GLP-1s Redefine the Role of Fitness Professionals, NASM Survey Finds
Krissy Vann | Host, All Things Fitness and Wellness
The rapid adoption of weight loss medications is reshaping the fitness industry, challenging long-held assumptions about client goals and forcing operators to rethink programming, staff education, and member engagement strategies.
A new survey from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, NASM, of nearly 500 certified professionals shows how deeply this shift is being felt inside gyms and studios. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said the widespread use of medication is permanently changing their role. The focus is moving away from calorie burn and scale-based results toward muscle preservation, functional strength, and long-term health.
Nearly half of respondents, 46 percent, identified longevity and strength training as the biggest opportunity for the fitness sector, while 41 percent named weight loss medications among the top two challenges facing the business, just behind artificial intelligence.
“This is a wake-up call for the fitness industry,” said Mike Fantigrassi, Head of Product at NASM. “The conversation is no longer just about the number on the scale; it's about the quality of the weight being lost.”
Sixty percent of professionals said they are now working with clients who use medication, describing them as a new type of fitness consumer. These clients tend to be more concerned with maintaining lean tissue, addressing fatigue, and developing sustainable movement habits than with pursuing aggressive calorie deficits.
Muscle retention has become the central focus. Sixty percent of clients using medication report fear of losing muscle, and half of trainers confirm seeing a decline in tone and strength. Many describe these clients as smaller but softer, the result of rapid fat loss paired with reduced lean mass.
This new reality is also shifting how professionals approach program design. Trainers are emphasizing resistance training and protein optimization, while studios are developing classes that prioritize mobility and stability over high-intensity calorie burn.
Seventy-four percent of professionals surveyed said they expect to work more closely with healthcare providers as medication use expands. Collaboration across fitness and medical sectors is increasingly seen as essential to ensure safe, effective outcomes for clients.
Fantigrassi said the change requires new skills. “Clients are coming to our professionals with a new, urgent fear: ‘Am I losing essential muscle mass?’ This challenge goes beyond physical training and enters the realm of behavioral change and holistic health.”
In response, NASM has expanded its continuing education portfolio with offerings like Understanding Weight Loss Medications, aimed at giving fitness professionals science-based tools to guide clients responsibly. The organization also highlights its Certified Wellness Coach and Nutrition Coach programs as key resources for addressing the psychological and nutritional needs of this evolving client base.
“It also underscores the vital role of our Certified Wellness Coaches and Nutrition Coaches, who are uniquely equipped to guide clients on the mental, habitual, and nutritional aspects of this profound lifestyle change,” Fantigrassi said.
As more clients experience dramatic body changes through medication, the industry is being pushed to adapt its definition of progress. In today’s market, the measure of success is shifting from pounds lost to strength maintained.
