Geran

I've been lifting heavy and hard for roughly a year now, and raised all of my maxes significantly. But within the last few months, I've hit a hard plateau on my bench press at 200/205. I've tried multiple different programs to break though it, but I always end up failing sets around this weight. Programs attempted thus far: 1. Stronglifts 5x5 - This is where I started, and this got me to about 150-160. 2. Effortless Superhuman (Tim Ferris, 4 Hour Body) - This worked well up until I hit the 200/205 plateau. Despite multiple resets, I couldn't break it. 3. Eating the Elephant (Tim Ferris, 4 Hour Body) - This program is supposed to be designed specifically to break bench press plateaus, but I still failed at the 200/205. My diet for roughly 6 months has been Tim Ferris's "Slow Carb Diet," to include the Saturday cheat days, and extra protein from whey protein powder + water shakes to support muscle growth. The only area I already know I struggle with is sleep, as I often times will only average 5 hours a night. I've come a long way in my journey, but I'm not satisfied, and I refuse to let 200 be my max when I know there are people out there lifting triple that or more. Any and all help would be appreciated, I can take the criticism if anyone knows something I'm doing wrong or a program that would be helpful.

I do love books.

Good stuff. Thanks everyone.

Yea, I heard that as well. I had an NCO who was all about boxing and combatives. Kept pairs of boxing gloves in the shop for lunch time and after hours PT. He was fully combatives certified. Beast of a man.

I will definitely check that out. What would you recommend if I am willing to do in-depth reading?

Definitely sound advice. Any particular sources you recommend?

I will confess to biology being a weak area of mine in terms of knowledge. What exactly do you mean by connective tissue? Are we referring to the skin over the muscles, or is there internal tissue that connects muscles?

I've spent a lot of time getting back into fitness and proper eating lately, and it got me thinking about how to train and strengthen myself as a whole person. I've been looking for ways to strengthen my mind, and have settled on pursuing chess with a fair degree of seriousness. I'm not planning to compete professionally, but I would like to be an above average player. Is anyone else in the community playing chess, willing to coach/play with a new person, or able to recommend any resources?

Yea, I had to Clinch Drill with the lead instructor who was roughly twice to 2.5 times my size and weight...it was an experience. Do you know if there any places teaching the MACP to civilians or veterans? It is a good system, and getting back into it and getting to Level 2 would be great.

Yes, I was at Bragg. The boxing Gym I went to was called Angel's Gym, if that helps. I got MACP Level 1 certified while I was enlisted, that course beat the hell out of me, even with the prior martial arts experience. It was wonderful, but I still remember how sore I was by the end. I couldn't even close one of my hands properly for a while. Good stuff though. No one can deny that a vast majority of fights will go to the ground if they go on beyond the first hit or two. I'm not a large man by any stretch of the imagination, 5'6" at most, and maybe 160 pounds (haven't weighed myself since before I started lifting heavy a few weeks ago), so I'm never going to be a grappling god. But I have been in enough situations, both serious and professional/fun, to see the value of knowing how to ground fight/grapple/wrestle.

This was refreshingly amusing. You're quite clever and talented. Keep it up!

So I !@#$%^&* up pretty hard last night. I got embroiled in a personal conflict between two people I care about so much that I barely did anything responsible. I did my own workout, but I let someone I promised to hold accountable eat garbage fast food and drink soda with the excuse that "it's late and it's cheap and simple." I didn't cook dinner or prepare food for lunch today, so I have to waste money buying lunch out here. I have failed myself and I have failed the people who depend on me. I need to get back in the game and lock in, and do things right today.

Well, I did do five years of active duty service in the Army. I went to a Hapkido/Tang Su Do "school" when I was a kid, and that was alright. What I really enjoyed was the boxing gym I used to go to when I was in the Army in Fayetteville, NC. Little hole in the wall place you wouldn't ever see unless you knew to look for it...but that place was heaven. Just sweat, mats, bags, and people who wanted to train hard. They also did Yoga and Tai Chi. I miss that. So maybe boxing is my thing? I do like striking, especially since I've struggled with anger issues my whole life and hitting the bag has always helped me.

That's solid advice, thank you. I've done pretty well with keeping junk food and sugar out of my place, but I will confess to making paleo desserts somewhat often or eating a lot of fruit because I miss the sugar. As you say, a complete overhaul overnight isn't always the best path. I'm working on cutting back on eating 3+ pears a day, for example. But I figure that's better than a soda or candy bar.

Well, I'm terribly sorry you feel that way just because I don't touch your "touchstones." I mean, nevermind that I could get into a massive rant about Star Wars alone and how Han and Leia's son being named "Ben" in Force Awakens was utter bullshit because that was Luke and Mara's son's name in the expanded universe but that's all been declared non-canon because !@#$%^&* Disney....but I guess I'm just not enough of a nerd for you.

So because I don't have a history of these things YOU determine are nerd "touchstones," I'm a troll? And yea, I brag about my accomplishments in "Woot Room," that's what it's FOR. But if we're tracking my forum activity, I notice you conveniently avoid mentioning how I encourage people in the Respawn Point, or how I posted looking for other League of Legends players, or how I've started threads asking for people to help educate me on diet, lifting, martial arts...But I guess those are outside the "touchstones" and don't count?

Much appreciated. I'm certainly not here to judge anyone or tell anyone that there was is wrong. I started this thread to see if there was anyone else out there doing what I'm doing, that's all. If some people view what I do as too extreme, that's fair. I'm used to that. It's not for everyone. As the Little Gamers would say "Game on."

I have answered every question you've asked me. I don't give you specifics about how I personally conduct my relationships because that would involve sharing information about the health, mental and physical, of individuals that is private. Every relationship is different, and every person is different. There is no BDSM bible. There is no "this one way is the right way." I'm sorry if you feel like me saying that is patronizing, but that is how it is. It would be misleading and even arrogant of me to claim that what specifically works between me and one sub is how every other Dom and Sub should handle their situation. I'm not entirely certain what exactly what you want me to answer or tell you. What gives me the right to have power over someone? Their consent for me to have it. That's as direct an answer as I have for you. What qualifies me to be the authority on someone's health, fitness, diet, manner of dress, or anything else about their life? Once again, their consent. If they find my methods unsafe or don't like something about the system I propose enforcing, then they don't consent and we don't do it. My goal here isn't to be obtuse or avoid inquiries. I simply can't point to one relationship, or even one example IN one relationship and say "this is how it is always done." You can't do that in any relationship, whether it be vanilla romance, parent child, or even professional.

Good point.

I am open to any and all questions. There simply seemed to be an assumption that I am unqualified and inexperienced simply because I am a "newbie" on these message boards, which I don't see as a fair assessment. But by all means, ask away. Someone might find a flaw in my approach or logic, which I would be grateful for.

There are of course plenty of questions that do get asked. The question of "is this safe and right for you/me/us." Is asked frequently, at least by me and those I get involved with. No matter how deeply someone submits to me, I ensure that they know they ALWAYS have the right to ask questions, and ALWAYS have the right to declare something unsafe. I hope that helps.

I agree 100% percent. And the BDSM community gets a LOT of bad press because abusers masquerade as "Dominants" and take advantage of those insecure and damaged people. I've both seen it happen and met people coming out of it. It's a huge problem, and one that I myself work quite actively within the community to address and raise awareness of, in addition to striving to be a proper example for those on the outside to see that not every Dominant is a Christian Grey. 50 Shades, to me, is a giant "How NOT to do BDSM/Power Exchange" manual. Pretty much everything he does is either manipulative, abusive, or at the very least creepy. There's actually a very good video by Film Theory describing how Christian Grey uses classic Cult indoctrination techniques to subvert the female lead and manipulate her. Truly disturbing. There is a responsibility on the part of Doms and Subs to be informed and communicate properly, and a certain level of responsibility the rest of the community has to observe and speak up. Just like you would say something at the gym if someone was about to snap their elbow doing a lift wrong, we would also speak up in a kink club if something seemed unsafe.

^ This. Thank you, @Twilight.

Is your goal in this thread simply to insult and inflame people? How is insulting people as "wannabe" Dominants constructive or helpful to this discussion in any way? There is no one single way to do fitness, diet, Dominance, Submission, or anything else for that matter. If you have a different viewpoint, fine. If you want to have a discussion, fine. But there really is no reason for this kind of talk. You do things your way. Fine and dandy. I don't try to make you sound wrong, regardless of how different it may be from how I or someone else does it. You don't seem very inclined to extend the same tolerance or understanding to anyone else. I didn't start this thread to argue with anyone. I started it to open healthy discourse. I must reiterate that if you have questions or concerns, there are far more respectful ways to air them. If your concern is about the qualifications, or lack there of, of Dominant types controlling certain aspects of people's lives, that's a valid question and topic. Someone with no experience at all shouldn't be trying to instruct someone completely new on a complex fitness movement, fighting technique, diet change, or anything else. That CAN be dangerous, and people doing so ARE wrong, at least in my view. My issue here isn't the concerns you have, it's the aggressive and at times insulting way you express them. I can't figure out why you feel the need to address anyone this way.

If you're asking whether or not there is a some kind of BDSM qualification board that certifies people as Dominants, there isn't. There is no official qualification, just like there isn't one to be in any other kind of relationship. Is it a massive responsibility? Yes, of course it is. But then so is having children, and no one needs a license for that either. As I mentioned previously, consent is a major point. I don't force my opinion on any random Submissive I come across. The person agrees, usually in a very formal fashion, to submit to my judgement. This is done after an in depth discussion of their needs, desires, and expectations. That is where the common sense comes in. That person asks the questions to get the information they need to feel comfortable and safe giving me that power. If they don't feel comfortable and safe, they don't give me the power. Just like how you wouldn't date someone if you weren't comfortable with them.