Hammer Strength, the strength training equipment line owned by Life Fitness, initiated the Hammer Strength Training Center Program, which recognizes facilities in an elite class.

Hammer Strength is the first and only athletic performance brand built on a heritage of athletic excellence that inspires exercisers to excel.

“We have over 25 years of industry knowledge, and a team of experienced past strength training coaches and equipment team members dedicated to outfitting and analyzing premier facilities,” said Anthony Morelli, head of the Hammer Strength Training Center Program and senior brand manager at Hammer Strength. “When it comes to training facilities, today’s athletes demand the best. Just as all steel isn’t created equal, neither are fitness facilities.”

This year, Hammer Strength has awarded 75 facilities plaques welcoming them to the network of nearly 800 facilities around the world. All are measured against the following standards:

  • 15 or more pieces of equipment from three of the premier product categories at Hammer Strength – Selectorized, Plate Loaded, and Racks and Rigs – that are tested with the industry-leading drop test.
  • Heavy-duty, urethane or rubber accessories made to put up with all the athletes dish out – consisting of Olympic Plates, Bumper Plates, Olympic Bars, Dumbbells, Fixed Barbells.

Members of the Hammer Strength Training Center Program each receive a Hammer Strength Training Center Shield, a plaque made from the same steel and facility where Hammer Strength equipment is manufactured. Additionally, official Hammer Strength Training Centers are recognized on the Training Center website, could be featured in a facility showcase on the brand’s website and blog, and are considered as potential hosts for future Hammer Strength Clinic events.

The University of Miami is one of the latest recipients of the Official Hammer Strength Training Center honor. In January 2016, Gus Felder joined the school, becoming the director of strength and conditioning and oversaw a major overhaul of the Hecht Center weight room. Today, the Hurricanes have 20 Hammer Strength HD Elite Combo Half Racks, a variety of plate-loaded equipment and Hammer Strength custom dumbbells, weight plates and bumpers.

“I look at Hammer Strength with a sense of loyalty and I’m proud to have the University of Miami recognized like this,” said Felder. “The way they’ve recognized the Hurricanes through this honor and hosted their annual clinics at our facility in the past is humbling and I’m looking forward to the other ways that Hammer Strength connects the strength training community.”

As the network grows, Hammer Strength hopes to bring this community together in meaningful ways, giving the community of strength and conditioning coaches a platform to continue advancing the industry.

“The Hammer Strength Training Center Program is only the beginning,” said Morelli. “Hammer Strength builds more than equipment, we build communities for athletes and coaches to engage in advancing athletic programs and build the future of the industry.”

Find out more and keep up with additional program elements at: https://lifefitness.com/facility/hammer-strength-training-centers.