The Bodybuilder Shay Price
Age: 23
Sports: Bodybuilding
From a young age, Price idolised bodybuilders. Now, having spent half of his life as an openly transgender man, Price has overcome genetic setbacks to match his iron-pumping heroes. The next step? Competing on the world stage
‘I started transitioning at 13, the same time I became aware of bodybuilding. Male and female bodybuilders are both amazing, but I knew that I was trapped in the wrong body. I would create male characters in my video games and dress “male” as a child.
‘My first job was in a leisure centre, so I was in the gym pretty much every day. I’d see men training and that was my inspiration. Bodybuilding put the idea of the “perfect” masculine body in my mind. It was something I wanted to work towards. Being transgender, that’s a lot harder for me.
‘When I first started bodybuilding, I wasn’t on testosterone so it was hard to put on weight and lose water weight. I was very aware of my breasts and hip fat. Not having the male genetics to be in the top ranking for bodybuilding was quite hard on my body dysmorphia. Testosterone certainly helped.
‘I was very serious about wanting to bodybuild, and I still am. Back then, I had this one guy who was my friend and colleague. He’s older than me, so I look at him like a mentor. He was really supportive. He gave me some ideas about different ways to make my waist look smaller and things like that.
‘Despite that, at the start – and even going into new gyms now – I do suffer with anxiety. I still keep myself to myself and go to quiet, small gyms. Gyms where there are other gay people. In my previous gym, there were other transgender people.
I’ve been open with the gyms that I’ve trained at and they have been supportive.
‘I now train by myself and focus on me. I go twice a day – half an hour of cardio in the morning, then work on a major muscle group. I do more cardio in the evening, and another major muscle group. Going to the gym is like therapy. I can go there and take my anger and frustration out. It just picks me up. During lockdown, I fell into depression quite quickly because the gym is pretty much my life.
‘I get quite a few messages on Instagram from people asking for training tips, asking where I had my chest surgery. I’m not a qualified Level 3 personal trainer, so I can’t give any professional advice, but I still try to help out where I can.
‘My goal is to one day compete in bodybuilding.
It’s difficult. I haven’t seen any transgender guys on stage in the UK. I’ve seen a couple of guys smashing it in the US who are big inspirations, but I want to compete in the UK and prove to all trans guys that it’s possible.’