Inside 4 strength training facilities that are transforming athlete performance
With health, efficiency and performance top priorities for coaches and athletic trainers, below are four strength training facilities that epitomize what it means to invest in student-athletes.
Texas Tech University’s Sports Performance Center
Estimated Cost: $48 million
Date Opened: January 2022
Outfitted By: Regupol
The Texas Tech Sports Performance Center (SPC) has evolved into one of the Big 12’s premier training hubs, and returning strength coach Aaron Uzzell has a front-row seat to its impact.
Now directly connected to the indoor track and football practice turf, the facility offers 24 Power Lift racks with EliteForm technology, spacious turf zones and a layout built for simultaneous team training. The SPC facility also boasts a 200-meter banked track, a refueling nutrition station, indoor artificial turf field and sports medicine and hydrotherapy space in addition to a traditional weight room.
Uzzell praises the recently upgraded Regupol flooring in the weight room for its comfort and durability — critical for coaches and athletes logging long hours. High-tech tools, such as force decks, NordBord testing, Catapult GPS and Data Viz analytics, give coaches real-time feedback to track performance and reduce injury risk.
Uzzell credits vendors like Power Lift, Iron Grip and Regupol flooring for a layout that keeps multiple teams training at once without congestion.
Housing various sports, like soccer, volleyball, baseball and track and field, the SPC serves as the bug of a four-weight room campus. For Uzzell, it’s more than a showpiece: “Athletes need a place they want to train. When you match top-tier equipment with smart use of technology, you raise performance across every sport.”
Texas Tech’s investment, he added, makes the SPC “an elite center” and a key driver in preparing Red Raiders for the next level.
UT–Rio Grande Valley’s Vaqueros Performance Center
Square Footage: 10,000
Date Opened: August 2025
Outfitted By: Matrix Fitness
UT-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football’s brand-new Vaqueros Performance Center is giving the university’s first-ever NCAA Division I FCS football team a training space worthy of a flagship program.
At nearly 10,000 square feet — triple the size of the temporary room the team used last year — the Matrix-equipped facility represents a dramatic upgrade in both scale and sophistication.
“This is probably the 10th weight room I’ve helped design, and it was fun because nothing had ever been done here before,” said Don Sommer, UTRGV’s head football strength and conditioning coach. “It’s one of the best at the FCS level.”
The centerpiece is a line of 10 double-sided racks providing 20 platforms flanked by two four-station cable units, 46,000 pounds of iron plates and dumbbells ranging from 5 pounds to 125 pounds. Each rack is stocked with seven specialty bars — from Texas power bars to transformer and trap bars — so athletes never need to share during complex lifts.
With 20-foot ceilings and no interior columns, the open “box” design creates a spacious training environment where even 6-foot-7 players can perform pull-ups without their feet touching the floor.
Just steps away from the locker room and practice fields, the facility integrates seamlessly into the team’s daily flow.
“We went from training in a basement with a swinging light and rusty weights to walking right out the door to the turf,” Sommer said. “It’s a one-stop shop that shows recruits we’re serious about building something special.”
Purnell Swett High School in North Carolina
Estimated Cost: $5.5 million
Square Footage: 17,500
Date Opened: May 2025
Outfitted By: Williams Strength
Purnell Swett High School opened its new $5.5 million multipurpose athletic facility, last year highlighted by a cutting-edge weight room that promises to transform training for student athletes across all sports.
Construction began in February 2024, with teams moving in just over a year later in May 2025. For head football coach and PE teacher Joshua Deese, a 2002 Purnell Swett graduate, the difference is night and day.
“Our old weight room was about 30-by-20 feet with just five racks,” he said. “On heavy squat days, it was unsafe and overcrowded. Now, we have space, equipment and technology that allows us to train the whole program at once.”
The expansive new space features a 25-yard turf field, eight double-sided racks, cable machines, medicine balls, jammer arms and retractable batting cages, making it truly multipurpose. Cardio equipment, separate locker rooms and an athletic training room further enhance its versatility.
William Strength of Columbia, South Carolina, outfitted the facility, including the turf and strength equipment.
Technology also plays a role. With smart boards, integrated speakers and the RackCoach platform displaying sets, reps and workout intensity, efficiency has improved dramatically. Athletes report noticeable gains in strength, endurance and camaraderie since training together in one unified space.
“This facility isn’t just for football — it’s for every sport,” Deese said. “It’s already brought our athletes closer together and I can’t wait to see the progress after a full offseason here.”
Central High School in Louisiana
Estimated Cost: $3 million
Square Footage: 6,600
Date Opened: September 2024
Outfitted By: Hammer Strength/Life Fitness
Central High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is taking pride in its newly renovated weight room, the centerpiece of a $3 million upgrade to its athletic complex, which also includes football locker rooms and a gaming space.
The nine-month project began in January 2024 and transformed the existing 6,600-square-foot space into a state-of-the-art training hub for the school’s more than 600 student athletes.
Before the renovation, Central athletes trained in a bare-bones space with aging racks and mismatched dumbbells. Today, the Wildcats benefit from a facility designed for efficiency and safety, capable of accommodating up to 400 athletes per day.
Outfitted entirely by Hammer Strength/Life Fitness, the weight room now features 24 racks, power blocks, kettlebells, bumper plates, functional trainer attachments, medicine balls, plyometric boxes and 25 yards of Mondo turf down the center for movement-based training.
Technology upgrades further streamline workouts. Ten wall-mounted TVs and a large projection screen display workouts digitally, eliminating paper charts and allowing coaches to manage large groups effectively. The addition of Perch velocity-based training units provides advanced data for select athletes, enhancing performance tracking.
For Director of Athletic Performance Thomas DiStasio, the space is both a dream and a responsibility.
“We wanted to maximize efficiency and create a layout where athletes could complete everything at their station,” he said. “Now, we can train 100 kids at once without chaos.”
Since its opening, athletes and coaches have praised the facility, crediting it as a catalyst for the school’s recent athletic success — including a state football championship and basketball state finals appearance.
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