Rugby School, UK
Performance-level athletic development, designed to serve a whole school.
Rugby School needed an athletic development space capable of supporting pupils from their first strength and conditioning sessions at 13 through to junior international level at 18. The school’s existing strength and conditioning provision had outgrown the facility supporting it, while the only space available for expansion had never been designed for training.
The challenge
The new facility would be created within a disused shooting range, requiring the space to be completely rethought for strength and athletic development.
It needed to support a wide range of ages, physical development and training experience within one environment, while accommodating both independent training and full squad sessions. The new facility also needed to give considerably more pupils access to structured strength and conditioning than the previous space allowed.
Design was equally important. Rugby School has a long sporting history and a distinctive campus environment, so the gym needed to feel considered as part of the school rather than simply adapted for a new use. The school’s identity also needed to be reflected through the equipment and materials themselves, rather than relying on applied branding alone.
The solution
Prestera Power Racks form the foundation of the strength area. Configured with a range of attachments, each station can support different training requirements without changing the layout of the room. This gives coaches the flexibility to move between introductory sessions, squad training and more advanced programmes within the same space.
Specialty bars, Sport Training Plates and Plate Dumbbells extend the training options available, while a Dual Adjustable Pulley adds cable-based strength work without occupying an additional rack position.
A turf track and plyo boxes broaden the space beyond barbell training, while the overall configuration gives coaches an environment in which they can safely introduce and progress Olympic lifting across different age groups and levels of experience.
Customisation was integrated throughout the facility. Rack colours were specified to reflect the school’s identity, with branded Sport Training Plates reinforcing the same visual language.
Flooring was considered as part of the overall design from the outset, and the Eleiko Facility Design Team worked across the full space to improve training capacity while maintaining clear movement and usable floor area. Installation was also planned around the school’s term dates to minimise disruption.
Before and after
The same space — a disused Victorian shooting range — transformed into a high-performance strength facility in a single installation.
The outcome
The completed facility gives more pupils access to structured strength and conditioning while increasing the flexibility available to coaches.
Independent training, small groups and full squad sessions can take place within the same environment, with equipment and training zones supporting progression from first exposure to advanced athletic development.
The result is a facility capable of meeting the demands of Rugby School’s most advanced athletes while remaining accessible to younger pupils beginning their strength training journey. At the same time, the custom equipment and considered design give the space a clear connection to the school itself.
Equipment used in this project
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