Major Upgrade

New Facility and Power Lift Equipment Helps Jenks Continue Winning Tradition.
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Any list of the most successful prep programs in the country over the last quarter century would certainly include the Jenks Trojans. Led by Head Coach Allan Trimble, Jenks has taken the Oklahoma 6-A state title crown 11 times since 1979, including six in a row between 1996 and 2001 and eight out of the last eleven. Trimble’s perennial powerhouse prevailed again in 2006, overcoming the tragic death of the team’s starting center, Garrett Bennett, just prior to the start of the season.

It’s no secret that a serious strength and conditioning program is required for any team that seeks to become a champion. While Coach Trimble has for years emphasized strength and conditioning, until recently the Jenks program was hampered by a small and outdated facility. That changed with the opening of an expansive new fitness center and weight training facility that features state of the art Power Lift equipment. AFM asked Trimble about Jenks’ new facility and the benefits of finally having equipment worthy of a championship program.

AFM: What has winning your 8th state championship as head coach of the Jenks Trojans meant to you personally?

Trimble: When I look back on it, last season probably had the lowest of lows and the highest of highs of any season we’ve ever had. To watch our coaches and players go through a tragedy and some real hard times with the death of Garrett Bennett, and then to rally and play the way they did was a real pleasure. This season was a real joy because of the way the kids responded with hard work and commitment. It was one of the most memorable seasons I’ve ever had.

You opened a new strength and conditioning facility last year. What’s the biggest difference between your old and new equipment?

The biggest difference is the quality and the amount. We had operated in a very small weight room with very little equipment. We only had three bench press stations, three squat stations and a couple of cable machines and that’s how we managed to work out. The new one has 20 bench stations, 20 squat stations and the equipment is so much better organized and laid out where we can actually train a large number of kids. There’s plenty of room for safety and plenty of room for supervision. It’s just made us a whole lot more efficient and safe.

How has the new equipment allowed you to train more efficiently?

It allows our coaches to be stationed in larger groups. We can train up to 60 kids at a time on bench or 60 kids at a time on squat. It allows our coaches to coach rather than just supervise. It’s allowed us to become more body part specific and better utilize our coaching staff. With this new equipment and the way it’s laid out we really get a lot more done, and in less time.

What effect has the equipment had on your off-season and in-season training schedules?

We measure and weigh each kid and monitor them pretty closely as far as their body weight and body fat and we’ve had some tremendous gains; hundreds of pounds in weightlifting increases, hundreds of pounds in either body weight gain or loss. We’ve really been able to help our athletes. Probably the biggest thing, besides the quality of athlete we’re producing is the amount of time we’re able to save to spend on football. Obviously, strength and conditioning is huge; if you don’t have that platform, you can’t play football. But the amount of time savings we get each day to spend coaching on things that are going to help us win has been just huge for us.

What does the layout allow you to do that was not possible in your old facility?

It allows us to rotate our weight lifting groups much more efficiently with smoother transitions and no wasted time between exercises. For example, you can bench, squat, power clean, and incline – everything at one station. The way the platforms are arranged, coaching and instruction are much easier. You can position yourself as a coach and watch up to ten guys do the exact same movement at the exact same time. You can watch them and you can coach them.

What factors were most important to you when you purchased your new equipment?

We believe strongly in the importance of strength and conditioning for our athletes in all sports. The kids are giving us their best effort so we wanted to give them the best possible equipment we could. So we went out and we researched several different companies. Every phone call we made, it just kept coming back to the customer support and the quality that the Power Lift systems give us. They delivered us a couple of machines and allowed us to work out on them for a couple of weeks. We visited several different weight lifting facilities where they had installed their equipment and talked to the strength and conditioning coaches. We talked to Coach Glass at Oklahoma State and Coach Schmidt at OU. Everywhere we went, it just kept pointing back to the direction of Power Lift.

Did Power Lift assist you in your choice of equipment and facility layout?

We visited with some of Power Lift representatives and they walked through the actual weight room with us. Then, in just a few days, they sent us three or four floor plans exactly laid out to scale. We talked about the flow of the weight rooms, how you would transition from position to position and the pros and the cons of each one. We got it through committee and, working together with them, we came up with what we thought would be best for us. It was really smooth and they were really easy to work with.

How would you rate Power Lift equipment in terms of quality and customer service?

Outstanding. We’ve had absolutely no problems. Power Lift came and did the custom install with us. They put everything together right where we wanted it to be. They actually brought some guys in to show us how to do the daily maintenance and care for the equipment so we can get the most life out of it. They provided us with the tools and the chemicals and even the towels that we use to wipe them off. They taught us, basically, how to use the equipment most efficiently. We’ve been very pleased. We saw some racks that are almost ten years old and they still look exactly the same. We’re very excited about our new equipment.

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