Fitness and nutrition brands are tapping into the Ozempic craze.
To help patients on weight-loss drugs avoid losing excess muscle mass, companies like Obe, Noom, and Equinox are launching strength-focused programs.
According to experts, this type of drug itself does not cause muscle loss, but it generally does cause weight loss.
“It’s always good to do some resistance training to preserve muscle mass,” says Dr. Sharon Giese, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City who offers a selective weight loss program with semaglutide. “Weight loss with GLP-1 is not rapid, so this is no different from other ways someone has lost weight in the past.”
Dr. Rekha Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of the Found Weight Loss Program, says, “When someone loses weight, whether through diet, exercise, weight loss surgery, or medication, they typically lose a quarter of that weight. The first third is muscle,” he added.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, muscle loss can make everyday habits like walking and climbing stairs difficult, which can lead to falls and balance problems over time. Muscle mass decreases over time, so age-related muscle loss, known as sarcopenia, is common. However, according to Harvard Health Publishing, a protein-rich diet and strength training can increase muscle mass.
As this results in more people being prescribed these drugs, many companies feel it is essential to provide education and solutions.
“Five in 10 U.S. adults have heard of GLP-1 and want to try it, so this is a huge demand,” says Noom, which recently launched its own diet and health app. said Dr. Linda Anegawa, Chief Medical Officer. program. “There’s a lot to be hopeful about, but it’s also important that we don’t leave people worse off than they were before.”
However, experts agree that these drugs often help people develop new, healthier habits.
“This is real weight loss, not rapid weight loss, so it gives people time to make behavioral changes,” Gies says. “I tell people to pay attention to what they change so they can lose weight and get off the medication.”
Here are three companies that have launched fitness programs for people taking weight loss drugs.
obe
In May 2023, Obe pivoted its model to focus on results-driven, personalized fitness programs. The company is now expanding on this with his MuscleGuard truck, created in partnership with weight loss company Found, which offers popular medications such as Ozempic, Zepbound, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
“This is very structured, so [a] We focus on tangible outcomes,” said Ashley Mills, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Ove. “The first phase is 30 minutes a day, three days a week for six weeks.”
Mills says he varies his tempo, overload and weight slightly each day of the week to promote consistent muscle growth and prevent plateaus. After six weeks, the user is directed to his Obé’s general library of strength-focused classes.
Noom
Noom’s GLP-1 companion program dates back to 2018. At the time, the company partnered with Novo Nordisk, the maker of his Wegovy, to focus on Noom’s healthy living program, targeting his 65,000 patients taking his then-available GLP-1 drug. conducted research on patients. About behavioral changes.
“The key learning we learned from that partnership is that we can significantly increase the effectiveness of the drug,” Anegawa said.
As this class of drugs has become more mature and now widely available, Noom has expanded its Noom Med program, which allows users to receive prescriptions for drugs, and Muscle Defense, a protocol specifically for people on medication. Officially deployed GLP-1 Companion. This includes specific nutritional goals centered around protein, educational content about how this class of drugs works, and, of course, guided fitness sessions centered around resistance training to promote muscle growth. included.
vernal equinox
In January, Equinox announced it would launch a fitness program specifically for guests taking weight loss drugs. In recent months, the company has received inquiries seeking advice on fitness best practices while taking drugs such as Ozempic, the company said in a statement. Developed by a group of Equinox coaches, this program aims to amplify his GLP-1 results by increasing his workouts with fat-burning activities and strength training to avoid muscle loss. .
Eligible Equinox members can opt into the program and work with a coach. The upscale gym recently doubled down on its customized programs and one-on-one training, and announced it will hire 5,000 new coaches in May 2023.