Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Currently, there are no exercise testing or programming guidelines for those undergoing hormone therapies to align their gender identity with their physical presentation. Current literature points to a lack of physical activity in transgendered adults (Henrick & Duncan, 2018, Jones et al, 2018), few opportunities in sport (Hargie, Mitchell & Somerville, 2017) and greater risk for obesity, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes (Wierchx et al, 2013). Furthermore, symptoms of anxiety and depression that are associated with being transgendered (Velez et al, 2016). The role of exercise as complimentary treatment to gender alignment therapy has not been explored. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a resistance training exercise program on multiple components of physical and emotional wellbeing in people transitioning from female to male. The proposed case-series will follow 3 female to male transgendered individuals over 12 weeks of a professionally supervised exercise program. Each participant represents a different age group; adolescence, young adulthood, and adulthood. A mixed-methods approach will be used. Quantitative measures of body composition, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance will be taken at baseline, midpoint and post. Descriptive statistics and graphing will be used to determine changes in fitness. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to learn about participants experiences with physical activity before, during and after the exercise program. Using a phenomenological framework, transcriptions will be coded and analyzed. It is expected that participants will improve multiple fitness components and report better emotional health as a result of the exercise program.