ISSA and cult.fit Partner and Set Global Standard for Science-Backed Fitness Education in India

ISSA has partnered with cult.fit, India’s largest fitness brand, to certify 750 fitness professionals through ISSA’s GLP-1 Certification program, expanding access to evidence-based education for cult’s trainers across the country.

This preferred education partnership makes ISSA the official training provider for cult.fit, equipping the brand’s personal trainers and coaches with evidence-based knowledge on GLP-1 medications, metabolic health, and responsible client support. The strategic collaboration aims to raise professional standards and ensure cult.fit’s trainers are prepared to meet the growing demand for informed, science-backed weight-management coaching in the Indian fitness market.

As cult.fit’s preferred education partner, ISSA will also deliver Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) education and additional advanced specializations, establishing a unified, science-backed standard for trainer education across the brand.

Elevating Fitness Education in a Fast-Growing Market

India’s fitness industry is expanding at a rapid pace. Recent Deloitte report projects that the country’s fitness market will more than double by 2030, with annual revenue growing ~15% year-over-year. Gym and studio memberships are expected to soar from 12.3 million in 2024 to over 23 million by 2030, yet this still represents less than 2% of India’s population, signaling vast untapped potential. As per the report, only around 0.6–0.8% of Indians are currently engaged in organized fitness activities, compared to 20%+ in Western countries. This low penetration underscores both the challenge and opportunity: while the current penetration of organized fitness activities is low in India, a growing middle class and rising health awareness are driving fitness into the mainstream.

cult.fit has been at the forefront of the Indian fitness market, building a nationwide ecosystem of gyms, group classes, and digital offerings. With hundreds of training centers across India and over a million members achieving habit-forming fitness routines, cult.fit is at the forefront of making fitness accessible and fun. However, as the industry expands, there is a pressing need to ensure that fitness professionals are properly qualified to guide and support the influx of new participants. The need for qualified professionals is outpacing supply in India’s wellness sector, a gap that ISSA and cult.fit are determined to fill. 

As the industry scales, foundational education becomes non-negotiable. Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) programs provide the scientific base trainers need, covering anatomy, physiology, movement mechanics, and client safety, while advanced specializations allow coaches to responsibly address emerging health and performance needs. This structured, science-backed education model reflects global best practices and is central to ISSA’s role as cult.fit’s exclusive education partner. By leveraging ISSA’s 37+ years of global expertise, this partnership will empower Indian personal trainers with world-class certification and knowledge tailored to the local context.

Addressing India’s Weight-Management Challenge

Alongside the fitness boom, India is grappling with escalating rates of obesity and diabetes. The country is facing an epidemic of diabetes and obesity, which experts warn could become India’s biggest health crisis by 2030. A recent Lancet study found over 180 million Indian adults were overweight or obese in 2021, and that number could reach 450 million by 2050. Already, India has an estimated 212 million adults with diabetes, over a quarter of the world’s diabetes cases. This surge in lifestyle-related health issues has made effective weight management a national priority.

At the same time, new medical solutions for weight loss have begun transforming the landscape of wellness. In the past year, GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, originally developed to treat diabetes, have gained global fame for their dramatic weight-loss benefits. Drugs like Ozempic®, Wegovy®, and Mounjaro® (semaglutide and tirzepatide injections) are being hailed as game-changers in obesity treatment. India is no exception to this trend; since their introduction in 2025, demand for these appetite-suppressing GLP-1 “weight loss jabs” has surged across the country. In fact, within just 8 months of approval, Mounjaro became India’s top-selling drug, even outselling common antibiotics. Pharmaceutical companies are racing to enter the market: Novo Nordisk launched Ozempic in late 2025 at a competitive price, and domestic manufacturers are preparing more affordable generic versions as patents expire. Analysts predict India’s market for weight-loss drugs could skyrocket to $150 billion a year by the end of the decade if access widens.

This GLP-1 revolution presents exciting opportunities but also challenges. Health leaders caution that these injections are “not a magic pill” for India’s weight problems and must be used judiciously. Without proper guidance, patients on GLP-1 medications risk side effects, muscle loss, weight regain, or developing a false sense of security about their lifestyle. There is a clear need for educated fitness coaches who can provide the exercise, nutrition, and behavior change support that medication alone cannot offer. As one expert noted, GLP-1 users “need to rebuild habits, preserve muscle mass, stay active, and navigate emotional and physical shifts as their bodies change… that’s where [fitness professionals] come in”. ISSA’s partnership with cult.fit squarely addresses this need by arming trainers with the latest science and tools to support clients on GLP-1-based weight-loss journeys safely and effectively.

Empowering Trainers with GLP-1 Expertise

GLP-1 education represents one of several advanced areas where today’s fitness professionals must be prepared to operate with medical awareness, ethical boundaries, and evidence-based practice. To meet the modern weight-management challenge, ISSA has developed a specialized GLP-1 Weight Loss Support Training course for fitness professionals. This course, now being adopted across all cult.fit training academies, goes far beyond a basic nutrition or weight-loss certification. It focuses on how trainers can holistically support clients who are using GLP-1 medications for weight control, bridging the gap between medical treatment and healthy lifestyle habits. Students learn evidence-based strategies to become “GLP-1 Support Specialists,” including:

• Understanding GLP-1 Physiology: How GLP-1 agonist drugs (like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide) work in the body to affect appetite, blood sugar, and weight. Trainers gain a solid grasp of the science so they can answer client questions and dispel myths.

• Adaptive Exercise Programming: Techniques to modify workouts in response to medication side effects (such as nausea or low energy) and to emphasize muscle preservation while clients are losing weight. This ensures safe, effective training that complements the client’s medical plan.

• Behavior Change & Coaching Skills: Counseling methods to help clients build sustainable habits, improve their relationship with food, and stay motivated. Coaches learn to be accountability partners, guiding mindset shifts that prevent reliance solely on a “magic shot”.

• Client Communication & Scope of Practice: Guidelines for collaborating with healthcare providers and talking to clients about their medication without overstepping the trainer’s scope. The program provides conversation prompts and coaching do’s-and-don’ts so that trainers can confidently support clients through every phase of their weight-loss journey.

ISSA’s GLP-1 support certification essentially prepares fitness professionals to be the missing link for clients on medical weight-loss therapies. Medications like GLP-1s may be the thing that helps people change their lives but most clients on these medications are left without a roadmap and without the right support. With this training, a personal trainer or health coach can become that much-needed roadmap, providing the movement, nutrition, and accountability guidance that ensures clients don’t just lose weight, but truly improve their health. Importantly, the curriculum is grounded in compassionate, ethical coaching: it emphasizes meeting clients with understanding (many are battling lifelong weight issues) and upholding safety by working within a trainer’s professional scope. Armed with up-to-date knowledge on metabolic health and obesity management, ISSA-certified trainers are empowered to help clients navigate the GLP-1 era with confidence, credibility, and care.

ISSA & Cult.fit: Raising the Bar Together

The alliance between ISSA and cult.fit represents a significant investment in upskilling India’s fitness workforce for the future. Under this partnership, cult.fit has designated ISSA as its exclusive global education partner for Certified Personal Trainer education and advanced specializations, including GLP-1 Weight Loss Support. The immediate focus is on rolling out the GLP-1 Weight Loss Support course to cult.fit trainers across India, rapidly creating one of the world’s largest cohorts of coaches formally educated in GLP-1 support. These coaches will be uniquely equipped to offer informed guidance to the thousands of members coming through cult.fit’s gyms and digital platforms who are interested in modern weight-loss methods.

For cult.fit, known for its innovative approach to fitness, this collaboration aims to raise the bar for quality and consistency across its services. Cult.fit’s fitness centers already offer everything from yoga and HIIT classes to personal training and nutrition plans. Now, with ISSA’s curriculum integrated, members can trust that their coach or personal trainer is up-to-date on the latest in weight management science, including how to handle clients who are taking medications like Ozempic or Mounjaro. This adds a new dimension of credibility and safety to cult.fit’s offerings, setting it apart in a market where formal training for such topics is still catching up.

From ISSA’s perspective, partnering with India’s largest fitness brand aligns perfectly with its mission to “bring healthy living to 100 million people by 2030” through education. India, now the world’s most populous nation, is an exciting growth opportunity in fitness globally. By teaming up with cult.fit, ISSA accelerates its reach in India, helping standardize high-quality training nationwide. It ensures that as the industry grows, it does so on a foundation of qualified, career-ready professionals rather than misinformation or fads. Together, ISSA and cult.fit are not only certifying trainers; they are building a culture of continual learning and professional excellence. This will ultimately benefit Indian fitness consumers, who get access to world-class coaching for their weight-loss and wellness journeys.

As GLP-1 medications reshape how weight management is approached in India, the role of the fitness professional is evolving in real time. Trainers are no longer just programming workouts, they are helping clients navigate complex metabolic changes, long-term behavior shifts, and higher expectations for informed guidance. Through this partnership, ISSA and cult.fit are investing in the next phase of professional fitness education, one that prioritizes credibility, responsibility, and real-world application at scale. If you live in India and want to be part of our mission, connect with cult.fit to learn more.

Tami Nealy is the VP of Communications at the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), a global leader in online fitness certification. She oversees brand positioning, media relations, and strategic content across ISSA’s portfolio of health and wellness education brands. With more than 20 years of experience in public relations and brand storytelling, Tami specializes in translating industry trends into clear, actionable insights that support aspiring and ISSA-certified personal trainers, health coaches, and nutrition professionals in building successful wellness careers. She is also an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University where she teaches in the College of Business.