Retired bodybuilder Dave Palumbo addressed the growing use of GLP-1 agonists during his appearance on the Trensparent podcast.
When asked what has changed most significantly in bodybuilding pharmacology in recent years, Palumbo pointed directly to GLP-1 treatments as a major development.
“Probably the most monumental thing that’s come out over the last couple years would be the GLP-1 agonists,” he said. “They seem to be really good for people who like to ch*at on their diet and have appetite issues. I think that’s a game changer for a lot of bodybuilders who just don’t have the willpower to not ch*at. And so I think that we’re seeing a lot of people using those.”
He then compared them to a far more dangerous appetite-control method that circulated in earlier bodybuilding eras. “Guys in the 90s used to use Nubain for that purpose,” Palumbo explained. “Nubain just numbed you so you weren’t hungry. Problem is it was ad*ictive and it’s an opiate. So not a good thing to become ad*icted to, but it worked the same way.”
While acknowledging their usefulness during contest preparation, Palumbo drew a clear line against continuous use.
“Here’s the problem I have with the GLPs,” he said. “People want to stay on it all year round and it really does slow the transit of nutrients through the intestinal tract. It slows your digestive tract down. So you’re not going to be able to recover as quickly, and I really believe it will inhibit your ability to grow in the offseason.”
He went on to outline how he believes athletes should approach the treatments strategically rather than habitually.
“You shouldn’t take it in the offseason,” he said. “Save it for the contest prep. As a matter of fact, I would save it for the last maybe 8 to 10 weeks of contest prep if you can do it. That’s when you start getting hungry. I don’t think it should be used as a crutch all the time because I think it’s going to ultimately negate some of the bodybuilding advantages of nutrient.”
Palumbo also tied his argument to a core bodybuilding principle: rapid nutrient delivery after training.
“Think about it, everyone’s so preoccupied with post-workout nutrition,” he said. “‘I got to get the stuff in fast.’ Well, you want to get the stuff in fast. You don’t want to be on a GLP-1 agonist. That’s not the right thing to do.”
Expanding on the biological mechanism behind his concern, he emphasized how these treatments alter digestion speed. “It slows the f**k out of absorption rates of food in the intestinal tract,” Palumbo said. “It takes the motility that’s normally moving at a certain pace and can cut it in half almost. That’s why you feel satiated so long, because the food is taking longer to be absorbed. I don’t think you want to do that in the offseason. My spidey sense says it’s not good for muscle growth.”
He also raised a practical risk for competitive bodybuilders who already consume extremely high volumes of food daily. “You don’t want to back up all that food,” he warned. “You can get blockages in the intestinal tract. You don’t want to do that. That’s a nightmare.”
Palumbo closed with a summary of who he believes benefits most from the d**gs. “For you fatties, it works great,” he said.
