Joshua Wang

Spiritual Juice In response to Saul's doubt of David's abilities to defeat Goliath, David says, " ...Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear..." While David was the youngest of his brothers, he certainly wasn't weak. Killing a lion or a bear with my bare hands is beyond my own comprehension. I wonder how David would fare in UFC. WOD - 9:30 a.m. (with the Iron Dragons) 10 min bike (131 calories) 50 bicycle crunches 25 v-ups max plank hold - Then - 4 sets of: 10 Bench press (115#), 10 Push-ups 2 sets of: 10 squats, 10 hang cleans (45 kg) Nutrition Pork bone soup with a friend today @ Seor Ak San! Okay .... cavemen didn't have Pork Bone Soup and no, I didn't stay paleo for that hour. But it was so worth it! And I was paleo the rest of the day :)

Spiritual Juice "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." -- 1 Timothy 6:11-12 (emphasis added) WOD - 6 p.m. Deadlift 3x3x3x3 (235#) - Then - 5 Rounds for Time 30 KB Swings (Rx: 1.5 pood, Used 2 pood) 20 Wall ball shots (20# ball, 10' target) 10 Toes to bar Time: 26:18 The extra weight made a difference, especially on the KB swings. Wall ball shots felt a lot easier than when I first did it - must be because of the Open =) Nutrition - yay, "Paleo!" 4:30 a.m. - Coffee, Protein shake, Pineapple 7:00 a.m. - Random meat 9:30 a.m. - Bacon, eggs, sausage 12:30 p.m. - Homemade burger patty + salad 3:30 p.m. - Chinese broccoli + random meat 4:30 p.m. - Paleo Krunch bar + seaweed packs (2) 5:30

Spiritual Juice Reflecting again on Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." This is just such a loaded passage, and speaks to me in so many ways. In my repeated failures in maintaining a paleo diet. In my CrossFit workouts. In my dedication to my work. In my everyday life. WOD - 8 p.m. Warm-up 3 Rounds 10 reps each of Squats, Sit-ups, Push-ups, Pull-ups (Did 2 Rounds + 10 Push-ups) - Then - Max reps in 3 Rounds 1 min / exercise, 1 min rest after each round SDHP (72# KB) Ring Dips (kipping

Spiritual Juice "Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."  -- Matthew 11:28 The past few days consisted of early mornings and little sleep. I caved in again this morning, getting breakfast from Tim Hortons (yes, any food there is not Paleo), and lunch from the cafeteria. Upon reflecting on yesterday's post on compromise, I realized that my initial "Oh Henry" compromise wasn't a one-time ordeal. I was "stress-eating" because I was stressed. Lots of work and little rest. Rest is spiritual. In fact, someone on the radio said it is one of the most spiritual things you can do. Resting. I do ridiculous things when I'm not well-rested, and act out of character. I have heard that driving while sleep-deprived is like driving drunk. So today, I was reflecting on rest. WOD Light jog with Running Room (6 km, 10 min run / 1 min walk) 8 p.m. @ CrossFit Shoulder Press 5 x 5 (65#, 95#, 115# - 3 reps, 115# - 3 rep

Spiritual Juice "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders ...." --Hebrews 12:1 WOD - 8 p.m. Back squat 5 reps (45#, 95#, 135#, 185#, 185#) For Time 21-15-9 Hang Squat Cleans (135#) Burpees Post-WOD randomness - HSPU, 3x3 - 500 m row - Kipping pull-up practice Nutrition For the most part ... good. Then, as the end of the work day drew near (just passing the 13th hour), I caved and ate two Oh Henry bars ... I need to have readily available Paleo snacks for stress-eating :) Two perspectives on the Oh Henry  compromise: - Physical failure may lead to failure in other areas (if I fail my nutrition, I may fall in my spiritual life, or other areas) - At least it was just a chocolate bar. Yes, not a good thing - but could have been worse. Be thankful. Learn why you caved in. And grow.

Spiritual Juice "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl."  --Job 31:1 Making a covenant with one's eyes. Similar to making a "covenant" with my diet (to eat well), with my company (to work well), etc. I aspire to be a man of commitment, one who stands by his word .. and most importantly, His Word.  WOD - 8 p.m. Snatch Work up to a 1 RM (135#) 4 Rounds 10 HSPU (could not do all rounds Rx'd) 15 V-ups 20 KB cleans (55#, 10 each arm) 25 tuck jumps A pretty fun workout and definitely refreshing after a long day at work. No CrossFit tomorrow :( But I'm looking forward to a fruitful day. Nutrition Lived off beef jerky and trail mix for most of the day. Early morning tomorrow, so that's it for the nutrition report =)

Spiritual Juice "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." -- Isaiah 40:31 One of my all-time favorite verses, and especially applicable to my 30 K run today in Hamilton. Throughout the race, I kept asking for strength and endurance. I knew I was barely prepared. I wasn't in perfect condition, but had much to be thankful for too--no washroom break during the entire race! I had to rely on Him also after the race, but more on that below! WOD Run 30 K Target time: 3:30 Chip time (~3:28), Gun time (~3:33) Dressed way to warm with the black upper and lower base layers. Sweating after the first km. Nutrition So this is where I talk about what I eat. For the most part, I was Paleo today (yea, you can see what's coming). I even ran the entire race Paleo-style. In my own mind, I was the Paleo Bunny =) I fueled using coconut water,

Spiritual Juice "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." --James 1:2-4 WOD Random stuff with Iron Dragons during practice, including some 1 K repeats and deadlifts. Nutrition Paleo ... check! Coffee ... survived the whole day without it! Marble Slab ... went with my mom / sister, and watched as they ordered and savoured delicious ice cream :(

Spiritual Juice "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." --Matthew 11:28 Elections @ UTCCF today. Excited for the upcoming year. The Chair's vision really struck a chord with me: rest, work, rest. And letting go of our trash bags and encouraging others to let go of theirs too. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for the upcoming year! WOD Unintentional rest day ... oh well =) My body can use the extra recovery. Nutrition Paleo throughout the day =) Lunch: Cabbage, spinach, pork Dinner: Raw vegetables, liver Indulgence: 1 lb of roast pork (asked for a fatty cut ... and now I feel fat :P)

Spiritual Juice "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." Colossians 3:23-24 Learning to make much of Christ during the 9 to 5 (today's topic at Harvest Young Adults). Definitely learned a lot and was encouraged by others. WOD Rest day Felt so awesome today :) Rested a little more last night. More awake during the day, and productive at work. Can feel my muscles and body recovering, and quite appreciative of the rest. Rest days are important. No rest, no recovery. No recovery, no intensity. Nutrition Breakfast: minced meat + lettuce Snack: Trail mix (with cashews / Brazil nuts) Lunch: 2 eggs, spinach, broccoli, salmon Snack: Trail mix Dinner: Assorted vegetables, liver :) Snack: Pork jerky, apple Night snack: Leftover salmon, spinach, cabbage Day 4 of the Paleo Challenge. While not completely strict wi

Spiritual Juice And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist of an abundance of possessions." -- Luke 12:15 WOD - 8 p.m. Warm-up Mobility, HSPU, Stretching For Time Run 400 m 42 Double Unders, 21 KB Swings (55#) 30 Double Unders, 15 KB Swings 18 Double Unders, 9 KB Swings Run 400 m Time, 9:30 Open WOD 12.5 ( demo ) 7 min AMRAP 3 100 lbs thrusters, 3 CTB pull-ups (chest-to-bar) 6-6, 9-9, 12-12, etc... Score: 52 reps I don't have CTB butterfly yet, and I don't have kipping pull-ups still ... The thrusters were in sets of 3 ... definitely need to get stronger. This will be the only time doing this workout for the Open. I will be too busy tomorrow to go to CrossFit, and I will need to recover Fri / Sat for the 30 K run on Sunday. So, I'll take that score :)  Overall, the Open was so much fun and really motivated me to improve as an athlete. I know that strength is a weak

Spiritual Juice Thinking again about yesterday's verse from 1 Peter: "to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." Passions of the flesh. In the context of the Paleo challenge, this could be my cravings for starch, pasta, processed food. And these cravings "wage war" against my pursuit of health and fitness. Likewise, I must abstain from saying, thinking, or doing things that keep me from: - Working well at work - Growing in my relationship with God - Staying pure in heart - ... and other dimensions of fitness The Paleo challenge is a very tangible way for me to work through some of the more difficult challenges in life. Through this diet, I'm learning the importance of delayed gratification  ... temporary pain for everlasting gain. WOD - 8 p.m. Fran 21-15-9 Thrusters (95 lbs) Pull-ups Time (7:12, PR) Previous attempts: Dec 7 2011 , Time: 12:21 Jul 24 2008 , Time: 28:13 Nutrition 8:00 a.m. - Vega WFHO

Spiritual Juice "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation."  --1 Peter 2:11-12 Today is Day 1 of the Paleo Challenge. Our gym is doing this together. We're doing this in teams of 2 and prizes go out to those with the most % fat loss, most % strength gain, and most % cardio gain. I will do my best to log my journey. Paleo Diet In short, the paleo diet involves eating like cavemen / cavewomen :) In today's world, you would shop on the perimeter of the grocery store. The diet is pretty much lean meat, veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds. No starch, grains, processed stuff, dairy, etc. There is plenty of information for those interested. Full disclosure: In my "paleo diet", I am including protein powder, coff

Spiritual Juice Hosea 6:1-3 "Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." Breakfast - 6 a.m. 2 scoops Vega WFHO 1 soy egg 1 awesome peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwich =) Second Breakfast - 10 a.m. Timmy's: Sausage / biscuit, Boston cream doughnut Gah .... this is what happens when I work downtown and in a rush Eating out + compromises in health No more Timmy's during Paleo :( Lunch - 1:30 p.m. Quiznos Sub Pre-Workout - 6 p.m. Peanut butter and honey sandwich Evening WOD - 8 a.m. Burgener Warm-up - Then -  5 Rounds for Time 400 m run 21 push-ups 21 KB swings (55 lbs) (Time: 20:38) - Then -

Spiritual Juice Galatians 6:14 "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Morning WOD - 6 a.m. Deadlift - 4 sets x 4 reps (275 lbs) - only did 3 sets, and ended up doing singles / doubles. I have a long way to go in terms of strength Row - 5 K ... was the goal - ended up doing 2 K at 7:51, and 3 x 500 m at 1:52, 1:53, and 1:54 Muscle-up progressions Post-WOD Nutrition - 7:30 a.m. Protein shake Greek yogurt / honey / cereal 2 soy eggs :) Mid-Day Snack - 10:30 a.m. Two handfuls of Brazil nuts and cashews Two cups of coffee Lunch - 12:15 p.m. Two cabbage rolls, rice, vegetable soup Second Lunch - 3:00 p.m. Spinach noodles, vegetables, chicken Pre-WOD Fuel - 7:30 p.m. Vega WFHO + Pre-Workout Peanut butter + banana + honey sandwich =) Evening WOD - 8:00 p.m. 400 m run x 5 (2:05, 2:04, 2:01, 1:59, 1:50) Deadlifts, 4 reps @ 135 lbs, 225

Spiritual Juice Ephesians 5:15-16 "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil." Snatch PR! Today I finally got the elusive 135 lbs snatch @ CrossFit Markham! I was so excited! A few things that helped me that I will keep in mind next time I do max snatch attempts: Don't think about the weight. Just go up to the bar. Set-up. And pull with everything. Doubt is not your friend - confidence is :) Be angry LOL =) I tried .. Anyways, it helped to yell as I exploded from the set-up Warm-up - I remember trying this before without warming up to this movement - definitely need to take care of my wrists / shoulders All-or-nothing ... just do it! Give it everything you have, or don't even bother. Changed Forever (Toby Mac) This was on repeat today :) About being completely changed by meeting someone -- in this song, changed forever from an encounter with God.

Smile through pain :) This is one of my non-physical goals I have when I go in to workout. To have fun and enjoy the workout, while giving it my best (smiling at work is the next step!) Here's a clip of Annie Sakamoto, winner of the Spirit of the Games award (CrossFit Games 2011). She's definitely an inspiration to smile more :)

As of late, my workout routine has been spontaneous, with very little regularity. In an effort to get to where I want to be, I should at least be doing something consistently. Here are some short term plans. Goals (where I want to be) Run 30-40 km injury-free - March 25: Around the Bay 30 K, 3:30 pacer - May 6: Mississauga Marathon, 4:30 pacer Benchmark goals 5 K row - Current, 20:28 - Goal, sub 20 min by end of March Chest-to-bar kipping pull-up (with the goal to work towards bar / ring muscle-ups) - Goal, 20 unbroken reps by end of March Snatch - Current 1 RM, 115# - Goal, 135# 1 RM by end of March Find 3 RM for the following: - Squat, deadlift, clean, shoulder press, bench press My (organic) Plan Here is a preliminary plan based on this week's workouts so far. Feedback / advice definitely welcomed! =) I'm trying to work towards CrossFit Endurance programming, but still have a long way to go. For example, the site shows that I should start with 8 x 5

Yesterday I did Annie. She's a fun workout :) For those not familiar with Annie, she looks like this: 50-40-30-20-10 Double unders Sit-ups (i.e. 50 double unders, 50 sit-ups, 40 double unders, 40 sit-ups, ...) Time: 8:10 I can definitely do much better. My goal is to make it on the CrossFit Markham board (i.e. top 5 scores in the gym). Yesterday was the first time using a cable speed rope--it's so fast! And so much fun ... as long as you don't get hit by it--which hurts! Sit-ups ... I flew through the first 50 (you can use your arms for momentum ... trust me, it gets harder). Then I just died. I find that the same with my burpees for the Open WOD 12.1 (7 min AMRAP of burpees, score: 93). I need to work on my endurance, and on getting stronger across various domains. Today I did Open Wod 12.2. This is what it looked like: 30 snatches at each weight, 10 min AMRAP 75 lbs - 135 lbs - 165 lbs - 210 lbs Going in today, my max snatch was 115 lbs. Getting to the s