Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I've noticed that I'm less flexible than usual. In particular, my calves feel really tight despite stretching several times a week. I'm not doing anything different from my usual routine, but it started about a week after I started testosterone and I'm wondering if there's a connection? Anyone notice something like this after starting T?

I'm hypermobile so definitely interested to see what the responses are, it's not a side-effect I'd heard about anywhere else yet (still pre-T so can't give experience but definitely want to follow this thread)

Quote from: Polo on December 09, 2014, 04:19:36 PM
I've noticed that I'm less flexible than usual. In particular, my calves feel really tight despite stretching several times a week. I'm not doing anything different from my usual routine, but it started about a week after I started testosterone and I'm wondering if there's a connection? Anyone notice something like this after starting T?

I felt an overall soreness through my back and arm muscles when I first started T.  Makes sense to me that your muscles are growing!  I can see there being a tightness to that aspect.  Total guess on my part.

There was tightness in the beginning when muscle mass was increasing. Now that it's stabilized somewhat for me, and I'm back to stretching before/after workouts, I can vouch that my flexibility has not decreased. Perhaps in certain positions I feel more tightness, but that might be from the lack of practice in those positions ever since the muscle mass increase.

I had some muscle tightness in the first few months of T. I've actually heard a lot of trans guys report a feeling of needing to stretch their muscles on T, and that stretching feeling really good. Like the feeling when you wake up or have been sitting still for a long time.

It's stablised now though. I'm no more or less flexible than I was pre-T.

Quote from: kast on December 09, 2014, 11:32:18 PM
I've actually heard a lot of trans guys report a feeling of needing to stretch their muscles on T, and that stretching feeling really good.

OH YES.
As far as I've noticed, I have the need to stretch more due to my muscles getting... jammed faster/more often. I understand cats now. :D

Can't really say much about flexibility, though. I've always been nimble as a raw carrot so it's hard to tell.

Like Puck I'm pre-T, but interested in this as I have a muscle condition that renders my muscles tighter than the average. I can only imagine....  :o

Quote from: Tossu-sama on December 10, 2014, 01:04:35 AM
OH YES.
As far as I've noticed, I have the need to stretch more due to my muscles getting... jammed faster/more often. I understand cats now. :D

This definetly, as for real flexibility I haven't noticed any difference in my yogapractice except that it feels better to do the real stretching positions :D

Quote from: Tossu-sama on December 10, 2014, 01:04:35 AM
OH YES.
As far as I've noticed, I have the need to stretch more due to my muscles getting... jammed faster/more often. I understand cats now. :D

Can't really say much about flexibility, though. I've always been nimble as a raw carrot so it's hard to tell.

Yeah I noticed that every time I get up from a chair, I gotta stretch my arms and legs more often. XD

At nearly four years on Testosterone, that muscular stiffness is finally beginning to lighten up a bit for me.  Definitely noticed a change in my flexibility during the first 6 months on T.  After finishing a run or workout, I absolutely needed to stretch or I felt like something might snap!  With the combination of muscle fiber growth and thickening connective tissue, it seems to make sense that this change might occur.

I also noticed muscle stiffness and stretching a lot. I didn't even think it was because of T but it makes sense. I have been doing those big full body stretches when I get up from lying down for a while, always makes me think of my cats.
Weirdest time I noticed this was when I was on the phone with someone for about an hour, and when I relaxed my arm away from my ear it didn't want to move XD straightening it to normal felt like stretching, it wanted to stay where it had been for an hour. After that I made sure to switch arms of I was using the phone for a while.

I constantly pulled my muscles after a week or so on T, but after a couple of months and stabilizing my dose, it was fine. I would suggest starting slow if its something that really worries you, like if you do a lot of sports or something maybe. :)

2 months on T for me, and I am definitely experiencing a reduction in flexibility due to the increasing muscle mass.  I've only been doing cardio, though, and I am starting to add yoga back into my workout in order to stretch all those newly-developing fibers.  My calves are noticeably thicker (and denser) and I actually get shin splins (something I did not get pre-T).  Growing pains are real, apparently!!

Nimble as a raw carrot, lol...I appreciate all of the responses guys. It makes sense that building muscle would cause lowered flexibility, and I'm glad to hear that it goes away after a while.