Embarrassingly high on my personal list of Shameful Internet Behaviours is the fact I cannot resist clicking on videos of “gymfluencers” getting angry when someone walks in front of their camera at the gym.
The huffiness, the eye-rolling, the self-absorption and the egocentric assumption that the gym is their own personal space in which to pose, preen and pout is like content catnip to me. I assume the gymfluencer’s intention in posting these videos is to get suckers like me clicking and to garner sympathy from their followers for the “idiots” (ie other gym-goers) they have to deal with. Without exception, I side with the person who blocked their shot, and it seems I’m not alone.
Phone-centric behaviour at the gym has become so unchecked that a recent survey from insights agency Perspectus of 2,000 frequent gym-goers in the UAE found 61 per cent support a complete ban on selfies and videos in gyms. Frequent use of social media in exercise spaces features heavily among the top 13 annoyances for UAE gym-goers. The making of TikTok videos tops the list with 40 per cent of respondents against it.
People who take selfies and leave without doing a workout was No 8 with 30 per cent, taking selfies was at No 9 with 27 per cent, and fitness influencers in general came in at No 12 with 23 per cent of the vote.
A quick scroll through social media and it becomes evident that gym videos have become less about filming yourself to watch back and perfect your form, and more about creating rage-fuelled clickbait. This weaponising of an area many consider a “third space” – a Gen Z phrase referring to the social surroundings that aren’t home (“first place”) or work (“second place”) – can make the gym feel less like a safe place in which to work out. It becomes more like a Black Mirror-esque battleground where the sweatiest version of yourself could inadvertently end up immortalised online.
“You never know how much courage it took for the person next to you to step into the gym,” says Sarah Lindsay, co-founder of Roar Fitness. “Many people struggle with gym anxiety and already feel self-conscious – the last thing they want is to be caught on camera.”
Depending on who you ask, gyms are considered either private or public spaces, adding to the debate around how much of a right to privacy someone can expect in a public space. On the flipside, you can ask how much of a right do you have not to appear in videos in what you view as a private space?
“Video can be an invaluable tool for technical feedback, especially in sports and fitness,” says Lindsay. “Many people film their workouts to share with online coaches, ensuring they receive accurate feedback and guidance.
“However, I still make it a point to film during the quietest times of the day to ensure clients feel comfortable. If someone happens to appear in the background, I always ask if they mind, and I’m more than happy to reshoot if needed – clients are always my top priority.”
The No 10 gripe on the list – people who don’t shower after working out – puzzled me, because what do you care, unless you’re about to sit in the car with them. However, it seems that etiquette weighed heavily on gym goers’ minds.
People who don’t wipe down the machines, those who reserve equipment by putting a towel on it, not replacing weights on the rack, and grunting while working out were all in the top six. Is all this annoying? Sure, but if you’re that triggered by other people at the gym, you’re better off staying at home and doing a YouTube workout.
I conclude with my favourite part of the study. Remember how I said 61 per cent of people support a ban on selfies and videos? Well, because irony is apparently dead, 82 per cent of respondents admitted they have taken selfies or videos during their workouts, often to share on social media.
But, as we all know, it isn’t annoying when we do it, only when other people do it.
