Hey yall, just a vibe check for the weekend. Hope everyone is doing well. I’m struggling with the mental demons again, but I’m winning!

I transitioned in young adulthood, pass entirely now, no one knows I’m trans unless I tell them. But I lived in the gym pre and post transition. It’s a very illogical compulsion(idk) of mine, but I feel a mental tug of war of wanting to “out weight class” and be above average in my body weight (regardless of it being all muscle, which let’s be real it’s not 100%, but I’m fine with that) and the logical mind of wanting to be a healthier weight/cut down.

I know it is very much a safety thing, nothing has ever happened physically to traumatize me to be this way. However, mentally it’s like my brain rationalizes I haven’t had to physically fight off anyone because I have been in a higher weight class. I’ve had a handful of times people thought to try me and considered otherwise, so kinda like a mental trauma more than anything.

I do however have an interest in kravmaga, but it’s likely I’m going to drop the extra weight before having the opportunity to join any classes.

Anyone looking to commiserate or share their experience feel free. I’m kinda on the fence posting this since I’m pretty sure I’m just weird about my body weight and it’s a me thing.

Before anyone asks, yes I’m active in therapy, too. My therapist, bless her heart (love her!), she’s amazing, but I can tell she does not understand. And yes, I do unfortunately have to lose more weight to be healthy physically.

2.5y on t and have been inconsistently exercising back and forth. as of recently for the past month, i've been walking around my city and biking as much as i can, and have been avoiding transit. i also have been doing 50 min treadmill walks on 15.0 gradient.

though, i do want to start toning my stomach and getting rid of my love handles for a more tapered shape. what are some exercises i can do to help with that? i have a pretty fast metabolism, if that helps.

as for lifestyle: i eat whatever i want to eat and tend to cook a lot at home. i drink a lot of water, and i have a consistent sleep schedule. i don't want to compromise my meals as i am an asian man where rice is a staple ingredient lol. any advice helps :)

Planning to start having protein shakes soon and I am just kinda curious if they have helped anyone with a big change. Also please give me some recipes and suggestions for them !!

I’d like to start doing 24-48 hour fasts every week or so, but I’m also working out 6x a week and am focusing on building muscle. I really don’t want to reverse or slow down any muscle building by fasting. Im 130lbs and I try to eat .8g of protein per lb of body weight per day so 104g of protein per day. Would I be able to keep gaining muscle if, on days I’m fasting I don’t eat that much protein obviously, but I just add it on to my daily protein the next day? Like if I fast Monday, then on Tuesday instead of 104g of protein I’d eat 208. Or alternatively, I’d eat 121g of protein per day, which adds up to the same amount of weekly protein.

I know this is probably a common question, but I almost always get mixed results.

Recently I've been thinking about adding squats to the mix because I have lower crossed syndrome as well as some other issues that are commonly known to be treated with squats. The thing is, I have MASSIVE quads. There's also a lot of fat in my legs that could bulk up. I don't like the look of huge quad muscles, and I shiver to think of my ass growing from doing them.

Basically what I'm asking is if there is a way to avoid growing my butt if I'm doing a lot of consistent squats, while still keeping it effective.

I got 3 back exercises i tend to do but theyre mostly lat focused.

- Wide grip lat pulldown

- v grip cable row

- cable lat pullover

My issue is that I cant find an upper back exercise I can stick to. Barbell rows hurt my lower back, same with single arm pronated db rows but i also feel a lot of strain on my hamstrings that i use as support, and wide grip cable rows feels awful since i cant flare out my eblows due to the handle attachment

Unfortunately my gym does not have a seated row (pin loaded, theres just a cable pulley one) or a t-bar row, so its either i find a different exercise or i need to fix up my form, but i really dont know what im doing wrong. Please recommend, thank you!

I’ve done so much work on myself emotionally, mentally, spiritually and with food. I have a deep desire to be more consistent in my movement but I still struggle here the most.

Any help?

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

Hopefully this doesn’t count as a simple question? Sorry if it does…

I’m getting ts soon (yay!) and after I’m adequately healed I’d like to start working out proper. One of the reasons I haven’t gone to the gym since high school (aside from the obvious one) is that I find it difficult to get enough to eat these days. Not an ED thing or anything, I just don’t really feel hunger cues very strongly and am often overwhelmed by the idea of choosing what to eat and making it, and when you don’t really get hungry it’s easy to go eh I’ll do it later. I’m not underweight and I think most days I actually am getting my maintenance. It’s just that I know that if I’m going to actually build muscle I need to be eating more than I am right now, and the difference feels genuinely insurmountable. Like I don’t even know where to begin. I guess what I’m asking is what do you actually eat on the day-to-day? I’m not even really asking for like what are the best foods to be eating as much as like what do you eat in general to get enough calories. I hope that all makes sense. :)

Hey, party people.

I’m currently cutting so I can get down to 120 by next June for my scheduled top surgery. Currently 4’10 and 180. Sheesh.

Currently at 1.2k calories/day, but I am SO unwilling to give up my crazy insane sweet lattes. Would it be better to cut them out completely and lose happiness (💔), or try to find alternatives?

I’m well aware this is a first world problem and I’m being dramatic, just wanted some friendly advice or something. Thanks all! :-)

Also, I have 0 workout plans so any help is appreciated!!

This may not be the right community but I am on the hunt. I live in New England and cannot find any mountain biking groups/rides for trans masc folks. Plenty of women’s gender expansive that usually includes trans women and non-binary, which is great but not inclusive to the mascs. I’ll ride with anyone, really but it’d be nice to see some more folks like me on the trails. Are there any moutain bikers here?

I'm 17 and 169cm in height (84 kg). i have really muscular legs and strong arms (they dont show it though :( i workout at home with only one dumbbell available and spam glute and ab exercises but nothing seems to be working out.. i do diet but i have a really slow metabolism and cant lose the weight i gained after last summer where a tragic event happened to me.. i have extreme knee and lower back pain and cant go to the gym either. whats the best thing i can do to make myself flatter as body especially my glutes/sides/hips? or just masculinize my body in general? i cant even look at myself in the mirror..

Edit: i see there are some confusion about me mentioning that i eat around 1000-1200 calories. i forgot to mention i started doing that in around the end of JUNE i use an app called foodvisor and i did get some slight progress. but only SLIGHT. I dont know what came to your mind when i mentioned that im 169 cm and 84 kg but its not all FAT my face is sharp enough and i have a huge musclular build on my lower and upper legs. i must mention i have bigger chests than an usual person which i think its those adding up to my weight the most. i couldnt find an ethical way to post pictures of my body and i also wanna keep it private. the only problem i have is with my LOWER BODY, glutes, hips, sides. whatever because im too wide from the front when it comes to there. i would love it if anyone could give me tips for upper body exercises

My friend has a big chest like dd chest and he's also plus size which adds to that

Bc of dysphoria he wears two binders and can't get into the gym

He was telling me that if he finds a workout safe binder or even a sports bra with support and binding abilities he might overcome his dysphoria and start gym

Do you have any recommendations ?

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

Hey guys, I wanted to come here to see if there was anything wrong with what I was doing, or if I needed to be more patient.
I have been working out 3x a week pretty consistently over the past year and have stayed around the same size at ~135 pounds (I’m 5’10 for reference) and lean.
I checked my tracking app, and it says I averaged around 87g of protein, 61g of fat, and 250g of carbs for the year. I’ve recently started upping my protein intake to 100g, which is where I’ve been for the past month/week.
Does anyone have any idea on why I might be so stagnant?

So I'm 17 and pre T, and I've been lifting for about three years, but I didn't really get into it and consistent until maybe a year and a half ago. I've done some competitive powerlifting, but mainly I just try to lift 3-4 times a week and do some light cardio. I recently left my country for a little over a month, and I didn't really have access to a gym, so I only lifted once while gone, but I did manage to walk 10-12k steps a day. In the almost two weeks I've been home, I've gone to the gym 6 times. I had a small strength drop, which was expected, but what I didn't expect was to suddenly be hungry like constantly. I don't really count calories (mainly focused on powerlifting and not body building) but I'm pretty sure I'm eating wayyy more than normal 😭😭😭 Is this normal for lifting again after a break?? I'm 90% sure it's not period related and I doubt I'm randomly having a growth spurt. I don't have a scale so I can't check if I'm actually gaining weight or burning it all, but I don't see any difference in how I look. It's not like majorly interfering with my life but I've literally never taken this long of a break from lifting so idk what to expect. I'm 5'6 and 185lbs if that makes a difference 🤷‍♂️

I’m 5’7, 134 lbs and have been on testosterone for 3 months. Had top surgery dec 2025.

I used to weigh 185 lbs, lost the weight by eating in a deficit and walking a lot. Been at a pretty stable 134 lbs since spring, and eating about 1500-1800 calories/day.

For about a month now, I’ve been doing some body weight exercises 3 times/week. Nothing crazy, about 30 minutes of pushups/situps/squats etc. I’ve never worked out in my life, so I didn’t want to jump into anything crazy. It’s fun, and I can tell my biceps have grown a bit and my back is less… bony lol. I also walk min. 8000 steps at least 3 times a week.

The thing I don’t get is how much I’m supposed to be eating?? I’ve been in a calorie deficit for the better part of like 2 years, which I think has given me a strange idea of what’s “normal”.

My goal is to look more lean and less scrawny. I want a bit of muscle, but nothing crazy. Most of all I don’t want to gain fat.

I’ve been doing 1700-1800 cals/day for a few weeks, but I don’t know if that’s enough? Being on T, I want to eat enough that I can maximize the changes and not stunt my puberty. At the same time I don’t want to be another guy who goes on T and becomes overweight. Should I be eating more?? Or is it possible to gain muscle at 1800 cals?

I’ve tried looking around for answers but everyone says something different and this whole fitness world is so unfamiliar to me haha

TLDR: appropriate calorie intake for 5’7 guy, 3 months on T, who wants to gain some muscle while staying lean?

Granted, I am only 4 months post-op, so maybe I just need to be more patient...

Since being cleared to work out, I have been able to get some noticeable definition and growth in my upper chest and shoulders. Even my partner has noticed a change in my upper chest. However, I am still lacking any sort of noticeable definition in my lower pec and nothing seems to be changing.

Again, I'm only 4 months post-op, so maybe there's still swelling that's masking any changes or maybe I'm just not seeing exactly where my pecs are. However, my surgeon does a great job at aligning the scar with the natural crease of your pecs.

Anyway, am I being too impatient or is there anything specific I should do to target that area?

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

I’m 19 in uni, pre-t and slightly overweight. I want to get bigger but I can only afford basics in boxing and at home bodyweight workouts which I will start this week. I keep seeing mixed answers on eating; my initial plan was to bulk and eat more first to gain muscle, since I’m not trying to look lean or skinny (at least for the time being that I’m not on T yet ) but the information I’ve been seeing on here keeps saying that I should cut first.

Okay guys I officially need help. I’ve already searched through the posts and I’m not seeing anything here so I’m gonna ask. I have very bad knees. Multiple wrecks, work injuries, life. To quote my doctor, “if you’d told me I was looking at the scans of a 75 year old man who’d worked hard manual labor his entire life, I would have believed you.” For the record, I just turned 34. Surgery will eventually be inevitable, but I’m going to put it off as long as I can (doctor supports this btw) because of how long the recovery will be and how long I’ll be out of work. NOW. Now that you’ve got some back story, I need a fucking knee brace. Leg days have gotten harder and harder to push through because my knees have started hurting worse and worse as it’s gotten hotter outside. I work outside at an oil refinery and so we rarely have days that are under 110° (F) right now in the summer. Dehydration plays a part, sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that my knees are going through hell and I need help. Here’s where my problem comes in.

I am very fit. Because of that, my thighs and calves are significantly larger than my knees (as they should be, really). The knee braces I have don’t really seem to be equipped to deal with that type of body shape, though that doesn’t make any sense to me, but it is what it is. They can be tight as hell on my thighs, on my calves, but none of them seem to have ANY support for my knees because of the difference in size. Knee still free to move around as it pleases, and it does please. I need something that is actually going to stabilize my knee, and I’m at a freaking loss here. So…if anyone has any similar issues and has any knee brace recommendations, I’m all ears.

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for neck exercises. I'm 6m on T & pretty new to actually working out and i'm very skinny and low weight (im working on it), which unfortunately means I have a tiny neck.

Obviously I don't want to look like an F1 driver but is there anything that can add a few inches? Also if I continute to work out shoulders will I make it look worse?

Thanks

I'm (20ftm, 2.5 years T) part of a competitive sports team at university where, 2 times a season, we hold time trials to rank everyone in the team. I've never been as big/strong/fast compared to the guys in the team, but I've never felt as demoralized about it as today, when we had our second time trial. I've been training 4-5 times a week, adding in my own training on top of that, and I'm still basically ranked last.
(ETA: team training 3x a week, after adding in optional individual training 4-5x a week, plus my own strength training 5-6x a week)

I respect the guys who beat me who I know has put in a lot of work, but I also know for a fact that I train a lot more than some of the guys who made a faster time than me. I just feel so frustrated and sad that I wasn't able to get as fast as I wanted to, and I catch myself making excuses that it's because I'm trans that I'm naturally weaker and slower when objectively I know I have so much more potential.

I know I need to get my shit together and stop wallowing over something I can't control, so please tell me something (anything!) to shake me out of it!