It’s 10 a.m. on a Friday at SURFCORE Fitness, a boutique gym in Mid-City, and a 52-year-old woman is following an exercise circuit as her trainer watches on. The fashion consultant, who is squeezing in a session before work, lifts relatively light weights while doing simple movements to build strength: goblet squats with a 6-pound kettlebell, then bicep curls with a 10-pound weight.
You’d never guess it, but this is the latest exercise craze in action: Call it the Ozempic workout.
GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Mounjaro have helped millions of people combat Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as shed weight. The class of drugs — GLP-1 receptor agonists — has been around for two decades as a diabetes medication. Their popularity as a tool for weight loss skyrocketed after the FDA approved Wegovy for weight management in 2021.
But these drugs have also created new challenges. The weight loss they spur often comes with a reduction in lean body mass that includes muscle, making people physically weaker. Because GLP-1 drugs send signals to the brain telling people to feel full on fewer calories, those taking them are often operating in a caloric deficit. That reduced appetite, if not overseen properly by a doctor, could cause nutritional deficiencies and leave people with less energy for workouts, says Dr. Martha Gulati, director of preventive cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. It’s then harder to exercise at the intensity needed to gain back the muscle they’ve been losing.
“Depending on the drug, people can lose between 25%-50% of their lean body mass,” Gulati says.
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Which is where the GLP-1 workout comes in. The routine’s aim is to help patients build and preserve muscle mass by prioritizing strength training over cardio. It often incorporates education around nutrition and postworkout recovery techniques, helping participants develop new, healthy lifestyle habits to prevent weight gain once they go off the GLP-1 drugs. Over the last year, the hashtags #ozempicworkout and #glp1training have populated TikTok and Instagram, and the GLP-1 workout has been promoted at gyms, on blogs and on the YouTube accounts of personal trainers .
Trainer Mike Kimani guides his client, Jessica Bunge, in a GLP-1 workout at LM Fitness Center in Atwater.
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
“If fitness professionals don’t tailor their approach to individuals on these medications, then there are risks for [them] losing functional strength, bone density, metabolic health.”
— Josh Leve, CEO of the Fitness Business Association
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Luxury fitness chain Equinox introduced a “GLP-1 protocol” in January 2024 and has since rolled it out at 80 clubs internationally. Planet Fitness posts GLP-1 workout guidelines on its blog. Independent gyms in Los Angeles, such as SURFCORE Fitness, are promoting GLP-1 workouts on Instagram, “to stay ahead of the curve,” says owner Carlos Sosa. Personal trainers are getting in on the trend as well. Exercise influencer and trainer Chris Ryan debuted a GLP-1 workout series on his fitness app this month that includes live and on-demand routines.
“If fitness professionals don’t tailor their approach to individuals on these medications, then there are risks for [them] losing functional strength, bone density, metabolic health,” says Josh Leve, CEO of the Minneapolis-based Fitness Business Assn. “So we’re seeing a pretty rapid response from the industry to offset these dangers.”
The beginner’s strength-training regime isn’t new. Rather, it’s been repackaged for a new fitness audience.
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“It’s just marketing,” says Shawn M. Arent, professor and chair of the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina. “We might have to take into account a lack of energy [on the part of GLP-1 exercisers]. But in terms of our general guidelines for resistance training, there really is nothing special about a GLP-1 workout. At the end of the day, it’s just resistance training. But that’s not sexy.”
Jessica Bunge uses the squat rack during a GLP-1 workout at LM Fitness Center.
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
Regardless, the routine appears to be here to stay. About 6% of adults in the U.S. say they are taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, according to a 2024 poll conducted by the San Francisco-based health policy nonprofit KFF. That’s more than 15 million people. With these branded workouts, fitness facilities and trainers are courting a new class of consumers.
The trend has had a ripple effect on organizations that administer certification programs for fitness trainers. The National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise are now offering GLP-1 education. The National Exercise & Sports Trainers Assn. debuted a “GLP-1 Exercise Specialist Certificate” in January that it touts as a “passport to success” for trainers.
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Regardless of whether these GLP-1 workouts are innovative, promoting these exercises helps to build community among those who are using the drugs, says Eric Durak, a Santa Barbara-based exercise physiologist who authored NESTA’s GLP-1 certificate program.
“It’s about changing the mind-set and lifestyle of overweight people, many of whom have never exercised before,” Durak says. “Some may be people who didn’t feel accepted by society because they weighed more than 300 pounds. We want to get them in the door, then create a space for them that they feel is more a community than a training center. The trainer’s job goes above sets and reps with this population. It’s also about developing relationships.”
“It’s about changing the mind-set and lifestyle of overweight people, many of whom have never exercised before.”
— Eric Durak, exercise physiologist
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Gyms and trainers are approaching the GLP-1 workout with different priorities in mind. Some focus on educating clients about nutrition, advising they eat more protein and monitor macronutrients. Others emphasize postworkout recovery strategies, like guided stretching, sleep optimization and tracking tools to monitor muscle-mass retention.
Mike Kimani stretches out client Jessica Bunge after her GLP-1 workout at LM Fitness Center.
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
Equinox’s GLP-1 protocol is considered a framework for people taking the drugs, one that addresses workout intensity, frequency and volume (how many reps) as well as robust habit coaching, says the club’s senior personal training manager, Stan Ward.
“When they’re getting these workouts in, we’re also talking about their lifestyle,” Ward says. “Whole food sources, portion sizes. We help them navigate food and understand when they feel full. And how to do that in a long-term, sustainable fashion.”
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At SURFCORE Fitness, Sosa is in touch directly with clients’ doctors, he says.
“Doctors are sending people here: ‘I’m not gonna give you the [GLP-1] drug unless you workout,’ they tell them. So I talk with their doctor about what their needs are, the specific drugs they’re on and the dosage, any side effects, plus any other health concerns,” Sosa says. “I reassure them my workouts will address their needs.”
One of Sosa’s clients, the 52-year-old fashion consultant, went on Mounjaro last March and has since lost 40 pounds — but she saw muscle on her triceps and legs dwindle. The GLP-1 workout has helped her body composition, Sosa says, and his being in touch with her doctor has given her confidence.
“She feels comfortable to be working out with me, specifically, because I know what her needs are, medically,” he says.
Jessica Bunge does dumbbell squats during her GLP-1 workout.
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
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The GLP-1 training regime at LA Athletic Club, downtown, is particularly focused on the side effects of the medications — and then tailoring workouts to mitigate them. It partnered with the San Diego County-based CHEK Institute, to hold workshops for trainers. They’re now careful not to overexert clients or to quickly switch up exercises from sitting to standing positions because high doses of GLP-1 drugs can cause dizziness. Longer and more intense workouts may cause increased gastrointestinal issues, like nausea and stomach discomfort, so trainers focus on consistent, moderately intense workouts.
“The last thing we want to do is push them too hard,” says LAAC Director Ed Gemdjian. “We want to work them to their comfort level, and then continue that consistency.”
“I no longer feel, ‘Oh, my gosh, is everyone looking at my body?’ I feel more confident [at the gym] now.”
— Jessica Bunge, who lost 30 pounds on Ozempic
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Mike Kimani, an independent trainer who works out of LM Fitness Center in Atwater, says his GLP-1 workouts are particularly data-driven.
“The whole workout is choreographed and timed to a T, customized to where they’re losing muscle,” Kimani says. He requires clients on GLP-1 drugs to get body scans every two to four weeks.
“It’s so we’re not just guessing. We’re feeling good, but what does that mean, data-wise? We’re looking to track muscle growth,” he says.
Kimani’s client, Jessica Bunge, 37, went on Ozempic in June for diabetes. She’d never been a serious exerciser — the gym was “an intimidating place,” she says. But she lost more than 30 pounds on the drug, which has been a game-changer.
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“I no longer feel, ‘Oh, my gosh, is everyone looking at my body?’ I feel more confident here now,” she says. “I train twice a week — and it’s helped everything, massively. I definitely feel stronger, even just running up the stairs.”
Perspectives on the GLP-1 workout may vary, but the trainers interviewed for this story stressed that one thing is key: strength training to counter muscle loss from the drugs.
“Ultimately, we’re looking for people to create new healthy habits and improve their lives,” says FBA’s Leve. “It’s gotta start somewhere.”
If you’ve ever wanted to lose weight, you’ve probably heard the phrase ‘calories in versus calories out’. While it’s true to a degree, losing weight in menopause isn’t about eating less, but rather eating differently.
Speaking to fitness coach Loretta Hogg, Dr Stacy Sims says: “One of the first things that women often do, because we grew up in an era of calories in, calories out, less calories means fat loss. That is not true because if you are not eating enough, your body holds on to fat.”
This is called the ‘starvation response’, and it’s the body’s way of protecting itself when food is restricted. Metabolism slows down, hunger hormones increase, and fat stores are preserved for survival.
“Staying adequately fuelled” and strength training regularly is what’s actually needed to lose weight while managing our hormone levels in menopause. “When we’re looking at how we’re going to budge some of the meno-pot, we really want to focus on getting strong and building that muscle because if we are working on muscle and our whole focus is muscle and bone, then we end up eating accordingly.”
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Fibre and protein are the food groups to focus on, she says. They are filling, aid muscle growth (and so help maintain a healthy metabolism), help reduce food cravings, and provide us with the key nutrients our body needs when oestrogen levels fall.
We know there’s a huge market for protein powders, bars and other supplements, but actually, most of us can get what we need from eating high-protein foods.
The amount of protein you need in menopause depends on your weight. “The recommended protein intake for women over 45 is approximately 1 to 1.5g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which is higher than the general recommendation for younger adults,” Dr Nadira Awal, a Doctify-rated GP who specialises in women’s health and menopause, previously told woman&home. You can work out your personal recommendation using menopause specialist Dr Mary Claire Haver’s perimenopause protein calculator.
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Dr Sims says many women are “afraid of abundance” when it comes to eating, but emphasises that “without abundance we can’t lose fat”. “Let’s change the focus on not what we want to lose, but what we want to gain. We want to gain bone, we want to gain muscle. We want to fuel for that, so then the body fat comes off,” she tells Loretta.
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Dr Sims says the best way for us to gain this muscle and bone growth is through strength training. “We need to focus on heavy lifting,” she explains in another video on her Instagram account. “The caveat here is that most perimenopausal women haven’t had a long history in strength training, and it’s a learned skill.” She says consistency is key, and starting off small, even just focusing on movement without weights, before you start adding some load. “But the goal is to get into heavy resistance training, where we have low reps with a heavy weight,” she says.
Dr Sims says it’s “absolutely safe” for women to lift heavy during perimenopause and menopause – and it’s something we should all be doing. She is keen to emphasise that it’s never too late to start, and that “what matters is your form and your function”.
If you’re new to lifting weights, try a simple dumbbell workout at home and work your way up from there. If you have the means, consult a personal trainer for guidance on developing a workout plan.
Sleep is another lifestyle aspect that Dr Sims says says may affect how you lose weight. She says poor sleep “creates metabolic disturbance and dysfunction and increases fat gain”. Improving our sleep quality can lead to body composition improvements in as little as two to three weeks. High levels of cortisol, caused by poor sleep and ongoing stress, also makes fat loss harder as our bodies hold onto energy rather than using it.
Some key ways to improve sleep include going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, limiting blue light exposure at bedtime, and cutting down on your alcohol and caffeine intake.
Editor’s note: This article is the seventh in an eight-part series led by retired General James Mingus, the thirty-ninth vice chief of staff of the Army, on transforming the Army to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s battlefield. You can read other articles in the series here.
The battlefield in America’s next war will offer no sanctuary. The war won’t be fought from forward operating bases equipped with elaborate gyms, contractor-provided dining facilities, or coffee shops. The battlefield will be austere, harsh, and unrelentingly violent, with victory only possible by combining physical strength, endurance, and a will to prepare.
The Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program is the bedrock upon which this preparation begins. Winning America’s next war requires an Army that can get to the fight, win the fight, and get home from the fight—a mission profile that demands not just fit soldiers built for endurance, but warrior athletes built for endurance and able to leverage strength, speed, and power, and grounded in sound sleep and nutrition.
Culture Shift Begins with Mindset Shift
For the last several decades, the Army took pride in fielding formations rooted in a physical fitness culture relying heavily on push-ups, sit-ups, and miles of running and ruck marching. Physical training began predictably after saluting the flag at 0630 and ended promptly when the basic exercises, calisthenics, and formation run were complete. It was one-dimensional, unimaginative, boring, and, ironically, lazy. Army fitness during this period was solely focused on physical endurance.
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In the early 2000s, however, Army fitness began to change, led by special operations units like the 75th Ranger Regiment, which began experimenting with trending fitness regimens like Gym Jones, CrossFit, and Mountain Athlete. By combining emerging principles from several of these programs, special operations units began designing their own programs, such as the Ranger Athlete Warrior program. The rest of the active Army quickly started to model these programs, and the first H2F pilot kicked off in 2018.
Advances in exercise science and twenty years of war helped reframe the Army’s fitness mindset to encompass mental, physical, nutritional, and sleep dimensions. This mindset shift forms the basis of the H2F culture, changing how we train and care for soldiers. The focus is now on building strength and resilience like professional athletes—or more fittingly, warrior athletes. Where mission endurance was the goal before, tactical athleticism is now the goal, with an emphasis on strength, speed, power, and agility.
You Can’t Fake Results
A key part of any fitness program is the ability to measure its effectiveness, and in only a few short years, the return on investment for the H2F program has been profound. Currently sixty-six brigades have an H2F performance team, which consists of twenty-two professionals: a program director, dietitian, physical therapist, and occupational therapist; seven strength and conditioning coaches; four athletic trainers; one cognitive performance specialist; and six military personnel. By 2029, the program will expand to cover the entire active Army, as well as four states of Army National Guard and two Army Reserve commands.
According to analysis from the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, if H2F had been implemented across the entire Army, over a five-year period it would have added 1,080 deployable soldiers to the fighting force. If that’s not compelling enough, also consider these complementary H2F data points compiled by the Center for Initial Military Training Research and Analysis team after analyzing data from 2019 to 2023:
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61 percent decrease in musculoskeletal injury referrals
44 percent decrease in behavioral health profiles
79 percent decrease in substance abuse cases
22 percent decrease in fitness test failures
33 percent increase in expert rifle marksmanship qualification
Expanding the Tools
As part of continuous transformation, the Army is looking for unique ways to leverage technology to enhance the H2F program. Several units are experimenting with wearables like rings and watches that measure sleep efficiency, heart rate variability, and blood oxygen saturation—providing rich data to inform approaches to physical, nutritional, and sleep aspects of fitness. Today, entire Army divisions are turning physiological data into leader decision-making information. A company commander who knows his or her soldiers’ sleep scores, for example, is equipped with data to combine with other information to help select the most well-rested platoon to lead a dangerous mission. Individual soldiers will also learn the correlations that exist between their fueling, recovery, and performance habits, which will help in multiple facets of their personal lives.
The Army is also continually working to improve facilities and services that support H2F. Most units now have access to twenty-four-hour functional fitness gyms on post and many units utilize fitness containers—effectively, gyms in a box. Plans are also in place to build additional facilities to ensure soldiers at every post have adequate equipment to train. To improve nutrition, the Army is experimenting with campus-style dining facilities that will supplement, and in some cases replace, traditional dining facilities—affording soldiers a myriad of quick, 24/7 accessible healthy food options. A no excuse not to work out and no excuse not to eat healthy mentality now abounds across the Army.
Soldiering has no offseason and no time-outs, and wars wait on no one. When America calls, the Army responds. Unlike professional athletes who can vary training volume, intensity, and specific exercises over planned cycles or offseasons, a practice known as performance periodization, soldiers have no such luxury. Tactical athleticism via compound periodization is the goal for soldiers—ensuring peak performance at all times by developing key physical attributes (e.g., strength, endurance, and power) year-round to maximize efficiency, prevent burnout, and improve overall warfighting readiness. The H2F tools highlighted above aid in measuring and maximizing this readiness.
What’s Next?
Imagine two Army squads ascending Colorado’s Pikes Peak carrying fifty-pound fighting loads. Squad A trained to get to the top through push-ups, sit-ups, and miles of running. The soldiers of Squad B are warrior athletes who took the H2F approach. When Squad A’s soldiers finally struggle to the top, they’re just happy to be mission complete and they flop on the ground. The soldiers of Squad B assault the mountain, and when they get to the top, they still have enough juice to rip the arms off their adversaries and steamroll into the next mission. In their post-hike squad photo, they’re all standing tall—straight backs, satisfied smiles, and trap muscles extending inches above their shoulders so they almost appear to have no necks. For them the mission is just getting started, and their smirks seem to say, “Is that it? What’s next?”
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Welcome to the No Neck Army.
Retired General James Mingus served as the thirty-ninth vice chief of staff of the Army.
Colonel Graham White is an infantry officer and the executive officer to the vice chief of staff of the Army.
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.
Strongway Gym Supplies has released squat rack cage packages to the market for exercise enthusiasts across the United Kingdom. The packages combine squat cage frames with safety features suited to home-based strength training, now available through the company’s online platform.
The power cage design centres on four vertical posts connected by horizontal crossbeams. Adjustable safety bars mount between the posts at various heights, catching the barbell if a lift cannot be completed. This safety mechanism becomes relevant during heavy squats or bench presses performed without a training partner present to assist with failed attempts.
J-hooks secure the barbell at the proper beginning positions for various exercises by fastening to the posts at predetermined heights. Quick adjustments between squats, presses, and other barbell movements are made possible by the hooks’ ability to slide up or down the posts and lock into position using pin mechanisms. Depending on the exercise being done, pull-up bars that extend across the top of the frame provide grip positions that vary from wide to narrow.
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Mandip Walia, Co-Director at Strongway Gym Supplies, said the cage addresses concerns people have about training alone at home. “Without someone there to spot, there’s always the question of what happens if the weight gets too heavy midway through a set,” he noted. “The safety bars remove that worry. Position them correctly and they’ll catch the bar before it pins someone. That makes a genuine difference in how hard someone can train when working solo, especially on exercises like squats where bail-out options are limited.”
Steel tubing forms the frame structure, with powder-coated finishes applied to resist corrosion in garage environments where humidity fluctuates. Bolt-together construction allows the cage to be disassembled if relocation becomes necessary, though the assembled weight often exceeds 100 kilograms once all components are secured together.
Weight storage pegs project from the rear posts on most models, keeping plates within reach whilst adding mass that stabilises the frame during use. The pegs typically accommodate enough plates to load a barbell for intermediate to advanced training sessions without running out of storage capacity.
The complete range of home fitness equipment, include squat racks, is available to be explored at: https://strongway.co.uk/collections/home-fitness.
The cages fit into garages, spare rooms, and basement areas commonly found in UK residential properties. Height clearance sits around 210 centimetres for most models, working under standard ceiling heights but potentially tight in older homes or loft conversions where ceilings run lower. Floor space requirements roughly match that of a small garden shed once the cage stands fully assembled.
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The width of the frame includes the length of the Olympic barbell and the space needed to safely enter and exit during exercises. If the dimensions are too narrow, the posts get in the way of natural movement patterns. If they are too wide, they take up too much floor space. Most manufacturers try to find a balance between these factors, but the exact measurements vary from model to model.
Band pegs feature on some cages, providing anchor points at floor level for resistance bands. This allows accommodating resistance during squats and presses, where band tension increases as the bar rises through the movement. The technique has found followers among strength training practitioners, though it remains less widespread than traditional plate loading.
Full details about the squat rack power cage can be viewed at: https://strongway.co.uk/products/strongway-multi-gym-squat-rack-power-cage.
Randeep Walia, Co-Director at Strongway Gym Supplies, remarked that cage packages align with how people actually approach home training. “Training at home has proven effective for improving muscle strength, endurance, and power when maintained consistently,” he explained. “Frequency matters more than location. Training more than three times weekly produces better outcomes, and having a cage at home eliminates the travel time and scheduling constraints that often interrupt consistency. The cage becomes the foundation. Everything else—bench, bar, plates—gets arranged around it.”
Dispatch runs across mainland UK addresses with timelines confirmed during checkout. The cages arrive in multiple boxes given the size and weight of individual components. Instructions guide assembly, though managing the heavier frame sections works considerably better with two people rather than attempting solo construction.
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Packages can be purchased as cage-only units or complete setups that include benches, barbells, and weight plates. Pricing reflects the total equipment included, with buyers selecting options based on what they already own versus what needs acquiring.
The release tracks with patterns observed in the UK home fitness market where demand for core strength training equipment holds steady. Power cages appeal to users seeking barbell training capabilities with built-in safety features, particularly relevant for individuals training without supervision or access to spotters during heavier lifting sessions.
Those interested in exploring the range of exercise equipment available at Strongway Gym Supplies can visit: https://strongway.co.uk/.
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For more information about Strongway Gym Supplies, contact the company here:
Strongway Gym Supplies Mandip Walia +44-800-001-6093 sales@strongway.co.uk Strongway Gym Supplies, 26 The Pavilion, Coventry CV3 1QP, United Kingdom
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