Joshua Wang

Today was the Day 2 of the  Free Indeed  conference and wow. So much to digest. I'm glad I made the trip to Oakville though. There's so much to share but I have some reflecting to do. Here is the main verse from the conference: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." -- John 8:36 After grabbing a quick bite, I went to Markville Fitness for a quick strength workout (Starting strength inspired). Here's what I did: Back squats: 5x5 @ 225# Shoulder press: 5x5 @ 95# Power clean: 5x5 @ 135#

So yesterday I picked up a weightlifting belt and tried it out this morning with some relatively heavy squats. I ended up hitting my old PR (295 lb). I used to squat low bar and now mostly squat high bar, which is a bit harder on my quads and provides a better transfer to Olympic lifts. Here is the article that converted me to a high bar back squatter. And yes, you can lift more with a belt. You can find many articles online advocating both sides. For me, I use it to prevent injury and to get comfortable with heavier weight. With the increased difficulty of the high bar squat and the help from the belt, I think it's fair to say I haven't lost too much strength in my quads. On the other hand, getting back into CrossFit has shown me big areas of weakness and areas where I've gotten weaker (e.g. toes to bar) and areas where my technique needs work (e.g. power cleans). Needless to say, I'm excited to get back into CrossFit again, and hope to develop as an athlete and ...