The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) is one of the most widely held personal-training credentials in the United States, and it has certified fitness professionals for more than 35 years. When you see "NASM-CPT" after a trainer's name, it means they've passed an accredited certification in exercise programming and technique — a useful signal when you're choosing someone to guide your training.
Why it matters on a GLP-1
The weight you lose on a GLP-1 isn't automatically fat — some of it is lean muscle, and muscle is the tissue that helps hold up your metabolism and keeps you strong and mobile. Resistance training plus adequate protein is the most effective way to protect it while you lose weight. Getting that training right — the right exercises, the right progression, done safely — is exactly where a qualified trainer helps, especially if strength work is new to you.
NASM is relevant here in two ways:
- Finding a qualified trainer. An NASM certification is a way to check that a personal trainer has met a recognized standard, rather than relying on the title alone.
- Education on weight-loss medications for trainers. NASM offers a course called Understanding Weight Loss Medications, which covers GLP-1s alongside other weight-loss drugs. It's also included within a broader Weight Loss Specialization that spans a range of other obesity-focused topics — so trainers can learn the particulars of coaching clients who are eating far less and need to preserve muscle.
How to use it
Use nasm.org to understand what the credential means and, if you're a fitness professional, to explore its weight-loss-medication education (the Understanding Weight Loss Medications course and the broader Weight Loss Specialization). If you're a patient, treat "NASM-certified" as one useful marker when picking a trainer — and pair that trainer with your medical team (and ideally a registered dietitian) so your strength plan fits the rest of your GLP-1 care.
This is an external organization; glp1.how isn't affiliated with NASM. Certification signals training standards, not medical qualification — decisions about your treatment stay with your clinician.