High-strength aluminum components and methods for preparing a high-strength aluminum component are provided. Methods of forming high-strength aluminum components include heating an aluminum alloy blank above a solvus temperature, quenching the aluminum alloy blank, and stamping the aluminum alloy blank in a die to form an aluminum component having a predetermined shape. A plurality of localized plastic deformations are introduced to select regions of the aluminum component, and the aluminum component is subject to one or more aging treatments including heating the aluminum component to a temperature below the solvus temperature. The localized plastic deformations serve as nucleation sites for precipitation hardening during the one or more aging treatments to form a plurality of strengthened regions in the aluminum component.