Tl;Dr: I lost 80lbs on Zepbound (GLP-1) and need to regain lean body mass to get my BMI back up.
I went from 5’8” 207lbs (BMI 31) to 127lbs (BMI 19) after a year on Zepbound - 38% total body weight loss, which is a pretty extreme result.
Turns out that’s too much weight loss so the doctor wants me to gain some back. I’m trying to make sure I gain back lean mass and not fat.
To this end I’ve started lifting again after not touching the gym since COVID, so it’s been like 4-5 years without any training. My strength levels are near zero despite having had higher lifts in the past. I’m about six weeks into a basic push/pull/legs routine.
Day 1
Squat 3x5 (linear progression)
Lat Pulldown / Pull Up 3x8-10
Lunges 3x8-10
OHP 3x8-10
Day2
Bench Press 3x5 (linear progression)
Incline DB Press 3x8-10
Push ups 2-3 sets
Lat Raise 3x12-15
Cable Pushdown 3x10-12
Day3
Trap bar DL 3x5 (linear progression)
Romanian DL 3x8-10
DB Row 3x10
Face Pull 3x12-15
Abs 2-3 sets
For food I’m mostly just trying to hit 2000-2300 calories/day, which I’m only now just hitting after reducing the Zepbound dosage to 7.5mg. On the 10mg I was averaging 1500 calories/day and it was a struggle to hit 1900 calories.
I also added in creatine for “easy” lean mass gain (water weight) which I’m assuming is working since the past six weeks I’ve gone from 127lbs to 131lbs.
Mostly I’m trying to set some realistic expectations on how much lean mass gain might be feasible in this situation, and at what rates. And if there’s any considerations I should put into the lifting program for this. Linear progression is the easy way to start but I’m not really sure what to do after that, in the past I just ran 5/3/1. Maybe that’s still applicable.
My short term goal was to try to hit 140lbs by December (+10lbs in 3 months) and 160lbs by the end of next year, but I really have no clue if that’s feasible considering that on the current program listed I’m Squatting / DL’ing 135lbs and benching less than 100lbs. It seems like I would need to first regain a significant level of strength before I could expect any significant lean mass gain.
afaict you dont stop GLP’s once you start them. I am not aware of any “off-ramp”, but I can reduce the dosage over time, which I have just now started doing. During the post-COVID time period I was steadily gaining weight despite trying to keep a sensible diet, a lot of it from alcohol, all of which went away pretty much over night after starting the Zepbound. I am pretty happy with the results. Both my bodyweight and my body fat levels are the lowest they have ever been in my life (I can see my abs for the first time ever ofc). But I did get hit by the “muscle wasting” so I am trying to rebuild some of what I lost from that. I am not sure if having done powerlifting in the past is really gonna help much for this or not. I am 35 now and full time wfh so I have a lot less physical activity in my life now and its already proving more difficult to push gym sessions hard without making the rest of my body hurt.
I don’t see any reason this would change. You’re just going to have to pay better attention to your nutrition. From your baseline, having a tough time eating enough is likely a good problem to have. From here you’ll need to prioritize protein and nutritionally dense foods. I’d imagine the issue is getting too full too quickly?
yea pretty much, while I was on the 10mg dosage it was basically not possible for me to eat >1900~ish Calories due to getting full and staying full especially from protein-heavy meals. For anyone not familiar with the effects of GLP-1, they reduce gastric flow, so basically the food stays in your stomach for a long time, and its not physically possible to eat more. If you try, it hurts a lot and you puke. But now as I am tapering it back to 7.5mg this effect is starting to reduce and I am finding myself able to eat a lot more. And I am definitely leaning heavily on protein shakes and similar liquid foods as well to help fill in the gaps.
its definitely a weird situation to be in, but honestly I greatly prefer it to the opposite when I would be driven insane with hunger and have to constantly play thought-police and try to keep myself from eating too much.
where did you read this? That is not my understanding and does not reflect what I have read about GLP-1 usage protocols. From what I have seen most benefits from GLP-1 really only exist when you continue it indefinitely, especially when it comes to weight loss. If you stop taking it, your appetite comes back and you re-gain the weight. You would also lose the secondary benefits of reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and you would likely also lose the tertiary benefits of reduced susceptibility to “addictive” stimuli like alcoholism and gambling etc. that a lot of people report. A large part of my own weight loss came from the immediate cessation of alcohol usage and the continued difficulties with alcohol usage while on the medication; it now takes me 1hr to drink a single beer, liquor makes me sick, and I often start getting the “hang over” before I am even done drinking. I spent many years trying to “drink less” but was only ever successful after taking Zepbound.
Overall I am very happy with the results of the GLP-1 usage and do not intend to stop taking it. After a year on it, I have reached the “goldilocks zone” where all the harsh side effects like nausea and g.i. distress have vanished and it feels mostly “normal” now. So now I guess I am in a maintenance phase where I am starting to re-assess the dosages to bring it back to a level where I am able to achieve and remain at a target BMI.
Mostly the goal from this thread was just to get some realistic expectations on what rates of lean mass gain I should be targeting. I spent the past six weeks Googling for things like “rate of lean body mass gain with weight lifting” but just get a lot of click-bait trash articles, I asked ChatGPT but it just blows smoke up your ass all the time, so I figured some of the folks on these forums might have better insight.
With a current bodyweight of 131lbs, and a 3x5x145lbs squat (linear progression) as a rough strength estimate and a push/pull/legs style lifting program as described here + plan to transition to 5/3/1, would it be feasible to gain 10lbs lean mass within the next 3 months (Dec. 2025), and another 10-20lbs by next year (Dec. 2026)? That is mostly what I am targeting at this point.
In years past I had lifts in the ballparks of 240/395/500 (2012, 210lbs) and 225/315/405 (2019, 185lbs), but I am not sure how much it would be relevant for this current situation. I am not targeting strength gain, I think I mostly just need to rebuild a base strength level as a platform for overall mass gain. That is my current understanding at least.
Um… everywhere. Most people for weight loss use it for 1-2 years and then try to form new habits. Its not a substitute to fix alcoholism or over stuffing your pie hole. You need to learn to fix the problem while the GLP is giving you a restart. I’m friends with a lot of medical professionals that prescribe it and their goal is to get their patients off of it.
The whole reason I asked is because while on GLP-1 its going to be much more difficult to increase lean mass. I assumed you were getting off now that you are in a target weight zone.
Plan on 7.5- 8 pounds of gains by mid December. An initial, quick gain of 3-4 pounds of sarcoplasty. Then overlapping, steady gains of about 1.5 pounds of myofribul hypertrophy per month.
If you’re concerned about gaining strength, just use lower reps/higher weights for a “Heavy” workout every 3-4 weeks. You don’t have to worry about all time records, or 1 rep maxes or anything super intense. Just work up to a single set with a weight slightly heavier than you’d use for 3 sets.
