The clang of barbells and the chatter of athletes fill the weight room as students cycle through sets. Standing nearby, coach Marlen Castaneda watches closely, stepping in to adjust a student’s form or provide encouragement. For Castaneda, moments like these, when she helps students begin to see the results of their effort, are the most rewarding.
Castaneda serves as both Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Physical Education (P.E.) Coordinator, roles that place her at the center of Harker’s athletic training programs. In addition to supervising workouts in the weight room during and after school, she tracks P.E. credits and helps distribute athletic uniforms during different sports seasons. Her position enables her to work with a wide range of students: from beginners entering the weight room for the first time to experienced athletes looking to further develop their strength.
“My philosophy is that you have to know the basics before you move on to something you probably saw on social media,” Castaneda said. “I like to play on the safe side. I want students to have a good foundation first and then progress to higher-level exercises.”
Castaneda’s career did not start as a personal trainer, as she is now for Harker students. Instead, she originally set her sights on becoming a physical therapist, before discovering her interest in rehabilitation and strength training.
“While working under physical therapists and getting my shadow hours, I learned a lot about injury prevention and rehab,” Castenada said. “Then I discovered personal training, and that’s kind of what started me in the fitness world.”
After working in the fitness industry, doing private coaching and teaching group classes, she came to Harker to substitute for her predecessor Lauren Brown two years ago. Since then, Castaneda has found fulfillment in watching students gradually grow more confident over time, especially since the weight room can feel intimidating at first for many students.
“Sometimes I see a student who has never been in a weight room before,” Castaneda said. “By the end of the semester, they’ve improved their mile time, and they can lift a barbell that weighs 45 pounds. Seeing that progress is really rewarding.”
Junior Ava Alvarez, who started working with Castaneda while on the cross country team, noted that Castaneda plays an important role in helping athletes feel comfortable in the weight room.
“She always helps us with workouts and corrects our form when we are lifting,” Alvarez said. “She makes sure we are doing things safely and that everyone is doing well. She also builds our community and helps us get closer to one another.”
Castaneda’s encouragement often helps athletes push themselves during challenging workouts. She noted that Castaneda often counts down and announces there are five seconds left even if there is actually more time during a workout, to motivate students to give their maximum effort.
“Overall, the main thing is that she really helps us believe in ourselves,” Alvarez said. “When she showed up to meets, I knew she believed in me, which made me believe in myself as well. Having her there made me feel more positive because I knew that I had that extra support behind me.”
Senior Alejandro Cheline frequents the weight room and noticed how Castaneda’s flexibility and knowledge make workouts more productive for students with different goals.
“There’s a preset program plan, but if you want to work on something specific, she will always help you adjust it,” Cheline said. “When I had a leg injury, she helped me focus on the upper body instead.”
Castaneda aims for all her students who train with her to leave the weight room not only stronger but also with a deeper understanding of how to train safely and consistently.
“I hope I can leave a good impression of what the weight room is like,” Castaneda said. “You can have fun while being safe and learning the basics. Building that foundation now will help students later on.”