I was told about it, warned about it, but until it happens, you are in a state of denial. Now, it has happened. It actually started about three weeks ago. I'm talking about hitting a plateau. This is where your body says, “Hey bye, what de hell ya doing, I ain't losin' any more weight.”That's it, your body weight won't change. It might fluctuate about a quarter of a pound either way, but that's it. The plateauing effect has to be the biggest motivation-killer there is. You can train harder or change your diet, but nothing seems to have much effect. I've heard that some people can plateau for nearly six months before the body raises a white flag, gives in and says, “Alright, I'll let you start losing weight again.”The funny thing is, I hadn't really heard about the dreaded plateau until I started the competition. It's amazing how popular diet books strangely keep quiet on this issue. I guess it doesn't make good reading, but this where a trainer really comes into play. Apart from pushing you to you max in the gym, they will work with you to get over this hump ... no, I mean mountain. Let's face it, if you're busting your ‘gluteus maximus' trying to lose weight but suddenly the fat no longer disappears, then what's the point?And without someone working with you, trying different things to get over this obstacle, then you will most likely give up. To make matters worse we have an official weigh-in next week, so I only have the next seven days to break this road block. So stayed tuned.So what did we do this weekend at boot camp? We were shown and practised the basics of the martial art of Jiketsu with Reuben Bean. The day started out with a whiff of some strong incense and stretching exercises. It wasn't long before we were outside running up and down Berkeley Road hill at least three times! After all that, we went back indoors and were then placed into our respective teams. Now the real work started. The first thing to learn was the Tiger Crawl exercise.Reuben demonstrated this for us and while doing so, the man moved like greased lighting scurrying on the floor on his feet and hands. Unfortunately, when we tried it we resembled more of a monkey that just had its butt kicked.The rest of the work out was a little more familiar with a slight twist, like push-ups. Actually, they were Judo push-ups. This is where your legs are further apart and your chin almost touches the ground, then you arch your back and bring your head up.After about 15 minutes, I could understand the need for the incense as perspiration was in full flow.What followed next was most troubling and, as a man, has most likely scarred me for life. There's a lot of aggression that must have been building up in some of these women, for when it came to punching, elbowing and kneeing the groin of the target, the women took to it like flies on a rib roast. No, I'm not talking about bringing up the knee and slightly hitting a man's family jewels. I'm talking about grabbing the back of the dummy, holding it still and making full contact with all their might. Not one strike, but over and over again. For good measure they grunted in a way that would make a heavyweight boxer take notice. The sight brought tears to my eyes to a point that for the rest of the day my back was turned to any and all females. Guys, if you're married or go out with any of these lassies, do yourself a favour and get to the nearest sport store and buy a cricket cup ... you can thank me later.Gird your loins!!Despite the physiological damage that I have now experienced and the complete uneasiness I now feel around women in general, there's a lot more Jiketsu that I'd like to learn and I will be calling Sensei Bean.