I'm genderfluid and would like to gain more muscle to pass more easily as a man on my masculine days. However, I'm AFAB and I'm not on HRT so it's a little bit more difficult for me to gain muscle mass. Does anyone have any tips?
I'm afraid to say that it's practically impossible for people DFAB to gain a lot of muscle. Working out, even excessively, creates a toned body rather than a 'bigger' one. Going back to my trainer after coming out he actually sat me down and asked whether I wanted to start weight training again to gain muscle, because it's not going to happen. What it will do though is keep you in shape, healthy and keep you feeling better about yourself. Also it will be easier to gain the muscle if you do start on T if you're already in shape.
I know I don't have full context but I don't like what your trainer said, imo it goes against what a good trainer should say. Yes biological females are typically born with less muscle mass in the arms and chest area compared to males. That doesn't mean they can't get similar results, mass, or bulk. The most impacting factors are diet, training regimen, body type, and genetics. Speaking for myself I tend to put on muscle rather quickly especially with strength/weight training exercises. This is most likely due to genetics (people in my family are naturally big, and strong) and the pcos. My diet is high in lean protein, dark green veggies and low in carbs. (A similar diet may or may not work for you) I would recommend talking to a nutritionist and or trainer/knowledgeable person who weight trains. See what progress you make. If your not seeing results switch something up till you find what works for you. I wanted to add if you are a person who doesn't gain muscle easily (this can be for men too) don't be hard on yourself. Being healthy is most important. Also don't forget musculature alone doesn't make you more of a man or less female.
Weight training would be the best route to go to gain muscle mass. But as above posters have stated, it is much harder for AFAB people to gain muscle. The biologically male body contains roughly 10x the testosterone that we have, and thus understandably it is way easier for cis-men to gain muscle mass and have a stockier physique. However, it is not impossible to be muscular. You can make the gains you want. But you're going to have to work really hard and be consistent with diet and weight training. The first several months will be slow and so you have to be patient with yourself.
