Solcana blog

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HannahSQHead Coach Hannah Wydeven

CrossFit L1
USA Weightlifting L1
FMS L1 and L2
CF Kettlebells
Whole9 Nutrition

What inspired you to start doing CrossFit?

I was a high school physics teacher, and totally out of shape. Not only that, but I was having a hard time staying focused, I was barely sleeping, and I was living on pizza. I knew I needed to change something or I wouldn’t be happy in my job or in my personal life. I found CrossFit accidentally, but I became hooked pretty immediately. I loved how it helped me re-focus on what I needed and gave me goals to work toward outside of the classroom. About 6 months after I started CrossFitting, I became a coach, and shortly after that I moved into coaching full-time.

What are some of your goals in the gym?

I want to be able to string together several muscle-ups. I tore my shoulder about 6 years ago, and I have come a long way since then, but I still have some work to do. I am always working on my olympic lifts, perfecting my form and upping my weights. I also have a very specific goal of hitting a 350 lb deadlift within the year.

What do you love most about coaching athletes?

I love watching that moment when a cue finally clicks for an athlete. Often I will cue an athlete and they might change their positioning initially, but have a hard time replicating it. Then, one day they hit that perfect position and they have a moment of “oh! That’s what you meant!”

What advice would you give to a beginner CrossFit athlete?

Show up consistently, and remember that there is always more opportunity to learn. Think about each accomplishment as relative to your starting point. Just because you haven’t hit your first pullup yet, doesn’t mean it’s not amazing that you hit your first real pushup. Each milestone you hit deserves credit, the next one will come when it’s time.

Which types of community work inspire you the most?

I derive a lot of joy from working with middle and high school kids. I had a lot of aimless energy in high school and I am lucky that I had sports to funnel that energy into. So many kids don’t have access to quality sports programs or extracurricular activities, and often these same kids are already behind in school or are dealing with problems at home. One of my biggest goals with opening Solcana was to offer opportunities for kids to participate in CrossFit for free so they can experience all of the benefits of athletics.

What do you like to do outside of the gym? I teach and perform improv at HUGE Theater, spend time with my fiance and my little dog petey, and in the summer I love to bike and lay on the beach.

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