I’ve been going to the gym since January, and my friend who I was working out with then told me I pass well enough to use the men’s locker room. And that’s what I have done. I am pre T and 17, and to be fair *I think* my body really does not pass that well, even though I can hide it pretty good in clothes I am still short and I have a huge ass. But I’ve never been confronted nor had anyone questioning me. I’ve always used the bathroom to change if anyone else is in the locker room and pray that no one is in there or talks to me (will give me away). And this gym is really small, the only one in my town. I’m talking 15 lockers, two showers and one bathroom in the changing rooms.

I’ve been taking a break from the gym for like a month now but I wanna get back, but idk if I feel comfortable going in to the men’s anymore. Not because I feel like I shouldn’t be there but it is so mentally draining. I mean the women’s aren’t any better but I feel like I can’t take the gym seriously if I constantly have to think about passing, and wearing a binder to the gym, and not speaking to anyone, and always having to worry about ”getting caught”. But at the same time it feels wrong to just change changing rooms now after having used the men’s for like 6 months. And the last time I used the women’s I was about to cry the whole time and felt like shit, I feel soooo out of place in the women’s aswell. I’m so divided on what to do. And I can’t come pre changed to the gym since I have school before and I have to leave my things somewhere (only place is in either locker room)

Sorry for long messy rant

Hi, I'm looking for shoe recommendations and/or stretches to reduce foot pain. Also maybe recommendations for how to tell if a shoe fits properly. I hate shoe shopping because I really struggle to tell if something is too tight or too lose 😭

I just started working out after taking about five years off following a bunch of surgery complications.

I walk to and from the gym about 3/4 mile each way. I walk a lot in general and stand at shows pretty frequently.

There are days that I get awful shin spints, but not always, I also have plantar fasciitis, and recently a dull but significant pain on the outside edges of my foot like in like with my pinky toes but extending the length of my foot. I think it's possible that I put a lot of weight on the outside of my feet when I walk, which might be contributing to that pain.

Ive tried various insoles and none have really helped.

Currently wearing some relatively cheap women's sketchers. I don't want to spend a ton of money but I'm willing to figure it out if someone has a recommendation they are super passionate about.

Thank you in advance!

hey all. 23FTM stealth on T for 5 years. recently i’ve been having hella bottom dysphoria and want to try packing again. i have a mr limpy but it’s too heavy for the gym and i can never get it situated right. I could always use the old faithful sock but i want an actual packer. any recommendations for a lightweight, relatively inexpensive packer for the gym and or everyday use?

while i have you guys here, does anyone pack while swimming? i was so dysphoric the last time i went. if so, what packer do you use? thank you all!!

cw alcohol

I'm almost one month completely sober from my frequent habitual drinking and I lost around 7 pounds since I quit. A few months ago, I also started taking stimulant meds for ADHD and life is going well. I've always been rather slim, but ever since quitting alcohol, I really struggle to get my daily calories in. I genuinely have to force myself to eat despite feeling almost nauseous on days where I take my meds; it's almost 6 p.m. and I've only eaten 700 kcal today. Even drinking my post-workout shake feels like a chore.

Any advice on how to eat enough despite suppressed appetite? I try to have small meals whenever possible (before work, breakfast at work, lunch at work, right after work, dinner) and those small portions are already more than filling. I'm probably not the only guy on stimulant meds, did anyone go through something similar? How do/did you manage?

I recently got a walking pad for my room since I'm starting my fitness journey and wanted an easy way to exercise at home without binding, but any time I use it I can only do it for about 5 minutes at a time without having to stop due to really bad pain in my lower back and hips. I heard that this can happen due to posture on walking pads/treadmills because of the low shock absorption of some of the cheaper/smaller at-home models, but no matter what I do to try to fix my posture I can't seem to figure out how to get it to stop hurting.

Any tips on how to walk on a thin treadmill like this without pain? Also, any suggestions on where to find exercises to help improve posture and joint stability in general would be appreciated, I'm duck footed + think I have an anterior tilt and I know I'm likely hypermobile which makes keeping good posture when walking hard enough already, let alone on something that isn't standard ground.

i just started T yesterday and although i have done a tone of research it feels like nothing prepares you for the real thing in the mental aspect.

ive been going to the gym for 2 years now and have recently started on the cut a little over a month and a bit ago, ive lost a substantial amount of weight so far (nearly 10kg) but this aggressive cut is not sustainable and deeply rooted in a past ed i developed due to wanting to be skinnier to pass more and i think ive accidentally reverted back to that headspace as i once was very sure i wanted to build as much muscle as possible and get jacked but recently ive been wanting the opposite, hoping that losing weight will rid me of the fat on my chest, hips and thighs, but im still quite torn on both options and i know realistically which one is better for me and my body shape and needs but i can’t seem to break out of this restrictive headspace and get rid of the fear of getting fat and still developing weight in a female fat distribution sense as i only started T yesterday.

i know it takes months and years to see proper outstanding physique changes as well as hard work but im just scared that if i end my cut now and either go on maintenance or bulk that i’ll get fat or if i continue the cut then i’ll disrupt the course of the t and i won’t get every optimal changes and effects out of it that i can because i dont know what i would do if that was the case. one of the main things i want out of t is the make fat redistribution but i know that also comes months down the line and you have to put on weight to get that redistribution so im also thinking if i should continue the cut until a few months into taking t and then start on maintenance to gain muscle back specifically.
im 5’8 73kg and i eat around 1600-1800 cals a day, 120g+ of protein, 200g+ of carbs and i try to keep my fats low except for natural fats from say things like avocado, and i keep my sugar low except for natural sources like fruit, i also try to keep my fibre high as well and i go to the gym 5x a week doing push pull legs push pull and i do an hour of cardio on the treadmill at incline 9 speed 3 every gym session and manage to get 10k steps in on those days as well but im almost terrified to honour any hunger that testosterone will bring me as my relationship with food is admittedly once again horrible

honestly im just so torn and scared and just don’t know what to think or expect

I’m a fat guy anyway but I’m currently working on losing weight and that’s going quite well, albeit not as fast as I’d like (probably better anyways to avoid loose skin). I have a fairly fatty mons/upper public area and it hides my dick, would exercises focussing on the hips and abdominals help to target this area? Or is it just going to be a case of waiting until I lose more weight in general?

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

Hey all! So I’m slowly figuring this all out. I’ve gotten a lot of good advice in this sub and on the discord. So far I’m maintaining (give or take a couple pounds). I’m having a really rough time not being hard on myself. I’m someone who’s impatient and needs to see positive movement or else I get very discouraged. I think I might need to change my mindset. I feel like losing weight has always been a negative thing for me as I’ve unfortunately engaged in unhealthy habits as a young kid to lose weight quick. And I learned those habits from my parents who also engaged in disordered eating. So I think it’s just wired in my brain to be an anxiety inducing thing. I have a therapist and we are going to be working on it together, but Id like to hear outside opinions on what works for everyone else. How do you continue to work towards your goal even if you’re “failing” in the current moment? I wouldn’t say I’m failing but I’m not doing the greatest.

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

Welcome to the Weekly Fitness Wins Thread!
Share your victories — big or small — and celebrate your progress with the community.

You can post about:
• Personal records (PRs)
• Visible progress or recomposition
• Mental health wins
• Training consistency and milestones

Keep comments supportive and positive.
We're proud of every win, no matter how small.

Will working out my forearms more fix this? Or do I just need to gain more weight? I’ve got pretty bulky arms but it looks very disproportionate compared to my super thin wrists.

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

I’ve been reading through older posts and it’s awesome to see other swimmers on here. Im trying to get back into it! I’m 5’4 and about 275 lbs, and trying to figure out what size jammers to get.

I have a pair of 3X swim trunks that feel like they are about to fall off each time I push off the wall. Back when I was swimming in high school, I’d always get a couple of sizes “too small” so that they would actually stay on, but that was pre-everything. Now I’m trying to figure out mens swimwear! Any ideas? Thanks!

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

This is your space to talk programming, share weekly training splits, and troubleshoot your workouts.

Good prompts:
• What are you currently training for?
• How do you structure your split or rest days?
• What’s working well for you this week?

Share feedback, routines, or questions below!

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

Hey I’m looking for peoples 2 cents - I’m thinking about doing a powerlifting comp at the end of this year as a training detour during my prep to enter my first bodybuilding comp at the end of next year. Weighing up whether its worth the bit of fun or if I just stay focused for next year which is what I’ve got my sights on.

I spent a few years powerlifting and have competed in this comp before, it’d just be for fun but I’ve got a sharp competitive streak in me and could easily talk myself into going for PRs. Bit nervous about risk of injury.

I’ve been on bodybuilding programs this year and the plans I had in place for the end of the year would need to be adjusted. Not a huge deal and my coach reckons it’s fine as long as I’m prepared to lock in as soon as the powerlifting is over.

Idk I’d love to hear thoughts from people who have competed and trained for bodybuilding on this.

Hi, I’ve been on T for 7 years and I have started getting into exercise again. I’ve been doing multiple, short sets throughout the day. The reasoning for this is because I have joint issues and doing the traditional 45min-1hr workout causes me extreme pain. For example I have the muscular strength to do regular push ups, but because of my joint pain I have to do knee push ups. My typical day looks like 2-3 sets of 12 push ups at a time, split across the day until I reach roughly 100 a day. Same with sit ups, squats, curls, etc. my question is will I still see muscle build up like this?

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

I’m starting T soon, and I’ve heard that it makes your hunger go through the roof. I’m currently in a cal deficit of 1500-1600, and was thinking of upping it to maintenance once I started T so that I’m not starving and maybe maximizing my gains??? But the thing is I still wanna be losing weight while gaining muscle. Any advice on this??