September AOTM: Anton
When Anton (he/him) moved to Minnesota a few years ago, he didn't know anything or anyone up here. His realtor, Mariah Hamm, told him about Solcana and how it was a queer, accepting environment. (Mariah is a former competitive power lifter and has done Drop Dead Gorgeous multiple times!)
Anton started Empower with Coach Hannah Hutchins in April 2024. He had never encountered a fat coach before, or a coach who showed him that he could do things without having to make himself smaller. “It is 100% due to her that I decided to keep going to the gym,” Anton says. “She made me see it as a thing that was perfectly possible for me to do.”
“It was life changing to find a place where fat and queer people were so visible and present,” he says. Previous experiences with gym classes had often been uncomfortable. "My few experiences with gym classes as an adult were often Not Great because I have never been skinny or athletic," he says. Anton credits the coaches making modifications and options a regular part of the workouts for everyone, he shares. You can ask questions and coaches are so helpful. He mentions that, It's removed this whole layer of stress and shame around working out for him. "Sometimes I have to do less reps or do it differently, but I'm still doing something and getting stronger." Anton shares that he has a complicated relationship to his body, like a lot of other trans people and especially people raised in the 1980s diet culture hellscape. "I certainly did not think working out could ever be fun or something I'd want to do in my free time. Yet here I am!"
"OH MY GAWD Anton is a treat to have in class. He fills the environment with positivity and love. It has been a pleasure getting to know him for the past few years during his time with us. I love how hard he works and the awareness he has about his body's limits and strengths." -Coach Neesh
"Anton is a really fun person to have in the gym. I was lucky enough to get to know him a bit more during one of my game nights last year and really enjoy his sense of humor and spirit of adventure. I can see him putting in tons of effort in the gym and showing up repeatedly for himself and the community. He's willing to try things and do the work. He makes quite, consistent progress without making a big deal out of it. I am so glad we are celebrating him as an athlete." -Coach Garrett F.
Anton has also found that strength training can be surprisingly practical and fun. He can deadlift and back squat his husband currently, which makes him feel confident he could get him out of the house in an emergency. He’s also getting close to being able to bench press him!
He also likes to use the site What Animal Do You Even Lift? to find joy even on days when he's not doing great. "You enter your weight for whatever exercise you were doing, and it tells you what animals weighs that amount. That's a much funnier mental image than just the number. I can strict press a gray wolf and bench press a black bear!," he shares.
I absolutely love having Anton in class. He brings such a warmth to the room and such a great attitude. I have watched him increase his strength and he is always open to feedback as he progresses. Anton is also very aware of his body's strengths and limitations. Last week in class when we were maxing out back squats he was telling each person which animal they were squatting like a sea turtle or baby rhino. It was such a fun addition to lifting all the heavy weight. I have really enjoyed getting to know Anton in the last few years and I am so glad is part of the gym community. -Coach Traci
Outside the gym, Anton is a serious movie person. He met his husband at the original Alamo Drafthouse theater in Austin in 2006, and the two still love going to the movies, sometimes three times in one week! "Sometimes it just has to be that big screen in a dark room so you can immerse yourself," he says.
His dream, if he suddenly became very wealthy, would be to buy and renovate an old single-screen theater and show whatever movies he wanted. Choosing a favorite movie is difficult, but he’ll go with The Lost Boys from 1987.
Anton is a gem. He is an outstanding, mature lifter who works diligently to get stronger. I love his sense of humor and his love of obscure movies. He adds a level of maturity AND sass to the trans strength crew. It's a joy to have him as a part of the Solcana community. -Coach Garrett H.
Anton also really enjoys going to see the Minnesota Frost play hockey but when he’s not at the theater or a hockey game, Anton is usually reading, watching birds in his yard, or reading instead of putting away his laundry. He describes himself as a voracious reader and sometimes will accidentally read a whole book in one afternoon. He always loves to know what people are reading! Here are his favorite authors: Josef Škvorecký, Elizabeth Hand, William Gibson, Stephen Graham Jones, and Edith Wharton.
Anton also loves to bake. He learned to bake as an insomniac kid who needed something to do. "I love to do a giant holiday cookie bake with a half dozen kinds of cookies," he mentions. One of his recent favorites is a salted butter pecan cookie. Anton's current baking goal is to learn to make Texas style kolache because he's homesick for them!
Thank you Anton for being such an amazing part of the Solcana community. You brighten our day with your infectious spirt and we are so lucky to have you as a member!
