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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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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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Meet Abby Bollum

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Welcome to the team Abby Bollum! Abby is our client services admin so she is the go-to person for any and all membership and client experience. She started with us this week and we just wanted to take a second to introduce her to you! Easiest ways to contact Abby: [email protected] Or text (612) 808-0252   Why does working in a gym inspire you? I love being around people and watching...


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Virtual Classes are now called Fit From Home

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Upcoming Changes to Solcana Virtual and Fit From Home For over a year we have been offering an at home version of Solcana Fitness with our Solcana Virtual programming. Last summer we began offering a small group fitness experience with our Fit From Home program. Both of these programs have been wildly successful and many of you have told us that this is how you will...


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What We've Gained from the Pandemic

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As Minnesota vaccination rate reaches nearly 70%, and the potential for a "normal" fall is in our sights, we are left reflecting on all of the changes that have taken place at Solcana in the last 15+ months. The pandemic has taken a huge toll on every small business, but it has also brought us changes that we are excited to make more permanent. We...


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May Athlete of the Month: Collin Arnett

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This month we're celebrating Collin Arnett! Collin is such a great addition to any class. All the coaches I talked to said the same thing: he's always affable and game to try whatever is thrown his way. Coach Garrett Hoffman says "I love Collin! He’s always looking to get better and asks good questions during class. He’s willing to try new things and is always chatty...


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Solcana is Hiring

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Solcana Fitness Member Services Administrator Posting closes May 15th, 2021 We are looking for a Member Services Administrator Solcana Fitness is a strength and conditioning gym whose mission is to serve our community by providing high-quality fitness to traditionally marginalized communities. We are queer-centered, feminist and social-justice oriented.  Our current organizational goals are to expand access to our programming to people with financial barriers, provide a variety of services to...


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Safety Protocols at Solcana

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This month is filled with fear, anxiety and anger as we and the world watch the Derek Chauvin trial unfold. The city collectively continues to mourn the murder of George Floyd, and call for some semblance of justice, with the trial, with policing in general and with the fate of the memorial on 38th and Chicago. We fully expect and support protests that are happening...


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April Athlete of the Month: Amanda Lovelee

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Hooray for the April Athlete of the Month - amazing Amanda Lovelee! Amanda joined the gym in January 2019. Coach Kk says "Amanda’s spirit is so bright, encouraging and fun. From the moment she walked in the gym, she’s given workouts her all. She’s passionate, creative and I love watching her dedication to learning new movements and correcting old movements. I can’t say enough about how...


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2021 Solcana Invitational Wrap Up

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Well, we made it! Five weeks of events and many, many more weeks of training to work towards them. So many PRs! So many expectations surpassed! Our first Invitational was a blast. It was so cool to see everyone push themselves to the next level. Let's talk about event 5's results. We wanted the final event to be a real doozy. For virtual, this meant burpees of...


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Programming Update

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Hey everyone, just wanted to give you a little update on programming. Prior to the Invitational we worked on lots of foundational things related to what would eventually be our weekly events. As we got closer, and then even during the Invitational, we focused on those movements specifically. In training this is called "specificity." As you approach a goal, you want your training to become more...


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2021 Solcana Invitational Event 5

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Indoor Event 5 For all in-person events, we will be testing during class on Thursday and Friday. You may attempt both days and submit your best score. Event 5: 10RM Back Squat You will have 15 minutes to establish a 10 rep max in the back squat. Once the bar has left the rack, the set has begun. It may not return to the rack until the set is...


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Solcana Invitational Event 4 Recap

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We are in the home stretch! Great work everyone. Event 4 - wow what a ride! A lot of folks did not expect gymnastic movements - SURPRISE!!! We have been working a lot on handstands, grip strength, and our cores. We're definitely primed for some bodyweight strength. For indoor we did handstand walk or hold, along with a max hang. Scores were combined total of the two, with...


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