Adherence
Exercise alone produces similar improvements in physical functional performance and cardiorespiratory fitness as the combined treatment of exercise and GLP-1 agonist, indicating that exercise is the primary driver of fitness gains independent of the pharmacotherapy.
You do not need to take medication to get the physical fitness benefits of exercise. A structured exercise program (150+ minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week) improves your stamina and functional performance just as well as combining exercise with GLP-1 medication. If you cannot or choose not to take medication, exercise remains the most effective way to improve physical fitness.
Exercise alone led to similar benefits, whereas liraglutide alone did not improve physical fitness... The combined treatment improved self-reported physical functioning compared with liraglutide alone and placebo... Liraglutide alone did not improve self-reported physical functioning.
Why this rating
RCT data showing no significant difference between exercise alone and combined treatment.
Source
Physical Fitness with Exercise and GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Treatment Alone or Combined After Diet-Induced Weight Loss: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial in Adults with Obesity
Simon Birk Kjær Jensen et al. · Sports Medicine · 2026
DOI 10.1007/s40279-025-02386-0
More from this paper
- Combined treatment with structured moderate-to-vigorous exercise and GLP-1 receptor agonist (liraglutide) significantly improves physical functional performance and cardiorespiratory fitness compared to pharmacotherapy alone, whereas pharmacotherapy alone fails to improve these fitness metrics despite weight loss.Good
- GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment alone, despite causing significant weight loss, does not improve physical functional performance or cardiorespiratory fitness compared to placebo.Good
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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