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AJ Tan

@a.j.movement

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1258

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CSCS | CF-L1
Equipping others to thrive through the art of movement!! 🤸‍♀️🏋️‍♂️🏃‍♀️
📍DC || Train with me! ⬇️⬇️
@invictuswashingtondc
@tan_13.4 💍✝️

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Welcome to AJ Movement! My name is AJ, and I am a wife, coach, athlete, and lifelong lover of movement. I started my coaching journey over 10 years ago in gymnastics. During and after college, I broadened my experience to the strength and conditioning field and the sport of CrossFit. While starting to coach, I pursued my own fitness endeavors through competing gymnastics in college and transiting to competitive CrossFit after. In both sports, I had incredible, life-changing coaches who impacted my growth as a person and my philosophy as a coach. It is from these experiences that I started my own platform to encourage, challenge, and inspire individuals along their journey towards lifelong movement.
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No matter your fitness level or experience, my goal is to equip you with the knowledge of how to structure your movement. Everyone needs to move; sometimes we just need help learning how to move.
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If you’re looking for online coaching, custom programming, or in-person training (in the DC area), you’re in the right place. Send me a DM and head to the link in my bio to learn more about my experience, coaching philosophy, and more.
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In the meantime, follow along as I document my own movement journey, share what my clients are achieving, & equip you with the knowledge of how AND why to move. Let’s get after it! 💪🏋️‍♀️🤸‍♀️🏃‍♂️🚵🧗‍♂️⛰️ by @a.j.movement

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5 months ago

Long road ahead, but I ain’t mad about it. Solid weekend learning from @kylespears90 and his @blacklisted.hq team!!! by @a.j.movement

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3 years ago

as i walked out for each workout this weekend, i recited this verse - “his delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” psalm 147:10-11
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such freedom flooded my soul, knowing i have nothing to lose bc my hope is secure & my eternity fixed. the intensity of the competition floor then turned into a requiem.
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that requiem was a chance to achieve…
—> 2 individual top 5 event finishes
—> 2 team event wins
—> 10th place overall as an individual
—> 1st place as a team
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if anything, i hope my journey in this sport & my documentation of it is a testament to God’s glory & the change that can come through him. all glory to him. by @a.j.movement

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3 years ago

Finally back to some off-season lifting but this time WITH A BARBELL. Couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m just happy to be moving pain free at this point.
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10 sets of back squats 🫠
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Heavy rack pulls 💪
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Oly complexes 🏋️‍♀️
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&&& so many accessories not featured that are the bread and butter of getting strong. 6 weeks of this cycle dedicated to quality reps & not being a whimp on back squats 🙂 taken in Invictus Washington DC by @a.j.movement

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2 months ago

My 2026 CrossFit season in one word: survive.

For about 2 years now, I’ve had a continual build up of sciatic nerve tension from bulging discs in my back. I was close to having it managed when, literally weeks before the 2026 open, I caught a squat clean wrong which began a downward spiral of issues. I pushed through the open and quarterfinals & a particularly stressful personal season of life. During this, I was unable to sleep due to nerve pain, unable to go on long walks because my leg would go numb, & unable to load my spine with a barbell. When Ryan and I moved to DC, I pushed through one more competition, and then I had to make a change. I unloaded my spine (again) for over a month, aggressively did PT, & dropped intensity significantly. Coming into Magic City Games, I felt like a complete imposter knowing I’d qualified when I was healthier & stronger.

Then I competed.

For the first time all season, my back wasn’t the limiter. I ran 6 miles with no leg numbness. I lifted a heavy barbell with almost no nerve tension. I made the most amount of RMU I ever have in a comp with no pain in the swing. I stepped onto that competition floor with more gratefulness to move than I ever have before, and I left the competition arena with a confidence that the competitor in me is still there.

It’s easy to lose ourselves in things that consume so much of our time. This journey with my back has shown me the fragility of this life & the importance of placing my identity in what lasts for eternity, which is Christ & his kingdom.

All that to say, I’m wrapping up the 2026 season with the biggest win yet: standing on the competition floor as an Rx athlete again🤘Shoutout to all the Rx ladies for being insanely fit & giving it their all, and a huge thank you to my coach @apexcogordon for adjusting my training so much & reminding me I earned my spot here. taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @a.j.movement

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3 months ago

It’s true. Who you impact is greater than what you do.
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I had the honor of coaching this team for 3 years. While I gained coaching experience, the greatest thing I gained was relationships will all of these girls. I got to watch them mature as women & help them improve as athletes. We built a team focused on the legacy we can leave, not just the awards we can win. Liberty gymnastics & these girls will always hold a special place in my heart 🫶
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As I shift to primarily fitness coaching, I want to continue this mindset of leaving a legacy. I’m not just helping people lose weight & get stronger. I’m helping people have more energy to lead their family, be able to play with their grandkids, stay more positive when life gets hard, know they can accomplish a difficult task, and operate with greater capacity at their jobs.
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Coaching is not just telling you how to do something. It’s helping, equipping, explaining, guiding, and adjusting. If you don’t have that in your life, you need a coach. So go get one☝️ taken in Liberty University by @a.j.movement

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3 months ago

Can you tell we both just love running?? 🏃‍♀️🥵
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Ryan and I actually met at a gym, so mutually having fitness endeavors has been our norm. Our schedules don’t allow us to train together very much now but today Ryan joined me as I continue prepping for a 10k at @magiccity.games in 2 weeks!!
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Training my VO2 + running capacity has been a huge focus the last 6 months. As someone who’s primarily trained gymnastics & strength training, focusing on running with @apexcogordon as my coach has been challenging but rewarding. The mentality of running is so different than lifting, and I’ve had to really embrace the hard parts. But that’s what we’re about here at AJ Movement, so I’m going to keep leaning into the hard moments voluntarily, and you should too :)
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#runtrainingplans #heatwaveready #runclub #husbandtraining101 #marriageisawesome by @a.j.movement

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4 months ago

If you want to get stronger, you have to introduce new stress to your body over time. This idea is called “progressive overload” and can look like increasing the reps, increasing the weight, and decreasing rest periods.
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Trust me, the barbell is not as scary as it seems! Before you put a barbell on your back, I like to start with bodyweight, move to dumbbells and kettlebells, and then the barbell. It’s all about making sure that you ARE progressing - not doing the same thing with no change.
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If you did 3x10 last week but 3x12 this week, that’s a progression. If you added 10lbs to your 3x5 back squat from last week, that’s a progression. If you rested :30 between your 200m run repeats instead of :45, that’s a progression.
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So if you find yourself plateauing or unsure if you’re making progress, start by first tracking what you’re doing, either on your own or with a coach. After that, increase the intensity by adding a new form of stress to your body - more reps, more weight, less rest, etc. Then, watch your body adapt to the new stress and get better week after week 💪🏃‍♀️
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#progressiveoverloadlifting #novicelifting #progressovertime #intentionalcoaching by @a.j.movement

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4 months ago

To some people, strict HSPU come easily. To me, they never have. I have worked for years on these, and I still can’t do them nearly at the level of most competitive CrossFitters (like my max is 5 - elites do multiple sets of 10, easily). But I would be doing myself a disservice to only look at the ease of others on a skill like this and not recognize my own progress!
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These clips are all from the last 2 months where I FINALLY started putting pieces together. What you don’t see is the times at competitions where I tried again and again but didn’t make any, or when I made 1 SHSPU in the open this year and failed the next 17 attempts. My point is this: progress doesn’t always happen in the timeframe you want it to, and you definitely won’t make the progress you want to without direction & help.
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If you find yourself in a similar spot - wanting to make progress but just feeling stuck - stay tuned for an announcement from me this weekend 🫶 Happy Friday!!!!!!
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#training #coachingonline #determination #shspu #athlete by @a.j.movement

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5 months ago

the last 5 months of my life —>
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Insane. I worked more than I ever had, had more relational upkeep than I ever have, and had more physical pain than I ever had. I cut out everything I didn’t have time for
(instagram being one of them).
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After moving to D.C. a month ago, I’m finally getting back on my feet. I’m working on an exciting coaching endeavor (stay tuned 👀), I’m investing into my marriage, and I’m learning how to train around sciatic nerve tension from my back issues.
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During all of this, I’ve continued training. I haven’t been able to give everything I want, but I’ve continued to give all that I have. So, this is a tribute to my last 5 months of consistency in the midst of some of the hardest practical and emotional circumstances I’ve experienced. Thank you to my coach @apexcogordon for reminding me that the pursuit of fitness should always be about growing as a human, and that progress is not always congruent with being on the top of a leaderboard.
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Happy to be back & ready to get to work 💪🏋️‍♀️
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#coach #crossfitttaining #gymnasticstraining #personalgrowthtips #competitivetraining by @a.j.movement

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5 months ago

Show up.
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#BuiltForTheClimb by @a.j.movement

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9 months ago

Coach is on vacation while I’m over here doing 40 minute EMOMs in the cold 🥶
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EMOMx40
1. 15 cal standing bike erg damper 8
2. 12 Dbl DB front squats
3. 16 single DB box step-ups
4. Rest bc your legs will be jello

#crossfit #training #gymnastics #gym #strengthtraining #athlete #motivation #strength #gymnast #weightlifting by @a.j.movement

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a year ago