Trans bodybuilder shows incredible physique after transitioning

If you ever doubted you could change, then here's a story to get you motivated. Tommy Murrell is an inspirational 38-year-old bodybuilder, who has made a successful career for himself by competing in prestigious American competitions and working as a personal trainer.

Tommy, however, wasn't always this way. He says he used to be 190 pounds at 40% body fat, before sculpting the buff bod he has now.  Tommy is transgender, and not only did he go through a female to male transition, but he defied all gender stereotypes by bulking so impressively that he took home awards in male bodybuilding competitions.

In an interview with BarcroftTV, Tommy explained the journey he went on to transition, admitting there were very challenging moments but that it was worth it in the end.

Credit: YouTube / Barcroft TV

Tommy says he never felt very feminine as he was growing up.

"I was going into the bathrooms and getting kicked out of them. I was just so masculine, it just became a dangerous situation," he said. "Who wants to live a life where you can't even go to the bathroom? Nobody wants that."

Now 38, Tommy described how he spent the first two decades of his life feeling a bit out of place and unsure about what to do about his feelings of masculinity. It was only after he finished school that he started researching more about transgender transitioning and whether that would be an option for him.

"I felt masculine, you know, like that was just the way that I was, and it wasn't until I was into my twenties that I really had language for it and when I got the language for it, I started doing the research and I found that I could transition."

Deciding that transitioning to male was the only way forward, Tommy underwent a six-year journey involving several surgeries, hormonal treatment and learning to live and dress as a man. But Tommy decided to one-up all that when it became an ambition for him to begin a career in professional bodybuilding. People questioned that he could do it, but he proved them all wrong.

"I hate when people tell me I can't do something," he said. "If you want to get me upset, tell me that I can't and I will do whatever it takes to prove you wrong."

This new confident attitude is what inspired Tommy to share images of his physique on Instagram.

He began competing in trans bodybuilding competitions and had huge success over the years. A milestone for the 38-year-old happened two years, when he decided to challenge himself by competing in a much tougher category – the prestigious NPC Port Lauderdale Men's Cup. Some people questioned whether a trans competitor could enter in the men's competition, but Tommy pointed out that it was his desire to compete that mattered most in the end.

"I don't think that people should make a deal of whether I am trans or not, we don't get lost in the details. You know, at the end of the day, I look male so what's the problem?

"I wasn't like, 'hey I am a trans bodybuilder. I'm looking to compete'. I just said, 'I am going to compete' and that was it."

He considered himself being at a "disadvantage" compared to cisgendered people (those who identify with the gender they are assigned at birth) competitors. However, Tommy took home third place – what he considered his biggest bodybuilding achievement.

Now working on helping others build their dream body, Tommy's main goal is to inspire others that they can do anything they truly wish for, no matter their gender.