Is there any point to working pre-T, especially as it's almost impossible for me to do any cardio seeing as I'm not allowed out of the house at the minute. I know that I should be doing some form of exercise due to my depression and for my physical health as well, and my best friend suggested it to me this morning/afternoon as something for me to get out of bed (these last few days I've barely been out of bed before it got dark again). Obviously this isn't a good way to live, but I can't see the point in getting up.
Would there be any point in me doing what I could to work out even though I can't do much, if any, cardio, and would I see any results pre-T. I can't face doing anything and not seeing any results at all.
Yes.
I have terrible upper body strength, but I found that while my muscle definition didn't explode and my shoulders didn't morph into the perfect shape, I feel better about myself. I can lift more than I used to and I can tell I am stronger, even if my muscles are not as big as they would be on T. I do have more definition than before though, and that has been a huge confidence boost for me. It's also a good idea, I think, to get into a habit of working out if you plan to try and build muscle later on. I don't do a lot of cardio because I have a messed up knee from a high school wresting accident, so I just use a body ball as a chair and I usually find myself bouncing on it. After a while I can work up a sweat while still playing a game, watching a movie or goofing off on the net.
But doing something physical also helps to stave of deep depression. Up here in the frozen hell the winters are long and we usually only get about 3 hours of daylight a day, assuming it is not cloudy outside. Exercising has helped me to stay active and positive, rather than curling up under my blankets and sleeping all winter.
I've always loved how strength training made me feel.
First time I ever did it was in a gym class in freshman year and I was instantly hooked to the feeling it gave me both during and after the session. It boosts testosterone naturally and also releases endorphins & adrenalin - nowadays, there's no better pick me up than an intense workout.
Unfortunately, I didn't consistently lift weights through out high school, but ended up seriously picking it up about three months prior to starting HRT. It did help, especially when it came to not being incredibly sore and out of shape. My gains were a lot more massive after starting testosterone, but staying in shape in general definitely has a point to it.
Another problem that I have is that I only have access to a pair of 5kg dumbells, and I would get a lot of stick from my parents if they found out what I was doing, they're not healthy at all and they would laugh at me if I tried to do something like this. When I was allowed to go out and they knew that I went running it was bad enough. I can find some time when they're not around to use those, and have tried occasionally, but I don't really know what I need to be doing.
I know that I can be doing press ups as well, and I do have a beam which I've attempted to do pull ups on, but my max reps has only ever been two if I'm lucky.
I want to give this a go, because it seems the perfect thing for me to do, get slightly healthier, maybe ease some dysphoria, get me out of bed, and exercise is the only thing which I can try and do to help my problems with depression, I'm just very lost where to start.
I know how you feel. I can't afford a gym, and depression sucks. Not to mention we can only afford frozen meals right now and stress it maxing out. But exercise will help. You can use books as weights, and I've been moving boxes due to us moving. It isn't the gym but at night or whenever you go to bed or whenver you want, stack some books and maybe tied them with rubber bands or string, and lift them. Do it laying down or whatever. It will help some, and its better than nothing. (cases of soda are good too lol)
Quote from: Logan Erik on December 19, 2011, 03:11:33 PM
Jason, was it easier to burn fat too? once you started T? I know building muscle and burning fat go hand in hand, just wondering about metabolism changes.
If you eat about the same amount after starting T as you did pre-T and do weight training, then yes, it's easier to burn fat. It's a bit hard to do so as T more often than not increases your appetite - luckily that hasn't been the case with me thus far. Also, starting T sort of a weird case in that typically it's VERY VERY hard to both lose fat and gain muscle, as losing fat requires less calories in than calories out and vice-versa for growing muscle. With T, your body will be creating new muscle no matter what (though obviously at varying rates - if you work out in the beginning you'll see a lot more change than if you didn't work out at all), so your metabolism will go up and likely use stored fat for the energy to create new muscle and to account for the new higher metabolism. I don't know all the exact scientific details, but this is what I've experienced and based of the little I've read on this. My boyfriend (a cisguy) is really muscular and into working out for years so he's guided me quite a bit in all of this.
Sorry, I didn't mean to derail. Working out pre-T is TOTALLY worth it. It'd get me out of the house/bed and even though I didn't see as great as results as I'm seeing now on T, some do exist! It made me feel pretty awesome too because I did see my body change. If you're stuck at home with very limited options for weights, I'd actually recommend doing yoga. You don't really need anything for it other than ideally owning a yoga mat. It may not get you bulky like lifting, but it does work your core quite a bit, makes you more flexible, have more control over your body and is great for depression and relaxing.
Yes there is a point of work out pre T. You don't need to leave the house to get exercise. You don't even need anything. Jump an imaginary rope or run up and down steps if you want cardio. Your body weighs more than 5kg, use its weight to get stronger. If you not strong enough to do one of whatever exercise you're trying, jus the attempt will make you stronger. Hold the push up position until you can't anymore without losing form. Instead of trying to pull yourself up on the beam jump up and try to lower yourself as slow as you can. Just keep quite so your folks don't give you grief. Over sleeping isn't good for you. Work on resetting your body clock and try to eat right.
I feel your pain on this one, Adam...my family gives me schtick if I even eat one healthy meal. Likely because certain ones are jealous that they've tried be healthy and have lost no weight or improved their habits long-term.
Sorry I have nothing useful to contribute, just offering my understanding. It sucks.
If you like listening to music, dancing is awesome cardio (300-400 calories an hour plus it's fun so you don't think about it as exercising). I've been dancing with a group for almost 8 years now (however it's only one sometimes two days a week), but I find myself doing my dances more and more at home lately. With my work schedule I'm not home long enough to go outside and do anything while it's still light out so being able to do them in my living room or kitchen (my room is too small) is helpful. It also helps build leg/calf muscles. Just a suggestion :)
Of course there's a point to working out pre-T. Testosterone isn't what gets you in shape.
Any exercise is better than no exercise, no matter if you're male or female-bodied or which hormone is dominant in your system. Come up with a consistent routine and a good eating plan and you'll see results. That's all there is to it.
If you have privacy and your own room, there are workout DVDs you could use. A lot of people, more than you might think, run into problems like what you've described--that is, being mocked by family/roommates/unfit people. This is because they might see your effort to improve yourself as a personal attack on them--they don't want to get in shape, so they try to stop you from doing it too. So either work around it and do it in privacy, or tell them to back off; whichever one works. But if it's something you truly want to do, you'll find a way to do it.
Logan -
I wouldn't say it was easier to burn fat since T slows down your metabolism (or so I've been told), but being capable of being more active and having the ability to sweat more while doing so certainly helps with staying in shape & building nice abs.
:]
Quote from: JasonRX on December 19, 2011, 09:14:52 PM
Logan -
I wouldn't say it was easier to burn fat since T slows down your metabolism (or so I've been told), but being capable of being more active and having the ability to sweat more while doing so certainly helps with staying in shape & building nice abs.
:]
Actually, that's untrue. Testosterone administered to cis men has been shown to increase their metabolism - it's likely to be true for trans male folk as well. Plus, since testosterone increases your muscle mass, that also increases metabolism, though that is something that gets built up over time. Testosterone also makes it a bit harder for your body to store fat, so there's that too.
Weston -
I weighed myself today. I've gained 10lbs in body mass since about a month and a half ago. I'm glad to know that this is mostly muscle mass since I work out a lot - but yeah, you put on muscle a lot quicker. I'm not sure about fat, but your gut area will become a lot more visible if you don't work out and that can be a lot more noticeable. Even if you don't put on weight, the fat redistribution will ultimately make your midsection look a lot "chubbier" than it was before since the fat will be shifting from places such as your thighs, highs, breasts (minimally), and buttocks to mainly one central area.
Thanks guys, I'm going to try and make some changes to my habits and try and work out a bit. Definitly get out of bed more, I actually managed to get up before it got dark today!