anyone else in the fitness industry and they wanted someone that had a story. When I read that, I thought I should give it a shot, it has been my dream since I was young to be a bodybuilder and become a sponsored athlete, but I never thought that would be possible because I’m trans and I’m not ideal for the cookie cutter image that most companies want. I definitely have a story that I want to share and it would be a great way for me to share my story if I did win this contest. If I win this it won’t just be a win for me, but the transgender community to gain visibility. This will be a win for the transgender men and woman who never got to live out their dreams because they took their own lives or their lives were taken because they were different, and this will be a win for society to show that there is great change happening in this world. FTM: What is your favorite way to exercise? Adam: I love old school training. My personal opinion is nothing beats the aesthetics of Arnold’s days. I usually just stick to weight training in the gym. To most that can be boring doing the same thing day in and day out, but I love it. Usually the one thing I switch up with my training is cardio, like most people I get bored with it so I like to find a variety of things for cardio. Some days ill do some boxing, some days I do circuit training, it all depends on how my body feels. I go off more of how my body feels rather than a strict set training schedule.
FTM: Why are you interested in being a bodybuilder? Adam: Through my transition I haven’t had much of a say on how I wanted things to turn out or look. When I had top surgery I didn’t know how it would turn out and if I would be happy with the way it looked. When I started hormones I couldn’t control the changes that were going to happen or how quickly or slowly they would happen, I didn’t know how deep my voice would sound or how thick my beard hair would be. Bodybuilding gave me the ability to control something for once in my life, whether it was how big I wanted my arms to be or what percentage of body fat I wanted to have. I had the ability to control all of that. To me bodybuilding is a beautiful art, I’m the artist and I get to create the vison that I have in my head. Through bodybuilding I have been able to sculpt my body in ways that I never thought I would be able to. It has not only physically strengthened me, but it has also mentally strengthened me. Working out gives me a chance to be by myself and shut the world out and be alone with my thoughts, the good and the bad. That alone time has given me the ability to truly understand myself and what I want out of this life. Bodybuilding to me is much more than just picking heavy things up and putting them down, it has truly changed my life and given me the confidence to be who I am regardless of what others may think. FTM: What interested you the most about the 1st Phorm contest? Adam: I’ve been following 1st phorm for a while now and kept on seeing a contest that were having to sponsor an athlete. I would always think about entering, but looking at all the people who are in the fitness industry I didn’t think I would stand a chance of winning. I don’t have a six pack and some incredible body. Then a couple of weeks ago I went on their website to see what the contest was all about. They didn’t want a cookie cutter athlete that was like
FTM: What tips do you have for beginners? Adam: Find your training style that you love. Not everyone wants to lift heavy and train for hours on end and that’s fine. Living a healthy lifestyle is about finding something that you enjoy doing. You might hate lifting weights and love doing Zumba, who knows, just get out there and get active. Do research on how to exercise properly with the training style that you choose and always use the correct form because if you don’t do things properly then you won’t develop your muscles properly and you run the risk of injuring yourself. So study up or think about hiring a personal trainer to show you things properly.
“Bodybuilding gave me the ability to control something for once in my life” FTM: How do you handle being trans in locker rooms? Adam: The honest truth is I don’t think much of it. Just like every other guy in there I go in there to change and do what I need to do and get out. I think It’s just about walking in there with confidence in who you are and that’s it. There’s no need to draw attention to myself. FTM: Who/what is your inspiration for working out? Adam: The reflection I see in the mirror inspires me. Before I had top surgery I would look at myself in the mirror and cry because I despised the person that stared back at me. I was disgusted with what I saw because it wasn’t the person that I felt I was. I look at the mirror now and see how far I have come and how much I Continue on Page 48