Fitness Influencer Discusses Video Of Gymgoers Making Fun Of An Elderly Person Working Out
Instead of being made fun of, the elderly man should be praised for working out and continuing his fitness journey.
SimpleFoto, halfpoint, perfectwave | Canva A 'gymfluencer' named Joey Swoll follows one major philosophy: the gym should be a warm, welcoming and safe space for everyone to enjoy. That’s the reason he often posts videos online to his various social media accounts talking about how other people behave in the gym — and the ways in which they’re part of the problem that plagues the minds of people who want to work out but are afraid to.
Joey Swoll called out men who made fun of an elderly person working out at the gym.
In a short clip uploaded to Instagram reels, a man with the handle @money_ovafame posted a video that was recorded by his friend in which he makes fun of an elderly man who is merely minding his business in front of the dumbbell racks and performing a goblet squat. He has since deleted the video, but not before everyone’s favorite gym hero Joey Swoll got ahold of it and talked about it during a TikTok.
In the original video, the man who posted it complains about how the elderly man got “right in front of him” to do the squats and included some laughing emojis — making fun of the way he was working out.
“So in your caption, you say that you're upset because that man is standing right in front of you,” Joey Swoll comments. “Are we watching the same video? Because no, he's not. He's literally off to your left and really standing in the middle of you and that man using the bench to your left.”
According to the video, it appears that the man recording went out of his way to videotape the elderly man who was working out. The man whose account the video was posted to was working out several feet to the right of him, completely undisturbed.
Even if the elderly man had gotten in front of the man working out, that’s no excuse to take out your phone and take a video of someone working out at the gym without their consent — a controversy that Joey Swoll also frequently touches on in his videos. It would be rude, but he clearly understands personal boundaries and isn’t disrupting anyone.
“And yes, he's in front of the dumbbell rack. Why?” Joey Swoll continues. “Because 115 pounds is hard for anyone to lug around the gym, let alone a man his age. And he needs it to put the weight back after a set.”
If you’ve ever lifted weights and gotten a good understanding of how heavy they are, 115 pounds is no joke for a man of his age — or anyone for that matter. So why make fun of him? The gym should be a safe place for people to work out, and this is part of the reason why people don’t go.
No one is born going to the gym. Gym anxiety should not stop anyone from joining.
Some people are afraid that they won’t know what they’re doing or might do something wrong, and some people are afraid of the way they’ll be perceived by the people around them — this is what’s known as gym anxiety. Gym anxiety actually deters many people from ever stepping foot in the gym, and videos like this one are part of the problem. This elderly man was minding his own business, just working out — and was made fun of for it.
Approximately 90% of people are concerned about how other people perceive them at the gym, according to a MyProtein survey conducted in 2022. When those 90% of people see videos like the one @money_ovafame posted, their fears are validated.
Despite those numbers, 3 in 4 respondents admitted that they rarely or never judge others at the gym. Most people are just minding their business and like to mind their business. In fact, I would argue that because of this real fear that most people seem to have, people go out of their way to make the gym a safe and welcoming place. They will force themselves to stop being judgmental of others because it’s a reflection of their own self.
“How impressive is it that a man of his age is not only in the gym but doing a 115-pound goblet squat?” Joey Swoll said. “That's awesome. It's too bad you couldn't be impressed by that and show him support, but would rather take a video to post on social media to make fun of him for likes and attention.”
Everyone who is working on themselves in the gym should be supported and encouraged to continue doing that. No one should ever be ridiculed for prioritizing their health. Everyone should feel welcome to work out and work on themselves.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor for YourTango who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.