Once a month we answer Barbell Medicine Plus subscribers’ questions on the Direct Line. This is a free look at June’s episode. We start with GLP-1 drugs and muscle: why DEXA overstates the loss, what resistance training actually does, and whether creatine is worth taking. Then whether bulking and cutting does anything the scale can’t already tell you, how to get real benefit from one training hour a week, and what happens to your muscle, strength, tendons, and bone when you take time off, including why muscle memory brings it back faste...
Once a month we answer Barbell Medicine Plus subscribers’ questions on the Direct Line. This is a free look at June’s episode. We start with GLP-1 drugs and muscle: why DEXA overstates the loss, what resistance training actually does, and whether creatine is worth taking. Then whether bulking and cutting does anything the scale can’t already tell you, how to get real benefit from one training hour a week, and what happens to your muscle, strength, tendons, and bone when you take time off, including why muscle memory brings it back faster than you built it.
What we cover:
• GLP-1s and muscle: the DEXA problem, resistance training, and creatine
• Bulking vs cutting vs just maintaining, and a health-first way to choose
• Training on one hour a week: the least that still moves the needle
• How fast you lose muscle when you stop, and why it comes back fast
The full two-hour episode and every back episode are on Barbell Medicine Plus, which can bundled with Premium. Resources and full references below.
Timestamps
0:00 Intro + GLP-1 and the DEXA muscle-loss myth
3:00 Do GLP-1s spare or waste muscle?
8:03 Does creatine help on a GLP-1?
10:45 Does bulking and cutting do anything?
13:18 Health first: when to lose fat before gaining
22:30 Training on one hour a week
36:22 How fast you lose muscle when you stop
43:19 Muscle memory: why it comes back
48:25 The full episode on Plus
Resources
- Barbell Medicine coaching and templates: https://www.barbellmedicine.com
- https://www.barbellmedicine.com/shop/subscriptions/plus-podcast-subscription/
- https://www.barbellmedicine.com/shop/subscriptions/barbell-medicine-premium/
- Signal book pre-order: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/shop/learning/signal/
https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/glp-1-muscle-loss/
https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/creatine-on-ozempic-does-it-prevent-muscle-loss/
https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/novice-intermediate-advanced-strength-training/
Lundgren JR, et al. Healthy Weight Loss Maintenance with Exercise, Liraglutide, or Both Combined (S-LITE). N Engl J Med 2021;384:1719-1730. nejm.org · NEJMoa2028198
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Creatine + GLP-1 pilot (Univ. of Saskatchewan). Ongoing, results expected 2027. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07625202
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