Strength Changes in Transition

[Inanna]

I was wondering about people's personal experiences regarding strength/muscle changes during transition.  I've been on HRT about 9 months now (age 21).  So far, I've loved the results and I pass w/o makeup most of the time.  However, there has been one peculiarity that has been becoming more and more and more annoying...

It seems my muscles just will absolutely not change.  At first, I was on a strict calorie restriction diet to get my weight down from about 170 to 140lb.  While the male fat has gone away and been replaced by female patterns of fat distribution, my muscles have just been stubbornly resisting change.  So I became more determined and went on a vegetarian, low-protein diet and even less calories, which brought me down to about 125lb.  But still... no muscle changes.

In fact, I'm surprised to say I may be ever-so-slightly stronger than I was before hormones.  I'm in college and spend most of my time doing schoolwork or indoor stuff... very little to no physical exertion except walking a few blocks to class each day.

During the summer I've had to wear long sleeves and tops that conceal.  So yeh that's frustrating...

How long should I expect to wait to see changes?  And will going on an even more restrictive diet help this along?

Thanks!

[Renate]

9 months is not all that long a time. 2 years is a more realistic time frame.
Use a (cloth) tape measure around your biceps to keep track.
You may be surprised at your progress.

Hey, how muscular do my arms look in my avatar photo?

[Janet_Girl]

I have lost my male strength, and some tone.  My chest and arms are a lot slimmer than they were when I started 15 months ago.  It really does not bother me, because I have alway known how to lift or use strength.  I have a bad back that limits what I can lift or power strength when working with items.

Janet

[Lori]

It takes about 14 months before the muscles totally change. You are just over 1/2 way done cooking.

[Syne]

It takes awhile. I used to bench a lot of weight and did the bodybuilding thing. Now I just look like a past athlete and when in conversation I just mention that I did weight training to help with my soccer skills (which is totally the truth). there are a lot of athletic women out there these days so I do not think you will stick out as much as you think you might.

YMMV of course, just give it some time.

[Danya]

I am weak as a kitten now after 10 months on spiro and estradiol.  But I was not too muscular before and being anorexic at 115lbs (last January 109 eeek) doesn't help. But regardless of that the HRT really does seem to have had an effect.

[Tank Grrl]

Don't go on a more restrictive diet! I'm vegan and I don't think eating less protein is the answer.(maybe eating less or no animal protein is good) It sounds like you need MORE calories, not less. Eat healthy: whole grains, veggies, beans, etc. I've seen way too many trans women who starve themselves thinking that it will help them pass.

Let the hormones do their thing, it takes time AND it's cumulative. Kinda like the snowball rolling downhill, starts small at first, but keeps getting bigger.

I agree that there are lots of athletic women out there, so no worries about being a lean, muscular woman!

[Myself]

As others said.. it varies!
I never had much muscles.. most girls seems to be stronger than me now :O over a year on antianrogens.. but messy time on estrogen

[Lostincali]

I think it takes longer with age.
My experience has been, with 10 months of HRT now and I'm on my 7th 29th birthday party. I have been over 200 Pounds most of my life having weighed up to 257 and as little as 185 in the last 10 years.
I have a huge core even with my body fat having worked in construction trpe trades most of my life. I have lean muscular legs and arms. This core weight and body fat has been really hard for me to loose.

But the strength. That has gone bye-bye. I just did a load of Firewood this weekend. Bucking the Oak tree, Loading it into my trailer and then unloading it the following day. It took me two days to do that. Last summer I was cutting,loading & unloading two trailers a day! I work out 4 or 5 days a week.

This chore is now a lot harder and wiped me out for the rest of the weekend. This is the first experience I have had with the loss of strength. I know it won't be the last.


It'll take time. I hear that it can take 7 years for these muscles to soften up over time.

Carina.

[Hannah]

I was never really strong, but I was fast. I noticed a drop in strength after just a few months on antiandrogens, and it has actually become quite pronounced. I tried to lift a bag of potting soil early ths spring and simply couldn't. It's interesting to observe how one changes her interactions with the world when she can't physically dominate it. I have not noticed a drop in speed, but it does take more effort to maintain it.

I saw a thing a while back about injecting botox into the Masseter muscle to atrophy it as an alternative to bone recounturing. I wonder if that would work for other, bigger muscles on the back and chest.

[aubrey]

It's interesting to observe how one changes her interactions with the world when she can't physically dominate it.

When I started losing strength (maybe 2 months Spiro) all of the sudden I was watching my back alot more in dark parking lots, It's strange how it never really occured to me before and I was oblivious to all of those little things related to that, and how much it affects your whole life. Tired...hope that made sense

[Northern Jane]

Being a farm girl and quite athletic in my youth I was fairly strong - never big or muscular but quite wiry. Many years after transition an encounter with a torque wrench told me just how much strength I lost - had t go get a long pipe! 

As far as "personal safety" I got that lesson early on, a year or so after transition. A boy I was seeing expressed concern about me walking home late in the evenings. I said I was a big strong girl and could look after myself ..... whereupon he promptly grabbed me, put me on the floor, and could clearly have had his way with me and there wasn't anything I could do about it. DAMN guys are STRONG and FAST! Okay. lesson learned, guys ARE stronger, even smaller guys!

[Hannah]

If I remember the science right they have more oxygen in their blood, and much greater glycogen reserves in their muscles. I believe that's why we can be in the transition stages and still have the meat but no power to back it up. *If* I remember the science right, it's been a while 

[SarahFaceDoom]

I was never like a body builder or anything, but I was athletic and certainly not weak.

After a combination of laziness and four years of HRT my girlfriend slaughters me in arm wrestling, and can pin both of my arms with one hand.  She has a lot of upper body strength to be sure, but a lot of it is my pathetic upperbody strength. 

But it's fine.  I just get her to lift heavy things for me.