Imagine you’re a coach looking at three new GLP-1 client intake forms this morning, and two have something in common: they never mention the medication anywhere. 

Unfortunately, it’s not the most unusual thing in the world. 

Across clubs, the same pattern of clients starting on these drugs, trainers not being told, and programs getting written like nothing’s changed plays out like clockwork.

So what happens? Under-fueled, over-extended sessions that tank retention and risk safety. Fortunately, this gap is entirely avoidable.

What GLP-1 Medications Actually Do

GLP-1 drugs work by suppressing appetite and moderating blood sugar response. Think of it as turning down the volume on your hunger dial and smoothing out the spikes in your energy curve. Effective for weight loss, sure, but that shift changes how clients fuel and recover.

Eric Durak, a leading exercise physiologist, points out compounded forms, oral tablets, and even supplement-mimic peptides are on the rise. 

The medical system is adapting fast, but the fitness industry? Still playing catch-up. And when we’re not synced with dosing, rest, and fueling needs, we miss both the safety and the business upside.

The Training Gaps Coaches Keep Seeing

The first red flag is dosing awareness. Clients on higher doses or newer oral formulations can hit hypoglycemia faster during moderate-to-high intensity sessions. Many coaches have seen this firsthand: someone’s cruising through a workout, then 20 minutes in, they’re pale, shaky, and done. 

Their clients aren’t tired. The muscles haven’t reached their peak yet, but somehow they’re gassed. Coaches would later find out their clients have simply run out of fuel.

Next is the work-to-rest ratio. Most GLP-1 clients simply don’t have the calorie base for back-to-back HIIT blocks. Without adjustments, you’re setting them up for burnouts instead of breakthroughs. 

Add in hydration gaps (low appetite often means low liquid intake) and you’ve got a preventable performance ceiling.

If you wouldn’t send a marathon runner out underfed, why would you load up a GLP-1 client without accounting for intake? The physiological math is the same; output needs input. Miss that, and you’re risking your client’s results and long-term health.

Building an Integrated Model That Actually Works

Here’s where Durak’s ReGenesis360 gets it right. 

Dosage Programming

Start with dosage-aware programming. If the client’s on a new compound or delivery form, adjust intensity until you know their response curve. Build progressive strength, balance cardio loads, and keep electrolytes in play. (And no, this isn’t just common sense, but tested protocol.)

Establish Communication and Transparency

The second layer is communication, as a trainer working without knowing every detail about their clients is essentially guessing. 

Link up with physicians, dietitians, or clinic staff to align on fueling windows, symptom watch points, and training progression. That relationship is as much for safety as it is for retention. Clients who feel their health team is aligned stick longer.

The payoff? Safer sessions, faster visible results, and fewer drop-offs due to fatigue or “it’s just too hard” conversations.

Where the Business Play Is

Position your club or service as GLP-1-aware, a club that’s designed for clients who want to be strong and fit while taking these drugs. Market it as part of your intake process, and you’ll see your disclosure rates climb and your staff get the data they need before the first rep.

Partnerships with obesity clinics and primary care providers become natural lead pipelines. We’ve seen setups where clinics feed five to 10 clients a month into a fitness program built for their medication profiles. 

What happens to those clients? At the very least, they stay because the program feels like it was made for them, and unbeknownst to them, it was.

Alternatively, you can ignore it, continue with the same generic programming, and hope your next Zumba launch fills the revenue gap. 

Final Thoughts

The compounding trend is accelerating. Expect sublingual, tablet, and supplement-mimic GLP-1 products to be everywhere. That shift means dosing schedules will diversify, and programming will have to keep pace.

Will you have a playbook ready when the floodgates open? Because if you don’t, someone else will. And they’ll be the ones closing partnerships, locking in clients, and building a reputation for results you can measure on the scale, in the mirror, and in the retention reports.

About Robert James Rivera
Robert is a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the health niche and its ever-expanding sub-niches. As a food and nutrition scientist, he knows where to find the resources necessary to verify health claims.