HRT and Muscle Loss

[byanyothername]

Hello,

I was wondering how long everyone was on HRT for before their muscles started to break down. I have particularly muscular biceps and shoulders which, even with lots of cardio, don't seem to reduce.

Your experiences would be very interesting :-)

Emily x


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[April_TO]

Hello

It will take some time for muscles to atrophy. The longer you are on HRT, the more your muscles will shrink day by day. Now, granting you aren't using your biceps and shoulders for heavy lifting.

However, I would suggest you gain a bit of weight and then try to lose it so your body can store some fats on your thighs and hips to give you a more softer look. I am almost 2 years on HRT and I noticed my leg muscles have started to shrink and my back muscles are starting to get smaller. Just be patient and before you know it you have arrived.

April xo

Hello,

I was wondering how long everyone was on HRT for before their muscles started to break down. I have particularly muscular biceps and shoulders which, even with lots of cardio, don't seem to reduce.

Your experiences would be very interesting :-)

Emily x


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JenniferLopezgomez]

April TO that is good advice. 

I've been on medical HRT for about 2 years. I cannot now carry heavy groceries or suitcases very far at all. I'd say my physical endurance is about half of what it was pre-HRT.

My feet have shrunk about half a shoe size. My shoulders are smaller.

Jennifer xx

[RobynD]

I began to see some loss in strength around month 9-10. But at this point the loss has been huge. I do look softer and most of my workout is cardio or lower body strength, but i do a bit with arms too.

As April indicated can happen, my weight has fluctuated up and down by about 6-8 pounds as well and when i gain it back it seems to be all in breasts, hips and butt. I'm also down in shoe size by a little bit. My feet look super feminine which is awesome

[KelliHu]

Does anyone have experience actively maintaining muscle mass and strength while on HRT?

[warlockmaker]

Being a total health freak I still wanted to exercise regularly.I was guided by a long time post op who has maintained the exercise regimen. . Your muscle mass will naturally change and even if you exercise daily the mass will significantly disappear. You will develop female muscles ...look at some very fit females. At my stage some 3 plus years on HRT my muscles have dramatically changed to a female type. I exercise for 1.5 hours a day. This includes cardiovascular and muscular exercises. I just look like a very fit female.  Give it time and while I am not for non exercise ...I understand that you will have even greater success quickly if you exercise to a minimum. Each has their own views on how they wish to look. I took the side of an active healthy female.

[Rachel]

In the last 4 months I have receive a lot of compliments from woman about losing weight. I have not lost weight. In fact I gained a few pounds. I exercise and have added additional exercise to add muscle. In the past 3 years I lost bulk and increased cardio and core exercises. I have a trainer to push me and show me how to exercise and eat better. Also,  I do 27 flights of stairs at 5 AM 5 days a week. My muscles add definition without bulk.

[KayXo]

I noticed the most loss when my E levels went real high and T levels were very low.

[KelliHu]

Being a total health freak I still wanted to exercise regularly.I was guided by a long time post op who has maintained the exercise regimen. . Your muscle mass will naturally change and even if you exercise daily the mass will significantly disappear. You will develop female muscles ...look at some very fit females. At my stage some 3 plus years on HRT my muscles have dramatically changed to a female type. I exercise for 1.5 hours a day. This includes cardiovascular and muscular exercises. I just look like a very fit female.  Give it time and while I am not for non exercise ...I understand that you will have even greater success quickly if you exercise to a minimum. Each has their own views on how they wish to look. I took the side of an active healthy female.

Thanks for this is very encouraging post.  I'd like to maintain some degree of muscle mass and as much of my strength as possible if I were to decide to transition...but it's also comforting to know that the muscle mass "transforms" into a more feminine appearance.

[Joelene9]

  Nope, not me. I gained bone and muscle mass with HRT. My doctor told me that was due to possible more estrogen receptors in my muscles acting in the same manner as the androgen receptors in the muscles in other people. This condition has been known for awhile even though no study has been done with this condition as it is rare and considered harmless. I am not bothered with that.

Joelene

[Shadow Wolf]

Probably not fast enough, lol!
I've been obsessed with learning the general time lines for the effects of hormones to set in, since I'll be starting on them soon myself. About the only consistent answers is I can find is first that everyone goes through things at different times. But your muscles will eventually shrink, and I wouldn't ease up on exercise at all for it. Instead of lifting to build muscle (fewer sets and reps and more weight), learn lift to tone and firm muscles (more sets and reps and less weight). You'll be healthier, burn more calories even at rest, and will still be able to develop a more feminine physique. 

[melissagirl]

I've been on HRT over 10 years. My muscle mass never really changed noticeably. I didn't seem to lose any strength either. My muscles are pretty average for a woman though, so I'm not really concerned about it. I always found it peculiar because I heard everyone else saying how much it changed them. It was nice being able to keep my strength.

I had to go off of hrt for a while because of finances and it didn't really change one way or the other. So I guess it affects different people differently. I recently had an orchi, so now I'm curious to see if that has any effect.