Gym

[rexyrex]

Im thinking of going to the gym maybe once a week or so. They have a woman areas and male only areas, and i pass 100% of the time.

The only thing that worrys me as it my 1st gym never been to one, when they teach you how to use things and do things will they touch you? i worry due to a binder or my chest.

And what do you guys wear?

Do you get chagne there or at home? (im pre -op)

[anibioman]

no one teaches you how to do things you teach yourself unless you hire a personal trainer. a trainer will touch you to spot you like your elbows wrists lower back. might touch your body where you are working your muscles like doing a bench press might point to your chest and might touch it not feel it though. but guy trainers wont be really touchy with guy clients because they dont want to creep out the straight ones. wear gym shorts running sneakers or bb sneakers and a t shirt. just saying once or twice a week wont do much in regards to you physical appearance. i did cardio 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes and i noticed very small changes over time. although regular physical activity will help with stress regardless of how much you do it.

[FTMDiaries]

In many gyms, you have to ask for an induction session which is where one of the personal trainers takes you round the joint showing you how each piece of equipment works. They don't always do this automatically, so if you think you need one it just ask for it. I recommend you do this if you haven't been before.

Generally they don't touch you when they show you how to do things. They'll either use the equipment before you to demonstrate how it works and then get you to try; or they'll just ask you to sit on the equipment while they tell you what to do. Don't feel nervous about this; everyone who uses a gym had a 1st session once so we're all used to seeing new people come in & being shown the ropes. If you're worried about being touched you can always ask them not to do it.

You might want to think about whether you want to shower after your sessions. If so, please think about how this will affect you (you probably don't want to wrap a towel around your chest in the men's shower areas)

I'm pre-op too but one of my gyms has a disabled changing room, which is basically just a toilet, shower and locker. I use that instead of the male/female ones. I can't use the men's yet because of my chest but I definitely can't use the women's because of bodily hair and, y'know, the presence of women.

I wear a loose T-Shirt and either knee-length shorts or tracksuit bottoms / sweatpants. I don't like binding whilst exercising because it makes it harder to breathe so I have to wear a sports bra, but I tend to keep my shoulders hunched forwards whilst doing so.

Bear in mind that everyone else at the gym is concentrating on their own workout. They're not that interested in what you're doing. So just concentrate on your own progress and don't worry about everyone else.

Good luck!

[rexyrex]

Thanks for the replays, im nervous thinking about it but im sure i get over it once i been there, it only like 2 miles from me, so i can ride down there.

Well i just want to slowly get into exercising, so also getting back to swimming and other sports. I do some home exercising too but i sometimes dont have the motivation to do it. I like to get out of the house sometimes. 

[FTMDiaries]

Going to the gym is a great way to get into the habit of taking regular exercise. 90% of the difficulty most people face with attending the gym is actually turning up in the first place. Once you're there, you just get on with your workout without a second thought. So if you make it part of your routine, say every Tuesday at 6pm you'll get up and head to the gym, it will become a habit and you will start to make steady progress.

If your gym is so close to home, you might want to think about whether it'll be easier for you to get changed at home, ride to the gym, work out... and then ride back home and take your shower there in the privacy of your own bathroom. That can help with some of the locker room dysphoria. I must admit that the locker rooms are the most uncomfortable part of the whole gym experience for me, which is why I use the disabled room instead. That'll change when I'm post-op and feel safe to use the men's.

I wasn't sure from your message whether you meant that they have separate men's and women's exercise areas or whether it was just the locker rooms. If it's exercise areas, you'll be absolutely fine if you pass 100%. Nothing to worry about there at all. Heck, there are a couple of cisguys at my gym who are shorter than me (and that's saying something!); and there are several with larger moobs. It's all good.

Also, I use my iPhone (but any MP3 player will do) to distract me from other people in the gym. Music helps to keep me focussed on what I'm doing, but I also keep notes of my workouts so that I know what I did last time and how difficult I found it. Then I can work towards improving my performance next time. Generally speaking, I slightly increase the difficulty of my workouts once a week, which keeps me on my toes. Also, if I'm doing the 'long, slow burn' (low-speed, low-intensity cardio workouts for a long period, such as slowly riding on a recumbent bike for an hour) I tend to put on a movie or a TV episode so I can zone out of the room. That way, I don't even have to think about what anyone else is doing.

It's natural to be nervous, but you'll be absolutely fine and after just a couple of sessions you'll feel like you've been doing this forever. Like Nike said: "Just do it!"

[Cindy]

I realise I'm going the other way but I have been a gym junkie for years and I have transitioned totally and completely in view of the gym people. Including staff, PT and members. I go at least three times a week and tend to use the weights and cardio.

No one, not a single man, woman, person at all has ever said or been in anyway negative. I went from a grey haired 'man' to me. Long hair and boobs.

I got insulted once by a new member, he was suddenly taken away by two guys I had never even spoken to and never came back. He called me a '->-bleeped-<- fairy etc' loudly. It was when I was halfway and yes I was upset and cried in public. No one ever mentioned it.

People in gyms seem to be interested in themselves and appreciate people who want to look after themselves. They do not appear hung up on stuff. I listen to my I-pod. I scream, I sing, I'm a vocal woman when doing hard yakka and I dance between weights and sessions, none of the people have a problem.

I do not use the change room, I use the female toilet if needed but I live about 1 km from the gym so I change etc at home.

I do use a PT every now and again if I want help on routines or equipment. None of the PTs ever touch a client. There are female and male PTs and they look after males and females with no regard to gender. They are respectful of the clients as you would expect.

To be honest the gym seems to be a very good place to be you.  I would have no hesitation in suggesting you go for it, and wear whatever you like, loose and comfy is more important than anything else.

Oh I wear tight lycra and a boob tube/ sports bra. I don't hide nothin'. No reason to.  I'm me and proud.

Be the same.

Hugs Bro

C

[rexyrex]

Thanks

@ftmdiaries, yes it a separate men's and women's exercise areas, unsure what their chaging room is like, but i will go down and check it out.

I phoned them up the other day they seem really friendly and wants me to go down. i only seen their website,pics and cost.

But when i was on the phone to them they metion about traning and what do they mean by that? i just want to do a few runs, do a bit of wighte lifts and stuff.

@Cindy James sorry to hear that someone called you a nasty name, but im glad that they were able to sort something out very fast and quickly. It amazeing how alot of people who just want to be there and do their own thing without any troble makers.

[FTMDiaries]

yes it a separate men's and women's exercise areas, unsure what their chaging room is like, but i will go down and check it out.

Sounds cool, I'd really like that myself. I'd just gravitate to the men's area. 

But when i was on the phone to them they metion about traning and what do they mean by that? i just want to do a few runs, do a bit of wighte lifts and stuff.

It's pretty common for gyms to have Personal Trainers working with them, either as freelancers or on a contract. Their services usually cost extra on top of your gym fees, but the gym makes money from them. So they'll probably try to get you to sign up for some Personal Training sessions. It's entirely up to you whether you take them up on this. 

It's a good idea to try them if you're not used to exercising because a good Personal Trainer will listen to your goals and will help you work out a programme that will enable you to achieve what you want to achieve. They'll give you some exercises and show you how to do them, then they'll review your progress as you go along. But if you already know what you want to do and how to do it, don't bother with them. Also, some gyms will offer a free 'taster' session with a Personal Trainer so you can try them out with no obligation to sign up for their services. Some Personal Trainers will also look at your diet to make sure you're getting the right nutrition to help you along.

I'm lucky that one of my gyms gives me a free Personal Trainer session every six weeks, so I use his services for free and do his exercises at both gyms.

[mm]

FTMDiaries, great have a disabled changing room at your gym with a shower.  I don't have one at my school's fitness center. I change at my apartment before/after, not the best way but does work with some planning.  I have used the men's changing room to pee and walked through the changing area to see how it was setup. I think there was only one guy finishing getting dress; there were short rows of lockers and one big shower room.  One would need to have good lower surgery results to ever think about shower in such a place.

[Paul]

I can't use the men's yet because of my chest

Not necessarily.  I started going to the gym last November-ish and I didn't have top surgery until last Wednesday and I was using the men's locker room the entire time.  Everyone is busy doing their own thing and no one's paying attention to what others are doing. 

[whitehat]

hmm.

in my experience, the seperate ladies area will be for ladies to feel 'safe' but the 'mens' area is usually mixed gender.

i went to a gym that had a ladies area for a while.never used it. pin loaded machines, most of them weird isolation exercises like hip abductors or single glute backward raise contraptions.

i def. reccomend getting a trainer. theyll usualy match you up with someone that can train in the way your goals are

look in to starting strength or stronglifts as a routine. tell the trainer you want to get strong, want to get huge, want to get thick and wide. ask for training on free weights

ive put 2" on my chest/back in 3 weeks, lift heavy, eat lots, it will make you feel great. i think i've made size gains so fast because i've trained for years and lifted heavy already but i never ate enough protein to get huge. also right now my my routine is targeted towards getting a huge back and shoulders. gotta fill out my business shirts the right way

[FTMDiaries]

FTMDiaries, great have a disabled changing room at your gym with a shower.  I don't have one at my school's fitness center. I change at my apartment before/after, not the best way but does work with some planning.  I have used the men's changing room to pee and walked through the changing area to see how it was setup. I think there was only one guy finishing getting dress; there were short rows of lockers and one big shower room.  One would need to have good lower surgery results to ever think about shower in such a place.

Yeah, the disabled room is a great compromise. But my other gym only has separate male & female areas so my dysphoria has meant that I haven't been able to go there for a few months now (it's near where I work so I go there during my lunchbreak... so showering at home wouldn't be an option).

I also used the men's at my other gym a couple of times to see what the facilities are like. Each shower is separate and enclosed for privacy. They have a couple of enclosed cubicles for guys who want a bit of privacy whilst getting changed (which is nice)... but all of the cubicles have suspicious white stains running down the walls (which definitely isn't nice!)

[FTMDiaries]

Not necessarily.  I started going to the gym last November-ish and I didn't have top surgery until last Wednesday and I was using the men's locker room the entire time.  Everyone is busy doing their own thing and no one's paying attention to what others are doing.

Depends in the gym and of course, on how well you pass. I'm still pre-T (and I'm in my 40s so I don't pass as a teenager) so my situation is complicated. I pass ok but I still get misgendered frequently enough to know it's not quite the right time yet. A couple of months on T will make all the difference for me.

One of my gyms is in an affluent area with a lot if open-minded people so my experience there is a lot like yours. But the other gym is a bit more Neanderthal.

[mangoslayer]

I just change at home, always have always will. When I started at the gym my dad asked for a tour and what all the equipment was. The guy was happy to show us. He even helped me with a workout plan. They probably will show you if you ask.