As the fitness industry continues to evolve, personal trainers are increasingly becoming more than just exercise professionals; they are becoming essential members of multidisciplinary healthcare teams, particularly in the context of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy. Specifically, these medications are transforming the approach to chronic disease management by addressing weight management, metabolic health, psychological well-being, and cardiovascular outcomes. However, the success of GLP-1 therapies depends not only on the medication itself but also on how effectively they are combined with lifestyle changes such as physical activity, nutrition, and behavior modification.
That’s where personal trainers come in—not as afterthoughts, but as frontline allies in reshaping health outcomes.
From the Gym to the Care Team: Why Trainers Matter More Than Ever
As I have detailed extensively in previous articles and blog posts, GLP-1 agonists, such as semaglutide and liraglutide, offer compelling benefits, including appetite suppression, improved glycemic control, and reduced cardiovascular risk (Sattar et al., 2021). However, these clinical gains are maximized when supported by an infrastructure of movement and behavioral change. For example, according to Levitan et al. (2025), the metabolic improvements associated with GLP-1s are significantly enhanced by structured exercise programming. Hence, Personal trainers—armed with the proper knowledge and coordination—can fill this exact role. In fact, emerging research underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to GLP-1-supported care, one that leverages the expertise of medical providers, dietitians, health coaches, and personal trainers (Lucà & Abrignani, 2025). In this model, trainers do more than coach: they collaborate and build bridges.
Translating Medication into Movement: The Exercise Prescription
Exercise is not a generic recommendation—it’s a precision tool. Consequently, when working with clients on GLP-1s, the exercise prescription must align with the individual’s medical treatment, physical readiness, and behavioral stage of change. Fortunately, personal trainers are uniquely positioned to customize programs that reflect this triad.
For example, whether it’s improving aerobic capacity through walking programs tracked with accelerometry (Schwendinger et al., 2023) or preserving lean mass through resistance training (Liao et al., 2017), trainers provide ongoing support, accountability, and adaptability. More importantly, they monitor client response and adjust accordingly, closing the feedback loop with the rest of the healthcare team (Okemah et al., 2023).
Facilitating Behavior Change: From Compliance to Commitment
GLP-1 therapies may offer biological leverage, but behavior change is the hinge that sustains it. For instance, according to Zakaria et al. (2024), the effectiveness of weight loss outcomes is strongest when pharmacological interventions are combined with structured lifestyle programs. Once more, Personal Trainers help bridge that gap.
Furthermore, by incorporating motivational interviewing, goal setting, and action planning, personal trainers can facilitate sustained behavior change. As Mozaffarian (2024) notes, the cultural narrative around obesity and metabolic health is shifting, and trainers are perfectly positioned to help clients navigate this shift, moving them from passive recipients of care to active participants in their transformation.
Enhancing Interprofessional Communication: Trainers as Health Translators
Personal trainers often spend more time with clients than any other provider, affording them unique insight into physical capabilities, emotional barriers, and lifestyle realities. When that information is systematically communicated to physicians, nurse practitioners, or registered dietitians, it becomes a powerful tool for clinical decision-making (Fletcher et al., 2017).
In this regard, trainers who track metrics such as heart rate variability, strength progression, or mood fluctuations serve as data collectors within the broader care ecosystem. Hence, their contributions aren’t anecdotal; they’re actionable (Caturano et al., 2025). As seen in recent integrated care models, including those involving cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndromes, this type of interprofessional collaboration improves health outcomes and reduces care fragmentation (Salama & Sinn, 2025).
Health Tracking Beyond the Scale: Complementing Clinical Measures
As detailed in the companion article on non-scale metrics, trainers play a key role in evaluating body composition, strength, mobility, and psychological markers (Clifford et al., 2005; Crhová et al., 2020; Schwendinger et al., 2023). These markers help contextualize client progress—particularly as GLP-1-induced weight loss can sometimes mask undesirable losses in muscle mass or functional strength.
Therefore, trainers serve a dual purpose by delivering interventions and detecting red flags. If a client’s fatigue, performance, or balance begins to decline, the trainer becomes the first line of defense and the first to refer back to the medical team.
A Call for Formal Integration
Despite their value, it is unfortunate to note that personal trainers are often excluded from the care continuum. For all the reasons mentioned, this must change. Given the evidence supporting the integration of lifestyle interventions into chronic disease management, formalizing the role of personal trainers in GLP-1 care models is not a bonus—it’s a necessity.
In summary, the success of GLP-1 therapies may depend as much on the medicine as it does on the movement.
References
Caturano, A., Morciano, C., Zielińska, K., Russo, V., Perrone, M., Berra, C., … & Conte, C. (2025). Rethinking the diabetes–cardiovascular disease continuum: toward integrated care. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(18), 6678. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14186678
Clifford, G., Zapanta, L., Janz, B., Mietus, J., Youn, C., & Mark, R. (2005). Segmentation of 24-hour cardiovascular activity using ecg-based sleep/sedation and noise metrics., 595–598. https://doi.org/10.1109/cic.2005.1588171
Crhová, M., Hrnčiříková, I., Střeštíková, R., Šoltés-Mertová, K., Komzák, M., Kapounková, K., … & Ondračková, A. (2020). Effect of a 3-month exercise intervention on physical performance, body composition, depression and autonomic nervous system in breast cancer survivors: a pilot study. https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p210-9631-2020-50
Fletcher, S., Breitbach, A., & Reeves, S. (2017). Interprofessional collaboration in sports medicine: findings from a scoping review. Health and Interprofessional Practice, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.7710/2159-1253.1128
Levitan, E., Zhu, A., Bittner, V., Brown, T., Farkouh, M., Girguis, M., … & Long, D. (2025). Body mass index, comorbidities, and ambulatory care visits: the regards study. Journal of the American Heart Association. https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.124.037034
Liao, C., Tsauo, J., Lin, L., Huang, S., Ku, J., Chou, L., … & Liou, T. (2017). Effects of elastic resistance exercise on body composition and physical capacity in older women with sarcopenic obesity. Medicine, 96(23), e7115. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000007115
Lucà, F., & Abrignani, M. (2025). The multidisciplinary approach to GLP-1 RA and SGLT2 inhibitors in cardiometabolic care: a new era for patients with diabetes and heart disease. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(14), 4834. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14144834
Mozaffarian, D. (2024). GLP-1 agonists for obesity—a new recipe for success? JAMA, 331(12), 1007. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.2252
Okemah, J., Neunie, S., Noble, A., & Wysham, C. (2023). Impact on knowledge, competence, and performance of a faculty-led web-based educational activity for type 2 diabetes and obesity. JMIR Formative Research, 7, e49115. https://doi.org/10.2196/49115
Salama, L., & Sinn, L. (2025). On the front lines of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: review of GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists in CV and kidney health. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 82(12), 693–709. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxaf053
Sattar, N., Lee, M., Kristensen, S., Branch, K., Prato, S., Khurmi, N., … & Gerstein, H. (2021). Cardiovascular, mortality, and kidney outcomes with GLP-1 receptor agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 9(10), 653–662. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2213-8587(21)00203-5
Schwendinger, F., Wagner, J., Knaier, R., Infanger, D., Rowlands, A., Hinrichs, T., … & Schmidt-Trücksäss, A. (2023). Reference values for accelerometer metrics and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness: a prospective cohort study of healthy adults and patients with heart failure. Current Issues in Sport Science (CISS), 8(2), 029. https://doi.org/10.36950/2023.2ciss029
Zakaria, H., Caccelli, M., Özkan, Ç., Jaafar, Z., Said, Y., Aleabova, S., … & Almarzooqi, I. (2024). 806-P: Effectiveness of a hybrid weight loss program for obesity and prediabetes using GLP-1 medications. Diabetes, 73(Supplement_1). https://doi.org/10.2337/db24-806-p
