How Tonal Members Pair Strength Training and GLP-1s

Millions of Americans are enjoying transformational weight loss with the help of GLP-1 medications. One downside of rapid weight loss, though, may be a loss of muscle mass. Lean muscle is essential for long-term health and helps power you for the activities you love from hiking and biking to playing pickleball and picking up grandkids. Fortunately, strength training while on GLP-1s can help you maintain or even gain lean muscle mass. 

By pairing their GLP-1 treatment with strength training, these Tonal members have reclaimed their health and their strength. Read on to hear more from them.

Note: Results may vary based on factors other than training.

Ricardo Vasquez, 49

When Ricardo, a network operations center engineer from the Bronx, was young, other kids would call him “gordo” because of his weight. His mother and brother died of complications from diabetes, and he landed in the ER himself with severe symptoms from unmanaged diabetes.

As soon as he got out of the hospital, Ricardo started on GLP-1 medications and bought a Tonal. “I never looked back,” he says. Before Tonal, he would try going to the gym but end up feeling anxious and confused because he didn’t know how to use the equipment or what exercises to do. “Tonal took all that confusion away,” he says. With instruction from Tonal’s coaches and inspiration from the community, he started learning more about strength training and hitting strength PRs while going from 300 to 220 pounds and dropping his A1C.

Ricardo’s memory of his brother, and knowing he was able to follow a different path, motivates him to keep going. “I do it for him,” says Ricardo. “I know he would work out with me if he could. He’s my motivation every day.” 

Ann Ostendorf, 46 

Results may vary based on factors other than training.

“I grew up in a culture that said girls don’t lift weight,” says Ann, an academic success advisor for an online university and mother of two from Minnesota. So when her doctor told her she was prediabetic and recommended strength training to pair with her new GLP-1 prescription, the ability to learn at home on Tonal just made sense.

“I cannot say enough about the barriers that Tonal took away,” she says. “It made it accessible to someone who knew nothing [about lifting], who was terrified, and didn't want to be in the gym. I was in my safe space in my home where I didn’t have mirrors surrounding me or people staring at me.” 

She loves how the coaches were educational, not critical, and inspired her to put progress over perfection. She also uses Daily Lift to fit a workout into her busy schedule without having to think about programming. “I’m a totally different person,” says Ann now, after losing 160 pounds and reversing her prediabetes. Along with her newfound muscle, she says she sleeps better, wakes up rested, and can do things she never could before–including finishing her first 10K this year. 

Joshua Sammons, 40

Results may vary based on factors other than training.

An elementary school teacher and father of four from Michigan, Joshua had always been active but started seeing his weight creep up a few years back. After reaching his highest weight of 198 pounds, he was prescribed a GLP-1. “Technically, my BMI was in the obese range which was very hard to hear,” he says.

His weight started dropping quickly on the medication and he made sure to keep lifting on Tonal to maintain muscle. “I told myself, if I’m going to do this I’m going to do it the right way.” By doing partner workouts on Tonal with his wife in the morning at home, he’s able to fit strength training into this routine. “If I had to go to the gym I wouldn’t do it,” he says. “I don’t have to think about adjusting the weights or if I’m lifting the right amount. I don’t have to think about what workouts I’m going to do.” Today, he’s down to 153 pounds and has gained 8 pounds of lean muscle.

Jillian Booth, 38

Results may vary based on factors other than training.

A Cincinnati-based nurse with three children, Jillian spent years caring for others, including her father who was diagnosed with brain cancer and her sister who suffered from liver failure. “I just was doing everything for everyone else, except for myself,” she says. “My personal health took a backseat.” When she reached 277 pounds, she realized she had to prioritize herself. She was prescribed a GLP-1 and added strength training to her routine. 

With Tonal in her home office, she had no excuses not to lift. “I'm already making all the hard choices of figuring out what to eat and how much to eat,” she says. “This is one thing I don’t have to think about.” At first, she used movement replacements to make workouts more accessible. Tonal also tracked all of her data points, which she shared with her physician to help guide her progress. Since starting the medication and lifting on Tonal, she’s lost 100 pounds and feels stronger than ever. 

Brian Demchok, 41

Results may vary based on factors other than training.

Brian, an AI and automation specialist and father of two from Grand Rapids, Michigan, weighed over 300 pounds for most of his adult  life. After being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, he began taking a GLP-1 drug and his doctor suggested strength training but Brian wasn’t sure where to start.

“I’m 20 minutes away from the nearest gym,” he says, and he didn’t want to buy lots of different dumbbell sets or create his own workouts. Tonal solved all of these issues. “I hit play, I do what it tells me to do, and I go about my day,” says Brian. Through guided programs such as 12 Weeks to Jacked and Modern Muscle, he’s now under 200 pounds, no longer diabetic, and full of energy. He’s changed so much that he didn’t recognize himself on his home’s doorbell camera—and he’s considering training for a bodybuilding competition. 

Try Building Muscle with Tonal Now

With guided workouts, multi-week programs, and form guidance, Tonal makes it easy to stay on track with your strength training when you’re on GLP-1s—whether or not you’ve ever lifted before. Personalized weight recommendations and incremental resistance increases allow you to keep making progress and safely challenging yourself. 

For the first time ever, you can now try Tonal at home for free with Tonal Rent. Enjoy your first month of membership for free, then pay $219 (for Tonal 1) or $279 (for Tonal 2) per month after for your Tonal and subscription. Explore rental options today, or book a demo to try Tonal at a retail location. 

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