Strength training for weight loss in Vancouver
Built to keep your muscle while the weight comes off. Coached 1-on-1, with a registered dietitian in the same building.
The scale cannot tell fat from muscle. Your program can.
When weight comes off, some of it is muscle. Lifting through the loss, at a pace you can hold, is how you keep it. The research is below.
How it works
Lose the weight, keep the engine
- Lifting, every session
- Strength work through the whole loss, so your body has a reason to hold on to its muscle.
- A pace you can hold
- Around 0.5 to 1% of your body weight a week, the range the research favours for keeping muscle. Faster is not better.
- Food, with a dietitian
- Our registered dietitian sets protein and a plan around how you actually eat, in the same building, booked separately.
- Measured, not guessed
- Point Zero records where you start, and every set after it is logged in the Vanguard app.
On GLP-1 medication
The medication changes how much you eat. It does not lift for you.
In the trials, roughly a quarter to two fifths of the weight lost on GLP-1 medication was lean tissue. Strength training is the tool we have for keeping it. If you want to talk about the medication itself, our naturopathic doctor offers GLP-1 consultations in the same building, booked separately. Your coach does not give medical advice.
The research
What the research says about losing weight and keeping muscle
Six papers, each one linked. They are why the training looks the way it does.
Sardeli, Komatsu, Mori et al., 2018 · Nutrients
Meta-analysis · 6 randomised trials · older adults with obesity
Adding resistance training to a calorie-restricted diet prevented about 93% of the lean mass the diet alone took, with similar fat loss.
Read the paper by Sardeli, 2018 (opens in a new tab)Murphy, Koehler, 2022 · Scand J Med Sci Sports
Meta-analysis and meta-regression
Eating in a deficit shrank the lean mass people gained from lifting, but not the strength they gained.
Read the paper by Murphy, 2022 (opens in a new tab)Garthe, Raastad, Refsnes et al., 2011 · Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab
Randomised trial · n = 24 athletes · lifting four times a week
Both groups lost about 5.5% of body weight. Losing 0.7% a week, the slower group gained 2.1% lean mass; losing 1.0% a week, the faster group lost 0.2%.
Read the paper by Garthe, 2011 (opens in a new tab)Helms, Aragon, Fitschen, 2014 · J Int Soc Sports Nutr
Evidence-based recommendations
Lose about 0.5 to 1% of body weight a week to keep the most muscle. A recommendation drawn from the evidence, not a trial of its own.
Read the paper by Helms, 2014 (opens in a new tab)Wilding, Batterham, Calanna et al., 2021 · N Engl J Med
Randomised trial, STEP 1 · body-scan group n = 140
On semaglutide, lean mass was about 39% of the fat and lean tissue lost. A body scan counts water and organs as lean, so the muscle share is smaller.
Read the paper by Wilding, 2021 (opens in a new tab)Look, Dunn, Kushner et al., 2025 · Diabetes Obes Metab
Randomised trial, SURMOUNT-1 · body-scan group n = 160 · 72 weeks
On tirzepatide, about 75% of the weight lost was fat and 25% lean, the same split as on placebo.
Read the paper by Look, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Research describes groups of people, not you. None of it is a promise about your results, and none of it replaces advice from your doctor or prescriber.
The specifics
What it costs, and where
- Format
- 1-on-1, or 2-on-1 with a partner. A coach for every set, never a class.
- Session
- 50 minutes.
- Price
- $126 to $147 a session, GST included. The rate depends on how often you train and whether you choose month-to-month or a year.
- First session
- Point Zero. An hour with a coach, free, with nothing to join.
- Where
- 420 West Hastings, Suite 200, a block from Gastown. Second floor, about 18 stairs, no elevator.
- Hours
- Monday to Friday 6am to 8pm. Saturday 8am to 6pm. Closed Sunday.
- Recovery
- Infrared sauna at 45 to 65°C and cold plunge at 3 to 7°C, included with training.
- Benefits
- Many lifestyle spending accounts reset on 31 December. Training often qualifies. Check your plan.
Updated . Signed by Maria, Owner and Master Coach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your first session
Start with Point Zero
An hour with a coach. Nothing to pay and nothing to join.