The Gridiron Warrior Podcast | “How to Build a High School Weight Room from Scratch” with Coach Jimmy Gajewski

In this episode, I sit down with Coach Jimmy Gajewski of Lakewood High School to break down the real process of rebuilding a high school weight room. Not just equipment. Not just aesthetics. Vision, funding, administration buy-in, safety, flow, and how to sell the why to people who control the money.

If you’re a high school strength coach staring at an outdated room and thinking, there has to be a better way, this one’s for you.

👇 Timestamps

00:00 – What this podcast is about + who it’s for

03:00 – Introducing Coach Jimmy Gajewski and why this project matters

06:00 – Jimmy’s coaching path and how he created a full-time role

11:30 – Getting all sports on board with one unified vision

14:30 – What the old weight room actually looked like

19:00 – Clearing space, flow, and fixing what you already have

22:00 – The biggest hurdle: funding and administration buy-in

26:00 – Selling safety, usage, and foot traffic to decision-makers

30:30 – Why the weight room is the most used space in the school

33:00 – Designing flow, turf space, and overlapping team sessions

38:00 – Equipment priorities, modular racks, and smart upgrades

43:00 – Branding, music, pride, and culture inside the room

48:00 – Advice for coaches starting their own rebuild

49:40 – Final thoughts + how to contact Coach Gajewski

50:00 – Gridiron Warrior Insiders Community

🔗 Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders

Weekly film studies, live Q&As, unreleased podcasts, webinars, discounts, and a private community of coaches building better programs together.

👉 ScottLeechTraining.com

Keep the Fire Burning. 🔥