Think of the Anabolic Mindset as being the main container.  With that in mind, the Total Immersion Mindset is inside that main container assisting with getting you to the Anabolic Mindset state.  But what is the Total Immersion Mindset anyway?

When I do something I get really into it.  The more committed to something I am the better I do with it.  I read everything on the subject.  I learn as much as I possibly can about the subject.  I see the subject as living and breathing, a live creature so it seems.  Fitness is something that I am totally immersed in.  To me it is not about simply working out or eating a certain way, it is about immersing myself in a lifestyle that will make those things a reality.  I have come to the point where, using the Total Immersion Mindset, I know exactly how hard I can push my body.  I understand my limits and I use them to my benefit.  Unlike some, I do not use my limits to stop myself, I use them to push myself even further.

Many of you really love the Metabolic Surge program and for good reason–it works.  However, if you were to increase your calories and follow that same program, I bet you'd put on muscle at first and later you'd burn fat.  That's how it works.  You have to rev up the engine and then, after you've built up and stoked the fires, your body begins to peel off fat like mad.

Everything I do these days for my body is aimed at building mass.  I have been working on my abdominal program, tweaking it and perfecting it.  I have been changing up my eating to maximize muscle growth, taking in alot of calories every single day.  I have been doing High Intensity Training to push the envelope.  I want to achieve my maximum genetic potential.  However, that's not enough. I want to push past that through modifications that can happen when you train extremely hard.  My entire mindset has changed towards muscle building and not so much towards fat burning.

To me, the Anabolic Mindset is akin to the Larger Engine Theory.  By getting yourself into the Anabolic Mindset you will burn fat from the increased muscle on your body.  However, you must be in the Anabolic Mindset to most effectively gain mass.

I will probably change the name of my blog for the next mission to be The Muscle Building Fat Burning Machine.  This will not change the URL of the blog, but it will change in my header graphic and every other place on my blog.  It represents my new mindset. 

She is very excited that she is now learning strategy.  It is wonderful to see her eyes light up as I explain things to her.  She enjoys the game and she enjoys her time with daddy.  Of course, it is a wonderful time for me because I get to spend it one on one with one of my beautiful children.

Over the past year I've learned alot of things about how to get results from training.  Much of what I learned is not earth shattering, but it isn't known by the majority of people attempting the things I've been attempting.  Before meeting Carlos DeJesus I was already convinced of this thing called The Experiment of One.  Speaking with Carlos merely confirmed the power of the Experiment of One for me.

During the course of the past year I've experimented with my nutrition to find what works for my body.  I read alot of information about what is supposed to work, but my intellect never let me believe that these things would just work for everyone.  It just made no sense to me.  How could everyone who weighs 220 lbs. need 3300 calories?  What about the guy who is 220 lbs. and 30% body fat?  He is going to need less calories than the guy who is 220 lbs. and 10% body fat because he doesn't have the muscle to increase his resting metabolic rate.  This lead me to experiment with various forms of carb cycling.  I found that I could take the things I'd read and modify them by combining ideas and I would get dramatically different results.  At one point I did 3 straight weeks where I existed mostly on protein shakes with some small amounts of carbs here and there.  I had fantastic results and have even maintained those results since that point in time. 

When I started to plan my bulking phase, everything I read said you couldn't lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.  My own experiments have proven this to be false.  I managed to do both–gain muscle and lose fat.  It was just a matter of eating the right things in a large enough quantity that I would gain muscle, but working hard enough that my body used fat for fuel. 

I will not sit here and tell you that you can do everything I did and get the same results.  However, I will tell you that you should experiment.  Don't be afraid to mix and match ideas.  Any course of action you take can be modified at any time, so why be afraid?  Pay careful attention to the results you get from the various things you try.  Use those results and measurements to come up with your next experiment. When you find something that hits the sweet spot, work it for as long as you can.  When the results slow down or stop completely, change things up.