a failure
- Hydration and fiber built in, because both get harder when you are eating far less
- A plan for the transition long before you reach it, so coming off is a step down rather than a cliff
- Form checks by video so your technique holds as the weight changes. Included on every plan
- A group chat with every other client and a monthly group call, included on every plan, so the months after the medication are not something you navigate on your own
Tell us where you are in the process
Just started, months in, or thinking about the year after. Answer ten short questions and a coach reads every one before you speak to anyone.
Questions we get about GLP-1s
Can I work with a coach while I am on a GLP-1?
Yes, and it is one of the better times to have one. We coach your training, your protein and your habits. Your prescriber handles the medication. Those two jobs do not overlap and we do not want them to.
Do you give advice about my dose or whether to stay on it?
No. Never. Starting, changing, pausing or stopping a GLP-1 is a decision between you and the doctor who prescribed it. If you ask us, we will tell you to ask them. That is not us dodging; it is the line between coaching and medicine and we keep it.
How much of the weight I lose on a GLP-1 is muscle?
Less than the internet tells you, and the honest answer needs one distinction. Some of what you lose in any substantial weight loss is lean tissue. Across trials, roughly a sixth to a little under half of the weight lost on these medications has been lean tissue, depending on the drug and the study. But lean tissue on a scan is not all muscle; a meaningful share is water, glycogen and the lean part of fat tissue itself. And the trials did not actually measure whether people got weaker, so anyone telling you it makes you weak is going beyond the evidence.
Is that worse than losing weight by dieting?
No, and this is the comparison most content leaves out. Low-calorie diets lose a median of about 14 percent of weight as fat-free mass. Very low calorie diets land near 23 percent. Bariatric surgery runs 18 to 31 percent. GLP-1s sit in an overlapping range. Losing some lean tissue alongside fat is normal in any substantial weight loss, not a special flaw of these medications.
How do I hit my protein when I am not hungry?
This is the real daily problem and it is mostly logistics. Protein first at every meal, smaller and more frequent if volume is the issue, liquid protein when solid food is unappealing, and planning it the night before rather than deciding when you already feel full. Your coach builds this around what you can actually stomach that week.
What happens when I come off it?
In the trials, most of the weight came back. In the semaglutide extension study, participants regained about two thirds of what they had lost within a year, and their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar markers drifted back toward where they started. That is not an argument against the medication. It is the argument for building the training and eating habits while you are on it, so something is holding you up when it changes.
I feel nauseous and low energy. Should I still train?
Train lighter, not never. Some weeks the honest answer is a walk and your protein. Cleveland Clinic advises stopping exercise if you get dizzy, nauseous or short of breath, and that is sensible. Hydration matters more than usual because these medications can blunt thirst. Tell your coach how the week actually went and the plan moves.
Do I have to lift heavy?
You have to lift with enough effort to give the muscle a reason to stay. The international expert consensus is explicit that resistance training at moderate to high intensity is what preserves lean mass during weight loss, and that protein alone does not do it. What that looks like for you depends on where you are starting, and your coach sets it.
This page is general education, not medical advice, and nothing on it is a recommendation to start, change, pause or stop any medication. Those decisions belong with the clinician who prescribed it. If you experience side effects, contact your prescriber.