Out With The Old and In With The New

Designing a weight room is not an exercise for those who are weak, uninformed or easily impressed.
by: Jane Musgrave
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While the towering Payne Whitney Gymnasium at Yale University is known as the "cathedral of sports," for Steve Plisk and his strength and conditioning staff, it was an ungodly mess.

Stuffed in a former wrestling room, the 3,600-square-foot weight room had long outlived its usefulness.

"Athletes would show up at their assigned time and have to wait 10 minutes for it to clear out," says Plisk, describing one of the many obstacles he faced trying to run a strength and conditioning program out of the antiquated facility.

But three years ago, the university embarked on a program to bring the nearly 70-year-old gym, revered for housing more sports under roof that any building in the world, out of the 1930s and into the 21st century.

Last year, as part of a $100 million renovation program, the new Brooks-Dwyer Varsity Strength & Conditioning Room, opened.

"I'm the luckiest guy in my field," says Plisk, who now oversees a 7,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility.

But while he now basks in his new surroundings, getting there wasn't easy. While the project was billed as a renovation, a lot of times it looked more like a demolition as crews blew out walls to bring modern necessities, such as electrical conduits and air conditioning ducts, into the 9 1/2-story building that was built in 1932. That the weight room was on the fourth floor and its expansion was a small part of a massive project, only added to Plisk's headaches.

But while his situation at Yale was unique, many of the lessons he learned about weight room design can be used by anyone who finally convinces school administrators, taxpayers or well-heeled benefactors that better training facilities will produce better teams.

One of Plisk's main pieces of advice for anyone designing or expanding a weight room is simple: "Pay attention to details."

From figuring out how much space you need, to picking equipment, to deciding how to arrange the equipment you select, to selecting floor covering, weight room construction or expansion projects are filled with potentially expensive pitfalls.

"It's a pretty involved process," says Plisk. And after what he has gone through at Yale, he ought to know.

Luckily, there is an industry standard when it comes to sizing a weight room. For planning purposes, count on having about 100 square feet of space for each athlete who will be using the facility. With 900 athletes participating in 33 sports, Brooks-Dwyer is slightly smaller than the optimum 9,000 square feet that would be required under the formula.

Still, he says, while he could use always use more space, the size of the room is workable. However, missing the 100-square-foot-per- athlete benchmark by too much, can create scheduling nightmares. A seriously undersized facility will be unfair to both athletes and staff because the room will have to be opened longer hours to accommodate the demand.

For instance, his weight room is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and he would be loath to keeping it open longer. For starters, it would force his staff to work overtime. Further, opening early, say at 6 a.m., would be unfair to students who are often up late. Plisk made the decision to close at 7 p.m. to give busy athletes the chance to workout and still grab a meal at school cafeterias that close at 7:30 p.m. "I'm not going to have my athletes miss a meal," he says.

As a result, he says, the facility is extremely busy during peak times - generally 2 to 3 in the afternoon and from 6 to 7 p.m. at night. "It's a madhouse in here," he readily admits. "If we had twice as much room we could fill it."

The key is making the most of available space by buying equipment that is versatile. Multi-function platforms that enable athletes to do eight major movements, including squats, chin ups, bench presses and lifts, at one location will conserve space and allow athletes to use their time efficiently - to do their workouts and get out.

Picking the right equipment requires careful study of what is on the market and a healthy skepticsm of what manufacturers are trying to sell.

While acknowledging that manufacturers are important sources of information, Plisks says coaches should be on guard. "Realize that the manufacturer is there to sell equipment and increase their client list."

Be leary of a deal that seems to good to be true. If a manufacturer offers equipment at a bargain price, don't jump at it. Be certain you really need it.

For instance, he says, when he worked at the Olympic Training Center, a manufacture donated 20 pieces of equipment. The donation allowed the manufacture to tell future clients that its equipment is used at the prestigious site. "It was a good marketing move," Plisk says. "But, I'll be honest, the equipment was useless." Ultimately, all it did was use up valuable space that could have been used for more critical equipment.

He recommends focusing on manufacturers that specialize in performance-based training equipment. Some manufacturers specialize in fitness equipment. "It's fine in health clubs but it's not what you need in a weight room." Coaches should use manufacturers that design equipment with athletes in mind.

Bruce Harbach, a certified strength and conditioning coach and assistant football coach at Wilson High School in West Lawn, Pa., sought Plisk's advice while designing the school's new weight room. The new weight room, considered one of the top high school facilities in the east, was part of a tax-funded construction project that included a 2,500-seat arena and three-lane indoor track.

Harbach says he followed Plisk's advice and purchased most of the equipment from a company that specializes in strength and conditioning for athletes. He visited other weight rooms and talked to coaches about what equipment they liked and what proved to be a waste of money. Harbach recommends other coaches do the same.

Further, he advises coaches to research a company's track record before they buy. Before investing a quarter million dollars in equipment, make sure it is durable and service and replacement parts are readily available.

Schools that don't have certified strength and conditioning coaches should hire one to help design their facility, Harbach says. Trained strength coaches know what equipment is needed and how to arrange it so assure the facility is safe and efficient.

Each facility, obviously, is different. While Plisk was dealing with putting 21st century technology into a 19th century building, Harbach was designing a facility that not only serves the school's 1,200 students but the community as well. West Lawn residents can purchase memberships and use the training room at night.

The way to deal with such unique problems is to talk to as many people as you can, visit as many facilities as is feasible and research equipment needs and availability, Harbach says.

"The weight room is the biggest activity area on campus and also the riskiest," Plisk says. For that reason, it should be done right.

For more information about weight room design, the National Strength and Conditioning Association puts out a 189-page guidebook titled, Facility Design and Safety. The $13.50 guide can be purchased by calling 719-632-6722. We here at American Football Monthly have a copy. The first caller gets it.


While the project was billed as a renovation, a lot of times it looked more like a demolition as crews blew out walls to bring mordern necessities, such as electrical conduits and air conditioning ducts, into the 9/12-story building

Be leary of a deal that seems to good to be true. If a manufacturer offers equipment at a bargain price, don't jump at it. Be certain you really need it.

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