01
Assess
We measure speed, power, strength, and mobility through advanced sports science testing with Hawkin Dynamics, VALD, Swift, and Output Sports.
Athlete Strength and Conditioning in Columbus, Ohio
Train like a college athlete
We built it like a Big Ten program and scaled it for where you are now. Coach Jay Hooten served as an assistant strength coach at Ohio State before spending more than a decade as Director of Football Performance at Northwestern University. Our staff runs it the same way for athletes from middle school to the pros, with the coaching, advanced technology, and purpose-built equipment to match.
Inside the program
See it in action.
The program
One program. Every level.
Every athlete is different, so every plan is different. We train developmental groups, return-to-play athletes, high school teams, and college and professional athletes, and they all follow the same training philosophy, customized to where each athlete is in their development.
We start by teaching the foundations of movement mechanics, then progress each athlete as they are ready, building strength, power, speed, agility, mobility, and endurance through evidence-based programming and performance tracking. From 4th graders to Olympians, everyone trains smarter, recovers faster, and performs more consistently.
ARMORY Sports Science
Measure. Optimize. Repeat.
We apply the technology used by Division I programs, pro leagues, and the U.S. Olympic Team. Hawkin Dynamics force plates, Swift Performance timing, VALD ForceFrame, NordBord, and Output Sports velocity-based training turn real data into personalized training, recovery, and return-to-play plans, so athletes train safer and perform at their peak.
02
Interpret
Data alone does not make you better. Coach Hooten and his staff read your numbers against your sport and your season, and that interpretation is what moves the needle.
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Program
A plan built for you, targeting the strength, speed, and power that move your game forward.
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Apply
Coaches drive every rep, with training blocks timed to your competition schedule.
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Re-test
We prove it worked, then raise the bar. Real progress you can see in the data.
How we are different
A system, not a class.
This is not a group fitness class. It is a Division I-level training system built on trust, accountability, and collaboration between parents, athletes, and coaches.
We work with school coaches to assess each athlete and address the gaps that school-based training leaves behind, with customized programming from middle school through the professional ranks.
We build mindset, discipline, and character, developing the whole person, with values that extend beyond sport to teams, schools, families, and communities.
Memberships
Train consistently. Get better faster.
Choose the volume that fits your season and switch tiers anytime. Every membership includes coach-led recovery and our full recovery suite, and your unused sessions roll over while your membership stays active.
In-season
Best in season
$179/mo
- 4 coached strength and conditioning sessions a month
- Unused sessions roll over month to month
- Coach-led recovery included
- Full recovery suite included
Most popular
8 a month
Best value for the offseason
$299/mo
- 8 coached strength and conditioning sessions a month
- Unused sessions roll over month to month
- Coach-led recovery included
- Full recovery suite included
12 a month
For serious development
$399/mo
- 12 coached strength and conditioning sessions a month
- Unused sessions roll over month to month
- Coach-led recovery included
- Full recovery suite included
Unlimited
Train as often as you like
$489/mo
- Unlimited coached strength and conditioning sessions
- Unused sessions roll over month to month
- Coach-led recovery included
- Full recovery suite included
All memberships are a 3-month commitment, then continue month to month and auto-renew. You can cancel anytime once the 3-month commitment is complete, and switch tiers whenever your season changes, for example, a lighter plan in-season and more sessions in the offseason. Unused sessions roll over for the life of your membership while it stays active, and are forfeited immediately if you cancel.
Enrollment
How you get started.
It starts with a free assessment, not a purchase. Meet the coach, get your sports science testing, and see the plan we would build, then choose your membership before your first training session.
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Book your free assessment
Start with a free assessment, no purchase required. Email Coach Hooten directly at hoot@wearethearmory.com, or fill out our quick intake form, and we will get you scheduled.
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Meet the coach and get tested
Sit down with Coach Hooten or his staff, go through our sports science testing, and talk through your goals. You leave knowing exactly where you stand and what a plan would look like.
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Choose your plan
After your assessment, pick the membership that fits your season and enroll before your first training session. No initiation fee, and you can switch tiers anytime.
04
Start training
Step into your sessions and get rolling. Your coach guides your progression from day one.
Coach Hooten: hoot@wearethearmory.com
Schedule
Session times.
Here is when our strength and conditioning sessions run each week. New athletes start with a free assessment, so we can customize the program to each athlete and maximize development, before their first session. Already training with us? Just let your coach know which sessions you plan to attend.
- 9:30 am75 min
Athlete Strength & Conditioning
- 11:30 am75 min
Athlete Strength & Conditioning
New athletes start with a free assessment before their first session, so we can build the right plan. Already training with us? Just let an ARMORY coach know which sessions you will attend, by email, by text, or in person at the end of a session.
Return to play, a specialty
Coming back from injury, the right way.
Return to play is a specialty within our program, and it was Coach Hooten's focus at Northwestern. When an athlete is coming back from injury, Jay leads the strength and conditioning side of the comeback, and we bring in physical therapy when it is needed. Not every returning athlete needs PT, but post-surgical athletes and those with more serious injuries do, and our in-house physical therapy team steps in. Throughout, we work as one team with everyone in your athlete's corner: your school physical therapist and athletic trainer, your outside or school physician, and your school sports coaches. All of our training is coordinated with your school's staff, so your athlete comes back confident, capable, and ready to compete, not just cleared.
The staff
Who coaches it.
Jay Hooten
Director of Sports Performance · Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
Before Northwestern, Coach Hooten coached at Ohio State as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. He then spent 12 years as Director of Football Performance at Northwestern University, a Big Ten program, where he helped develop 30 NFL Draft picks and win two Big Ten West titles. He is also one of the most trusted voices in the region on return to play, guiding injured athletes back to full performance and bringing in our physical therapy team when it is needed.
Jace Middleton
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Jace Middleton is an assistant strength and conditioning coach at THE ARMORY. He also serves as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the St. Francis DeSales High School football program. A two-sport athlete at Ohio State, he joined the Buckeyes as a baseball signee and pitched as a right-hander before earning a preferred walk-on spot with the football team as a tight end. Middleton was a standout at Olentangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio, where he earned All-OCC honors as a senior playing wide receiver, linebacker, and safety, and threw the winning touchdown pass in a playoff victory over Dublin Coffman. He was also a top-ranked baseball prospect in the state, committing to Ohio State early in his high school career. Athletes gravitate to Jace. He coaches with high energy and a genuine belief in the people in front of him, and he has a gift for motivating and encouraging athletes through the hard days. Because he so recently competed at the highest levels of college sports himself, he mentors from real experience, meeting young athletes exactly where they are. He is sharp, relentlessly hard-working, and deeply invested in each athlete's success.
Video
Hear it from them.
An ARMORY parent
Strength and conditioning
From our athletes
What they say.
“I can't say enough good things about Jay. My son really looks up to him, and Jay gets the best out of him. The training has been very impactful — he's come to love working out, and he's at his best when he's getting there consistently. I also appreciate Jay's flexibility. It's hard during the week with practice schedules, but Jay has always accommodated whenever he can. This past weekend, he rearranged things to get my son worked in at the last minute on Sunday morning. You guys have built a great thing. Thanks for all the energy you put behind it — it really shows up!”
Parent of an ARMORY athlete · Strength and conditioning
“The strength and conditioning program at THE ARMORY is a game-changer for competitive athletes. My son, Adam, is a dedicated high school athlete who has always been committed to reaching his fitness goals. However, it wasn't until he began training with Coach Jay and THE ARMORY Strength & Conditioning team that he truly started to unlock his full potential. The coaching, structure, and attention to detail are second to none. Every workout is purpose-driven, and athletes are taught not only how to train harder but how to train smarter to maximize their performance. Coach Jay and his staff bring proven training methods and coaching techniques developed at the Division I collegiate level — an experience that is rarely available to high school and youth athletes. Whether your athlete is just beginning their athletic journey or preparing to compete at the collegiate level and beyond, I wholeheartedly recommend THE ARMORY Strength & Conditioning program. The investment in their training will pay dividends in performance, confidence, and long-term athletic development.”
Brandon Fitt · Parent of Adam Fitt, Port Clinton High School punter and kicker
Questions
Good to know.
Athletes from 8th grade through the professional ranks train with our main group. We also run development groups, starting as young as 4th grade, that train separately from the main group. As those younger athletes become physically mature enough and master the basics, we move them up to the main group when they are ready. Every athlete trains at the level that fits their development, under the same philosophy.
This is a Division I level training system, not a class. Athletes are assessed with advanced sports science testing, then given individualized programming for their sport and season, with coaches driving every session.
Yes, and it was Coach Hooten's specialty at Northwestern. Jay leads the strength and conditioning side of the comeback, and we bring in our in-house physical therapy team when it is needed. Just as important, we coordinate with everyone on your athlete's team: your school or club coaches, your athletic trainer, your physical therapist, and your outside or school physician. In fact, all of our training is coordinated with your school's staff. When everyone works together, athletes come back confident, capable, and ready to compete, not just cleared.
We train and test with Hawkin Dynamics force plates, Swift Performance timing, VALD ForceFrame, NordBord, and Output Sports velocity-based training, the kind of tools used by Division I programs, pro leagues, and the U.S. Olympic Team, so every plan is driven by real data.
We know school, sports, and family life get busy. If your athlete misses a session, unused sessions roll over for the life of your membership and can be used on future training days, as long as your membership stays active. If the membership is canceled, any unused sessions are forfeited immediately. If you know you will be away for a stretch, whether for travel, injury, or a seasonal schedule change, reach out and we will help you plan how to best use your sessions.
The in-season plan gives you four sessions a month, usually the sweet spot for maintaining strength, speed, and health during a busy season. You can also use your visits for coach-led or individual recovery sessions, one of the best ways to keep your body functioning at its best through a grueling season. Every strength and conditioning membership, including the in-season plan, gives you access to all of our recovery tools: the hot and cold contrast plunge, LightForce laser, Power Plate, Normatec and Game Ready compression, Hyperice percussion, and heat and cold therapy. And if you do not use every session in a month, they roll over while your membership stays active, so you can use them later. If you will be out for a longer stretch, contact us so we can help you plan and keep you progressing.
Team training can be valuable, but it is built for a whole roster, not for you as an individual. In our small-group setting we coach your specific technique and movement, adjust weight, volume, and intensity to your needs, and focus on long-term development instead of just getting through today's workout. Our coaches have trained high school, college, and professional athletes, and high school team lifting plus ARMORY small-group training is often the combination that helps athletes reach their full potential.
If you play more than one sport, consistent strength and speed training matters more, not less. All that extra practice, games, and travel puts real mileage on the body. Our job is to help you build strength, protect your joints, and manage that stress so you stay healthy and perform in every season. We also coordinate with your school and club coaches so our training and recovery complement what they are already doing instead of duplicating it. We are not here to replace their work. We round it out, making it more complete and more individualized for you. We will help you find the right training frequency for your schedule, so training supports you instead of burning you out.
Two easy ways, whichever is lowest friction for you: email Coach Hooten directly at hoot@wearethearmory.com, or fill out our quick intake form. From there you meet with Coach Hooten or his staff for an evaluation, which usually includes sports science testing, so we build your plan and get you started.
You can cancel your membership anytime, once any minimum commitment for your plan is complete. To avoid your next charge, submit your cancellation before your next billing (renewal) date. Canceling stops future billing, but it does not refund a payment that has already been processed. If you cancel on or after your billing date, that cycle has already been charged and is not refundable, and you keep access for the rest of that paid period. For example, if your membership renews on the first of the month, cancel on or before the last day of the previous month to avoid the next charge. There are no partial or prorated refunds.