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NASM-certified personal trainer Kylie Hansen says using a GLP-1 medication has changed how she thinks about exercise: she focuses less on burning calories and more on strength, muscle and staying active. In an interview with Fit&Well, she recommended goblet squats, walking lunges and light dumbbell punches, while stressing that exercise and nutrition habits still take effort.
Personal trainer Kylie Hansen, who says she currently uses a GLP-1 medication and has previously had bariatric surgery, told Fit&Well that weight loss has shifted her exercise priorities from moving the scale to building strength. She recommended goblet squats, walking lunges and dumbbell punches, while saying medication has not removed the need to choose to exercise or work on nutrition habits.
Hansen is a NASM-certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. She said her own experience has taught her that weight loss and building a strong, healthy body are not the same goal. “At this point in my journey, I’m much less interested in exercising just to burn calories or make the scale move. I want muscle,” she told Fit&Well. She described muscle as support for an active life and said she wants to remain capable of doing activities she enjoys as she gets older.
Her three suggested movements pair lower-body strength work with a lighter, more approachable exercise. For a goblet squat, she recommends holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest level, then lowering only as far as feels comfortable while keeping the feet grounded and chest upright. The article gives a suggested range of two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions, with 60 to 90 seconds of rest.
Hansen said walking lunges work each side of the body separately and require balance and control. The source suggests two to three sets of eight to 10 repetitions per side. It advises using a stationary or supported lunge if walking lunges feel uncomfortable or unsteady; dumbbells can add resistance for people ready to progress. Her third choice, dumbbell punches, uses light weights for controlled alternating arm movements. Fit&Well lists 20 to 30 seconds for two to three sets, with 45 to 60 seconds of rest, and cautions against swinging the weights with momentum.
Why Her Training Focus Changed
Hansen’s account highlights a distinction that can matter to people losing weight with medication: a lower number on the scale does not by itself describe strength or fitness. Her interview is personal testimony, not a clinical study or evidence that these exercises produce specific outcomes for people taking GLP-1 drugs. It does show how one trainer has adjusted her own priorities, placing resistance training and the ability to stay active ahead of exercise aimed solely at calorie expenditure.
Her comments also address expectations around medication and motivation. Hansen said the medication helps her eat less, and that this can make her brain tell her she does not need to do anything else. She said she has to challenge that response and continue choosing to exercise and pay attention to nutrition. For readers, the practical point is that her experience does not describe medication as a substitute for movement or habit-building. Her exercise suggestions are examples she personally likes, rather than a universal prescription.
Hansen’s emphasis on adapting movements may also make the advice more accessible: she described progressing from standing up from a chair to bodyweight squats and then adding weight over time. The underlying message is to select a version appropriate to one’s current ability, rather than treating one specific form or load as necessary for an exercise to count.
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Hansen’s Experience and Exercise Choices
Hansen told Fit&Well she has had bariatric surgery, currently uses a GLP-1 and works as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. The source does not provide details of her medication, dose, treatment timeline or medical history beyond those statements. Her perspective should be understood as her account of her own experience, rather than advice from her prescribing clinician.
She said she favors dumbbell workouts and gym machines, noting that machine stability gives her confidence to lift heavier weights. Hansen also said she has had spinal surgery and finds dumbbells let her move in a way that feels more natural for her body. She rejected the idea of a single best method of strength training, advising people to find movements that work for them and begin at their current level.
In describing the exercises, Hansen framed squats as adaptable, with options ranging from a chair sit-to-stand to weighted variations. She said lunges challenge balance and coordination as well as lower-body strength. She views dumbbell punches as a lighter resistance movement that may feel less intimidating to someone starting or returning to exercise; she explicitly said they should not replace progressively loaded exercises such as squats, lunges, presses or rows.
“At this point in my journey, I’m much less interested in exercising just to burn calories or make the scale move. I want muscle.”
— Kylie Hansen, speaking to Fit&Well
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Limits of the Personal Account
The report describes one trainer’s experience; it does not establish how GLP-1 medications affect exercise motivation or training needs across users. It provides no clinical findings, comparison group or measured outcomes for the three exercises. The article also does not identify Hansen’s specific medication, the length of time she has used it, or whether her training approach was developed with medical guidance.
The supplied source excerpt ends during Hansen’s discussion of exercise and nutrition habits, so any additional advice or qualifications in the full interview are not available here. It is also not clear whether she recommends the listed sets and repetitions to every reader or only as general examples. People’s physical capacity, health conditions and treatment plans can differ, and the report does not give individualized medical or exercise guidance.
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Applying the Advice Safely
Hansen’s interview does not announce a new treatment or formal training program; it offers a snapshot of how she says she approaches exercise while using a GLP-1. Readers considering the movements can start with a manageable variation, such as a chair sit-to-stand or supported lunge, and increase resistance only when comfortable. The suggested routines in the article are general examples, not a personalized plan.
Anyone taking a GLP-1 who is unsure how to exercise alongside treatment should discuss their circumstances with a qualified health professional, particularly if they have a pre-existing condition, prior surgery, pain or other movement limitations. The source gives no timeline for further developments. The next step described by Hansen is ongoing: continuing to build exercise and nutrition habits rather than assuming weight loss alone will meet every fitness goal.
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Key Questions
What exercises did Kylie Hansen recommend?
Hansen named goblet squats, walking lunges and dumbbell punches. She presented them as movements she personally enjoys, not as a required routine for everyone taking a GLP-1.
How did Hansen say GLP-1 use changed her approach to exercise?
She told Fit&Well that she is now less focused on exercising to burn calories or move the scale and more interested in building muscle and maintaining an active life. She also said medication can make her feel less urgency to exercise, so she has to challenge that response.
Did Hansen say medication replaces exercise or nutrition habits?
No. Hansen said she still has to decide to exercise, think about nutrition and work on habits while using the medication.
Are the listed sets and repetitions suitable for everyone?
The report supplies general examples, including two to three sets for each movement, but does not describe them as a plan for every person. People should adapt movements to their ability and seek professional guidance when health conditions, prior surgery or other limitations may affect exercise.
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