Nationally ranked powerlifter opens Carol Stream gym

Sergio Luna should be the image of a content guy.

He quit a 9-to-5 job he hated to start his own business. And when Luna says that risk ultimately paid off, don't be fooled by the wide grin on his face.

“I'm never satisfied,” the 24-year-old from Glendale Heights said. “I always want more.”

That appetite drives his approach to Surge To New Levels, the gym he recently opened in Carol Stream to train fellow powerlifters and anyone who wants to get in shape. He doesn't expect a certain standard of “strong” out of his clients, but does want them to push their limits.

“It's about personal improvement,” he said.

And so is powerlifting, a growing sport Luna, long a fitness buff, discovered as a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Under the coaching of Ernie Lilliebridge Sr., a world record-holder, Luna has developed from just “average” to a nationally ranked powerlifter.

He now competes as often as four times a year, testing his strength in three lifts: squat, bench press and dead lift. A total of 1,537 pounds Luna recorded earlier this year currently puts him at No. 26 in the country for his weight class in a list of rankings by the website Powerlifting Watch.

Again, Luna sees room for improvement.

“If you're ever content with something or you settle, that to me is failure,” he said. “You can't let yourself settle, in life, in sports. You need to always consistently improve yourself.”

And that's why he wouldn't settle for his old job working for an insurance business. Six months into the position, Luna found himself sitting at his desk, feeling “like a zombie.”

“This isn't what I was meant to do,” he told his boss when he quit.

With a degree from U of I in recreation and sport management, Luna decided to return to his roots as a personal trainer (he previously worked with students and faculty in college). He rented out a space in another Carol Stream gym and started Surge To New Levels more than a year ago.

“It was all up to me if I was going to fail or succeed, and I decided I'm going to give this my all and take a risk,” Luna said.

Through word-of-mouth, Luna soon built a loyal following too big for that facility and opened his own about a month ago in a 2,520-square-foot space at 314 St. Paul Boulevard.

Surge To New Levels caters to powerlifters with special equipment that Luna said draws athletes from as far as Tinley Park and Buffalo Grove. He expects to expand that reach by offering clinics run by “Team Lilliebridge” (his coach, Ernie Sr., and his two sons).

But Luna makes clear most of his clients are looking to get healthy, lose weight or simply improve their well-being. Among the gym's offerings, Luna and his hand-picked staff of trainers lead one-on-one or group sessions for all ages and focus on strength training and conditioning.

“Everyone can get strong,” he said. “And that's my whole thing. Strength does not discriminate.”

Even with an established business, Luna has his sights on a “bigger vision” and helping motivate more clients who may be stuck in a routine.

“The more I can give back, the better,” he said.