Solcana fitness

January Athletes of the Month: Kira Hasbargen and Mike Grewe

This month we have something special to announce here at Solcana..... *drum roll*.......... THE 1000 CLASS CLUB! We have two athletes, Kira and Mike, who have surpassed this incredible accomplishment during their years at Solcana. They are such dedicated athletes and we wanted to honor them this month!! They both live in the neighborhood in sweet Seward houses. Mike has two kitties and Kira has two pups! Kira works for the city of Minneapolis and Mike for Augsburg University, both managing teams helping it make their communities better. Staying motivated is not an easy feat, so here is what helped them. Kira says, "It was the community, an innate drive to stay active, and living four blocks from the gym that helped me stay motivated. When I joined Solcana in 2016, there was Womens/Trans/Femme class that had a die hard, amazing, funny crew that helped me ease into #gymlife. Shortly after that, I was luckily enough to be on an amazing Solcana Open team. It's funny because I actually wasn't going to participate because the prospect of a team fitness thing and someone watching me workout to count my reps brought up really weird feelings. The support of my Open team and other gym members was palpable and really shaped how I wanted to show up in the space that is Solcana." Mike adds, "The biggest thing for me has been how friendly the people are at Solcana. Prior to coming to Solcana, I don't think I had ever weightlifted. I had never even done a pull-up. The supportive community helped encourage me to do movements I had never done before." The coaches had nothing short of incredible things to say about our two members of the 1000 class club. Coach Amanda says, "Kira's tenacious attitude is what makes her such a treat to have in class. I know that whenever I have a question about a workout or need some brainstorming to trouble shoot a Solcana specific problem, Kira is my go to partner in crime. I love having her around because shes genuine + super tough + really strong. Mike is a perfect combination of competitive and supportive. We recently had a partner workout, where he was setting the pace but never once left his partner in the dust. I love having him in class because of that. He's a joy to coach and I know he will happily be my, “Vanna Mike” if I need to demo movements." Coach Amelia has some great comments as well, "Mike is so fun to watch work out! He commits 100%, always pushing himself to go fast and heavy. He’s dedicated to tracking his progress and giving it his all. Even during lockdown times Mikes attendance was amazing, tuning in to zoom classes almost daily and hanging out to cheer on everyone who inevitably finished after him. Who chews gum while AMRAPing? A powerhouse of an athlete who follows her own rules, that’s who. Kira pushes herself so hard, but also never hesitates in modifying a workout to work with where her body is that day or week. She has a contagious enthusiasm that will get others to sign up for a competition or meet, or chase her during a regular daily work out. She is playful and blunt, organized, thoughtful and smart. Her question of the day answers are “pass” or an immediate strong opinion, either way I laugh. She’s a true friend I can call to do heavy lifting, physical or emotional, when I need it." Kira and Mike have had some great accomplishments other than their number of classes. Mike says, "I think the biggest goal for me has been learning to be more accepting of my body and embrace what it is able to do. Having a more positive relationship with my body has been one of the major successes during my time at Solcana." Kira adds, "Fun fact, when I did the beginner baseline test, I couldn't do a sit-up--I am still very slow at them and blame my limb proportions. Legit goal setting isn't something that I do--for my personality type it breeds very dogmatic and inflexible behavior. Having said that, pre-pandemic I was working on gymnastics programming so that I could get my first unassisted ring muscle up. Over the five years that I've been coming to Solcana, I'm sure that I've had my share of successes, although my sntach 1RM has held pretty constant. Ragnar, Spartan, a half-marathon, a marathon, Crossfitty type competitions and Polar Plunge are memorable experiences that Solcana gave me the confidence to do outside of the gym.  And, I've made great friends and found ways to laugh during my numerous failures." Coach Garrett H adds, "I love both Kira and Mike! Kira and Mike are great athlete and in addition to everything everyone else said, are such a wonderful welcomers for new athletes. Kira sets her own pace and encourages others to make the workouts work for them as she does. Mike is so friendly and helpful! Once I had an emergency in the middle of class and I asked him to run a metcon for me while I sorted things out - he didn't miss a beat and had everyone outside, set up, and on to their amrap in no time. I love the leadership both Kira and Mike show in the gym - they are both invaluable assets to our community!" Coach Hannah is a huge fan and had so many great things to add. "Kira is such a star. She takes care of everyone in the gym, organizes the best spreadsheets you'll ever see, always goes out of her way to help and is just always there when you need her. Anytime I need someone's advice or feedback, I go to Kira. I know she will give it to me straight, without judgment. She genuinely cares about her community and shows it through loyalty and commitment to the people around her. Also she is hilarious and always makes me laugh. She can work really fricking hard but also doesn't get too down on herself when things aren't perfect. I am not shocked that she has attended over 1000 classes - in fact she is almost at 2000! Kira loves to move and likes to challenge herself to new things. Right now she is working on biking, which is a new skill for her, but she is super committed to biking in her basement and learning the ropes from people way more experienced. Mike is the kind of person who puts his head down and does his work and does it well. I had the pleasure of working with him on his nutrition recently, and he really just does exactly what he says he is going to do. He puts in the time to get his goals and it should be no surprise that he keeps reaching and surpassing them. I have watched him become so incredibly strong over the years. When Mike first started he struggled with getting the movements down, but now he can clean and jerk over 200 lbs and he makes it look easy!! It takes a lot of consistency and hard-work, which Mike is not lacking at all. In addition to all of that he is thoughtful and kind and loves to adventure outdoors. I love having Mike in my classes because he is so easy to be friends with, and he is a super coachable athlete. What a special guy!" Coach Jerik says, Kira and I have joked about how hard it was to get her to become a member, and now she is one of our most engaged athletes. It’s not at all surprising that she’s done more classes than everyone - she loves fitness. Kira will say she doesn’t like to set goals, but I see her do it all the time and I see her dedicating time to improving things she wants to get better at. Perhaps she doesn’t conceptualize those as goals, but I see her conquering goals all the time. Also, she is a wonderful person. Sometimes she will be in my class and she will remember a random thing I said or a tiny little tidbit of info I shared about myself YEARS ago, and it always feels nice." And finally Coach Brooke chimed in, "I continue to be amazed at the dedication of these athletes. Kira has been consistently sticking around after classes to do extra programming and Mike did a Turkish get up with a barbell like a pro. They move through classes with determination and confidence - a testament to the work they've put in all these years." We will be programming a workout in honor of Kira and Mike. Be sure to congratulate them if you see them in class! Be on the lookout for special announcements celebrating other class milestones such as 100 and 500 :)

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January Athletes of the Month: Kira Hasbargen and Mike Grewe

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This month we have something special to announce here at Solcana..... *drum roll*.......... THE 1000 CLASS CLUB! We have two athletes, Kira and Mike, who have surpassed this incredible accomplishment during their years at Solcana. They are such dedicated athletes and we wanted to honor them this month!! They both live in the neighborhood in sweet Seward houses. Mike has two kitties and Kira has two pups! Kira...


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Welcome Coach Traci!

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We are so excited to add a new member to our coaching staff: Traci Slane! Traci has been a coach for many years, and she specializes in strength training (specifically powerlifting). She will be coaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12 pm and you can catch her in classes throughout the week.   Here is a little more about our new coach Traci.   Name: Traci Slane Pronouns: she/her/hers Where are...


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December Athlete of the Month: Sam Taitel

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We are stoked to announce Sam Taitel as our December Athlete of the Month. Sam is as a total badass in and out of the gym. They can lift some pretty heavy stuff here and outside of Solcana they practice Aikido. Coach Hannah says "Sam is such an inspiration. They have been through so much in this last year, with overcoming an injury and dealing with...


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2021 Fall Challenge Winners

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So many congrats are in order! Everyone did incredible work on the fall challenge, and it was an honor to watch you all give everything you got to those lifts. The clean & jerk, bench press, and chin ups require technique, guts, and raw strength. We had 62 athletes sign up and saw SO MANY PRs all week. Congrats and thanks to everyone who took...


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The End of Year Cycle

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Hello everyone! First off, great job to all the folks that took part in the Fall Challenge. Whether you did the challenge itself or just took part in the programming, everyone did a great job and are making some BIG GAINS! 🏋️‍♀️ We’ve reached what is always a bit of a weird time of the year in terms of programming. The holidays are happening in rapid...


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November Athlete of the Month: Angelica Perez

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We are thrilled to announce our Athlete of the Month: Angelica Perez! Coach Hannah says, "Angelica is SO GREAT. She joined us from a silent auction win, and she has been a consistent member ever since! It was so fun to watch her compete in the powerlifting meet and absolutely crush her lifts. She has been a great ambassador for powerlifting and welcomed lots of new...


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Schedule Updates!

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As we continue to rebuild after the last wild year and a half, our schedule continues to grow! We are adding more classes to our schedule starting this week, Oct 18th, 2021. Noon classes MWF in-gym with coach Garrett Ferderber 6:30 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays Trans Strength is back!!! Saturdays 9 am with coach Garrett Hoffman. Trans strength is a class only for folks who identify as Trans,...


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New Member only Fit From Home Portal

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We wanted to let you know that we are changing the schedule for our virtual classes Oct 18th The good news is that we are making our recorded classes easier to access than ever before. Now, our recorded classes can be accessed the same day, or you can access a back-log of classes through our private member portal.   Access the new Portal Here As a Solcana member you’ll have...


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October Athlete of the Month: Liz Behnke

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We are elated to announce that our October Athlete of the Month is (drum roll)........ the fabulous Liz Behnke!! Liz is such a light in class so read more to hear about her experience at Solcana and what our coaches have to say. Liz says, "Previously to Solcana, my relationship with movement was that I was never ‘enough’ and that I needed to use movement to...


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Fall Challenge

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Fall is here! September means that we are diving head first into our Fall Challenge. This year, we are focusing on two barbell movements, and one bodyweight strength movement. The challenge is: + 1 rep max clean & jerk, + 2 rep max bench press + max set of strict chin ups This total combines three movements that require a wide-range of skills. You have to be mobile,...


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September Athlete of the Month: Levi Weinhagen

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We are pumped to announce Levi Weinhagen as our member of the month for September!! What a true gem Levi is!   Coach Garrett H says, "Omg Levi. First off, he's funny AF, so that's always welcome energy. Levi cares deeply for the communities to which he belongs and shows that through genuine engagement and investing time and energy in learning about people and building relationships. He...


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Vaccine Required at Solcana

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Solcana is now requiring proof of vaccine for all members. We are asking members to submit their vaccine status to us by September 13th, 2021. Please complete the below google form and upload a photo of your vaccination card. After the deadline we will reach out to you to let you know to complete this step before you can return to in-person classes. Online-only members are not required...


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COVID Community Updates

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Hey Solcana Family! We appreciate this community so much for being so supportive of all the changes over the last year. Over this last month, we have loved circling up with you before class, seeing your smiling faces, and doing partner workouts together again. Great news! Those things are going to continue right now! We know that there is worry and anxiety as new information is...


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August Athlete of the Month: Annalee Tomsicek

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Announcing our August Athlete of the Month: Annalee Tomsicek! Annalee was drawn to Solcana as a queer and feminist fitness space that seemed to walk-the-walk when it came to living their values. Making new friends has been a huge benefit for her - especially queer pals and people in her immediate neighborhood. The coaches have some great stuff to say about Annalee! Amanda says, "Annalee’s positivity &...


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July Athlete of the Month: Brigit Boler

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We are so excited to announce our July Athlete of the Month: Brigit Boler! Brigit first started at Solcana because they wanted to be more committed to exercise but struggled to find a direction where they didn't get easily bored. They were drawn to Solcana because of the Pride/Trans flags and BLM sign on their door, which they hadn't seen at a gym before. The benefit...


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Next Programming Cycle

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Hey everyone! Just wanted to give everyone an update on what the new cycle is going to look like.  This cycle is going to run from July 5th to September 6th. If I had to pick a theme for this cycle it would be “Reintroduction”. It has been a long time since we have done a lot of different things, and this cycle will give us...


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Upcoming: Monthly Goal Setting Workshops

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Monthly Goal Setting Workshops at Solcana Starting on June 30th at 8PM we will begin offering Monthly Goal Setting Workshops for all Solcana members. The workshops will be held on Zoom, using the same login as your regular Fit From Home classes, every last Wednesday of the month at 8PM.  These brief sessions will be a chance to connect with other members, explore topics presented by our...


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Powerlifting is Back!

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Starting Saturdays from 11a-1p coaches Michael Sampson (he/him) and Jenn Schaal (she/her) will be offering Powerlifting Club! Powerlifting club is open to EVERYONE, and we highly encourage you to attend this time if you are interested in learning more about the sport of powerlifting. Powerlifting is Bench Press, Back Squat and Deadlift. Often, members of our powerlifting club will be training for meets, but it is not...


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Masks Optional July 1st

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Over the last 16 months, we have become accustomed to using masks on a daily basis, everywhere we go. For most of us, it has been something we can do to stop the spread of COVID and contribute positively to our community. The idea of dropping the mask mandate feels like whiplash. We know that vaccination in Minneapolis is high, we know cases are decreasing, we...


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June Athlete of the Month: Britt Johnson

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Shout out to our June Athlete of the Month: the incredible Britt Johnson! Britt joined the gym in January 2019 and can mostly be found bright and early at the 6AM Indoor classes! Coach Jeff says "Britt is as kind as they are strong. Which is to say, incredibly kind. They are so much fun to have in my classes even though it makes their spouse, Lisa,...


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