Lifting/bodybuilding without t

[dentistsandthedark]

So I keep seeing people say that without t you can't put on muscle and all lifting will do is toning etc but I was looking through here http://hardcoregurlz.tumblr.com/tagged/butch and there's a lot of women with serious bulk (Betsy Santoro: http://hardcoregurlz.tumblr.com/post/129427904137/betsy-santoro-i-wasnt-born-to-be-average Tara Taylor: http://hardcoregurlz.tumblr.com/post/117868767942/tara-taylor). And this is soccer player Ella Masar: https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/s320x320/e15/11335077_843717472344014_990095045_n.jpg (even if you assume some of the women in bodybuilding are on steroids she couldn't be as a pro athlete who gets tested regularly)

...I'm not sure what my point is, maybe just that there's hope? Working out without t is not futile and you can still gain some serious muscle?

[Deborah]

Toning is a meaningless marketing word used for women who are scared that if they work out they will turn into the Hulk.

Yes, you can build muscle without T.  You just can't build as much and it might take longer.

Also, if you want muscles to show then you need to lose the layer of fat covering them so you can see muscle definition.


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[Deborah]

Also, you don't need to be really big to be really strong.  There is a girl I work with that is  not big and that has a very feminine figure, maybe 120 to 130 lbs.  She can deadlift 305 lbs.


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[jlaframboise]

I agree with @deborah. You don't need to be huge to be able to lift a lot. With me, I lifted weights for months but still stayed at 180 pounds and couldn't see anything. Now I'm down to 156 and I can actually see the muscles!! You HAVE to lose fat in certain places in order to see your progress, but the progress doesn't have to be huge.


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[AeroZeppelin92]

Agree with the other responses.
There is a difference between bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bodybuilders often obtain much larger physiques and look much stronger, but power lifters can generally out-lift a bodybuilder. It's all in the way you train. In other words big muscles doesn't always equal raw strength.

I don't know who told you that you can't build muscle without T but they were seriously misinformed haha. In fact, it's probably one of the best things you can do to "masculinize" yourself without testosterone. Building muscle takes a lot of time, patience, and dedication however.

[dentistsandthedark]

Oh I know they're different! But both are about getting big/strong but to different degrees that's why I included both.

I don't know who told you that you can't build muscle without T but they were seriously misinformed haha.

Like, that's every thread on here about putting on muscle. I'm just sick of people presenting t as this magic solution and downplaying hard work and dedication to achieve the body you want, especially for people who can't or don't want to go on t for whatever reason.

[FTMax]

Like, that's every thread on here about putting on muscle. I'm just sick of people presenting t as this magic solution and downplaying hard work and dedication to achieve the body you want, especially for people who can't or don't want to go on t for whatever reason.

I think the threads you're referencing have T framed that way because the OPs on those threads are pre-T and planning to go on T. It's not meant to downplay the role of hard work and consistency, but rather to give them hope that in the future it won't be as big of an issue for them.

[Mr.Warrick]

Yes, the last pic is definitely achievable body but you need a strict schedule & eating plan.

But there is hardly a way to achieve muscular, male-like body without some kind of T or steroids. I've been working out for so long. It firms up my muscles but doesn't give it defined shapes.

[AeroZeppelin92]

Yes, the last pic is definitely achievable body but you need a strict schedule & eating plan.

But there is hardly a way to achieve muscular, male-like body without some kind of T or steroids. I've been working out for so long. It firms up my muscles but doesn't give it defined shapes.

False. I would like to know what you consider "so long" and what your diet training consists of. To get "defined shapes" you would have to drop bodyfat. Bodybuilders look "defined" because they achieve very low bodyfat %'s... Even fitness models have really low numbers (for guys usually around 6%, women I think like 12%).
It is definitely possible to achieve a muscular, "masculine" physique from bodybuilding prior to testosterone.... You just have to work your ass off and your diet has to be on point. Diet is really the number one most important part.

[Tristyn]

That kinda annoys me(and makes me feel jealous almost) how there are cis women who look more masculine than me. Makes me feel so low....lower than I already feel on a daily basis. Maybe that's internalized sexism or whatever, but I feel this way towards certain cis and trans men too.

~Nixy~

[yaka]

I'd have to say for those women who have serious bulk - they probably had a steroid cycle or two. I'd expect a more 'toned' body for a female bodied person who trains but doesn't take any testosterone/steroids.