James Franklin is getting his workout in, even if the gym is off limits. And if that means taking a few dumbbells from the community weightroom, then so be it.

Recently, Franklin shared the story of how he is taking things into his own hands during the pandemic with the York Daily Record. The Penn State head coach stole dumbbells from his condo community’s gym in order to stay in shape. He had a good reason for taking those dumbbells, he says.

“We won’t go in the weight room with other people in there,” Franklin said. “And so I took the 25-pound [dumbbells] and brought them up to our condo because I couldn’t get in there. A guy was dominating the weightroom.

Franklin adds that the individual who was “dominating the weightroom,” was not happy to find those 25s missing from the dumbbell rack.

“He left a nasty note in there. He said, ‘Whoever stole the 25-pound weights, could you bring them back?’ So then I wrote a little note that said, ‘Well, could you stop dominating the weightroom for three hours a day?’”

With no team activities or spring football, coaches and players are having to get creative with the way they get their workouts in during this time. Franklin is no exception.