Weightlifting may save muscle while on Weight-Loss drugs
NCT ID NCT07652333
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether strength training (like weightlifting) can help adults taking GLP-1 obesity drugs keep their muscle and improve mental health. Forty inactive adults with obesity will either do supervised resistance exercise twice a week for 3 months or just take the medication. Researchers will measure changes in body composition, muscle strength, and quality of life.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- GLP-1 receptor agonists (obesity medication) and resistance exercise (weightlifting)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could show that adding strength training to obesity medication helps preserve muscle and boost quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early pilot study with only 40 people. Results may not apply to everyone, and the exercise program may be hard to stick with.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2026
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Initiating GLP-1 RAs prescribed by physician or advanced practice practitioner and willing to withhold the start of the drug until baseline assessment completed * Non-Smoker * ≥18 years old * Obese: Body Mass Index 30-45 kg/m² or BMI ≥27 + ≥1 weight related comorbidity; either hypertension or sleep apnea confirmed by participant self-report * Inactive: not meeting the current US exercise guidelines over the past 6 months * Capable of performing the required exercise training Exclusion Criteria: * A serious heart condition, such as unstable heart disease or heart failure, irregular heartbeats that are not well controlled, severe narrowing of the heart valves, or any recent inflammation of the heart or its lining * Cancer requiring treatment in the past 5 years * Hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism * Personal or family history of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Syndrome type 2 (MEN2) * Gastroparesis * Chronic/idiopathic acute pancreatitis * Hepatic disease or cirrhosis * Struggle with alcohol or other substance abuse (heavy drinking (≥4 drinks/day or ≥8 drinks/week for women; ≥5 drinks/day or ≥15 drinks/week for men), or who score ≥3 on the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10)) * Diabetes (Type 1 or 2) * Major risk factors for coronary heart disease such as uncontrolled high blood pressure (≥160 mm Hg systolic or ≥100 mm Hg diastolic) * Problems with your muscles or bones that limit your ability to exercise * Any other medical condition that is life-threatening, can interfere with or be aggravated by the exercise training * Plans to be away ≥2 weeks in the next 3 months * Participation in any other concurrent interventional clinical trial * History of eating disorders or weight-loss surgery, unstable weight (±5% change in past 6 months), or use of obesity medication (e.g., such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda, Zepbound, Mounjaro) in the last 3 months * Inability to give informed consent * History of major depression or other severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., who answer "yes" to question 9 on PHQ-9 in the Psych\_QoL\_Sleep questionnaires.) * Pregnant or plan to become pregnant during study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Physical Activity Research Center, University of Pittsburgh
RECRUITINGPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219, United States
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