Week 3 of the nutritional experiment is complete and the stats are now in.  Things are looking excellent:

Analysis:

In the past week I have lost 3 lbs, dropped 1.2% body fat, lost 0.0411 lbs of LBM (not bad during a cut) and lost 2.96 lbs of fat.  For the entire experiment I have lost 6 lbs, lost 2.97% body fat, gamined 1.2 lbs of LBM and lost 7.2 lbs of fat.  I believe I've found what works for me.  At this point my plan is to end my experiment at the same time my Mission 2 ends so that I can announce my new plans.  It is going to be awesome!

Until later…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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I woke up today with a severe case of DOMs, but it made me smile.  I've been working extra hard these days and the DOMs is a sign that I've been changing things up pretty well.

I came to a tough decision today.  I have terminated my personal training arrangement.  I was pretty conflicted about the trainer to begin with.  I did like the way my time with him was interfering with my own workouts.  Then i was looking through The Millionaire Workout by Ryan Lee and realized that every endurance exercise I was being taught was in this book I held in my hands.

With that in mind, if I want to add some endurance training to my plan, I can do so using this book.  I don't need to layout $350 a month to a trainer just yet.  I honestly believe that at some point (probably as I get close to entering a bodybuilding contest) that I will either need a trainer or a very advanced training partner, right now just isnt' the time.

Today was a cardio only day.  I'm sticking to my PACE workouts.  I did a good 24 minute treadmill session that had me dripping with sweat.

I am now planning my next workout phase and believe I will be using Vince DelMonte's No Nonsense Muscle Building program.

I highly recommend this system.  I've dabbled with some of the workouts and I've read through the plans.  He has some great support on his site and you can't go wrong with this guy's plan.  Let's see what it does for me.

Coming up tomorrow will be the first podcast in my Total Immersion series.

Accountability Log:

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

24 minutes PACE workout on treadmill.

Thought for the Day:

Be decisive.  When making decisions it is essential to do it decisively and to not look back.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Today I got in a discussion with another person as I was warming up for my personal training session.  I started telling this guy about my concept of total immersion and how that works.  He brought it to a different level for me, making the point that it is like an extreme focus.  You are so focused on the end result that you don't let anything else get in your way.

To me, total immersion is very much an extreme focus.  At the same time, it is important to note that I've reached this current level of total immersion over time.  It isn't something that happened over night.  It is alot like adding pounds to your lifts.  You don't do it over night, instead, you progressively add weight over time.  Total immersion is exactly the same.  You slowly amplify your focus over time.  This assists with your success because it isn't something you had to jump straight into.  It is the classic angled line on a line graph.  It goes progressively higher as time passes.  So it is with total immersion.

For me this has resulted in some amazing runs.  I've hit some amazing milestones through the use of this mindset.  Afterall, a big part of this game is mental.  If your mental game isn't strong you will not hit your goals no matter how hard you try.  It just isn't possible.

Take the time to figure this part out because it is going to help you immensely.  Don't underestimate the concept and don't dismiss it as being something that works for me and not for you.  Total immersion is completely personal and that means each person will handle it differently.  However, it will work for anyone who understands its purpose.  It isn't a quick fix.  It leads you to your destination.  It is the road map for your future success.

Accountability Log:

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

Some explanations are in order.  The squat rows and wood chops are supersetted.  A squat row involves two cable pulleys with weight stacks.  You sit into a squat and when you come up, you row the weight to your body.  Body weight rows (unstabilized) had me grabbing some handles that were suspended from the ceiling, laying back so that I was on my heels only and then rowing my body weight.  One arm row and extension had me doing the same thing, but with one arm and reaching out to a certain point on the supporting cable and then back to the floor.  All of this is what I call endurance training.  It is very difficult stuff, but it isn't my passion at all.

Thought for the Day:

Figure out what your limits are and then set out to hit those limits because doing less will be cheating yourself out of some great results.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Today was a great workout day, but not a great day at work (more in a minute).

I am still immersed in this current nutrition plan and I feel like it has really stoked the fat burning fires in my body.  I've dropped 2% body fat since the start of the plan and it just keeps dropping off daily.  I have people recognizing that I'm looking thinner yet they recognize that I have not really lost weight (and that's really my goal–stay the same but lose the fat).  It is exciting to see the results and even more exciting that those close to me are noticing it as well.

At work today I have an employee who is currently on probation for a variety of issues.  I confronted him about one of those issues happening again and he completely denied it.  I had found out that he was working off the clock (illegal), but he denied it.  I had my Network Administrator do some research and discovered that we could prove he was working at the time he claimed he wasn't.  Thus, he lied to me and will be terminated from his job on Monday.  It is a sad thing because I don't like that I was lied to.  I have no problem letting someone go for dishonesty, but I really hate that he lied to me.

The strength training workout was awesome today. I like days like today because I can focus on my form and the mind-muscle connection.  It was not even as crowded as usual at the gym (yes, there are other crazy people like me working out at 4 a.m.).  This was a nice change as it gave me some time to review my workout.  When I say “review” I am meaning that I was going over the quality of my form as I was doing the exercises. Sometimes you get a weight to the point that it is actually too heavy and you force your way through.  This is not the desired response at all.  Thus, I did a mental checklist and corrected any possible issues.

Accountability Log:

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

Thought for the Day:

Life is about having fun.  You can do anything you want, but if you are not having fun, why bother?  Go out and have some fun!

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Total immersion is a complete state of mind.  It involves every fiber of your being.  It is exactly what it sounds like–totally immersing yourself in something.  In this case it is the shredder lifestyle that I'm talking about.

To some it may seem to be an obssession, but to me it is total immersion in an idea.  I have found that the more committed I am to something the better my results are at it.  I have that type of personality.  When I am interested in something, I read everything on the subject.  I learn as much as I can.  I immerse myself in the material.  The subject itself becomes living and breathing to me.  I become a mini-expert.

My body is no different.  I know how hard I can push myself.  I know what my limits are.  I know the signs that my body gives off.  It is all important to the process I am going through. 

Lately I've been totally immersed in my nutrition plan.  I'm now playing with what is the right amount of cardio for this plan.  I am also messing with some spreadsheets that will help me use this plan for bulking later.  To me, the key to all of this bulking talk is to do a “clean bulk.”  What's a “clean bulk” you ask?  I'm so glad you asked that question!  First, in order to do a bulk you have to eat alot of food.  Alot of people bulk using whatever food they can muster up.  However, in a clean bulk you attempt to keep your nutrition clean and under control, but you up the calories.  I am experimenting with ideas on how I might use my current nutritional approach for a clean bulk situation and I think I've nailed it.

To me it is a great deal of fun to be immersed in something.  I like this shredder lifestyle that I've developed and I don't plan on ever going back to my old way of life.  I've found that my endurance, while it has a long way to go, is much better than it ever was before.  My strength has improved tremendously.  My mental attitude is sharpened.  I have more motivation than ever before.  And now I want all this to rub off on you.

Starting this weekend I'm going to be doing a podcast series on the topics I just mentioned–endurance, immersion, strength, mental attitude, motivation, bodybuilding and the shredder lifestyle.  There will be a new podcast each week.  I am also trying to figure out how to do a tips on lifting video podcast.  I have to work out those details for the future.

If you want to get some great information, return this weekend for the new and improved Fat Burning Machine Podcast.

Accountability Log:

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

PACE cardio on elipptical machine for 24 minutes

Thought for the Day:

If you're going to do something, go all the way.  Never give up half way to the finish line.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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