become.
What we are working towards

Training on HRT is different

Training as a trans woman on HRT is not the same as training as a cis person. Become’s training side is being built around that.

It’s early days. The full training product is still in development, and what is described here is what we are building towards, not something you can use today.

Why I care about this

Most training advice is written for cis bodies. If you’re a trans woman on HRT, you are often left to work out for yourself what applies to you and what doesn’t. I want us to have better options than the ones we’re so often left with.

What is different, in plain words

HRT (oestrogen with testosterone suppression) changes the body over time, and training responds to those changes. Three things are worth knowing:

  • Muscle size tends to drop on HRT, and fat tends to increase. The change is gradual, over months and years. [1][2]
  • Strength does not necessarily fall at the same pace as muscle size. [2]
  • How much changes varies from person to person, and depends on things like the type and dose of treatment, which is something for you and your prescriber, not an app. [1]

The point is not that training is harder or off the table. It’s that a plan built for someone without HRT in their life is built on different assumptions, and you deserve a plan that starts from yours.

What we are building towards

Training that takes your HRT into account when it helps you plan, adjust and judge your progress, rather than treating it as an afterthought. We are still working out exactly what that looks like, and what you tell us on the front page helps shape it.

What this page is not

Become is not offering a clinical or prescribing service today, and this page is not medical advice. Anything about your treatment is a conversation for a qualified clinician. If something urgent is happening, please speak to a doctor.

Sources

  1. Hembree WC, et al. Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017;102(11):3869–3903. doi:10.1210/jc.2017-01658
  2. Wiik A, et al. Muscle Strength, Size, and Composition Following 12 Months of Gender-affirming Treatment in Transgender Individuals. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020;105(3):e805–e813. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgz247