A Home Workout for GLP-1 Users With No Equipment

Not everyone wants to go to a gym, and not everyone wants to buy dumbbells. This is the no-equipment, no-excuses bodyweight program for GLP-1 patients.

The honest caveat: bodyweight programs are slightly less effective than weighted ones for building absolute strength. They are still meaningfully effective for muscle preservation in a calorie deficit, which is the GLP-1 priority.

The schedule

Three workouts: A, B, C. Three days per week. One rest day between.

Workout A — Legs and core

1. Bodyweight squat — 3 sets × 15
2. Reverse lunge — 3 sets × 10 per leg
3. Glute bridge — 3 sets × 15
4. Plank — 3 sets × 30 seconds
5. Wall sit — 2 sets × 30 seconds

Workout B — Push (chest, shoulders, triceps)

1. Push-up (knees or full) — 3 sets × max reps
2. Pike push-up — 3 sets × 6–8
3. Diamond push-up (or close-grip) — 2 sets × 6
4. Triceps dip (using a chair) — 3 sets × 8
5. Plank — 2 sets × 30 seconds

Workout C — Pull and full-body

1. Inverted row (under a sturdy table — you on the floor, table over you) — 3 sets × 8
2. Doorway row (towel through doorknob, lean back, pull) — 3 sets × 10
3. Superman (lie face-down, lift arms and legs) — 3 sets × 12
4. Reverse lunge — 2 sets × 10 per leg
5. Bird-dog — 3 sets × 8 per side

Form notes for the harder ones

Pike push-up: Hands on floor, hips raised high so you're in an upside-down V. Lower head toward floor between hands, press back up. Easier overhead-pressing alternative without weights.

Inverted row: Lie on the floor under a sturdy table. Reach up and grab the edge. Pull your chest to the table while keeping your body straight. Easier than a pull-up; available everywhere.

Doorway row: Take a towel, loop through a doorknob, hold both ends. Lean back, arms straight. Pull yourself to the door, lower with control. Sounds silly; works well.

Bird-dog: On hands and knees. Extend opposite arm and leg, hold for 2 seconds. Switch.

Progression strategies (no weights)

Without dumbbells, progressive overload looks different:

Add reps. From 8 to 10 to 12 over weeks.

Slow tempo. A 4-second descent is much harder than a 1-second descent. "3-1-1" tempo (3 sec down, 1 sec pause, 1 sec up) drives more muscle stimulus.

Harder variations. Bodyweight squat → split squat → pistol squat (advanced). Push-up → diamond push-up → archer push-up → one-arm push-up (advanced).

Less rest. Shorter rest periods between sets increase difficulty.

More sets. From 3 sets to 4 to 5.

Tempo + variation combined. A slow-tempo single-leg variation is brutal.

A 12-week progression plan

Weeks 1–4: Standard reps, 3 sets, normal tempo. Focus on form. Note your max reps for each exercise.

Weeks 5–8: Increase reps by 2–3 per set. Add 4-second descent on key movements (squat, push-up, lunge).

Weeks 9–12: Add a fourth set on harder exercises. Try one harder variation per workout (split squat instead of bodyweight squat, diamond push-up instead of standard).

After 12 weeks, you've built a real foundation. From here you can:

• Continue and keep progressing
• Add minimal equipment (a band, a single dumbbell, a kettlebell)
• Move to a gym with confidence

Common bodyweight mistakes

Doing it too fast. Slow tempo > fast tempo. Speed makes it cardio, not resistance training.

Skipping the unloved exercises. Most people skip rows because pulls require improvisation. Don't skip pulls. Posture and back health depend on them.

Plateauing because you stopped progressing. Bodyweight is a moving target — you need to keep changing variables (reps, tempo, variations) or you stagnate.

Doing only push-ups and squats. Push and squat are great, but a complete program needs hinge (Romanian deadlift, glute bridge), pull (rows), and core. Don't shortcut.

When to add equipment

You'll know you're ready for at least minimal equipment when:

• You can do 20+ standard push-ups
• You can do 30+ bodyweight squats with good form
• You can hold a plank for 60+ seconds
• Bodyweight progressions feel too easy

A pair of adjustable dumbbells ($300) and you have a much wider toolkit.

Bottom line

A complete bodyweight program done consistently is meaningfully better than a perfect gym program done sporadically. Pick three workouts, rotate them, progress over time. Form first, reps second, tempo third. The point is not the number on the rep counter; it is the muscle you keep when the medication eventually wears off.