Female to Male Transgender: Bodybuilding Looks More Masculine

What is the Perfect Male Body?

I have tried to do some research to find the answer to this question. Now obviously the answer in the eyes of many people would vary greatly depending on the person you ask. I highly doubt there can be a hard and fast definition of the perfect male body. But there are places where you can find the so-called perfect measurements and proportions of the male body. Honestly, though, I think you should sit down and figure out for YOU what you think is the body you’d like to achieve.

Now, as for the traits that make a body more masculine or feminine, that’s much easier to pin down. So what are the visual and physical differences that influence how people interpret others as masculine or feminine? I think it’s the entire muscle and bone structure, and muscle can be manipulated through physical exercise to achieve a certain desired shape. Bone, on the other hand, cannot be changed for the most part. So let’s focus on the muscular differences:

Men tend to have thicker necks than women, as well as broader shoulders and a generally more muscular build. Men, or at least fit men, have a definite V-taper, which means their shoulders and back taper down to their small waist. For women, they tend to have softer features and not as strong or defined, unless they exercise a lot, and in my opinion, they have more of an hourglass figure. His shoulders taper to the waist and flare back to the hips. But even when women are in good shape, their muscles don’t have the ability to become as big as men’s or grow as fast as men’s.

Now, for FTMs trying to get a more masculine body shape, they have to avoid the fact that most were born with a female body shape, like wider hips and smaller shoulders. As far as testosterone, I think a lot of FTMs, if they work on it, will be able to see good gains in the gym for a masculine figure. Even those who do not take testosterone will have the ability to attempt to change their body shape to be more masculine. So let’s take a look at the muscles we need to work and how to work them to achieve that tapered V shape and get rid of that hourglass figure.

The goal of the FTM bodybuilder should be to widen the upper body while trying to minimize the waist. To do this, you will need a combination of weight training, cardio, and a good nutrition plan.
Now, to widen your upper body, you’ll want to focus on your back, neck, and shoulders. However, the shoulders and back seem to be the most important for that wide look. Specifically the lats of the back and all the heads of the shoulder muscle.

As for minimizing your waistline, I think you should try to keep as much body fat as possible, as it tends to accumulate on the hips in people with a female body. If you’re on T, this may or may not be a problem for you, but for those who aren’t, it’s probably much more important.

Other masculine characteristics tend to be well-defined arms. Although not just biceps. Biceps, triceps, and forearms help build a strong, well-defined upper arm.

Also well defined calves and legs tend to help in my opinion. Especially if you’re considering trying to add a little size to your upper body, you’ll want to try to keep your body in proportion. Otherwise, you’ll probably end up looking a little weird with giant muscles in your upper body and little chicken legs.

As far as your abs go, working on them to make them more defined and thick isn’t going to be a big deal, you just don’t want them to get too wide, because that will interfere with making you look wider and get that V-taper.

And of course the chest is a big deal for many FTMs. If you have breast tissue and you thicken that muscle underneath, I think you could make that tissue stick out a little bit more, but losing fat and a good diet would help minimize that. And if you tie yourself up, I doubt it’ll be a problem. Those looking to undergo top surgery will definitely want to pay close attention to building a well-proportioned and defined chest. The better fit you are, the easier it will be for the surgeon to contour your chest over the muscle for a more masculine appearance.

So obviously all the muscles are going to be important, but the most important ones for that more masculine, wider look are the shoulders, the back, and a small waist.

I hope this article has helped you figure out what you want from your body. I’ll be posting more articles and detailed descriptions of how to work each and every muscle group I’ve mentioned here, and I’ll put together some sample exercises for you to try here in the near future.