At PerformX 2026, Matthew Januszek and Mohammed (Mo) Iqbal sat down with Dr. Hussain Al-Zubaidi — a GP, personal trainer, health coach, and one of the UK's leading educators on obesity management and GLP-1 medications — to address a topic that is moving faster than most operators have had time to think through: what do GLP-1 drugs mean for gyms, for members, and for the fitness industry's role in long-term health outcomes?

Recorded as Part 2 of a three-part PerformX series, the episode explores the distinction the hosts and Dr. Al-Zubaidi draw between weight loss and health gain — and why that distinction matters enormously for anyone building a fitness business in 2026. The conversation covers muscle preservation, body composition, behavioral change, and the opportunity for fitness facilities to become genuine frontline support for members navigating GLP-1 treatment.

What This Episode Covers

GLP-1 receptor agonists have rapidly become one of the most discussed topics in health and fitness, with use expanding across both the US and UK as access and awareness grow. As Matthew, Mo, and Dr. Al-Zubaidi discuss in this episode, the medications have demonstrated significant efficacy for weight reduction — but the discussion they convene centers on what the research and clinical experience suggest happens after treatment, including the risk of rapid weight regain and the role that muscle preservation and exercise may play in improving long-term outcomes. The 4–8x regain effect referenced in the episode's title reflects a concern discussed in the context of what happens when medication-driven weight loss is not supported by behavioral and physical interventions. This article reports the discussion; nothing here should be taken as medical advice, and anyone considering or currently using GLP-1 medications should consult their own healthcare provider.

LIFTS — the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories — is the weekly podcast co-hosted by Matthew Januszek and Mo Iqbal of SweatWorks, published at liftspodcast.com. Recording live at PerformX, one of the UK fitness industry's leading professional events, placed this conversation in the context of an industry already actively debating how to respond to GLP-1's rise. Matthew's perspective, shaped by decades building Escape Fitness into a global brand and now driving Escape Fitness USA's North American expansion, brings both an equipment operator's eye and a genuine curiosity about how the fitness industry can serve a broader health mandate.

Dr. Hussain Al-Zubaidi's background — spanning general practice, personal training, and health coaching — makes him an unusually well-positioned voice on this topic. He is able to speak to both the clinical realities of GLP-1 use and the practical, on-the-floor implications for coaches and operators working with members who are on these medications. The episode draws on that dual expertise to build a picture of what thoughtful, empathetic operator support for GLP-1 users could look like.

Key Moments from the Conversation

• Dr. Al-Zubaidi and the hosts frame the GLP-1 conversation around health gain rather than weight loss, arguing that the more important question for gym operators is not how much weight a member loses but whether their muscle mass, body composition, and long-term health trajectory are moving in the right direction.
• Muscle preservation is identified as a critical concern during GLP-1 treatment: the episode discusses how rapid weight loss without resistance training and adequate protein can result in loss of lean mass, and why gyms that understand this are positioned to offer genuinely valuable support to members on medication.
• The 4–8x regain effect referenced in the title is discussed in the context of what the hosts describe as a significant risk when medication is not paired with sustained behavioral and lifestyle interventions — and why fitness facilities have a direct role to play in reducing that risk.
• Dr. Al-Zubaidi explains that the NHS has been cautious about GLP-1 rollout partly due to resource constraints and the complexity of supporting patients through the full treatment journey, which creates a gap that well-prepared fitness facilities may be able to fill with appropriate coaching and programming support.
• The episode examines what gym operators should practically do to better support members using GLP-1s: it goes beyond generic wellness messaging to discuss empathy, confidence-building, non-judgmental coaching environments, and programming adjusted for members in different phases of treatment.
• Accessibility challenges around GLP-1 medications are addressed, with the panel noting that the gap between those who can access effective treatment and those who cannot raises equity questions that the fitness industry should be part of addressing — not ignoring.
• Micro-dosing, misuse, and industry risks get direct attention, with the discussion acknowledging that as GLP-1 use expands, operators will encounter members and even staff navigating these drugs in unsupervised or inappropriate contexts, and having informed coaches on the floor matters.

Why This Conversation Matters

For Matthew Januszek and Mo Iqbal, this episode represents LIFTS doing what it was built to do: getting ahead of a trend that will reshape operator strategy before most of the industry has formulated a response. At Escape Fitness USA, where Matthew is working to build out a North American presence with a next-generation understanding of what fitness facilities need to become, the intersection of medication, health, and gym-going is a strategic reality — not a peripheral concern.

Operators who engage seriously with the GLP-1 moment — who train their coaches, adjust their programming, and reposition their facilities as genuine partners in health outcomes rather than just exercise venues — are building something more durable than a gym membership business. They are building the kind of trusted institution that earns long-term loyalty from a population that is thinking about health in increasingly sophisticated ways.

▶  Watch the full episode on YouTube

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