A No-Equipment Bodyweight Workout You Can Do on a GLP-1
The short answer
Yes, you can build real strength on a GLP-1 with no equipment at all, in a space the size of a bath towel. After a quick warm-up you move through squats, incline push-ups, a hip hinge, glute bridges, a step-back lunge, and a plank, then cool down — and because it works your muscles against your own body weight, it counts as the resistance training that helps you hold onto muscle while you lose weight. When the moves start feeling easy, slow them down or add a pause to keep them hard, no gear required.
Try it on this page
What is at stake across the loss you are planning
The lean mass in play, the protein target, and the training that protects it.
Your estimate
Lean mass at stake
8–12 lb
of what you lose could be lean mass — which includes muscle, but is mostly water
Protein to aim for
145 g/day
a middle target (109–181 g range)
Resistance training
2–3 / week
short sessions that work your major muscle groups
These are rough estimates for planning, not a prediction or medical advice — how much lean mass anyone loses varies a lot, and your protein needs are personal. The takeaway is the pattern, not the exact number: enough protein plus resistance training are the two levers that help you hold onto the muscle. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting an exercise program.
No dumbbells, no bands, no bench — no problem. This routine uses only your body weight, so you can do it in a hotel room, a bedroom corner, or wherever your phone will lean. And when bodyweight starts to feel too easy, you'll see how to make each move harder without buying a thing.
Sit back towards the chair rather than dropping straight down, and stand up without using your hands.
Elbows travel back at roughly forty-five degrees, not out sideways. The body stays one straight line from heel to head.
Drive through the heels until hips, knees and shoulders make one line. Squeeze at the top, do not arch the lower back.
Rise slowly, pause at the top, then lower slower than you lifted. The lowering half is where most of the work happens.
- 1
Warm up for 2 minutes
March in place, roll your shoulders, and swing your arms, then add ten slow arm circles each way and a few shallow squats to half-depth. Form cue: keep it easy and relaxed — you're raising your temperature and loosening your joints, not working hard yet.
- 2
Bodyweight squats — 10–12 reps
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, sit your hips back and down as if reaching for a low chair, then stand tall. Go only as low as feels controlled. Form cue: keep your chest up and your weight in your heels so your knees stay happy. Make it harder: lower for a slow three-count and pause for a beat at the bottom.
- 3
Incline or knee push-ups — 8–10 reps
Place your hands on a counter or the seat of a sturdy couch and lower your chest toward it, then press back up. Prefer the floor? Drop to your knees. Form cue: keep your body in one straight line and lower under control rather than dropping. Make it harder: use a lower surface, or move to the floor on your knees.
- 4
Standing hip hinge — 10 reps
Stand tall with soft knees and push your hips straight back so your torso tips forward, feeling a gentle stretch in your hamstrings, then squeeze your glutes to stand up. Form cue: keep your back flat and your neck long — think of closing a car door with your backside.
- 5
Glute bridges — 12–15 reps
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, then drive through your heels to lift your hips into a straight line and lower slowly. Form cue: squeeze your glutes hard at the top instead of arching your lower back. Make it harder: pause for two seconds at the top of each rep.
- 6
Step-back lunges — 6–8 per leg
From standing, step one foot straight back and lower your back knee toward the floor, then push through your front heel to return. Hold a wall for balance if you like. Form cue: keep most of your weight on your front foot and your front knee stacked over your ankle.
- 7
Plank — hold 15–30 seconds
Rest on your forearms and toes (or knees) with your body in a straight line from head to heels, breathe steadily, and hold. Form cue: squeeze your belly and glutes so your hips neither sag nor pike up — quality beats a long, sloppy hold.
- 8
Cool down for 2 minutes
Walk slowly around the room until your breathing settles, then gently stretch your hips, chest, and shoulders, holding each for about 20 seconds and breathing easy. Form cue: never bounce a stretch. If anything felt sharp, or you got dizzy or faint at any point, stop and check in with your healthcare provider before your next session.
The hard part of training with no equipment is knowing whether your form is right with no coach in the room — Mira watches through your phone camera, counts every rep, and scores your form as you go. Mira is built for exactly this: guided, no-gear strength while you're on a GLP-1.
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Common questions
Do I need to lift weights or is bodyweight enough on a GLP-1?+
Bodyweight is genuinely enough, especially while you're building the habit. Squats, push-ups, and lunges all load your muscles against resistance, and in a meta-analysis of older adults in a calorie deficit, those who added resistance training held onto nearly all of their lean mass, while dieting alone lost noticeably more. Add a band or dumbbells later, only when you want more challenge.
Do you lose muscle on a GLP-1?+
Some muscle can come off along with fat when you lose weight, which is why loading your muscles matters. Resistance training — including bodyweight work like this — signals your body to keep the muscle it might otherwise let go.
How many times a week should I strength train on a GLP-1?+
Two or more days a week that hit all the major muscle groups is the target in the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines. This routine covers your whole body, so doing it twice a week with a rest day in between checks that box.
Keep reading
A Beginner Strength Workout to Do on a GLP-1 at Home
Follow this gentle 20-minute full-body strength workout at home on a GLP-1 — phone against the wall, equipment optional, and built for day one.
Is Walking Enough on a GLP-1, or Do You Need to Lift Weights?
Walking is great on a GLP-1, but it won't hold your muscle by itself, so pair your daily steps with two short strength sessions a week.
Strength training on a GLP-1
A beginner’s guide to strength training while losing weight on a GLP-1 — how to hold onto muscle, at home, in 15 minutes a day.