Cal Football: Relaxed Restrictions Allow Bears Back into Their Weight Room

The change, after 11 months, still limits the numbers of athletes in the room at a time

After nearly 11 months barred from the premises, Cal’s football team is again allowed to work out in its weight facility in the Simpson High Performance Center at Memorial Stadium.

“This week we got to come inside. The players now get to work out in the weight room — it’s been a long time, almost a year,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox announced.

Health restrictions limit the number of athletes in the 18,500-square-foot room to 25 at a time. But it’s big step toward normalcy, Willcox said.

“Just to see them be able to go in the weight room, the responses from that . . . that’s a big win,” he said.

There are no dates set yet for spring practice, but this is an important time of the year for players to do off-season weight-training and conditioning.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, the Bears have not been allowed inside their weight room. Staff moved equipment outside, into the stadium, and that’s where lifting has taken place.

The Bears still have no access to their locker room and team dining area, due to local health restrictions.

“We’re looking forward to maybe getting back in the building a little more with the locker room and the training table at some point,” Wilcox said.

Those things provide valuable intangible benefits in team-building.

“As you know, in football there’s the training and practice and there’s meetings,” Wilcox explained. “There’s also so much time the team spends together in locker rooms and eating and between workouts that builds camaraderie and chemistry. And that’s really, really important.”

All of that contributes to the big picture, Wilcox said, and creating a weight-room or locker-room atmosphere where everyone can mingle will be better still.

“The locker room is a sacred place,” he said. “The locker room to do not just physically — and we’ve got a great one, thanks to Aaron Rodgers — t’s where they spend time. They talk to each other, they eat together. The older guys get to know the younger guys, and it’s more challenging to do that on Zoom.

“Being back in the facility is a big, big eal. We’re not there yet. We’re looking forward to getting there whenever the experts say we can.”

Wilcox said he has no idea about the timetable for the next step.

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Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo