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   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 92 Guests (See full list)

    • KymmieL
    • KathyLauren
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

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

    • Total Members
      11,939
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Chaidoesart
    Newest Member
    Chaidoesart
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. **Angela Charlotte **
      **Angela Charlotte **
    2. Carlie
      Carlie
      (63 years old)
    3. Cbxshawn
      Cbxshawn
      (49 years old)
    4. HannahO
      HannahO
      (31 years old)
    5. JustKatie
      JustKatie
      (40 years old)
  • Posts

    • Mirrabooka
      I hope y'all look at this one. A catchy tune released at the end of Covid lockdown. Scarlett is so cute!!!     
    • Heather Shay
    • Mirrabooka
    • Mirrabooka
      Had a weird dream last night.
    • Mirrabooka
      Morning, y'all. Evening here; we had the regulation three mugs full today. Now it's time to drink something else.     No big plans here either, eldest daughter and granddaughter will be arriving on Saturday, and we will have our granddaughter to ourselves for a week after that. We still have plans though. Tuesday we'll go to the swim center, Wednesday we'll take a road trip to visit my mom, Thursday we'll get some mulch delivered to top up the gardens.   I still make other small plans on a daily basis though. The things I do plan nowadays, which is a bit new for me, is that after pinching a nerve and ending up in a bit of pain and getting some treatment from the physio, I am more motivated than ever to exercise more regularly. Tuesday for example, I went for a short (15 minute) early morning walk, went to the pool for some hydrotherapy, and mowed the lawns. Yesterday I did my exercise reps and spent some time on the exercise bike. Today, I went for a 45-minute walk, tomorrow I will do my reps again and go for a long bike ride. As long as I do at least one thing every day, right? The pleasing thing is that I'm losing weight! I blew out to above 95kg early in the year and I'm just under 91kg now. Yay me!
    • Heather Shay
      What one piece of advice would you give to beginning transitioners or considering transition?
    • Heather Shay
      Positive side of the mixed bag.
    • Heather Shay
      Boredom is an emotional state that comes when a person has nothing to do, and is not interested in anything. To stop boredom, most people do something to occupy or amuse themselves. The first known use of the word boredom is in the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens, written in 1852, but the saying to be a bore had been used to mean "to be tiresome or dull" since 1768. When referring to the mind, boredom is a bad state in which the person feels a deep lack of interest in what is going on around them, and where it is hard to focus.
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • Mirrabooka
      ^ Your story gives inspiration to others.
    • April Marie
      Growing stronger and confident every day.
    • April Marie
      So, yesterday's epiphany was that girl jeans fit me much nicer than boy jeans. Well, duh! So this girl is switching over to wearing girl jeans pretty much full time. I'll keep my others for work jeans. We went out to dinner last evening and I was in androgynous mode...wearing a pair of Bandolino Amy straight leg denim pants. Score!
    • April Marie
      Good morning, everyone!! The coffee upload has started for me but just in the early stages so I'm barely coherent at this point.   You've been missed @Willow - I hope all is going well with your wife and at work.   @awkward-yet-sweet We love to make beans with rice - one of our favorite meals.   No big plans for me today. Small projects around our place and probably some reading. We're going to have some rain off and on, and the temps are still too low for a lot of outdoor work.   Be safe and enjoy this beautiful day we've been given!!
  • 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...