Gym-goer confronted for not wearing a shirt while working out, but social media are divided

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By VT

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An altercation at a gym in the United States has been making the rounds on TikTok.

The incident, which was filmed by fitness vlogger, Nick Nush, shows the moment Nush was confronted by another man for exercising shirtless. He was initially recording a video of his back when he noticed the other man was filming him.

When Nush asked why he was being filmed, for no apparent reason, the individual replied: "You’re shirtless in the f***ing gym, r****d," to which Nush said he was simply filming his back while he was working out.

Check out the incident below:

The man was clearly incensed, and replied, "f**k f****t" and stuck up his middle finger at Nush, who asks: "What are you mad an 18-year-old is bigger than you?"

The man then keeps ranting and swearing at Nush.

Speaking in a voiceover, Nush commented: "I don’t even know this dude and I’m confused as hell what’s going on. He continues to stare at me, flip me off, and mouth things at me."

Since sharing the video to TikTok less than one week ago, the post has already amassed over 6.6 million views and more than 26,000 comments from divided social media users.

Responding to comments questioning why he didn't get physical with the man, he explained that he didn't hit him because he "wasn't worth it" and that he was "more mature then this guy [sic]."

"Also I don’t wanna deal with the police for assault or being banned from the gym. I can control myself, obviously this dude has problems," he added.

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Credit: TikTok / Nick Nush

Some social media users agreed that it wasn't appropriate for Nash to be working out topless, but denounced the man's behavior.

"It’s proper gym etiquette to wear a shirt. But dude was way out of pocket. You should’ve smacked him silly," commented one TikTok user, while another speculated, "He definitely has a crush on you."

A third corroborated: "Dude literally gave his own insecurities the spotlight."

Some users compared it to the harassment that some women, unfortunately, need to shoulder while at the gym. "This is toxic masculinity in action. You just experienced a tenth of what most women have to endure in the weights section every day," commented one.

Speaking after the fact to The Daily Dot, Nash said that he'd never had such an experience before: "I didn’t know what to do because I’ve never thought someone would act like this in the gym."

Feature image credit: Unsplash