Can a trans man be as strong as a cis man?

[FtMaster]

I know that people's strength is very individual, and I don't mean in any way for the question to appear offensive, I only ask because I train in martial arts and it's my dream to compete one day, however I don't know if I could compeye with a cis male or if I'd be at a major disadvantage (assuming I've been on T for a couple of years at this point).
Thanks in advance for your help!

[David27]

You wouldn't have a disadvantage strength wise as your T should be in male range.

The issue is competing because T is abused as a steroid. It would require consent from the coordinators of the league (dojo?). You would have to be out to people managing the sport, so you'd have to be comfortable with that.

[Nygeel]

Yes, but with a few exceptions. I don't think a trans man could get to the level of strength as those guys in the professional strongmen competitions I see on TV. Magnus Ver Magnusson levels of strength is very very very difficult to achieve, and I don't think as trans man with intensive training could do that.

But if we're talking average Joe vs average Joe, it's totally possible.

[FTMDiaries]

Google some pics of Balian Buschbaum and Loren Cameron. There is nothing about their physiques that wouldn't make them outstanding competitors in most sports, including martial arts.

[Jill F]

Transguys are some of the strongest people I have ever encountered. 

[Kiwi]

I train in martial arts too (black belt in judo and karate), I'm pre-T and have no problems to compete with men as they go for weight categories.
Let's say I'm pretty strong for my size 

I think it really depends of your build and T of course helps.

[Hikari]

Well, perhaps defining strength  would be needed. As I understand it for muscles there is basically going to be no difference between a long time FTM on T and a cismale. I do know however, that cismen have larger hearts, lung capacity, etc on average, but I am uncertain if being a long time on T increases those things closer to the cis average or not. Even if it didn't that seems like it would be an endurance thing, not a strength thing, though I would imagine that at the highest levels of strength training it could have an impact. So far as I know there isn't really studies out there about this.

The IOC seems to beleve that someone who has had reassignment surgery, two years on HRT, and has the legal paperwork for their new gender has no advantage over their cisgender peers and seeing as trans athletes are not dominating the Olympics I would imagine they are vindicated in that position; still WADA requires an Therapeutic Use Exemption for T. This lets WADA impose conditions (such as how much T) if they so desire, which seems to be a bit over involved to me, but luckily since I am going the other direction (and am not even an athlete) it doesn't really apply to me.

[Declan.]

You wouldn't have a disadvantage strength wise as your T should be in male range.

The issue is competing because T is abused as a steroid. It would require consent from the coordinators of the league (dojo?). You would have to be out to people managing the sport, so you'd have to be comfortable with that.

If his birth certificate says "male," can he tell them he suffers from low testosterone and receives medical treatment for it?

[Jill F]

OT again, but can I just say that Declan is like the most awesome name ever?  (Clan MacGregor here...)

[Declan.]

OT again, but can I just say that Declan is like the most awesome name ever?  (Clan MacGregor here...)

Thanks, Jill! Out of Ireland or Scotland? Clan MacUighilin here (Irish). 

[Jill F]

Thanks, Jill! Out of Ireland or Scotland? Clan MacUighilin here (Irish). 

Both.  We were "abolished" by King James VI, hunted down and driven out of Scotland in 1603 due to his connection to the Campbells (Stupid Campbells.. LOL).  My people fled to Northern Ireland and came to the US many years before the Revolution.

Oddly enough I've lost a friend because I told him I was a MacGregor. (My original name was actually Greg.)  He is a MacLaren, who were once upon a time decimated by the MacGregors.  He decided to reopen the feud by pillaging on my CD collection as retaliation.  Hey, apparently we spared HIS ancestors.  Gimme a break here!

I even still have the kilt. (Yes, guy clothes... that's it.  Major stealth trans maneuver if I ever saw one.)

[Declan.]

Both.  We were "abolished" by King James VI, hunted down and driven out of Scotland in 1603 due to his connection to the Campbells (Stupid Campbells.. LOL).  My people fled to Northern Ireland and came to the US many years before the Revolution.

Oddly enough I've lost a friend because I told him I was a MacGregor. (My original name was actually Greg.)  He is a MacLaren, who were once upon a time decimated by the MacGregors.  He decided to reopen the feud by pillaging on my CD collection as retaliation.  Hey, apparently we spared HIS ancestors.  Gimme a break here!

I even still have the kilt. (Yes, guy clothes... that's it.  Major stealth trans maneuver if I ever saw one.)

Interesting history, thanks for sharing that. The story of my ancestors is almost the same, but they were always in Ireland until they were massacred and driven out. Sorry to hear about your friend. There were a lot of "family feuds" back then! Some people do indeed hold onto that. It's a bit odd to me.

[DriftingCrow]

I don't think a trans man could get to the level of strength as those guys in the professional strongmen competitions I see on TV. Magnus Ver Magnusson levels of strength is very very very difficult to achieve, and I don't think as trans man with intensive training could do that.

It'd be interesting to see how these children who get on T at extremely young ages would be like in the future. With the T in their systems at such a young age, and if they started training at the same age as cis-males, I think it may be possible.

For people who start T in their teens, 20s, 30s. . . yeah, I'd definitely be much more difficult since the cis-males would have the advantage of having longer time training with T in their systems (and possible other factors like height advantage).

[wheat thins are delicious]

It'd be interesting to see how these children who get on T at extremely young ages would be like in the future. With the T in their systems at such a young age, and if they started training at the same age as cis-males, I think it may be possible.

For people who start T in their teens, 20s, 30s. . . yeah, I'd definitely be much more difficult since the cis-males would have the advantage of having longer time training with T in their systems (and possible other factors like height advantage).

Children don't typically start T very young, usually at around age 12 or 13 having been on blockers before then. 

[DriftingCrow]

Children don't typically start T very young, usually at around age 12 or 13 having been on blockers before then.

Yeah, and cis-males don't get into puberty until 12 or 13 as well, so they'd be more similar to cis-males right?

[Umiko]

trans men kick cis men's arse any day of the week! 

[MacG]

OT again, but can I just say that Declan is like the most awesome name ever?  (Clan MacGregor here...)

MacGregor

[ChrisRokk]

Yes, but with a few exceptions. I don't think a trans man could get to the level of strength as those guys in the professional strongmen competitions I see on TV. Magnus Ver Magnusson levels of strength is very very very difficult to achieve, and I don't think as trans man with intensive training could do that.

But if we're talking average Joe vs average Joe, it's totally possible.

To be fair, I do not think the majority of cis men have the potential to be like Magnus Ver Magnusson, either.  He is extremely rare as a human being in general.  The probability of someone being that freakishly strong is extremely low, probably way less than one percent.  To get the probability of someone being that strong AND a trans man, you would have to multiply that number by the probability of being a trans man, which is also less than one percent, to get a number that is even smaller.  So if a trans Magnus exists, he is basically a unicorn.

It'd be interesting to see how these children who get on T at extremely young ages would be like in the future. With the T in their systems at such a young age, and if they started training at the same age as cis-males, I think it may be possible.

For people who start T in their teens, 20s, 30s. . . yeah, I'd definitely be much more difficult since the cis-males would have the advantage of having longer time training with T in their systems (and possible other factors like height advantage).

I agree that with kids starting hormones younger, maybe that unicorn will be more likely.

[anibioman]

My brother and I are about the same weight. I'm two inches taller than him. I'm almost as strong as him. I'm only a few months on T. I think I'll be as strong as him or stronger soon if he doesn't all of a sudden hit the weights real hard.

Your only issue would be "steroid" use.

[dalebert]

A lot more people are using steroids than most people think. We tend to only think of competitive bodybuilders and hulking professional baseball players when we think of steroids. Start thinking fitness magazine cover models and mainstream actors. A lot of the bodies you see and associate with "cis", many of them are not natural. Start associating them with some degree of steroid use. There are so many ways to use them to varying degrees short of Schwarzenegger levels. I've seen some trans men that I'm fairly confident used steroids as well. I think it's much less of a cis vs. trans thing than it is a natural vs. unnatural (for a male) hormonal levels thing.

I'm not even necessarily going to invalidate the choice to use them. I don't and wouldn't use them myself but that's just me based on my own personal priorities and preferences. There's an excellent documentary on Netflix about them called Bigger, Stronger, Faster that attempts to dispel a lot of myths, some positive and some negative.