GLP-1 Kickstart
Two simple machine-first gym sessions a week to protect your strength and build the habit — the lowest-commitment way to make sure the weight you lose is fat, not muscle.
The GLP-1 Series
Lose the fat. Keep the muscle.
A large share of the weight lost during rapid weight loss is lean mass. Resistance training is the single biggest lever on whether that happens to you.
Get Kenso — Download Free
Free to download. The series is part of Kenso Pro.
5
Programs
2–5
Days / week
All levels
Experience
Gym or home
Equipment
Why lifting matters more right now
In the major weight-loss trials, roughly a quarter to 40 percent of what participants lost was lean mass rather than fat. That is not unique to medication — it is what any large, fast deficit does to an untrained body. The other half of the evidence is just as consistent: people who lift through a deficit and eat enough protein keep dramatically more muscle. Training is what decides which version you get.
Which is why these are not normal programs
Most programs are written for someone eating enough to grow, chasing more weight on the bar every week. That plan breaks on a deficit — your loads stall, it feels like failure, and the program keeps pushing anyway. These run the other direction: enough volume to keep every muscle, joint-friendly movements you can do on low energy, and progression that eases off instead of digging deeper.
Five ways to start
Same weekly work, packaged for the energy and equipment you actually have. Every one runs eight weeks and starts light for the first two.
GLP-1 Foundation
Three balanced full-body gym sessions a week — the structure used in every clinical muscle-preservation protocol. Protect strength, build energy, keep every muscle covered even when a day slips.
GLP-1 Build
Four upper/lower gym sessions for when your energy is back and you want to add strength, not just keep it. RPE-guided main lifts adjust the load to the day you're actually having.
GLP-1 Home
Three full-body dumbbell sessions you can do in your living room. Everything a clinical home-training protocol needs — a pair of dumbbells and 40 minutes.
GLP-1 Daily
Five 15–20 minute dumbbell mini-sessions, Monday to Friday. Nothing exceeds your energy budget, a missed day barely dents the week, and no session needs a makeup.
| Program | Best for | Days / week | Split | Level | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLP-1 Kickstart | Starting from zero, or a schedule that only allows two days | 2 | Full Body | Beginner | Gym · machines |
| GLP-1 Foundation | The default pick — every muscle covered, three days a week | 3 | Full Body | Beginner | Gym · machines + dumbbells |
| GLP-1 Build | Energy is back and you want to add strength, not just hold it | 4 | Upper/Lower | Intermediate | Gym · full equipment |
| GLP-1 Home | No gym, and you would rather train in longer blocks | 3 | Full Body | Beginner | Home · dumbbells only |
| GLP-1 Daily | Low energy days — nothing longer than 20 minutes | 5 | Full Body | Beginner | Home · dumbbells only |
Why the app, not a printout
The weights adjust themselves
Log your sets and the app moves your loads and reps for you. On a deficit it holds steady or backs off instead of pushing you into a hole — the same logic a good coach would apply if they were watching every session.
It knows you are losing weight
Starting one of these programs puts the training engine into a mode built for a deficit: more forgiving targets, earlier deloads, and a weekly review that counts a held bench press as progress rather than a plateau.
Bad days have a plan
Low energy is a feature of this process, not a personal failing. Every session has a shorter version, and the coach will tell you which sets to cut instead of watching you skip the whole thing.
How it works
Three steps, then the app carries the plan for you.
1
Pick your program
Choose the one that matches the time and equipment you have this month. Switching later keeps your history.
2
Log your sets as you train
Tap through the session. Every set, rep, and weight is saved, so nothing rests on remembering last time.
3
Your next session is calculated
Targets for next time follow what you just did — heavier when you earned it, steady when you did not.
Questions
Do you lose muscle while losing weight on a GLP-1?
Some, if you do nothing about it. Across the major trials, roughly 25 to 40 percent of total weight lost was lean tissue — similar to what happens with any large calorie deficit. Studies pairing weight loss with structured resistance training cut that lean-mass loss substantially, and participants who also ate adequate protein preserved the most.
How many days a week should I lift while losing weight?
Two to four sessions a week covers it. Research on training frequency is clear that what matters is your total weekly work, not how you slice it — so two 40-minute full-body sessions and five 15-minute ones can produce the same result. Pick the shape you will actually complete.
Should I focus on cardio or weights?
Weights, if you have to choose. Cardio burns calories but does very little to tell your body to keep muscle; resistance training is the signal that protects it. Keep walking for health and general activity, but do not let cardio replace your lifting sessions.
How much protein do I need?
Most guidance for people training during weight loss lands between 1.2 and 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, spread across meals. That is genuinely hard when your appetite is suppressed, which is why protein-first meals and shakes are the usual practical answer.
What if I am too tired or nauseated to train?
Shrink the session instead of skipping it. Cut your sets in half, keep the same movements, and go lighter. A short session preserves the habit and most of the muscle-protecting signal; a skipped week costs you both. The programs are built with this in mind, and Kenso will suggest the shorter version.
Do I need a gym?
No. Two of the five programs need nothing but a pair of dumbbells and a floor, and the home-based protocols used in the research were built the same way. The gym versions exist because machines are easier on the joints and simpler to learn if you have access to them.
Are these programs free?
The Kenso app is free to download and includes workout logging, your training history, and progress tracking. The GLP-1 series is part of Kenso Pro, which also unlocks automatic weight progression, the AI coach, and recovery tracking.
Start this week.
Download Kenso, pick the program that fits your week, and log your first session today.
Get Kenso — Download Free
iPhone. Free to start.
Kenso is a fitness app, not a medical service. Nothing here is medical advice, and we have nothing to say about your medication — dosing, timing, side effects, and whether to start or stop are conversations for you and your prescriber. What we know about is training.