Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Triathlon training and HRT?


Naomi Knowles

Recommended Posts

Before I openly committed to being trans, I was going to the gym regularly with aspirations of becoming generally powerful enough to enter into the Iron man series of triathlons (the hardest 1-day sports event in the world). Of course, ignoring the fact that I'd be more iron trans (Irontran?) by that point, assuming I were capable of achieving the level of endurance required to perform in such a punishing event in the next 2-3 years. Also ignoring the changing room awkwardness phase that will eventually rear up while I train...

 

 

I know that hormones are going to cause some pretty uniquely-stressful changes to the body, and I'm wondering if anyone else has also undergone HRT, while also undergoing (progressively extreme) endurance training at the same time. Is this advisable? Or dial the triathlon training back by a year to let hormones do their work, and just use my gym time to trim fat?

Link to comment

I’m not a perfect person to answer, but I am on hrt (only a short time though). And I run and exercise a lot. I’d say I run 30-50 miles a week. I also have been doing the beach body insanity series. 

I will say that my times have not slowed yet. And although I’m only 2 weeks into insanity I am still crushing the workouts. I think eventually my times and power will diminish. But not enough to be fearful of working towards a goal like that. I think weight training is more an issue. But there are plenty of cis women that do all of this as well. And honestly as a mtf the last thing I would do is weight train. Lol. 

But just like anything pay attention to what your body is telling you. It sounds like you’re already working so just continue on. If there’s too much stress you’ll know. The body is pretty good at letting us know things like that.

Good luck with the goal! Mine is Boston marathon in 2020 in about 3-1/2 hours. Just because your trans your life can’t stop. Go for what you want!! 

Kirsten

Link to comment

You will almost certainly find it harder/impossible to maintain the level of muscle mass that you've had in the past. Which means you will likely lose some performance. That being said, I don't see any reason to dial back your workouts as long as you're paying attention to your body and not pushing it so hard that you get injured. 

As Kirsten said, there are lots of cis women already competing and you probably have an advantage by starting from a higher ceiling. Just challenge yourself as an individual to do the best you can and you should be fine, IMO. Also, keep in mind that you WANT to keep some fat around. If it gets too low it can negatively impact breast development.

 

Do it!
Julie

Link to comment

One thing I will add to this is that the meds really wipe me out after being in the sun for a few hours. I think it’s the spiro that does that? (Don’t quote me on that). I played golf the other day all day. Like 2 full rounds. And by the middle of the second round it was afternoon and 80°+ and full sun. Normally this wouldn’t bother me at all but whoa. I was done. It just hit like a ton of bricks. The week prior I did the same thing but it was cool and overcast and I had no issues. So be careful of that sun. 

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Make sure you stat well hydrated!  Actually more than you might imagine.

 

Jani

Link to comment
  • 11 months later...

Hi All,

I stumbled across this post, as I'm considering transitioning.  As a life-long athlete, I was curious what effects HRT would have on my body.  Though I was focusing on what HRT would do to my athletic performance.  I wasn't considering what continuing to work out would do to the effects of HRT.

I know that exercise, even endurance, stimulates testosterone.  So would testosterone blockers be enough to stop this effect?

 

Link to comment
10 hours ago, lauraincolumbia said:

Hi All,

I stumbled across this post, as I'm considering transitioning.  As a life-long athlete, I was curious what effects HRT would have on my body.  Though I was focusing on what HRT would do to my athletic performance.  I wasn't considering what continuing to work out would do to the effects of HRT.

I know that exercise, even endurance, stimulates testosterone.  So would testosterone blockers be enough to stop this effect?

 

 

Hi Laurain

 

No amount of exercise will completely stop estriadol from doing it's thing, though if your T-levels are also high, it may take slightly longer for you to notice physical changes.

 

You may want to consider keeping up your routine/s if nothing else for the fact that keeping your vascular health in tip-top condition should theoretically reduce your risk of DVT while also keeping cellulite formation at bay ;) 

 

The correct dose / drug for T-blocking is something you'd need to explore with your doctor/endocrinologist if you expect to engage in activity that stimulates testosterone release. Of course you wouldn't produce the same amount every day, which makes taking different doses from day to day bit of a risky move, but the only way to tell is for your doctor to start you off at a safe dose and then adjust from there.

 

I developed gym locker room anxiety after starting HRT myself and can confirm that if left alone, HRT will steal muscle mass and encourage fat re-distribution, especially around the hips - the way mine are now it gives the vague illusion of curves, and to be honest I kind of like them the way they are now.

Link to comment

Just to chime in from the sidelines, I run and do Tri sport and though I’m not competitive I draw comfort from all the amazing females I see in these sports.  You may lose some mass but mass does not equal power.  Just my 2¢

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 91 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.5k
    • Total Posts
      767.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      11,942
    • Most Online
      8,356

    taxicab
    Newest Member
    taxicab
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Amyjay
      Amyjay
      (58 years old)
    2. bettyjean
      bettyjean
    3. Breanna
      Breanna
      (52 years old)
    4. Emily Ayla
      Emily Ayla
    5. JET182
      JET182
  • Posts

    • Susan R
      Love it! This is great news. We need more of this to combat the excessive hate-filled rhetoric and misinformation. 👍
    • Susan R
      The experience was the same for me @April Marie. I slept much deeper and I woke up each morning feeling so much more restful sleeping with forms solidly in place. For me, wearing breast forms at night started when before I was a teenager. I had no access up to modern breast forms and certainly no way to buy mastectomy bras back then. I wore a basic bra my mom had put in a donation box and two pairs of soft cotton socks. I have some crazy memories of things I did in my youth to combat my GD but regardless, these makeshift concoctions helped me work through it all.   All My Best, Susan R🌷
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Colorado isn't exactly a Republican place, and won't become one anytime soon.  I think those folks might be better off not spending their time playing Don Quixote.    We certainly have our share of California "refugees" moving into where I live, so I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing Coloradans too.  I suspect the trend over the next few years will see the blue areas getting more blue and the red areas getting more red as anybody who can relocate tries to find a place where they fit better.   
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Well, at least it'll be a place some folks could choose.  Options are a good thing.
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      My family would have gobbled that jar up in a minute or two.  When we do have pickled herring, its usually for Christmas.  I didn't grow up with that particular dish, but I grew up in a Greek family so I like just about any kind of fish if I can get it.  However, ocean fish and freshwater fish taste so different.  We usually have more catfish and tilapia to eat than anything else.    What I can't quite get used to is the tons of cabbage my GF insists on eating.  When you live with a Russian, there is always cabbage soup.  Always.  When I first moved in with her, breakfast was "shchi" for soup and either bread or "kasha" which is a bowl of boiled buckwheat with butter and salt.  Those dishes can be made in any number of ways, some are better than others.  In the winter, it can even be salty and sour like kraut.  Not exactly sauerkraut, but packed in tubs with vinegar and salt so it keeps partially for the winter.  But I drew the line when the cabbage soup included pieces of fried snake one day.  😆
    • Ashley0616
      Good evening to you as well @Mmindy   That is awesome that you have support from her side. My dad has communicated with me once and that was because he was forced to. His new wife wanted to spend time with my kids. He hated me so much he was in the process of taking my rights away as a parent to my two boys. He was talking to a lawyer and I called him out on it. I don't love him at all. I'll respect him because I wouldn't be here without him but I wished I had another father. My uncles don't talk to me and unfriended me on Facebook. Almost all cousins except for two are still Facebook friends but they don't give me any support. My mom said she won't support me with that but she has said that she loves me. I have nieces and nephews that are still Facebook friends but they have yet to talk to me. I have one sister that supports me out of three. The other's disrespect me by deadnaming me. They have never called me their sister. I think for them they think it's still a phase. They don't ask questions about me being trans. I have to bring it up and on the look of their faces they don't look comfortable about it. 
    • Mmindy
      Good evening @Ashley0616,   I just got offline with HP tech support trying to get my printer tool box icon locked to my tool bar. This is one of the most important features of my printer that I like because it keeps track of ink, paper, and scanned documents. I'm diffidently not a computer geek.   I'll catch up with the other bookmarks next week. We leave to go home for the Easter Holiday with our families. Saturday with her side, and Sunday with my side. What's odd about that is I'm out to more of her side and they're reluctantly supportive. My side on the other hand are less supportive, and my sister just under me in age will not acknowledge my being there. She will be constantly moving to keep from dealing with me. I'm dead to her.   Hugs,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋  
    • Ashley0616
      I used to follow baseball and the team I would cheer for is Boston Red Sox. My favorite player was Papi. He was an awesome guy and even held a child during the National Anthem. I haven't watched baseball for a long time. It just died off to me. 
    • Ashley0616
      That stinks that nothing transferred, and no bookmarks were saved! 
    • Ashley0616
      I'm doing patches for now but I think soon I'll go to shots because it's hard to alternate when you are doing two xx patches at once. Unless she gives me Estradiol and progesterone
    • Sally Stone
      Go Cleveland Guardians!  I love baseball and I loved playing it when I was younger.  
    • Sally Stone
      My view is we are "dependent" on government, because as a society, we are too lazy to stay actively involved. So, we let politicians do our bidding for us.  I think we'd be in a better place government wise if we policed the actions of our politicians.  We elected them; they work for us.  Sadly, we are allowing them to run amok.  We are where we are because we have chosen to let politicians make all decisions without us.  Remember "by the people, for the people?" That was the intent of our democracy.  Today, however, it is "by the politicians, for the politicians," the people be damned. 
    • Mmindy
      "Play Ball! Batter Up!" is the closing line of the National Anthem as far as I'm concerned. It's the call of the Home Plate Umpire and signals the start of the game. I grew up in the TV and Radio broadcast of the St. Louis Cardinals. Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Tim McCarver, and Mike Shannon, were the voices on my transistor radio. KMOX 1120 AM pushing 50,000 watts of Class A clear-channel non-directional signal. It could be picked up all across MO, IL, IN to the East. KS, OK, CO to the West. IA, MN to the North, and KY, TN, AR to the South. There has always been a rivalry against the Chicago Cubs, in the National League. As for the American League, I have to pull for the Kansas City Royals. I've also been a Little League Umpire, and fan of everything the Little League stands for. Going to Williamsport, PA and seeing the Little League World Series is in my top 10 things to do on my bucket list.   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • Mmindy
      Good evening everyone,   I don't think my mother ever cooked a meal that I didn't like. We also had a kitchen where mom fixed the food, dad filled your plate, and you eat it. It wasn't until our baby brother was born that we could have Pop-Tarts for snacks. Before that all snacks had to meet mom's approval, and in her opinion wouldn't prevent you from eating supper.   Well my day started off on a good note, but has become frustrating because my IT person didn't transfer my saved videos I use for teaching. Then I found out that they didn't save any of my book marks for websites I use frequently.   Best wishes, stay motivated,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • MaeBe
      The number is relative to method of deliver, the time of the dose, and when the blood is drawn. However, I do want to keep away from DVT and other potential issues. I assume I may be getting backed down from my current dose, but my doc told me to stick with the higher dose, so? I also wonder if this has anything to do the my breast growth and mental changes that have been happening over the past few years, like I have some estrogen sensitivity so a little goes a long way or something? I don't have enough data to postulate, but who knows!   With weekly, subcutaneous, shots you expect to see big swings of serum level estradiol from shot to peak to trough. My doctor is interested in mid-week testing (for E and T levels only), which would be post-peak blood serum levels but they will be higher than trough. Most, if not all, resources I've seen online is to measure at trough (which I might do just to do it next time) along with a SHBG, LH, and other metrics.   This is from transfemscience.org for Estradiol valerate in oil, which is very spiky compared to some other estradiol combinations. It's also for intramuscular, which will have a slower uptake and is usually dosed in higher volume due to the slower absorption rate from muscles. They don't have subcutaneous numbers, which I would expect to see similar spikes but higher levels at similar doses due to the relatively higher absorption rate direct from fat.   Are you doing pills, shots, or patches? And when you do get your levels checked are you getting that done when your levels are lowest or some other time?
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...