“It’s going to be a game changer.”
That’s how Del Norte High School Athletic Director Tom Herndon described the moment he walked into the school’s completed weight room for the first time, and it’s hard to argue with him. This renovation is one of the most complete high school facility overhauls Samson Equipment has delivered in New Mexico, and the coaches who train their athletes in it every day say it shows.
Del Norte sits in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, at 5323 Montgomery Blvd NE, serving student-athletes across football, basketball, tennis, and more. When it came time to replace a tired, outdated training space, the school turned to Samson. What followed was a full rebuild: eight Flex Rack stations, a complete equipment package, and a weight room that meets programs where they want to go, not where they’ve been.
Table of Contents
- The Problem: Old Equipment, No Inspiration
- Del Norte High School Weight Room Layout: 8 Flex Rack Stations
- The Full Equipment Package
- From 3D Design to Real Life
- What the Coaches Are Saying
- Why the Weight Room Is Where It Starts
- More New Mexico High School Facilities
- Ready to Build?
The Problem: Old Equipment, No Inspiration
Tom Herndon did not sugarcoat the state of the old space. “The weight room, the equipment in here, it was old. It was dingy.”
For a program that takes its athletics seriously, that gap between competitive ambition and the quality of the training environment is hard to ignore. Coaches knew it. Athletes knew it. And they knew that to compete at the highest level across every sport, the weight room had to match the standard.
Research from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) consistently supports what coaches already know: the quality of an athlete’s training environment directly affects engagement, effort, and long-term development. A room that doesn’t inspire doesn’t produce the same results as one that does.
The solution wasn’t a patch job. It was a full rebuild.
Del Norte High School Weight Room Layout: 8 Flex Rack Stations
The new Del Norte High School weight room is built around Samson’s Flex Rack system, the same configuration found in college programs across the country.
4 Flex Rack Double Units with Functional Training Rack (FTR)
Each double unit delivers two lifting stations from a single compact footprint, maximizing capacity without requiring an oversized room. The Functional Training Rack attachment opens up cable movements, functional training, and accessory work, all from the same station. Every double unit is loaded with two key attachments:
- Viking Attachment – for pressing and pushing movements that build functional upper-body power
- Malak’s – a versatile accessory that expands the range of cable and functional exercises available on each station
4 Flex Rack Compact Units with FTR
The compact configuration keeps the same training versatility in a tighter profile, ideal for filling the floor efficiently while maintaining the open sightlines coaches need to supervise a full team session. Each compact is also loaded with the Viking and Malak’s attachments.
Together, the eight stations give Del Norte’s coaches the capacity to run large groups through simultaneous training, a critical feature when football players, basketball athletes, and multi-sport competitors are all sharing the same space at the same time.
The New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) sets competitive standards for student-athletes across the state. The programs that meet those standards tend to be the ones training in facilities built to match.
Browse the full Flex Rack lineup to see all configuration options.
The Full Equipment Package
Beyond the Flex Rack system, the facility is outfitted with a complete package built to support every training need:
- Lat Row Machine Combo (Plate Loaded) – covers two of the most important movements in any S&C program in one efficient footprint
- Seated Calf Machine (Plate Loaded) – dedicated lower-leg development that doesn’t get skipped or deprioritized
- Power Sled (Plate Loaded) – for conditioning, explosiveness, and injury resilience
- Combo Bench with Vertical Storage – adjustable benches with built-in vertical storage that keeps the floor organized and usable
- Samson Rubber Bumper Plates – built for the demands of daily Olympic lifting and heavy use
- Samson Barbells – manufactured to Samson’s durability standards
- Samson Dumbbells – for accessory work, supplemental training, and full-range-of-motion movements
- Triple Dumbbell Racks – organized storage that keeps the floor clear
- Double Dumbbell Racks – additional capacity for the full dumbbell set
Nothing is missing. Nothing is improvised. Every piece earns its place on the floor.
From 3D Design to Real Life
For head girls basketball and tennis coach David Gonzales, this was his first time going through a major facility build. He wasn’t sure what to expect. The result stayed with him.
“Never really had to do this process before. So just to see it come from paper to actual is really cool.”
Samson provides free 3D layouts and renderings for every weight room project before a single piece of equipment ships. Those visuals give schools and athletic departments the confidence to bring the proposal to administration and board members with something concrete to show them.
“I’ll put it this way. If I was going to have to recommend this company again, I would totally do that. Just based on everything, the floor plan to putting it into visual and then to see it in actuality.”
That three-stage progression, floor plan, 3D rendering, finished facility, is what Samson delivers on every project. Samson’s team offers free 3D layouts for every weight room design. There’s no cost to see what your facility could look like.
What the Coaches Are Saying
Tom Herndon, Athletic Director:
“I was just so ecstatic with how everything turned out. The logos, the graphics, it looks professional. I mean, this is stuff that big-time college programs get. Not small, done-already Albuquerque, New Mexico. Great stuff. Phenomenal.”
On the Samson process: “Samson knows what they’re doing. They know how to design. They know how to deal with public schools. They’ve been doing this a long time, and you can tell.”
Dallas Peterson, Head Football Coach:
“It’s going to help us be able to compete at the top, top level.”
David Gonzales, Head Girls Basketball and Tennis Coach:
“I’ll put it this way, if I was going to have to recommend this company again, I would totally do that. Just based on everything.”
Why the Weight Room Is Where It Starts
Tom Herndon opened with this line, and it’s the one worth closing on:
“Athletics starts with the weight room.”
It’s not a platitude. It’s a philosophy. The weight room is where the foundation gets built, where athletes develop the strength, discipline, and resilience that shows up on the field, the court, and the track. When that foundation is shaky, everything built on top of it is shaky too.
The Knights of Del Norte just reinforced their foundation. For every sport, every season, and every athlete who walks through that door.
More New Mexico High School Facilities
Del Norte is part of a growing network of New Mexico schools that have invested in professional-grade training environments. See other Samson installs across the state:
Or browse the full Samson Facilities Gallery to see hundreds of weight rooms built from coast to coast.
Ready to Build Your School’s Next Chapter?
Whether you’re starting with a blank room or a space full of equipment that’s seen better days, Samson can design the right solution for your school, your budget, and your athletes.
Every project includes free 3D layouts, custom color matching, a lifetime framework warranty, and a team that’s been working with public school athletic programs for decades.
Start the conversation with a Samson specialist today.
Or if you’re still in the early stages, check out our guide to weight room planning to get oriented before your first call.
Built For Strength – Samson Equipment has been designing and manufacturing professional weight room solutions since 1976. Custom built to order. Delivered and installed. Backed by the Samson Lifetime Warranty.
