By Aaron, Head Coach at CrossFit Structure, Newmarket

One of the most rewarding parts of coaching at a CrossFit gym in Newmarket is watching people move better over time. But it also means seeing the same movement mistakes come up again and again — and understanding exactly what they cost people in the long run.

Here’s the big one.

Losing Tension While Still Under Load

The most common mistake I see is people going loose during a movement, even though they’re still carrying the weight or under load.

It shows up in all kinds of places: losing tension on the descent of a kipping pull-up, bouncing out of the bottom of a squat or rolling onto the toes, going loose on the way down in a deadlift, dropping tension during the descent of a handstand push-up. It happens across all levels and with all kinds of movements.

Here’s why it matters. When you do this for rep after rep, over weeks and months, two things happen. First, you’re quietly building up a small injury that will eventually become a bigger one. Second, you’re training your body to move incorrectly, creating a movement pattern that’s going to have to be unpicked before you can properly progress.

Going loose means bypassing the muscles that are supposed to be working. Over time, muscle imbalances grow. And the larger the imbalance, the more you start to feel pain in that range of motion, because instead of your muscles absorbing the load, the stress is shifting onto your joints, tendons and ligaments. Those structures aren’t designed to take that kind of repeated strain.

The Fix: Tempo Work

If this sounds familiar, the solution is intentional slowness.

Tempo work means deliberately slowing your movement down and keeping tension throughout the entire rep, from start to finish. You can also add pauses at key points in the movement — at the bottom of a squat, at the top of a deadlift — to make it more challenging and to train yourself to stay tight rather than collapse.

It’s humbling work. You’ll need to reduce the weight. It will feel slower and less impressive than throwing big numbers around. But it builds the kind of movement quality that actually protects you, and it’s what allows you to go heavier and faster later on, safely.

The Best Advice I Can Give Anyone Starting Out

Move slowly and move with intention.

Think about what the movement is supposed to feel like. Which muscles should be working right now? Are they actually working? Use your coach to assess — that’s exactly what we’re here for at CrossFit Structure.

Even in a workout, if moving well means moving slowly, that is absolutely fine. Spend the time learning to do it right, rather than piling weight on the bar and trying to beat the person next to you. As the movement becomes more comfortable, gradually start to build speed. But always be asking yourself: how can I move better? How can I move more efficiently?

Nobody has this fully figured out. Look at Olympic-level athletes — they are constantly refining their movement. If it’s a lifelong pursuit for them, it should be one for all of us.

Never stop learning how to move.

If movement quality is something you want to work on, whether you’re brand new to CrossFit in Newmarket or you’ve been training for years and want to iron out some patterns, come and talk to us. Book a free No Sweat Intro and let’s take a look together.

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