August AOTM: Katherine Shane
Katherine is now 57 and she didn't really get involved in fitness at all until she was in her late 30s and got a job at the YWCA.
This matters to her because; “I grew up thinking I wasn’t good at sports or physical fitness, and that those things didn’t matter to me. I came to this entirely as an adult.”
At the Y, Katherine dove headfirst into strenuous movement: stair climbing races, Olympic lifting, trail running. She enjoyed pushing herself—until the toll started to add up. “I liked it but It was beating the heck out of my body.” When she left the Y and the pandemic hit, everything slowed down. Her movement got sporadic. Her knees and feet hurt a ton.
She tried Orange Theory, hoping to reestablish some kind of rhythm. But what she found was a crammed class with no COVID precautions and a rigid, image-focused culture that didn’t reflect her values.
“They clearly had a requirement for coaches that involved being under 30 and a size small,” she recalls. “And for female members, the goal was always weight loss. Guys could build strength, of course. But the idea that someone might be neither of those things—or have neither of those goals—was completely invisible.”
So she left. And that’s when she found Solcana.
"I have really enjoyed getting to know Katherine over the past couple of years and am always excited to see her at Saturday strength classes, whether I'm coaching or just there to lift. I really appreciate her enthusiasm, dedication and hard work as a strength athlete. As a fellow masters lifter, I enjoy the opportunity to both commiserate and to strategize around the challenges that come with longevity in strength sports. I am so glad Katherine is part of the Solcana community!" -Coach Lara
"Katherine is awesome. Not only is she dedicated to lifting, but she’s also super dedicated to the entire Solcana community when we were moving into the new space Katherine is the one who found and purchased the lockers for us. She could tell her had a lot on my plate and was ready to jump in and help with a task that felt big to me. I’m so grateful for her help on that. She’s also somebody who readily connects with other athletes in the gym, and she’s curious about other people. Outside of the gym she does Larping, and she fully embraces her hobby, which I think is awesome." -Coach Hannah W.
“There’s a huge wonderful queer community here,” she says. “People of every body type. The focus on strength matches my goals, but I never feel judged or pressured to perform.”
“No one thinks it’s weird that I like having a big body or wearing bright colors. No one tells me I can’t do something, or tells me I should do something that doesn’t feel right. There are classes for women over 50. There are classes for fat bodies. Fat isn’t a bad word. No one judges me… except me.”
Since joining, Katherine’s taken a deeper interest in strength training. Her max deadlift has jumped from 215 to 275. Her bench press is up to 145. “300 and 150 remain elusive,” she says.
She’s learned how to adapt workouts to support her body and love what she does rather than being frustrated with what she can' do. Despite having near constant knee pain in the past, she has had almost none since joining and focusing on strength over running and cardio.
“I still can’t jump rope. My running remains pretty terrible,” she shares. “ But I focus on fitness that makes me happy instead of forcing myself to do things that don't work for me. I know my body is fit my way.”
Along the way, she’s even surprised herself. “I tried Acro yoga and discovered I love it.”
When Katherine’s not at the gym, you might find her playing (or writing!) live-action roleplaying games, “I wrote a game that uses slosh pipes and carrying heavy things as part of play”.
“I love mini golf and I’m bad at it. I love lifting and I’m very good at it. Success and doing something well don’t always go together.”
And if you’re someone who thinks strength is a young person’s game? Think again.
“I’m 57. I first touched a barbell just before my 40th birthday. And my biggest strength gains? They’ve all happened in the last four years.”
Katherine’s a longtime part of the Minneapolis queer community—since the early ’90s and earlier, though she says it took a while to fully realize it.
"I first got to know Katherine through group fitness but that connection has deepened since she has joined our Masters class. Katherine's dedication to lifting and pushing herself is awesome to watch. Lately as she has been dealing with injuries she is very in touch with what she can do and is very open to suggestions for options that feel better for her body. She has connected with all the athletes in the master class as well as other athletes in the gym. Katherine is super supportive and encouraging to everyone around her. I look forward to seeing Katherine each week." -Coach Traci
"I know Katherine since she used to do FFH and then in group fitness. It was a pleasure to have her in the class. Always so cordial to new athletes and cheers everyone around her. Katherine knows her body and knows how much to push herself and when to stop. It is such a joy to see Katherine lift. Her enthusiasm for fitness is goals. As much as I miss seeing her in group fitness I love that she is continuing her fitness journey in masters. So much more power!" -Coach Sonal
Her journey reminds us that fitness isn’t about where you start or how long it takes—it’s about finding the right environment where you can be fully, unapologetically yourself. Thanks Katherine for being such an amazing part of the Solcana community!
