A viral TikTok posted by a woman at the gym captures a “classic gym guy moment” when a man waits for her to finish at the squat rack across from her. He averts his eyes away from her “to not make a girl feel uncomfy,” according to the text overlay.
TikToker @pinkytoey shared the clip on May 4 with the caption, “gym guys like this >>>.”
@pinkytoey gym guys like this >>> 🥲 #fyp #fypシ #FORDfortheBuilders #gym #gymtok #fitness #girltok ♬ As It Was – Harry Styles
It seems far too often that women end up feeling uncomfortable by “creepy” men at the gym, who stare too much or hit on them when they’re just trying to get a sweat in. However, the creator had a more positive experience.
In the clip, she’s filming herself approaching the squat rack and notes that the person in front of her was starting his set at the same time. The guy says she can go first and as she starts, he waits in front and noticeably stares up at the ceiling.
In her text overlay, she claims her “sports bra doesn’t have the best coverage.”
As of Monday, the TikTok has over 70,000 views. In the comments, the TikToker acknowledged that she doesn’t mind when people glance at her. “It’s natural,” she said. “I sneak glances at other girls at the gym lolol it just gets uncomfy when they stare for a while!”
She also commented that he gave consent to her recording and posting the video. She said she wanted to post the clip because “he was just being really nice & I wanted to share it !!! ik there are a ton of guys like him.”
In the comments, other gym guys shared similar experiences. “We call that the ‘oh wow nice lights,'” one viewer said.
“Man really said, ‘And now to analyze the structural bracing of this building,'” one TikToker commented.
“I learned so much about the architecture of my gym by doing this,” another said.
“Its nice to know some women notice when men try not to fit their stereotypes,” a third viewer noted.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @pinkytoey via email.
Update May 12, 6:56am CT: The TikToker is named Audelia Figueroa. She tells the Daily Dot that she records “certain workouts I may struggle with or am trying to improve in order to look back and see what I am doing wrong, as well as compare it to older footage. I looked back at the footage and just thought it was a wholesome interaction of strangers simply having respect for one another. It wasn’t meant to be anything more!”
On the guy: “He messaged me and said thank you for not making him look like a creep (which, of course, was not my intention at all), as well as reassured me that he was completely okay with the video. I let him know that if he ever changes his mind in the future, I have no problem taking it down. I pinned his TikTok account in the comments, per my suggestion and his approval haha. Overall, a very sweet and genuine guy! I think someone who shows respect towards people they may not even know is definitely a sign of a friend worth having.”
They’re also Instagram friends now.
“I would confidently say that most guys at the gym are simply trying to get a good workout in. They’re just focusing on themselves, as they should! The environment at my gym is very uplifting. I’ve had a couple of instances where I was approached by 2 different guys that noticed my form was off on an exercise I was doing. They were super respectful and just gave me great advice so that I could avoid any injuries. One of them also said something like ‘pretty soon, you’ll be stronger than me!’ Interactions like that make my day and I truly appreciate that they took the time to help me out, regardless of being strangers!”