Speaking of Sissy Fitness, I've just (everything happened today!) stumbled upon a subreddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/sissyfitness, and here's the FAQ:
https://www.reddit.com/r/sissyfitness/co...tness_faq/
What is Sissy Fitness?
Sissy Fitness is an inclusive space intended to provide realistic fitness advice and to facilitate discussions for persons interested in developing a feminine or androgynous physique. This includes men, women, cross-dressers, trans folks, and any persons looking to shape their physique to a more feminine presentation. Also… this sub might occasionally contain pictures of people in their underwear, but this is not generally a NSFW subreddit.
Low-effort posts and pornographic material will be removed. Repeated violators will be banned.
Wondering how to build a feminine figure?
The simplest answer is... butt workouts. The more complicated answer is... focus on key exercises that build the largest muscle in the butt (the glute maximus) and the muscles on the outer aspects of the butt (the glute medius and minimus) whilst maintaining a tight core. This approach can effectively "cheat" a feminine physique by increasing your hip to weight ratio. This is the same approach outlined in various texts on female-specific training (ie, Glute Lab, Strong Curves, etc…) and it’s effective regardless of gender. We all have the same muscles.
Can working out my core really give me a narrower waist?
Yes and no. If you have a lot of excess body fat, then you probably won’t see much difference. However, if you reduce your overall body fat and increase the muscle tone of your core, then you've effectively developed a waist girdle that you're wearing all the time. This is how bodybuilders of old built really small waists to emphasize their large upper bodies. As an example, take a look at Frank Zane and the vacuum pose:
https://physicalculturestudy.com/2017/05...b-routine/.
Beyond this, there’s little you can do to decrease the size of your waist, although female specific hormones might direct fat away from this area and into your hips depending on your genetics.
How can I lose weight?
The answer here is always diet. Even if you're exercising for hours a day, it's all too easy to eat back those calories with a little snacking. If you want to lose a pound a week then you'll need to cut out approximately 500 calories a day from your overall caloric intake (which for most is around 2000 calories daily). Of course, the easiest way to do this is to make small steps and eliminate empty calories from your diet. If you cut out sodas or junk food, then you're off to a great start. This also applies to foods with particularly high caloric density like peanut butter, foods cooked with excessive oils, and other fatty foods. And if you learn to cook for yourself, then that's even better.
How do I lose weight from my gut/hips/thighs/etc?
This is one of the biggest misconceptions that people have when starting to get into fitness, but
you can't spot reduce fat. That means that working out one part of your body will not lead to reductions in fat in that body part. So doing sit-ups will not lead to fat loss in your gut, and doing leg raises won't lead to fat loss in your legs. When you lose body fat, you lose it from your total body fat. Now, some body parts will likely lose fat first, but this predisposition is guided by genetics and not by a specific exercise that you might be doing. For instance, I tend to store body fat in my stomach and thighs before anywhere else in my body. I can have a very low body fat overall and still have a small amount in my stomach. That's genetic and unlikely to change unless I change my genes (or hormones).
So repeat after me. There is no such thing as spot reduction.
But I just want to tone my body and not develop big, bulky muscles... How can I do this?
I hear this a lot. First, you won't develop big, bulky muscles overnight. That takes years of work. You're not going to wake up looking like Arnold. Second, the appearance of muscle tone is created by strong muscles and low body fat. There's not an exercise out there that creates "tone" and not "muscle size". It's the same thing. Well, basically anyway. The muscle just gets stronger and becomes more prominent. Female fitness models are often lifting very heavy weights to create that appearance of light "tone". Also, I hear this so often I hate the word "tone" so don’t at me with all the tone talk please.
Should I do low reps? High reps? I just want to look toned!
Again, tone is largely a misnomer. Read the question above. And rep ranges are debated in the fitness world. Different experts will tell you different things. I recommend lower rep ranges for pure strength gains (think 4-6 reps) and higher rep ranges for strength and size gains (think 10-20 reps). As muscles get stronger, they develop more actin-myosin units (think muscle fibers). This can increase the size of the muscle. But! Higher rep ranges require both strength and endurance, and will build both actin-myosin units and increased muscle sarcoplasm and glycogen for fuel storage, which will greatly increase the size of the muscle.
If this all sounds Greek to you, just remember that most exercise scientists recommend low-rep ranges for pure strength gains and higher-rep ranges for strength and size gains. If you’re just starting out, honestly, don’t worry about this at all. Just pick a realistic rep range (usually 8-12 reps per set) and stick with that for a year or so.
Okay, but what's the best workout?
Nope. There is no best workout. Most of the workouts here are simple, effective, and showcase the general workout philosophy of the sub (i.e. the focus on the glutes and core). If you don't have weights, then there are body weight routines available. Does this really work? Yes. This is the approach of most Instagram and Youtube fitness models. I can also personally vouch for the results. In the past two years I’ve gone from thin runner body to thin runner body with… butt. I’ve also noticed that it’s a lot harder to fit into old pants that were once a little loose.
How do I stay consistent with my fitness goals?
The answer here is different for everyone, but you might try setting microgoals. Like, instead of setting a goal to work out three times a week for thirty days, you might set a goal to just work out once a week. Or start even smaller. If you're having trouble with the whole routine, maybe set a goal to just do one of the exercises every day until you get used to it. Smaller goals have a greater likelihood of success and lead to bigger goals down the line.
I’m a trans woman. Is this subreddit appropriate for me?
Absolutely, yes! And the workouts here should work regardless of whether you’re on HRT or not. In fact, if you haven’t yet started HRT then you might make even faster progress. So there’s no reason you can’t start today. Although be aware that, due to the name of this subreddit, some users can be a bit... immature and that frustrates me to no end.
I’m a trans man. Is this subreddit appropriate for me?
Maybe? Although you’re absolutely still welcome here! This subreddit focuses on building feminine features, and this may or may not be your goal. If you’re looking to build a more masculine physique, I’d recommend a beginner Olympic lifting program like Stronglifts. You could also still follow along here, but I’d recommend adding a bench press, shoulder press, heavy rows, and pull-ups at the very least. Also, please take AT LEAST a month or so working out with JUST THE BAR to learn the right form. Getting injured when you’re just starting to make progress is the absolute worst.
I’m a
eady too big and bulky! Seriously, I am basically Arnold. What do?
This is something I hear a lot, and there’s not a great short-term solution for it. Losing muscle takes time and a caloric deficit and… neglect. The best option here is likely to focus on lower body workouts and skip the classic upper-body hypertrophy routines. You might also *slightly* limit your protein intake to speed up muscle breakdown. Over time, your upper to lower-body ratio will change. If you’re on hormones, this process will be a lot faster.
Where should I start?
Try the
Mod Routine. This has recently been updated to version three. It's designed as a beginner to intermediate routine and can be done with bodyweight or with added weight.
