Skip to content
Catalyst Performance

Goal · Strength on GLP-1

Don't lose muscle while you lose weight

GLP-1 medications (semaglutide, tirzepatide) cause meaningful lean mass loss without concurrent resistance training. Catalyst programmes counter that: 1:1 personal training in Singapore CBD, built off the Catalyst Healthspan Assessment, coordinated with your prescribing clinician.

For: Adults prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists (Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Saxenda) for weight loss or type-2 diabetes, who want to preserve lean mass and bone density through the weight-loss phase.

Not sure where you stand on the four pillars? Take the free Healthspan Audit before committing to a programme.

Quick answer

Do I need to train differently on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or Wegovy?

Yes. GLP-1 receptor agonists cause meaningful lean mass loss when taken without concurrent resistance training. The body composition data from the STEP 1 trial (Wilding et al., 2021, NEJM) showed roughly 39% of total weight lost was lean mass in participants not engaged in concurrent resistance training. Catalyst Performance runs 1:1 personal training in Singapore CBD specifically calibrated for GLP-1 users: heavy resistance training to defend muscle, elevated protein targets to counter appetite suppression, and Skeletal Muscle Index re-tested at the 16-week Checkpoint against your baseline. Coordinated with your prescribing clinician.

If this sounds like you

The pattern

  • The scale is moving but your clothes feel different in a way you can't explain, and you suspect it's lean mass, not just fat.
  • Your appetite is suppressed enough that hitting any protein target feels mechanical, and you don't know what counts as enough.
  • You're worried about the post-medication phase: what happens to body composition if you stop, and what state your body will be in.
  • Your prescribing doctor is monitoring weight and HbA1c, but no one is tracking what's actually happening to your muscle, bone, or strength.

The Catalyst protocol

The method

  1. 01The Catalyst Healthspan Assessment as a baseline. Body Composition (Skeletal Muscle Index from InBody segmental analysis), Strength (1RM-scaled testing on key compound movements), Stability, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness, measured before or early in your GLP-1 course so we can defend it against the medication's catabolic pressure.
  2. 02Resistance training, twice weekly minimum. Heavy compound movements (squat, deadlift, press, row variants) at intensities that preserve lean mass during caloric deficit. Per Murphy et al. (2014, FASEB J) and Longland et al. (2016, AJCN), resistance training plus elevated protein intake during energy deficit preserves muscle mass and can even support concurrent gains.
  3. 03Protein-led nutrition coordination. A target of 1.6 to 2.2 g protein per kg body weight per day, distributed across meals, to counter the appetite-suppressed default of under-eating protein. Nutrition coaching included.
  4. 0416-week Checkpoint re-tests. Skeletal Muscle Index, strength benchmarks, and Body Composition re-measured against baseline, so you and your prescribing clinician can see what the medication and the training are actually doing together.
  5. 05Coordination with your medical team. We work alongside your endocrinologist, GP, or weight-management clinic. We don't prescribe; we protect the muscle, bone, and strength the medication doesn't.

The outcome

The weight loss you came for, without the body composition collapse that quietly comes with it. Lean mass preserved or built. Strength maintained. A body that's ready for the post-medication phase, whenever and however that comes.
Take the Assessment →

Or book a complimentary consultation

Train it yourself

The GLP-1 Muscle Protocol, self-paced 

You can follow it yourself. The GLP-1 Muscle Protocol is the same 12-week strength-and-protein programme our coaches run, medically reviewed by Dr Luqman Haris, MBBS, with every movement on video. One payment, SGD 99.

Before you commit

Score your healthspan first

12 questions, 2 minutes, on a phone. The complimentary Catalyst Healthspan Audit estimates your score across the four pillars and surfaces which one is pulling the rest down. The same 0 to 10 scale we use in studio.

Take the Healthspan Audit →

Frequently asked, this goal

Q. 01

How much muscle do GLP-1 medications actually cause you to lose?

The body composition data from the STEP 1 trial (Wilding et al., 2021, NEJM, semaglutide 2.4mg) showed that roughly 39% of total weight lost was lean mass in participants not engaging in concurrent resistance training. Subsequent analyses across GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP agonists (tirzepatide, SURMOUNT trials) replicated the pattern. The intervention with the strongest evidence to counter it is heavy resistance training plus elevated protein intake, not cardio, not generic gym time. Longland et al. (2016, AJCN) demonstrated that high-protein intake plus resistance training during energy deficit produces simultaneous fat loss and lean mass gain. For the full evidence breakdown and what a preserve-the-muscle programme looks like week to week, see keeping your muscle while you lose fat on a GLP-1.

Q. 02

Do you coordinate with my prescribing doctor or endocrinologist?

Yes, and we expect to. Bring your prescribing letter, recent labs, and any guidance from your clinician to the consultation. We don't prescribe and we don't advise on dosing; we run the strength, body composition, and conditioning side and feed the data back so your medical team has the full picture. Dr Luqman, our Head of Training Systems, holds an MBBS and is comfortable in the medical-coordination conversation.

Q. 03

What happens if I come off the medication?

The body composition you've built during the medication phase is what you carry into the post-medication phase. Members who have trained throughout exit with preserved or built lean mass, defended bone density, and a metabolic rate that matches the body they're now in. Members who lose weight on GLP-1s without training typically face the harder version: regain disproportionately as fat mass, lower resting metabolic rate, and reduced strength reserve.

Other goals

Desk-Job Mobility

Eight hours a day at a desk does measurable damage to hips, thoracic spine, and posterior chain. We measure where it has, then build the targeted mobility, posture, and strength work to undo it. Manulife Tower, directly above Telok Ayer MRT.

Functional Fitness Racing Prep

Coached by Elly Morgan when available, multiple Hyrox podium finishes across categories. The programme is built off the 4-Pillar Assessment and your specific event window, not a generic 12-week template. Singapore CBD.

Bone density through menopause

Peri- and post-menopausal bone loss is the most preventable cause of fractures in later life, and the only non-pharmacological intervention with strong evidence is heavy resistance and impact training. 1:1 personal training in Singapore CBD, grounded in the Catalyst Healthspan Assessment.