As strong as a cisgender male?

[BearGuy]

I want to become both, a bodybuilder and a powerlifter. I'm 18, I just started T a month ago exactly. I've been working out for a while. While I can bench about 125-130lb, cisgender guys at my age can bench 350+. Some can hit 450.

I told my mom today that I feel like crap about this. She said: "You'll always remain a woman even on T. You'll always carry female blood. Your uterus and ovaries will never allow you the strength of a man. Even after years on T you'll still never compare to a real man in strength".

I hate when people let me down. Is any of what she said true at all? And on T, if I work out regularly, can I be as strong as a cisgender male? Or will my strength always be just above average for female?

[supremecatoverlord]

What she said is incorrect. I'm about as strong as most guys in my gym. I can bench the same amount that you can, but know that's because that's a realistic amount for someone who is starting out bodybuilding and isn't blessed with extremely lucky genetics.  I've also been on HRT for much longer than you have. My problem is more of that I avoided the bench for a long time, because I've always had no one to spot me and that scared me for a while because I'm a tiny guy. I've just recently gotten over it though.
You have testosterone pumping through you and yes, that will help you with bodybuilding, but being born with a body that naturally produces estrogen won't make you necessarily weaker than biomales. What you really should be considering is your genetics, your diet, and the type of workout you currently have when considering matters of strength.
Other than all of this, you should probably look into seeing a family therapist to get those issues with your mom sorted out though. She seems to have some issues with you transitioning, whether she openly admits to it or not.

[DeeperThanSwords]

Ignore her! She speaks from prejudice.

[aleon515]

AFAIK, there is no female "blood". I am guessing it is a way of saying that you have FAAB genetics (if you do). Keep in mind that you are very probably still in male puberty. I don't think a month on T will give you the full benefit of your body mass redistributing and some other advantages other's might get later.

Of course there are body builder women. Many of them are way stronger than the average cisman.

--Jay

[DeeperThanSwords]

AFAIK, there is no female "blood". I am guessing it is a way of saying that you have FAAB genetics (if you do). Keep in mind that you are very probably still in male puberty. I don't think a month on T will give you the full benefit of your body mass redistributing and some other advantages other's might get later.

Of course there are body builder women. Many of them are way stronger than the average cisman.

--Jay

Definitely. It sounds to me like she might benefit from more education on the subject.

[wheat thins are delicious]

What Jason said is right.  Your mother is wrong.  FWIW no cis men just go to the gym for the first time and can automatically 500 pounds.  That's just not how weightlifting works.

[DeeperThanSwords]

What Jason said is right.  Your mother is wrong.  FWIW no cis men just go to the gym for the first time and can automatically 500 pounds.  That's just not how weightlifting works.

Indeed. Evolution is slightly against women historically, but f*** it, it can be overcome!

[supremecatoverlord]

Indeed. Evolution is slightly against women historically, but f*** it, it can be overcome!

It's more of the fact that estrogen is less anabolic than testosterone, making it harder for women to build muscle and strength, but yes, as you said, not impossible. When your body is dominated by testosterone, as long as you have a decent frame for building muscle, you will start putting on muscle the way any man would.

[Adam (birkin)]

I'm sorry, but your mother's comment made me laugh out loud. I don't think the uterus has an awful lot to do with strength. I also want to know the difference between female blood and male blood.

In all seriousness though, T does allow you to develop muscles comparable to a cis male. There are FTM bodybuilders.

[Simon]

Your mom shows how she feels when she states you'll never have the strength of a REAL man. She's purposefully making you feel "less than". Ignore her...

[JessicaH]

I used to work out with weights and most adult US males will not be able to bench press 200lb without working out and working up to it. I probably never benched more than 255 lbs at age 18 and the most I ever bench pressed in my adult life is 325 lbs which only a small percentage of the population will ever do.

Most guys in the gym that are just massive and compete are taking T, and lots of it. They take HcG to keep their own system from shutting down and take far more T than docs will give FtM's. My guess is that the big guys in the gym have T levels between 800 and 1,200 .

[supremecatoverlord]

Simon, this is unrelated, but in attempt to brighten this topic ever so slightly, I just thought I'd say that I really like your new profile picture/icon. :3

[wheat thins are delicious]

It's more of the fact that estrogen is less anabolic than testosterone, making it harder for women to build muscle and strength, but yes, as you said, not impossible. When your body is dominated by testosterone, as long as you have a decent frame for building muscle, you will start putting on muscle the way any man would.

This.  It has nothing to do with things historically but instead scientifically.

[RagingShadow]

im not as strong as most guys my age (im 2.5 yrs on T and a junior in high school) but that's cuz im lazy and dont work out lol.

[Simon]

Simon, this is unrelated, but in attempt to brighten this topic ever so slightly, I just thought I'd say that I really like your new profile picture/icon. :3

Thanks Jason, I'm kinda obsessed with cats. Told my three how many moons/suns will pass before I return home from surgery...I'm strange, but they very well can't tell time with the clock now can they? lol

[BearGuy]

Thanks guys. It's just that I get let down so easy by anyone (it's a really bad thing).
When I was 16, I could bench about 145 because I was very into weightlifting, and for a female-bodied person I was very muscular. I was stronger than any female in my school of 2000+ people. Maybe I already had higher levels of T than other females?I grew muscle easy pre-T, but of course if I was born a male, by now I'd be huge - I can tell. 1 month on T and my girlfriend said my upper body looks huge (although strength gains were linear, just as they would be pre-T). I think it'd take me 3 months off-T to get results as I did in 1 month on T...hmm...

[insideontheoutside]

You also have to consider overall size. A lot of trans guys are in the 5'0" - 5'5" range. Once you've been on T for years AND training as a body builder no one would probably be able to tell the difference between you and a MAAB guy of the SAME SIZE. I think body building is kind of like boxing too where they have size divisions. So they wouldn't have a 6'3" bodybuilder competing in the same class as a 5'3" bodybuilder.

There's some guys I saw in the olympics this year that were about my size (5'2" - 5'3") competing. Just because you're small doesn't mean you can't have comparable strength to a 6'3" bodybuilder.

[DriftingCrow]

You can be as strong as cisguys, especially if you've been on T for awhile. I used to work banquets and I could lift trays as heavy as the guys could once I started lifting weights at home. I know banquet trays and actual weights are different, but with enough dedication you'll be able to lift as much as them.

[supremecatoverlord]

Thanks guys. It's just that I get let down so easy by anyone (it's a really bad thing).
When I was 16, I could bench about 145 because I was very into weightlifting, and for a female-bodied person I was very muscular. I was stronger than any female in my school of 2000+ people. Maybe I already had higher levels of T than other females?I grew muscle easy pre-T, but of course if I was born a male, by now I'd be huge - I can tell. 1 month on T and my girlfriend said my upper body looks huge (although strength gains were linear, just as they would be pre-T). I think it'd take me 3 months off-T to get results as I did in 1 month on T...hmm...

If you don't challenge a muscle enough, you're naturally going to lose some. Regardless, about ten more pounds on each side of the bench isn't a lot to to have lost.

[Rita]

In terms of absolute strength someone born XY has a slight advantage. In reality though no one really hits that peak thus men and woman can be at the same level of strength.  Talking genetics and not gender.  It might be more difficult but that builds character.

Now in a few years I expect to hear " I am pressing more than everyone else in the gym". 

And if your mom says anything else you can just lift her over your head and be like whut?