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Trainer Garett Reid recommends that people with diabetes begin exercise with a simple strength routine and focus first on learning how their blood sugar responds. The guidance calls for checking glucose before and after exercise, including two to four hours later; it is not a guarantee that the workout is safe for everyone.
Trainer Garett Reid has shared a beginner strength routine for people with diabetes, recommending that they use their first weeks of exercise to learn how their bodies and blood sugar levels respond. The advice, reported by Fit&Well, includes monitoring glucose before and after workouts; it does not establish that the routine is safe for every person with diabetes.
Reid, a trainer with wellness app BetterMe: Health Coaching, told Fit&Well that he typically starts clients with a straightforward strength workout. He said the initial goal should not be building muscle, but understanding how exercise affects an individual’s blood sugar. The report says the advice was reviewed by Neil Gibson, a senior physical activity adviser at Diabetes UK.
The routine is designed to use a small number of exercises working several muscle groups. Reid recommends two sets of eight to 12 repetitions per exercise, resting for 90 seconds between sets, and repeating the workout two to three times weekly for four weeks. The effort should remain manageable: the report says to finish each set feeling that three or four more repetitions would still be possible.
The listed exercises include squats, glute bridges, wall push-ups, a resistance-band bent-over row and a standing resistance-band overhead press. The source material cuts off during the instructions for the overhead press and does not include the sixth exercise Reid says the routine contains. Readers should not treat the supplied list as a complete set of exercise instructions.
The report recommends checking blood sugar before exercise, immediately afterward, and again two to four hours later to observe how levels change. Reid says that after a person understands their response, they can gradually raise the resistance or intensity. The source does not provide individualized glucose thresholds, medication guidance or a clinical assessment for deciding whether a particular person should follow the program.
Why Glucose Monitoring Is Part of the Plan
The guidance puts monitoring and gradual adaptation ahead of fitness targets. That matters because a workout can affect people differently, and the report specifically advises tracking glucose at several points rather than relying only on how someone feels during a session. The approach may help readers notice their own response, but the article does not report clinical trial results showing that this particular routine prevents blood sugar changes or complications.
Reid’s suggestion is a general starting framework, not a personalized exercise prescription. People’s health circumstances and treatment plans differ, and the material does not explain how to interpret glucose readings or respond to a high or low result. Anyone considering a new exercise plan should discuss individual precautions with a qualified health professional, especially if they have been given specific instructions about activity or blood sugar management.
The practical details may also make the advice easier to apply: the routine uses body-weight movements and resistance bands, with modest volume and rest between sets. But the source excerpt is incomplete, so it cannot support a claim that readers have all six exercises or complete instructions needed to reproduce Reid’s full program.
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Reid’s Four-Week Starting Approach
Reid told Fit&Well that he generally favors introducing strength training because, in his experience, many people have low muscle mass and do not regularly lift weights. He said increasing muscle over time may support glycogen storage. He also described strength training as a way to improve insulin sensitivity and cardio as a way to improve muscle function; these are Reid’s explanations in the report, not findings demonstrated there by a study of this workout.
His proposed first month is intentionally repetitive: keep the same sets and repetitions from session to session while observing the body’s response. The report says that once a person has a clearer understanding of how their glucose responds, they can gradually increase weight or intensity. Reid’s suggested progression is to move toward ending sets with about two repetitions left in reserve, rather than increasing effort immediately.
Fit&Well also reports that BetterMe has launched a series of workouts for people with diabetes in collaboration with Diabetes UK. The source material does not give a launch date, program details or Diabetes UK’s specific review process beyond noting that Gibson reviewed the advice in the report.
“Your first month, don’t even worry about building muscle. In my opinion, you need to learn how your body reacts to the training.”
— Garett Reid, trainer with BetterMe: Health Coaching, speaking to Fit&Well
Who Can Safely Use This Routine
The report does not establish that the workout is safe for every person with diabetes. It provides no clinical study, participant data, glucose thresholds, medication-specific advice or details on how to adjust activity when readings change. Reid’s recommendations are attributed to a trainer; they should not be read as a diagnosis or individualized medical guidance.
The source excerpt also ends partway through the overhead-press instructions. Although Reid is quoted as recommending six exercises, only five are named in the supplied material, and a complete description of the final exercise is absent. The report therefore does not provide enough information here to reconstruct the full routine.
It is also unclear what specific precautions BetterMe’s diabetes workout series contains, how Diabetes UK contributed to that series, or whether the routine has been evaluated for particular groups or health conditions. The available information gives no date for the program launch or Fit&Well report.
Monitoring Before Progressing
Reid’s stated next step for someone beginning the routine is to repeat the same manageable session for four weeks while recording blood sugar before exercise, immediately afterward and two to four hours later. He suggests increasing resistance or intensity only after the person has learned how their body responds. The source does not specify what readings should prompt someone to stop, change the workout or seek help.
Further details would be needed to assess the full workout, including the missing sixth exercise and complete overhead-press instructions. The report also does not provide a schedule for future updates to BetterMe’s diabetes-focused workout series. Readers should seek advice from a qualified health professional about personal exercise precautions and glucose monitoring before using a general routine as a plan.
Key Questions
What is the workout advice?
Trainer Garett Reid recommends starting with a manageable strength routine, using two sets of eight to 12 repetitions and 90 seconds of rest between sets. The supplied source lists squats, glute bridges, wall push-ups, a banded row and an overhead press, but it is incomplete and does not show the full six-exercise routine.
How often does Reid recommend doing it?
The report says Reid recommends repeating the routine two to three times per week for four weeks, keeping the same sets and repetitions at first.
When does the report say to check blood sugar?
It recommends checks before exercise, immediately afterward, and two to four hours later. The report does not give glucose thresholds or instructions for responding to particular readings.
Does this mean the routine is safe for everyone with diabetes?
No. The report presents a trainer’s general recommendation, not proof that the workout is suitable for every person. Individual exercise precautions should be discussed with a qualified health professional.
What is missing from the workout description?
The supplied source text ends during the overhead-press instructions. It mentions a six-exercise workout but names only five exercises in the material provided, so the complete routine cannot be confirmed from this excerpt.
Source: rss
