Location: El Paso, Texas
School: Eastwood High School (Home of the Troopers)
Project Type: High School Strength & Conditioning Weight Room Design + Equipment Installation
Building a Culture of Strength at Eastwood High School
High school weight rooms are more than just training spaces. They are where team culture begins. They are where athletes learn discipline, accountability, and how to work together. For Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas, that mission was clear from day one: create a training environment that could support large groups of athletes, maximize a limited footprint, and deliver the kind of energy that makes kids excited to show up every day.
The Eastwood Troopers have a proud athletic tradition, and their strength staff knew that a strong program starts with a strong facility. The challenge was not just choosing equipment. It was designing a system that could move athletes efficiently through training, create structure in a tight space, and still feel like something special.
This is the story of how Eastwood High School transformed their weight room into a highly functional, fully branded performance space built for real training volume.
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The Challenge: Training 60 Athletes in a Tight Space
One of the biggest challenges high schools face today is scale. Football rosters are growing. Multi-sport athletes are training year-round. Strength staff are expected to manage groups of 40, 50, or even 60 athletes at a time, often in rooms that were never designed for that type of traffic.
Eastwood was no exception.
The available training area was roughly 70 feet wide by 30 feet deep, and the coaches were working with football groups nearing 60 athletes. That is a huge training demand for a footprint that small.
In a space like that, inefficiency becomes the enemy. If the room is not laid out properly, athletes bottleneck. Training becomes chaotic. Coaches spend more time managing movement than coaching technique. Instead of building culture, the weight room becomes a stressful place.
The Eastwood staff wanted something different. They needed:
- Maximum lifting stations per square foot
- Efficient athlete flow for large team groups
- Durable commercial-grade equipment
- Versatility for multiple training styles
- Custom branding to build pride and identity
With those goals in mind, the design process began.
Collaboration and Design: Building the Room Around the Program
Every successful weight room project starts with one key question:
How is this space going to be used?
According to Mark Duchaine, owner of Elevate Equipment and Consulting, the key to this project was not copying another school’s setup, but building a room specifically around Eastwood’s needs.
Rather than chasing a trendy layout or trying to replicate a college-style facility, Eastwood focused on the fundamentals: athlete movement, training logistics, and the coaching style that drives their program.
Mark emphasized that the biggest mistake schools make is choosing a design based on appearance alone:
“Make sure you understand the use first. Don’t just see a weight room you like and say, ‘I want what they have.’ It all depends on your coaches, how the space is going to get used, and the logistics of kids coming in and out.”
This approach guided the entire process. The Eastwood staff and Elevate Equipment and Consulting worked closely with Samson Equipment to ensure the final design fit the room perfectly, maximized training stations, and supported high-volume team training.
Instead of pushing a cookie-cutter package, Samson Equipment focused on customization, flexibility, and real-world layout experience.
“What really turned me on with Samson is the ability to customize what we wanted to do, make sure it was going to fit the space. They’re very open for suggestions and what we wanted and really kind of worked with us for what we wanted the space to look like.”
That collaboration is what made this project successful. The design was not built around equipment. It was built around the athletes and coaches who would use it daily.
The Equipment Layout: Creating 17 Total Lifting Stations
The final Eastwood High School weight room was designed with efficiency and throughput as the priority. The room was equipped with a combination of Samson Equipment’s Flex-Series racks, allowing the Troopers to build an impressive number of lifting stations without overcrowding the space.
The foundation of the room includes:
- Five Flex-Series Half Racks
- Six Flex-Series Double Sided Racks
- 17 total lifting stations
With 17 stations available, Eastwood can realistically train 34 to 51 athletes at one time, depending on whether they run pairs or groups of three at each station. That kind of capacity is exactly what high school programs need when multiple teams share one facility.
This layout allows coaches to run structured training blocks, rotate athletes smoothly, and keep the entire room engaged.
Flex-Series Half Racks: Wall-Based Strength Efficiency
The Flex-Series Half Rack wall became one of the most important parts of the Eastwood layout. Half racks are a go-to solution for schools that need high functionality while keeping floor space open for movement and athlete flow.
At Eastwood, these half racks do more than provide squat and bench capacity. They act as an anchor point for multiple training tools and accessories.
To increase training variety and keep athletes working in the same footprint, the half racks were outfitted with Jammer Arms, giving coaches the ability to program explosive pressing and pushing movements without adding standalone machines.
Jammer Arms are an ideal add-on for high schools because they allow athletes to train:
- Standing chest press variations
- Incline press patterns
- Shoulder press movements
- Row variations
- Explosive sport-specific power work
When paired with traditional barbell training, Jammer Arms add variety, reduce monotony, and expand what coaches can do with a limited number of stations.
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Flex-Series Double Sided Racks: Maximizing Team Training Output
The six Flex-Series Double Sided Racks are what pushed Eastwood’s capacity to the next level. Double sided racks are one of the most efficient tools for schools training large groups because they provide multiple athletes access to barbell work simultaneously, without requiring extra wall space.
Instead of spreading racks out and creating dead zones in the room, the double sided system allows athletes to train on both sides while keeping coaches positioned centrally for supervision.
This is critical for high school strength programs, where coaches often need to oversee multiple athletes performing complex movements at once.
For Eastwood, the double sided rack setup created a central training zone that supports:
- Squats and front squats
- Bench press rotations
- Rack pulls and deadlift variations
- Olympic lift progressions
- Team-based circuit training
In a room where every foot matters, the double sided racks created a high-output training floor that fits Eastwood’s needs perfectly.
Functional Training Rack (FTR): The Anchor of the Room
At the heart of the space is one standout centerpiece: a Flex-Rack Series Functional Training Rack (FTR). This unit serves as a structural and functional anchor point, tying the room together and adding additional training versatility.
The FTR connects the double sided rack system while introducing cable-based training options, which are increasingly important in modern strength programs.
Eastwood’s FTR includes two Hi-Low Cable Columns positioned in the middle of the room. These cable columns expand programming opportunities for athletes of all skill levels.
Cable training is a game changer for high school environments because it allows coaches to introduce resistance training patterns that are safer and easier to learn for younger athletes, while still being effective for advanced players.
With Hi-Low Cable Columns, Eastwood athletes can train:
- Lat pulldown and row variations
- Face pulls and rear delt work
- Triceps pushdowns and biceps curls
- Core rotations and anti-rotation training
- Single-arm strength development
- Speed and deceleration patterns with resistance
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Lat-Row Combo Machines: Expanding the Rack Line
To build even more pulling strength capacity, Eastwood added four free-standing Lat-Row Combo machines. These units were attached strategically to the horizontal links along the half rack wall, creating an efficient hybrid training zone.
For football, basketball, baseball, and nearly every sport, strong lats and upper back development are essential. Pulling strength is foundational for injury prevention, posture, and overall athletic power.
The Lat-Row Combos allow Eastwood athletes to rotate seamlessly between:
- Lat pulldown movements
- Seated rows
- Accessory pulling work
- Upper back endurance training
By integrating these machines into the rack wall, the room avoids clutter while still adding critical training options for team development.
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Bench Solutions: Efficient Storage and Multi-Use Performance
Benches are often overlooked in weight room design, but in high school facilities they can either support efficiency or create chaos. Loose benches scattered throughout a room can become a safety hazard and waste valuable space.
Eastwood solved this problem with a strategic bench package that includes:
- Combo Benches with Vertical Storage
- Glute Ham Reverse HyperExtension Combo Benches
The vertical storage benches help keep the room organized. When benches are not in use, they can be stored quickly without taking up floor space. This makes it easier for coaches to reset the room between classes or team blocks and keeps traffic lanes clear.
The glute ham and reverse hyper combo benches add serious value to the program. Posterior chain development is one of the most important elements of athletic performance, especially for football athletes.
With this equipment, Eastwood athletes can train:
- Hamstring strength and injury prevention
- Glute development for speed and power
- Lower back resilience
- Posterior chain hypertrophy
- Core stability under load
Dumbbell System: Commercial Series PowerBlocks (5 to 90 lbs)
For dumbbell training, Eastwood made a smart decision that fits both space and athlete needs: a complete set of Commercial Series PowerBlocks from 5 to 90 pounds.
Adjustable dumbbell systems are extremely effective in schools where floor space is limited but training demand is high. Instead of taking up multiple feet of wall space with long dumbbell racks, PowerBlocks provide a compact solution while still giving athletes access to heavy training loads.
With a 5 to 90 lb range, Eastwood athletes can perform everything from basic beginner movements to advanced strength work, including:
- Dumbbell bench press variations
- Rows and rear delt movements
- Lunges and split squats
- Shoulder presses
- Accessory arm work
- Rotational core training
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Custom Branding: Building Pride in the Space
Equipment matters, but environment matters too.
One of the most impactful features of the Eastwood weight room is the custom branding integrated throughout the space. Team colors and graphics are used across the room, reinforcing identity and making the facility feel like a true home for the Troopers.
Branding is not just aesthetic. It is psychological. When athletes walk into a space that feels like it belongs to them, it creates ownership. It creates pride. It creates a standard.
Mark Duchaine emphasized how motivating the space became once everything came together:
“The space itself is pretty motivating. These kids are going to get in here really just getting jacked about being in the space like this.”
That excitement matters. Athletes who want to be in the room are more likely to train consistently. They buy into the program. They build a stronger culture around the weight room.
At Eastwood, the branding transformed the room into more than a training facility. It became a centerpiece of the athletic program.
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Why This Room Works: Efficiency, Flow, and Coaching Visibility
The most impressive part of Eastwood’s weight room is not just the equipment list. It is how the room functions as a system.
When designing for high school athletics, the goal is always to make the space coach-friendly. Coaches need to be able to see athletes, move through the room, and keep training organized. Athletes need to be able to rotate without confusion or crowding.
This room checks all the boxes.
The combination of half racks, double sided racks, and cable systems creates a layout that allows for:
- Structured group rotations
- Multiple training styles in one session
- High-volume barbell work without congestion
- Accessory stations that keep athletes engaged
- Clear movement paths throughout the room
The design also gives coaches the ability to run dynamic training sessions. Instead of athletes waiting in line, the equipment allows them to stay active, keep intensity high, and get more total work done in the same training period.
Designed for Real Team Training
It is easy to build a weight room that looks good in photos. It is much harder to build a weight room that performs under real conditions: 60 athletes, limited time blocks, and constant rotation.
Eastwood’s room was built for reality.
Mark Duchaine described the importance of planning for logistics:
“When you have kids coming in and out, are they mingling together? That’s the biggest reason making the space as efficient as possible for the youth specific to you.”
The Eastwood project is a strong example of why high school weight room design must start with program needs. When coaches and designers work together, the result is a facility that supports daily training, not just occasional use.
The Results: A Weight Room That Builds Athletes and Culture
The completed Eastwood High School weight room is a high-output training space that delivers both performance and pride.
With 17 lifting stations, cable training options, integrated lat-row combos, versatile bench solutions, and a full adjustable dumbbell range, the Troopers now have a facility capable of supporting multiple teams and training styles.
But beyond equipment, the real result is culture.
This room is a space where athletes can develop confidence, discipline, and work ethic. It is a space where teams can train together and build the mindset that carries over into competition. It is also a space that reflects the identity of Eastwood athletics through custom branding and intentional design.
Eastwood’s strength staff did not just upgrade a weight room. They created an environment where athletes want to work.
Equipment Highlights: Eastwood High School Weight Room
- 5 Flex-Series Half Racks
- 6 Flex-Series Double Sided Racks
- 17 total lifting stations (34 to 51 athletes training at once)
- 4 Lat-Row Combo Machines attached to horizontal links
- 1 Flex-Rack Series Functional Training Rack (FTR)
- 2 Hi-Low Cable Columns
- Jammer Arms on Half Racks
- Combo Benches with Vertical Storage
- Glute Ham Reverse HyperExtension Combo Benches
- 5 to 90 lb Commercial Series PowerBlocks
- Custom Team Branding, colors, and graphics throughout
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Key Takeaways for Other High Schools
The Eastwood High School project offers valuable lessons for any school considering a weight room upgrade:
Design Around Your Program
The best weight room is the one that fits how your coaches train. Do not copy another school. Build a room that matches your athletes, schedules, and coaching style.
Maximize Stations, Not Just Equipment
More stations means less waiting, more training volume, and better flow. Eastwood’s 17 stations allow large groups to train effectively without chaos.
Versatility Matters
Attachments like Jammer Arms, cable columns, and combo machines expand training options without requiring additional space.
Branding Builds Buy-In
Custom colors and graphics do not just look good. They help athletes take pride in the room and feel connected to the program.
Work With a Team That Understands Schools
High school training environments are unique. It takes experience to design a space that works with real athlete volume and real scheduling demands.
Ready to Build Your Own High School Weight Room?
If your program is ready to take the next step, the Eastwood Troopers are proof that you do not need unlimited square footage to build a serious training environment. You need the right layout, the right equipment, and a design team that understands how athletes move through a space.
At Elevate Equipment and Consulting, Mark Duchaine works with schools and gyms to create facilities built for performance and long-term success. Samson Equipment provides the custom-built strength systems that bring those plans to life.
Whether you are upgrading an existing room or building from the ground up, the most important step is starting with the right plan.
Let’s build something your athletes will be proud of.
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