GLP-1 Use Shifts One Trainer’s Workout Focus

NASM-certified personal trainer and nutrition coach Kylie Hansen says using a GLP-1 has changed what she wants from exercise. After bariatric surgery in 2013 and significant weight loss, she now trains to develop muscle instead of simply increasing calorie expenditure or lowering the number on the scale. For Hansen, strength supports her goal of remaining capable and active as she ages.

Her current favorites are squats, walking lunges and punches performed with light dumbbells. Squats engage the quads and glutes, along with the hamstrings, core and stabilizing muscles. Hansen values their flexibility: options range from rising from a chair to bodyweight and weighted variations. She performs 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions. Walking lunges strengthen the lower body while testing each side separately, adding demands on balance, coordination and control. Her format is 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions per side, with 60-90 seconds of recovery. A supported or stationary version can reduce the balance challenge, while dumbbells increase resistance.

For dumbbell punches, Hansen uses lighter resistance for 2-3 rounds lasting 20-30 seconds, resting 45-60 seconds between rounds. Alternating the arms works the shoulders and arms as the core steadies the torso. She sees this approachable movement as a complement to gradually loaded exercises such as squats, lunges, presses and rows—not a substitute for them. Although her medication helps her eat less and can lead to movement on the scale, Hansen says it does not perform her strength work or establish lasting habits. Exercise, nutrition and mindset therefore remain separate parts of her approach.