I love this book!
It's the book of Hebrews.
And I really love Heb. 12:1-2.
And I really really love the noun onkos in verse 1!
So I did a deep dive into the word this morning. Mind if I share the results with you?
According to the dictionary in the back of my Greek New Testament, onkos is defined as an "impediment, something that gets in one's way." The noun is found only here in the entire New Testament. The imagery, of course, is an athletic one. The thought of persevering in a race is a Pauline concept. He frequently alludes to the games in his writings (1 Cor. 4:9, 1 Cor. 9:24-27, Phil. 3:12-14, 1 Tim. 6:12, 2 Tim. 4:28; see also Heb. 10:32-33). In focus here is both the severe discipline of the competitor and the intensity of the struggle. As for the referent of onkos, either Paul is referring to "the encumbrance of a burden like unnecessary clothing" or else to "the excessive weight of the body." Both of these would render the runner less prepared for the race. A spectator may look at a race dispassionately, from a distance. But the runner must tax every muscle to the utmost if he wants to finish the race. Even if you've only run a 5K, you know what I'm talking about. Unless we run with endurance, we will not advance, and unless we advance, we will not attain the goal.
So, what is this "weight"? It's anything that might be allowable in and of itself and even be a blessing that God has given us. But for whatever reason, it's an impediment in our running the race of the Christian life. If we would run and run well, we must lay it aside. These may be good things, but they nevertheless would encumber our running and impede our progress.
May I now switch gears here a bit and apply this to the physical realm for a moment? As an accidental late-stage athlete, one onkos I deal with is weight. I mean, literal weight. As you know, I have a big race coming up soon, as well as another climb planned for the alps this summer. Currently I am around 15 percent body fat but would like to get that down to 10-12 percent by the end of April. This will not happen without a disciplined diet along with regular exercise. I laughed out loud when I saw how one commentator defined onkos: "an encumbering superfluity of flesh." Wordy but oh so true! That's why, for an athlete of any stripe, weight loss is so important.
Now, fat loss per se only reveals the physique you have. I don't recommend chasing 10 percent body fat if you don't already have a base of muscle. It's really all about improving the ratio of muscle to fat. Once you build a decent amount of muscle, you are ready to get to 10-12 percent body fat. You begin to weigh yourself daily, looking at weekly averages, and taking regular progress photos. You see, getting lean is pretty simple. It doesn't require any esoteric knowledge or techniques. It simply requires consistent repetition of some really straightforward basics. If that's something you aspire to, remember that the more muscle you have, the easier it is to get lean and stay lean. Conversely, the less muscle you have, the harder it will be to maintain leanness because you'll burn fewer calories at rest. As you know, last year I lost 40 pounds in 10 months. That's one pound per week. But once I got to 200-202 pounds-ish, I plateaued. This often happens. The scientific term for it is metabolic adaptation. Your body loves homeostasis, so it wants to keep you at a certain weight. For weeks my weight stayed the same. But a couple of weeks ago I began a new cut. And this was my weight today.
This is very encouraging because I'd like to weigh no more than 185 pounds come race day (32 miles is a hefty distance to run with extra onkos). Again, I want to be clear that the goal is not to get shredded or jacked but to get lean. The main difference between jacked and lean is this: when you're jacked, you're just extremely muscular. You're huge in fact. You have a lot of mass. Being lean, on the other hand, is having a moderate amount of muscle. I think the latter is definitely achievable for most of you guys who are reading this blog post. It's also probably closer to what most men actually want. When you're lean, muscle becomes more visible. Every single pound of muscle you put on through weight training is just a lot more apparent. You're actually able to see changes in your physique. And that makes your everyday activities consistently more enjoyable.
Some of you may have the goal of trying to lose some body fat this year. This is my goal for the new year as well. I'm trying to get under 15 percent body fat for the first time in decades. I've done a decent job of dealing with the excess fat I've been carrying and building some muscle on my skinny frame, but I still have a long way to go. If you take away only one thing from this post, please remember that muscle building should be a priority for anyone who is overweight because building muscle is like compound interest in the fitness game. Build it as early as possible and it will benefit you for years to come. It's never too late or too early to get started "laying aside every weight." Building muscle is the long-term play that makes your body look, feel, and function better at every body fat percentage.
Have a wonderful day!