What a wild ride this year has been. It's not quite over but with only a handful of days left in 2017, I wanted to pause and look back on the progression of River Runs Wild this year. Starting this website was scary. I didn't feel confident in my appearance, my voice, or who I really was yet. That is exactly why I pushed myself to keep a public place to post my experiences. I knew it would keep me accountable at tracking my fitness, transition journey, changes on hormones, and my emotional ups and downs. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Through this website and my social media accounts, I have had interactions with so many people across the globe.

2017 has been such a transformative year and I wanted to share some of it's highlights. Here are the top ten posts from this year on my blog. Enjoy, share, and feel free to connect with me for any questions, comments, etc.

#1

Strength in Numbers - FTM Fitness, One Year of Bulking

Posted: November 29, 2017

I'm ecstatic that this was the top post of the year! This post highlights all of my fitness numbers of 2017. It is a great place to start if you are looking for FTM Fitness advice. It's also a very realistic example of what you can achieve strength and weight wise by eating and training consistently.

Excerpt: I get asked a lot what I did to start training and putting on muscle. I point people to my blog because all I have is my own experience. I've never trained anyone else, but I've documented ALL of my progress. This post shows the numbers of my success and what I did to achieve them.

#2

12 Week Bulk to Gain Lean Mass Program - FTM Fitness

Posted: March 26, 2017

This post was written after about a month of bulking. It highlights my bulking plan for 2017.

Excerpt: This bulk program is going to be challenging for me because I have a hard time with being "fluffy". Anytime my body fat goes up, especially around my waist, my dysphoria kicks up. I struggle with this and it is a hurdle to overcome. I know I want to gain size, strength, and muscle mass but getting there requires a bit of puffiness and less of a lean/tight look. This will be my battle... allowing myself to gain weight and finding the mental peace with it.

#3

Chest Workout for Mass, Definition, and Size - FTM Fitness

Posted: November 9, 2017

Blog visitors loved the chest workout post and I understand why. For many transmen, their chest is an area that they want to work on. Muscle development takes a long time in the chest if you've never trained it specifically. This workout is what I used to build my chest. Once I had top surgery in early December 2017, I had visual pec muscles and development which was my goal. 

Excerpt: During my last 12 week bulk, this is the chest workout that I used weekly. I love this workout for getting the chest exhausted. Using this workout weekly, I was able to increase my working set weight on Bench Press by 30 pounds! I also feel way more confident with dumbbell presses and have been able to climb up in weight on almost every exercise. If you feel like you've hit a bit of a plateau on chest strength or are looking to build up this area, try out this workout to get your chest muscles growing!

#4

9 Months on Testosterone - Video Update

Posted: November 19, 2017

My video shooting confidence has grown so much in the past year. My first videos caused me a lot of anxiety and I was very insecure in my voice. Keeping a video journal was difficult but so worth it. I look back and can clearly see how far I've come.

Excerpt: This video is part of my transition update series and it marks 9 months on hormone replacement therapy (testosterone). This video starts with physical changes, followed by mental health updates, and life updates. The video ends with some photo comparisons.

#5

Supplements: What I Take for Bodybuilding & Wellness

Posted: August 27, 2017

This was a very common question that I got... "What supplements do you take?", so I decided to put up a post that I could use as a link to send people asking. The post is very comprehensive and great for people at any level of fitness or bodybuilding.

Excerpt: When looking at supplementation, I try to keep in mind what the actual term means and find the holes in my diet. Those nutritional holes can be filled with supplements. It is important to do research when buying and taking supplements. Beyond just reading what others have to say, your body and personal experience is going to be the most important factor. Try different things and always track how you feel. Learn from personal experience what is working best to enhance your performance, recovery, immunity, energy, mental health, and overall wellbeing.

#6

Putting On Size Pre-T and How To Start Bodybuilding - (FTM Fitness)

Posted: June 4, 2017

This video was created out of a common question I was receiving as well... "How do I put on muscle?". I plan to shoot more of these in the future as I grow and learn more myself, but this is a great overview of my training philosophies. 

Excerpt: This video is a long format introduction to how I started my bodybuilding journey and how I put on size/muscle before starting testosterone.

#7

12 Week Bulk to Gain Lean Mass Program - Phase 3 Results

Posted: October 31, 2017

This post summarizes my bulking results after 3 separate 12 week phases in 2017. If you are looking to bulk and want to hear about realistic results... this post is a great place to start, especially if you are doing hormone replacement therapy.

Excerpt: I've learned so much about training, nutrition, and my body during these last 36 weeks. Tracking your training and nutrition are keys to being able to evaluate and fine tune your training methods. Looking back, I'm so glad that I did this and jumped into the scary zone of doing everything you can to make gains. There were so many moments that I felt terrified that I was just going to gain body fat and that my aesthetics would be far off from what I was trying to achieve. Gaining lean mass is a slow and patient process. You have to trust the journey and be ready for victories and times when things seem to be stagnant.

#8

Training Plans - Back & Butt Workout

Posted: March 11, 2017

This workout is what I used early into buying to get my back growing fast. This post contains into on how to do this workout if you are a beginner and also has modified tips if you've been lifting for a longer period of time.

Excerpt: This routine is for intermediate lifters. It is extremely effective for strengthening the back and giving a carved out appearance. I have found deadlifts great for achieving a deep valley down the spine and also increasing the cut of the obliques. Try it out and see if you can incorporate any of these super sets into your back workout.

#9

Training Plans - Shoulder Workout

Posted: March 14, 2017

I started off 2017 with decent shoulders but knew that they would be a big area of focus for me. This is the workout that I used towards the start of my bulk and oh boy... they grew.

Excerpt: My current routine focuses on putting mass on the shoulders. Each time I train shoulders, I focus on overloading them with a difficult heavier (not too heavy) weight and then cooking them with a high rep more isolated movement.

#10

8 Months on Testosterone - FTM Transition Update Journal

Posted: October 22, 2017

By month 8, I was really starting to feel better in my body. This is the month where I started to feel more adult looking and older. Even though I was feeling good overall, I struggled with some mental health issues this month and it was important for me to share.

Excerpt: It's honestly a little surreal to be at 8 months on testosterone. Sometimes I still feel like I'm back at the beginning and filled with the unsteady feeling of embarking on something big. Over these past 8 months I have grown considerably. Yes, physically I've grown but as a person I have changed.

So there they are! The top ten posts of 2017. I'm so grateful for everyone that has stopped by my blog. It's a very personal little space I've carved out online and allows me to share my life with others. If you are new to the site, stop by the About Page for a better rundown of how River Runs Wild got started.

Many more posts to come. For more details and little bits of info, please watch my update videos either on the blog or on YouTube. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for more frequent updates.

Thanks for joining me on this transition journey. Please feel free to leave a comment or browse the other sections of the blog. My goal in sharing my experiences is to provide personal information to anyone seeking out advice on gender transition, mental health, and wellness. People's personal stories have been a huge inspiration and source of information for me, I'd like to pay that forward. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or just need a sound board.

Thanks for stopping by!

TTYL