~30–40%
of weight lost on a GLP-1 can come from lean mass when training and protein are neglected
Course Portal · GLP-1 × Personal Training
Your clients are
on GLP-1s.
Coach them right.
Semaglutide and tirzepatide are reshaping how your clients lose weight — and quietly putting their muscle, strength, and long-term results at risk. This is the trainer's field guide, and the certification that goes with it.
Self-paced · Certificate of completion · Built for CPTs & coaches
2–3×
weekly resistance sessions is the baseline that helps clients hold onto muscle
1 role
nobody is better placed to protect that muscle than their trainer — you
01 — The shift on your gym floor
The medication changed. The coaching has to change with it.
GLP-1 receptor agonists — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound — work by blunting appetite. Clients eat far less, lose weight fast, and walk into your session thrilled by the scale. Underneath that number, something you can influence is happening: they're losing fat and muscle at the same time, often while eating too little protein to build any back.
A trainer who understands this becomes the most valuable person in that client's transformation. A trainer who doesn't watches a client get "smaller but weaker" — and churn.
↓
Appetite is suppressed
Clients feel full on a fraction of their old intake. Protein and total energy quietly fall below what recovery and muscle need.
⚖
The scale lies
Rapid weight loss looks like a win, but a meaningful share can be lean mass — the exact tissue that drives metabolism, strength and the "toned" look they want.
↺
Maintenance is fragile
Less muscle means a lower metabolic floor. When appetite returns, regain is easier — unless training built a stronger, denser body underneath.
The one thing to remember
Protect the
muscle.
GLP-1s handle appetite. You handle everything the drug can't.
Resistance training plus adequate protein is the single most evidence-backed way to steer weight loss toward fat and away from muscle. That intervention isn't prescribed at the pharmacy — it's coached, in your sessions. This course turns that responsibility into a repeatable system.
02 — Your job, specifically
What great GLP-1 coaching actually looks like
Not vague "lift weights and eat protein." A defined set of moves you run with every medicated client — inside your scope, without pretending to be their doctor.
- ✓Prioritise resistance trainingProgressive, full-body strength work 2–3×/week as the non-negotiable core of the program.
- ✓Defend protein intakePractical strategies to hit protein targets even when a client can barely finish a meal.
- ✓Track body composition, not just weightReframe success around strength, measurements and how clothes fit — not the scale alone.
- ✓Program around side effectsAdjust intensity and timing for nausea, fatigue, hydration and low energy weeks.
- ✓Coach the maintenance phasePrepare clients for the transition off — or the plateau on — the medication.
- ✓Know when to referClear red flags and a clean handoff to the client's clinician. Scope of practice, protected.
The certification
Working With GLP-1 Clients: for Personal Trainers
A self-paced professional course that turns the guide above into a system you can run with every client — from first consult to maintenance. By Tide Health & Performance.
What's inside · 9 modules · 70+ lessons
01
The Pharmacology & History of Incretin TherapyHow GLP-1 & GIP drugs actually work — from intestinal L-cells and the incretin effect to tirzepatide's dual-receptor design.
02
The Shift in the Coaching LandscapeWhy traditional coaching assumptions fail — and can harm — medicated clients, and the trainer's new role.
03
The Altered Gut-Brain Axis & PhysiologyWhat the drug changes in appetite, reward and fatigue signalling — and why subjective cues stop being reliable.
04
Energy Availability & Metabolic AdaptationLow energy availability, RED-S, and the compounded under-fueling trap of exercise plus appetite suppression.
05
Programming Resistance & Endurance TrainingMuscle-first programming that protects lean mass across the three medication phases.
06
Nutrition Frameworks & Fueling StrategiesThe protein-first blueprint — distribution, timing, hydration and micronutrients when clients can barely eat.
07
Managing GI Side Effects & AdherenceTraining and nutrition around nausea and flare-ups — plus the clinical red flags that mean refer.
08
Long-Term Maintenance & Healthcare IntegrationThe post-medication rebound, scope-of-practice, and working alongside the medical team.
09
Specialized Peptide Therapies in Wellness CoachingA skeptical, safety-first tour of the wider peptide landscape — BPC-157, retatrutide, GH secretagogues and more.
$699 USD
- ✓ Lifetime access, self-paced
- ✓ Certificate of completion
- ✓ Full toolkit: workbooks, forms & templates
- ✓ Updates as the science evolves
Secure checkout on Kajabi · 30-day guarantee
04 — Keep sharp, updated regularly
Field notes
The GLP-1 landscape moves fast — new medications, new research, new questions from clients. Short, practical reads to keep your coaching current.
Research radar
What new tirzepatide data says about lean-mass retention
The latest body-composition findings — and what they change about how you program during rapid loss.
ProtocolThe first-4-weeks plan for a new GLP-1 client
A week-by-week coaching template for the ramp-up phase, when appetite and energy shift most.
CoachingScripts for the "but the scale stopped" conversation
How to reframe a plateau around strength and body composition so clients stay the course.
05 — More than a course
Free tools to start. The full kit inside.
Two calculators, free and no signup — a taste of the system. The workbooks, client forms and programming templates you'll reach for with every client are unlocked the moment you enroll.
Free tool · no signup
Protein target calculator
A daily protein range to help a client protect lean mass while losing weight on a GLP-1.
128–176 g
protein per day (1.6–2.2 g/kg bodyweight)
Educational estimate for fitness professionals — not medical or dietetic advice. Individual needs vary; coordinate with the client's clinician or dietitian.
Free tool · no signup
Weekly loss-rate check
Is a client losing too fast to hold onto muscle? Enter current weight and this week's loss (same unit for both).
0.6%
of bodyweight per week
On track
Around 0.5–1%/week helps steer loss toward fat and protect lean mass.
🔒 The coaching toolkit — unlocked with the course
Included with enrollment · new tools added over time
🔒WorkbookGLP-1 client workbookGuided worksheets that walk you and the client through the full journey — intake to maintenance.
🔒FormIntake & health-history formEverything to capture before session one, including GLP-1 status, goals and cautions.
🔒FormClinician referral letterA clean, professional handoff template for when a client needs medical input.
🔒TemplateResistance-training programsMuscle-first weekly splits from beginner to advanced, built for medicated clients.
🔒GuideSide-effect session playbookHow to adjust training around nausea, fatigue, hydration and low-energy weeks.
🔒TrackerBody-composition trackerA simple sheet to log strength and measurements, so progress isn't just the scale.
Unlock the full toolkit →
Stay in the loop
The GLP-1 Coaching Brief
One short email, twice a month: the latest research, a ready-to-use protocol, and what other trainers are asking. Free — a taste of what's inside the course.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. (Prototype — connect to your email tool to go live.)
✓ You're on the list — check your inbox.
03 — Before you ask
Questions trainers ask us
Do I need to be a nutritionist or dietitian to coach GLP-1 clients?
No. This course keeps you firmly inside a trainer's scope: training programming, general nutrition guidance around protein and habits, and progress tracking. It also draws the line clearly — the topics that belong to the client's physician, pharmacist or dietitian, and how to refer.
Is this medical advice about the medications?
No. Nothing here tells a client whether to take a GLP-1, at what dose, or how to manage it clinically — those are decisions for their healthcare provider. The course is about how you, the trainer, adapt exercise and lifestyle coaching for someone already on one.
My client is losing weight fast and happy. Why change anything?
Because a good chunk of "fast weight loss" can be muscle, and that shows up later as weakness, a stalled metabolism and easier regain. Your job is to make sure the weight they lose is the right weight — and that's what turns a temporary drug result into a lasting body change.
Who is this course actually for?
Certified personal trainers, strength coaches and fitness professionals who already have — or will soon have — clients using GLP-1 medications. No prior clinical background needed.
How is it delivered?
Fully online and self-paced through the Tide school on Kajabi. Work through the nine modules on your schedule, complete the final exam, and earn your certificate.
Become the trainer
GLP-1 clients need.
The clients are already walking in. Be the coach who knows exactly what to do with them.
Enroll in the course →