Home fitness

RiseToMe

Hey guys and girls,

Not your usual new year new you thread but it just so happens the dates fall this way!

Background :

Born female and currently beginning the process of transitioning to male. I am Pre - hormone therapy but that is an relatively soon step.

I have lost a stone so far just by cutting out crap food but still at least there to go. At most recent appointments it's been advised I start working on my shoulders and arms more and look at reducing chest size naturally as much as possible before surgery.

Now here's where I need the help, for obvious reasons I cannot attend a gym so all this needs to be done in the great outdoors and at home which is where I'm hoping you guys come in.

My wife ran the DCM this year and so far has me on a little couch to 5k programme which I'm enjoying but it's the toning and building muscle where we are at a bit of a loss.

My only source of info at the moment is another Transman who met a personal trainer who was very interested in working with somebody Pre - testosterone and developing them from then all the way through commencement of hormones and beyond. He has referred to it himself as a science experiment for the personal trainer! However this guy lives abroad so all I can do is try copy and adapt his training which he doesn't have a great recollection of entirely.

So what I'm hoping for is if you folk can give me some guidance on what I can achieve and how I can achieve it at home.

I am space restricted however so as much as I would love to buy a bench, I just don't have the space.

I will be subject to training at home for at least the next 18months.

Also the reason I have included details on my gender is because I imagine that weights for me will be subject to a mix of both genders at least for now, I figure I should not start training on pure male workouts as I risk injury, however I could be wrong?

thegreatiam

there is no such thing as male and female workouts.

apart from the obvious dangly differences male and female body structures are almost the same thing.

men tend to lift more as they are stronger and carry more muscle mass, which comes from hormones, which you'll be receiving. but women can do exactly the same exercises as men and in many cases lift just as much.

The exercises and routines will be the same if you are male, female at the gym or at home our muscle and bone structure work the same way

if you are new to exercise then start light, choose a full body routine and increase resistance every session. you should be able to add 1-2 kgs of weight to each exercise for at least the first few months.

Eat right and follow the instructions of medical professionals regarding your medication and hormones etc.

there are multiple routines for beginners, just pick one you like and start it. for example starting strength, stronglifts or greyskull. all of these require a barbell and set of weights but you can adpat them by using a set of dumbells, or look for a kettle bell routine.

WIth minimal equipment then I would go for bodyweight routines until you can get some dumbells or a barbell or gym access

here is a starter routing from reddit


you can also visit the reddit page for more info on ftm fitness: http://www.reddit.com/r/FTMFitness/
maybe someone there can hep you out.

burrenguy

There is no real difference in the way that men and women train.
As for what you can achieve at home... if you're training at home with no weights then you can do bodyweight exercise and cardio such as running. If you're trying to bulk up its three factors: proper nutrition, a good training program and adequate rest. A good resource to go to for bodyweight exercise is "Never Gymless" by ross enamait. As for diet... assuming you want to gain muscle you wan to be eating roughly two grams of protein per kg of bodweight, 1 gram of fat per kg, and the rest can be carbs or some more fat/protein. (I'm no expert but this is commonly given advice).

RiseToMe

Alright cool thanks guys,

I've been reading on here for a few months and while I know there are tons of forums and sites out there boards is the one I can see the most consistant advise and the most easy to read and process.

If I'm increasing the weights every week by 1-2 kgs, I'd need quite a wide selection of kettle bells, would I be better buying dumbells?

Can anybody recommend any YouTube users that give good guidance on lifting properly etx? I'm very aware of injuring myself if I attempt something incorrectly which is my big disadvantage in not having the benefit of the gym and instructors

Alf Veedersane

In runawaybishop's absence, I'd just like to add this: simplesciencefitness.com

thegreatiam

if you want to increase the weight then dumbbells are a better option than kettle bels.

kettlebells are used for more specific kettlebell exercises.

there are other ways to increase work, more reps more sets for example.

my girlfriend does this:

day 1
squat with barbell 5x5
day 2
sq with barbell 5x6
day 3
sq with barbell 5x8
day 4 squat with barbell+2.5 kg 5x5
day 5
squat with bb+2.5kg 5x6
day 6
squat with barbell +2.5 kg 5x8
and so on...

each time she either increases weight or reps.but staying within certain ranges.

a kettlebell routine will really be more for endurance, ie 10 sets of 10 kettlebell swings etc.

when you have a routine you can look up exercises on exrx.net or bodybuilding.com, they have good descriptions and videos.

youll also get told how to do the exercises by who ever gives you the routine. go with a well known routine with lots of support material.

like the ones i suggested, starting strength, strong lifts, greyskull. they all have huge amounts of users so plenty of quality resources to read up and videos to view.

with a decent dumbell set you can do strong lifts, you will quickly run out of weight tho, so look long term at getting to the gym, or buying a barbell set.

also http://simplesciencefitness.com/

burrenguy

if you're looking to get dumbells for home use i'd recommend them over kettlebells as they're cheaper... for example there's a 50kg weight set here with two dumbell handles. You can then buy weight plates like these as you need weight. Regarding exercise form, you should just look up whatever exercise you're looking for on youtube.. look for a video with few dislikes/a lot of likes. "Infinite Intensity" by Ross Enamait has dumbell stuff in it.

RiseToMe

Guys thanks so much for your help so far, I'll have a look tomorrow YouTub ttomorrow and then reserve that set you recommended.

I really appreciate the help. Going to the gym won't be an option until after I have surgery as changing rooms are a non option for me so all my training for the next at least 18 months will be in my home.

Thanks again

Transform

burrenguy wrote: »

if you're looking to get dumbells for home use i'd recommend them over kettlebells as they're cheaper... for example there's a 50kg weight set here with two dumbell handles. You can then buy weight plates like these as you need weight. Regarding exercise form, you should just look up whatever exercise you're looking for on youtube.. look for a video with few dislikes/a lot of likes. "Infinite Intensity" by Ross Enamait has dumbell stuff in it.

+1 on the kettlebells, a good chin up bar and go see a trainer local to you that can help teach you proper form and how to program

RiseToMe

Guys, is there much difference between the propower brand and the York brand in argos? Just York have a 50kg vinyl set that's almost 30quid cheaper?

I would like to attend a personal trainer, however for financial reasons (the amount of money medical appointments are costing me is huge) it's not an option for me right now. I know a trainer would be the best route to ensure the work I'm putting in is beneficial and my form is correct but tbh getting this weight set is a stretch so more outlay just isn't feasible atm.

burrenguy

RiseToMe wrote: »

Guys, is there much difference between the propower brand and the York brand in argos? Just York have a 50kg vinyl set that's almost 30quid cheaper?

I would like to attend a personal trainer, however for financial reasons (the amount of money medical appointments are costing me is huge) it's not an option for me right now. I know a trainer would be the best route to ensure the work I'm putting in is beneficial and my form is correct but tbh getting this weight set is a stretch so more outlay just isn't feasible atm.

The thing with the vinyl set is that the weights are made of concrete covered in plastic vs the pro power ones made of cast iron. The cast iron ones are a lot denser and take up less space on the bar, meaning you can fit more in the same space.

RiseToMe

burrenguy wrote: »

The thing with the vinyl set is that the weights are made of concrete covered in plastic vs the pro power ones made of cast iron. The cast iron ones are a lot denser and take up less space on the bar, meaning you can fit more in the same space.

Ah I see, ok il hold off until next month and try for the propower ones. Thanks for the speedy reply