Building yourself up - trans training tips

Introducing Sam Barnes

An online coach and personal trainer from Leicestershire, UK.

Sam's going to be writing a series of blogs that give you the tools to build a more masculine physique. As a trans person, Sam knows what unique challenges face trans people in the gym and knows how to overcome them. 

Sam's Story

The last eight years have been a a rollercoaster for me. I had a tough time throughout high school. I struggled with depression and anxiety. It took myself and the people around me a while to dig down and figure out what was causing me to feel the way I did. I was finally diagnosed with ASD (Asperger’s Syndrome) at the age of 13 and even though the diagnosis helped me to start to understand myself a bit better, there was still a huge part of me that just didn’t feel right.

In the summer of 2014 I came across a two-year transition video on YouTube. It was like the final piece of the puzzle and I new from that moment on I was Transgender. I slowly came out to my family, friends and got myself into a gender clinic.

The time between then and now has been filled with the medical side of my transition, studying to become a personal trainer and working on my own fitness transformation. I’d been running my own YouTube channel for a few years where I’d been documenting my transition and talking about fitness, which helped me to see that so many other Transgender people wanted to begin working out, either to help themselves physically or mentally, but didn’t know where to start. This is where Sam Barnes Lifestyle was born.

My brand isn’t just for Transgender people, but being Transgender myself has encouraged a wide variety of people to sign up to online coaching with me. I’m proud to say that around 90% of the people I work with on a day-to-day basis are Transgender, Autistic or both. I love my job (although to be honest I don’t really think of it as a “job”) and I love being able to help people who are a part of the community!

You can check out Sam's website for more information