Strength Training Center
Southern Arkansas University will host a dedication ceremony for the Strength Training Center at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 29. The facility is located behind Goodheart Field on the SAU campus, and the public is invited to attend.
The Strength Training Center provides a place for the University’s athletic teams to conduct strength training and conditioning. Teams previously conducted this training in a World War II-era motor pool building. That facility was demolished as part of the Mulerider Activity Center construction, and teams have temporarily been training in an area that was formerly the University’s cafeteria.
The new Strength Training Center was constructed at a cost of $741,703. At approximately 5,000 square feet, it houses a large weight room, restrooms, and an office.
A private donation through the SAU Foundation has provided $150,000 to outfit the facility. All new strength training equipment has been purchased and security and sound systems have been installed.
“This is not only going to help the players that we have now, but it’s going to help with recruits,” said Interim Director of Athletics Steve Browning. “When recruits go somewhere, they want to know that they’re going somewhere they can get bigger and stronger.”
An inside view of the Strength Training Center
Browning said that the new Samson weights in the Strength Training Center will include some pieces that SAU has not previously owned and will be superior to strength training equipment at other universities in the region. In the planning process, each head coach was asked to provide a list of needed equipment.
“We were able to give each sport what they wanted,” he said.
