Lost Weight on Mounjaro and Still Unhappy With Your Body?

I recently joked with a client that what he needed next was big biceps.

He had lost around 40kg in 18 months on GLP-1s, but still wanted to get leaner, and it's my opinion that looking stronger in a T-shirt, feeling fit and having a decent set of arms would do more for his confidence than just endlessly continuing to get lighter.

If you are still losing weight on Mounjaro or another GLP-1 medicine, you'll have heard already that strength training is important, but not for the reason I recommended it to my client.

He actually came to see me in Kentish Town for an experienced pair of eyes on his squat, deadlift and bench press.

We ended up having a conversation about something very different.

You can keep trying to be less fat indefinitely

We talked about why he had started losing weight.

He had been obese his whole life, and wanted to finally be rid of that burden. That dissatisfaction had motivated him to lose 40kg. Now he had a normal BMI, but he was still pushing for more.

The thing is that there is no end to that. You reach a weight you once wanted to be, then decide you need to go a little further. Fat loss goals can be a bit like chasing the horizon. Each time you move towards it, it moves away.

The benefits of going from overweight to a healthier weight are usually clear. Pushing from there towards being very lean is a different decision

He was busy at work, had a busy social life and played the drums. I wanted him to consider what continually trying to drop his body fat lower might ask of his energy, recovery and sleep. His hunger signals might be blunted, but there are other factors to consider.

And what would he get at the end of it?

Would being leaner really give him the confidence he wanted?

Wait until the mirror stops being a surprise

My suggestion was that before pushing on, he give himself time until he could look in the mirror and no longer be surprised by what he saw.

He had lost 40kg in 18 months. Physically, he had changed enormously. But we agreed that when he looked in the mirror, he still expected to see the old, bigger version of himself.

You can achieve physical change incredibly quickly, now more so than ever with these drugs. Becoming accustomed to your new body can take much longer.

Reaching a new weight does not automatically mean you feel at peace with it.

Another lower number would not change that. I wanted him to recognise where he had got to and spend some time there, and allow his self-perception to catch up.

Maintenance meant continuing to weigh himself, keeping his nutrition sensible and becoming accustomed to being that new weight. Decisions about his medication would remain with his prescriber.

Strength training could give him that focus.

Build strength and muscle for a positive reason

Exercise when you're overweight is often uncomfortable, sweaty and something to suffer through. You do it to burn energy. It is a means to an end.

People who enjoy exercise and keep doing it tend to have something positive they want from it. They want to increase their capacity: get fitter, get stronger, build muscle.

That is a very different way to approach training. You can recognise that you lifted more, controlled an exercise better or did something you could not do before. You are looking to expand yourself.

That was the serious point behind the big biceps joke. Feeling fit and healthy, looking good in his clothes and having a decent set of arms could give him a positive shift.

We did the assessment; I changed some exercise selections based on his individual biomechanics and encouraged him to periodise his training so he was not doing the same thing all the time.

Taking Mounjaro doesn't require a completely different type of strength training.

His food habits were still restriction-focused. He was training fasted, having coffee and not eating until lunch, and was concerned about gaining fat. I understood why he wanted to protect the result, but his eating needed to support what he now wanted to do.

I suggested he start with protein at each meal and enough food to train and recover. The programme should stimulate his muscles, with the aim of recovering and building.

He had spent 18 months trying to be less fat. I wanted him to maintain what he had achieved and focus on getting stronger, building muscle and enjoying his training.

I am Jeff Lynch, a personal trainer and strength coach at 39–51 Highgate Road in Kentish Town, NW5. If you are losing weight on Mounjaro or another GLP-1 medicine and want help with your training, read more about my personal training in Kentish Town, or book a free consultation.

Questions about strength training during and after Mounjaro weight loss

Should I start strength training while I am still losing weight?

Yes, I would encourage you to start now. I want you to retain muscle and have something positive to achieve through training while your weight comes down.

Should I keep losing weight or focus on building muscle?

I would consider what you want, how you feel and what further weight loss would give you. For this client, I thought maintaining his weight and building muscle was the better next goal.

Can an assessment help if I already go to the gym?

Yes. This client already trained. We reviewed his technique, exercise choices and programme, but also considered what he should be working towards.