Goals: Luke Zavala

When a student squats without a safety rack, Luke Zavala lets them know where they are. When a student deadlifts with a round back, he demonstrates the right way. Mr. Zavala is conscious of danger in the fitness center. As someone who has overcome injuries, his goal is to keep the students healthy. 

Mr. Zavala knows a thing or two about setting and meeting goals.

He tore both ACLs in high school. He had various knee surgeries. To return to health, he set small, incremental goals.

He tore his UCL as a high school baseball coach. A year-long recovery from Tommy John surgery requires goals and discipline. It also requires arm-care routines, which his baseball players now use during the season.

Injuries happen regardless. When they do, Mr. Zavala helps with rehabilitation. The student’s goal is to recover. Mr. Zavala’s goal is to help them recover.

When he agreed to supervise the fitness center, the goal was to get U-High sports teams to work out in the offseason. But not all high-schoolers play a sport, and not all goals are the same.

Training the soccer team is different than training the baseball team. The teams have different workouts for different goals. Mr. Zavala wrote both.

He almost never stands still. He stations his computer in the trainer’s corner, but he’s rarely looking at it.

Mr. Zavala is prepared for the different goals of high school students. Some kids want to perform better at their sport. Some kids want to “bulk up.” Some kids just want to move around.

Regardless of the goal, Mr. Zavala will write a workout if you ask. With a green marker and whiteboard or just some advice, he helps kids meet their goals.