Workout Fatigue Help!

[K8lyn22]

I’ve been taking Retatrutide for about two months now. I’ve been seeing great results. I understand I’m losing a some muscle because of my weight loss pace, which I’ve accepted. For background, I started micro-dosing 0.5mg/week and am up to 2mg/week split into 1mg Monday and Thursday. I’ve lost about 20 lbs so far.

My problem is, my workout (primarily strength training) stamina is taking a huge hit! I’d say I lift medium weight, but both weight and reps have probably decreased 15-20%. Is this normal? Are there any tips to try to minimize and mitigate?

Luckily my appetite suppression has been in a good spot where I think I am still eating enough protein (80-100g) and carbs for fuel. I read some earlier posts that diet helped, so I adjusted to see if that helped.

I’ve also gone down the research route of mitochondrial optimizers: SS-31, MOTS-C, and SLU-PP-332. I’ve also researched growth hormone peptides: Tesamorelin, Ipamorelin, CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin. I haven’t added anything, but I’m open to it, but I do tend to try to keep supplements to a minimum and try healthy lifestyle changes first whenever possible though.

It’d be great to hear others’ experiences and what worked for you! Appreciate it!

 

[chillybilly22]

Workouts and muscles like glycogen aka ready energy. Many people who never touch(ed) GLP-1 but were on diets like long-term low calories or Atkins/keto report a dropoff in their stamina as the body shifts (more) to burning fat for fuel.

Cycling was/is my primary cardio and I was batting out 15+ mi/day or 100 mi/week but after starting reta I definitely noticed a dropoff. In several instances I noticeably hit the wall and it was a chore to do 12 mi. Fortunately both pace and endurance seem to be creeping back up. It may sound strange - or be a placebo effect of sorts - but I feel like the energy is coming from a different, less intense source. I used to do a breakfast biscuit or a bagel with peanut butter before cycling - the carb rush was enjoyable and useful but the aftereffects were not.

'Give it time' seems to be one of the most common answers around here but I suppose it applies in this case. Let's bear in mind that the original purpose of muscles is to support the skeleton and facilitate movement so when the body loses mass it's not going to always spare 'the good parts.'

 

[vewdew34]

Yeah in the same boat here, yesterday I only lasted for 45 minutes at the gym and taking breaks, energy at the bottom tired all day after gym.
But I got my CJC-1295 + Ipa yesterday and will start my cycle today.

 

[Dogmandu]

Same here. Used to do 4 sets of hack squats. Yes, it's hard for sure, but with Reta, I hit a wall after 2 sets and go home humiliated.

This article helped sort things out for me: https://www.mostly-fat.com/2025/05/is-retatrutide-ketosis-in-a-vial/

Basically I had to eat carbs before workouts. As a pre diabetic, I am so used to avoiding carbs. But with a little extra carbs and water+electrolytes, I get thru my workouts now.

 

[K8lyn22]

Yeah in the same boat here, yesterday I only lasted for 45 minutes at the gym and taking breaks, energy at the bottom tired all day after gym.
But I got my CJC-1295 + Ipa yesterday and will start my cycle today.

Excited to hear how it goes! I started pricing that too and MOTS-C today.