Gyms are cracking down on people filming workouts amid privacy concerns

• Fitness influencers often film their gym workouts and post the content to their followers.
• But fitness centers are fighting back, with some banning the use of filming equipment.
• The decision fuels the already controversial debate over gym etiquette.

Gyms are pushing back against fitness influencers who film themselves exercising, with some banning the use of recording equipment due to concerns about people’s privacy and overcrowding, The Observer reported.

The outlet spoke to representatives from several large gym chains in the UK, who said that filming equipment can be a danger and that they were concerned about bullying and people being filmed without consent.

Erin Blakely, a fitness instructor who has worked with several large gym companies, told The Observer that “the distraction factor is significant” when people record in the gym.

“There’s a tendency to focus more on getting the ideal shot than on working out, which defeats the whole purpose of being in a fitness studio,” she said.

Some UK gyms are now introducing policies to tackle the problem, with one London-based gym banning the use of tripods at the weekend, Virgin Active imposing a rule allowing people to request the deletion of videos and images, and Fitness First saying anyone in the footage must first give their consent, according to The Observer.

A spokesperson for PureGym, which has more than 500 gyms across Europe, also told the outlet that “gym rules clearly state that people should not take photos or videos on the premises unless they have permission. images to the Internet, including social media platforms, that could identify another person.”

The debate over gym etiquette is a global issue, with arguments over filming other people’s workouts a particularly heated topic.

A man in the US was banned from a Crunch Fitness gym in 2021 after a TikToker said she observed him filming a woman making advances without her knowledge.

A fitness influencer also apologized earlier this year after posting a video of a man at her gym who she said was looking at her “like a piece of meat,” the New York Post reported.

Incidents like these were brought to the public’s attention by TikToker Joey Swoll, who made it his mission to call out bad behavior at the gym.

Swoll again shares videos in which women have felt threatened or unsafe due to the behavior of men around them, such as being stared at or having their workouts interrupted to be asked out, but he also calls people out when he thinks the condemnation of fellow exercisers exercise is unjustified.

Gym-goers told The Observer they understand the need for new rules for people’s privacy and safety, but many influencers rely on filming their workouts for content.

James Dixon, a personal trainer, told the channel that he thought it was “not cool” to fill the gym with filming equipment, but having specific areas for filming could be a fair solution.

“It allows people to avoid the cameras if they want and evens things out,” he said.