Fortunately, when you log things on the Interwebz, we are left some clues, so we do know at least a little something of your training history. Shall we take a look and see what turns up?
In January 2012, you started a training log here:
“I’m new to T-Nation, not new to weightlifting. After receiving my Undergrad in Kinesiology, I’ve been very excited for training.”
Great! A recent college grad with a degree in Kinesiology, no less, and raring to go on the big lifts. Surely some solid progress will follow. Most trainees can make some real solid gains in the early going, and then once you learn to train…
A few months ago. you popped back in and gave us a thread where you detailed some of your journey:
So you’re a “33 year old former powerlifter” who went from a paunchy 5’11" and 195 to a sorta-maybe-leanish 165 pounds. Cool. I can dig it. You weren’t thrilled with the body you got from all that heavy lifting, so time to lean out. Alrighty then.
Then you threw a little temper tantrum in the “Should I Start Cutting?” thread when flipcollar suggested that maybe the other people in the thread were giving better advice. Although it’s apparently hit you HARD in the feels, to a neutral observer it makes sense that perhaps a big, lean, strong dude (or even someone meeting two of those three descriptors) might know more about the subject than “beginners like you who think they know everything because they had a minor success in the gym” (an apt description of your current level, although this gets funnier because…well, let’s just keep going).
This is even funnier in retrospect, because flipcollar was giving you some leeway for being a naive beginner, probably because he didn’t recall that you described yourself as a “33 year old former powerlifter” or that you started a training log here five years ago (and even in that, said you weren’t new to lifting weights!)
Your current training log indicates that you front-squatted 215 for a “heavy single” six days ago, which makes you marginally stronger than my wife, who started barbell training two months ago after a lifetime of yoga and running. You would barely be the strongest female at the CrossFit gym where I train (six girls front-squatting between 185 and 210 pounds) and most of them have probably been lifting for a lot less than five years.
So just to recap: you started a training log on here five years ago to discuss how excited you were to start putting your knowledge to work, and right now you weigh 165 pounds, front squat 215, and might be able to dunk a basketball sometime in the next year. In the last five years, as far as I can tell, your biggest achievement is that you got sorta fat, then managed to get a little less fat, returning to a level of strength that a typical novice trainee can achieve within a few solid months of training. For some reason, you are still piddling around the forums offering advice to people, despite the fact that you’ve never really advanced beyond “beginner-to-very-low-level-intermediate” stage yourself. And, when more advanced trainees suggest that it may behoove beginners to listen to people who have actually achieved something in their desired pursuit - like, maybe listening strong guys explain what they did to get strong instead of listening to the guy with a 215 pound front squat after 5 years of training whose current goal is to dunk a basketball, or maybe just philosophize about life and not using steroids:
“The lifting has been great this year. But we’re like 10 weeks into the year and when you work out 5-6 days a week like I do I’m at the 50 work out mark this year if not more. Not boasting but it’s a huge concern to prolong my lifting career. I want to be lifting and dunking long term, into my 40s and 50s. Taking care of my body is a priority. I’m not some steroid or hormone user who just used drugs to reach all my goals. Fuck that. As a natural person my entire life I’ve learned to listen to what my body is telling me. Right now I feel I need to change or I’ll revert to a powerlifter or Oly lifter, and move further away from dunking. I’ll just put on more mass if I’m not careful.”
Look, you can have whatever goals you want. That’s terrific. Just don’t get all pissy when the good people of T-Nation aren’t willing to give much credence to unimpressive advice delivered by someone with an unimpressive physique and unimpressive strength. Most people who want to get some combination of big, strong, and lean should listen to someone that has achieved the right combination of those three things that they are seeking. If someone looks at your body of work and decides you are the person they want to emulate, they will heed your advice.