Man’s gym workout reveals ‘crazy’ problem.

Charlie, a British fitness trainer who posts workouts and useful exercise tips online, was filming a weightlifting tutorial when a man came up behind her and dropped a heavy dumbbell right behind her.

The unnamed man quickly walked away, leaving the heavy piece of gym equipment in Charlie’s exercise space, making it impossible for her to continue.

After trying to get his attention, she eventually decides to move the dumbbells and continue, prompting him to come back and stare at her while she exercises.

After this experience, Charlie decided to share the video on TikTok in an attempt to highlight a common issue: men intimidating women at gyms.

“The gym is a space for absolutely everyone, and I never mind people coming in and out of the videos,” she captioned the clip.

“I was using the bar in that rack and he saw me training there so he knew exactly what he was doing.

“Consider this a reminder to be kind to others and take up the space you deserve.”

Her video, posted under the handle @fitwithchaz, quickly gained a lot of attention, with nearly 5 million views to date.

But while women responded to Charlie’s message, with behaviors like the one this man displayed contributing to why so many people feel ‘unsafe’ while exercising, many men failed to see the problem.

The large gap between men and women in the comments section did not surprise Melbourne psychologist Carly Dauber, who explained that gyms are “traditionally very masculine spaces”.

“A lot of men, especially in male-dominated spaces, don’t really understand how intimidating some women are,” she told news.com.au.

“If we give him the benefit of the doubt — maybe he was trying to communicate with her and didn’t mean anything untoward, but how that is received from her perspective, and from someone else’s perspective online, is a whole different story.”

The data supports this. Nearly 56 percent of women have faced harassment while exercising, according to a poll Turn on repeat Found in 2022.

In a separate study, a staggering 69% of women admitted they did not feel safe or adjust their behavior when they received unwanted attention from men while exercising.

However, 92% of gym harassment cases go unreported.

These alarming statistics seemed to be supported in the comments section of Charli’s video, where women shared their own stories of harassment and intimidation.

“I had a man take my weights, look me in the eye when I told him I was using them, and he still took them,” one woman wrote.

Another person said: “I was doing hip thrusts on the bench one time and a guy sat down to do arm curls. I was like ‘well I guess we’re sharing’, haha.”

While one woman revealed: “This is why I don’t go to the gym.”

Others praised Charlie for “standing her ground”, adding that it was “brave” given the male-dominated environment she was living in.

One noted: “He was so angry because you didn’t start the argument, you just went about your day.”

“Ah, that makes me so mad. Another woman pointed out his blatant disrespect for you, and I was so glad you pushed his gear aside.

“Congratulations on reclaiming your space,” another person praised.

As one agreed: “He did it on purpose. He either wanted that space and was trying to get you to move, or he wanted you to feel uncomfortable enough to rush. I hate those gym bros.”

However, the majority of men in the comments section had a completely different perspective, proving Ms. Dawber’s points regarding lack of perspective.

“You don’t own the gym, people can work out wherever they want,” one said.

“You’re making a scene, talking and making videos in the public gym. He’s the hero we all need,” said another.

Some even resorted to insults, suggesting that Charli “isn’t in good enough shape to do workout videos” and made “rude” remarks about her appearance.

Women and some supportive men were quick to criticize the “horrible” reaction, saying there was “a lot of misogyny” in the male reaction.

“The disdain many show for her as a woman is just deep-seated misogyny. Feminists have no problem with men. Patriarchy and misogyny are bad for women and men,” one said.

“Interesting that it’s mostly men who are bothered by this,” another commented.

“The amount of annoying comments on the girl is crazy. Dude is clearly wrong. This reeks of misogyny,” another person chimed in.

Ms Dawber, who works at a life enrichment psychology clinic in Melbourne, said gyms and fitness centers were known to “perpetuate hyper-masculine behaviours” which could make women feel insecure.

“This can include things like excluding women, not taking seriously the experiences of women who are out there working on their health and fitness, and ‘masculinizing’ exercises and techniques for gym goers,” she explained.

“Being a member of the powerlifting community, I know that many gym attendees can feel frustrated and upset when other people in the space portray themselves as either influencers or part of their role.

“If this is what is happening to the male, I would recommend that instead of making the female feel unwanted and very uncomfortable, you instead turn to the gym owner.

“He could have simply stayed out of her way, let her do what she was there to do, and focused on his own business.”