A telling video has exposed the reason why women aren’t comfortable going to the gym after 6 p.m. – with many stating it shows a common issue females face while working out.
The clip, posted by a fitness lover who regularly documents herself under the handle @rollergogo completing various physical activities, shows a young woman jump up onto a set of monkey bars in a busy gym.
However, she’s barely got her hands onto the second rung before a man jumps up at the other end, abruptly ending her ability to travel from one side of the equipment to the other.
As the man, dressed in a pair of green shorts and a beige T-shirt, starts to perform pull ups, the woman is left with no choice but to abandon her workout, and drops to the floor.
Frustrated by what had occurred, and after capturing it on her mobile phone which was positioned on the floor, she later shared the video on TikTok.
“Gym after 6pm be like.”
The video quickly erupted, amassing over 13 million views in just a few days, as women resonated with the antics captured on camera.
But while other women shared their own experiences of being approached and interrupted by men in gyms, often leaving them feeling “unsafe” and not able to workout, many men struggled to see the problem.
“Ngl I’m doing the same thing, not boutta wait to do pull-ups while you playing jungle gym,” one man scoffed.
“How was he to know that she was going to be using it as monkey bars,” another argued.
As one man reasoned: “It’s a shared space. She doesn’t get to call dibs.”
In contrast, hordes of women detailed “scary” incidents at gyms and fitness facilities where they were left intimidated and fearful of men in the room.
“Literally have had equipment stolen. YANKED out of my hands by men at the gym,” one said.
“Once a guy pushed me off a rack because he was done waiting. I’d been on it about three minutes,” explained another.
Data supports what these women are reporting, with almost 56 percent of women having faced harassment during their workouts, a survey from Run Repeat found in 2022.
In a separate study, a staggering 69 percent of women admitted they do not feel safe or adjust their behavior when receiving unwanted attention from men while exercising.
However, 92 percent of harassment cases in the gym go unreported.
Melbourne psychologist Carly Dober explained gyms “are traditionally very masculine spaces” – and men “often don’t understand the inherent power dynamics that can be in play”.
“When women feel like they are in male dominated spaces, it can cause them to feel self-conscious or a little uncomfortable,” she told news.com.au.
“In this case, him jumping in could have been interpreted by her in many ways. She may have felt like her space was being taken over, that he might be trying to show off, that he might be angling to hit on her, or that he might be forcing her off of the equipment.
“If we are giving him the benefit of the doubt, all of this may have been completely wrong and completely innocent, however men do have a lot of presence in these male dominated spaces and this can be uncomfortable for some women.”
Many commenters of the video called out the behavior, suggesting it was a display of “male entitlement”.
“That’s so embarrassing he clearly did it on purpose,” one said.
“What a clear display of dominance. So gross,” another agreed.
As one said she avoids working out during peak hours because of it, writing: “I hate the gym after 6pm, it’s the worst.”
Others suggested how the woman should have responded.
“That’s why you keep going and act like he’s invisible. You were there first,” one said.
“I would have turned and kept going on the bars back and forth. Don’t let him accomplish what he’s trying to do. That was so unnecessary,” shared another.
While some said it’s on other men to intervene when they see this behavior unfolding.
“Men check on other men,” said one.
“Dudes, speak up, ï¸stop letting them think their weird behaviour is acceptable.”
Dober, who works at Melbourne’s Enriching Lives Psychology clinic, said gyms and fitness centres are known for “perpetuating very hyper-masculine behaviours” that can leave women feeling unsafe.
“Being in the weightlifting community myself, I do know that many gym attendees can feel frustrated and annoyed when other people in the space might film themselves either as influences or as part of their role,” she explained.
“If this is what was going on for the male, I would recommend that instead of making the female feel unwanted and very uncomfortable, instead approach the owner of the gym.
“He could also simply have stayed out of her way, let her do what she is there to do, and focus on his own work out.”
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