Fitness News

www.khaleejtimes.com

By Hind Aldah

A majority of gym regulars in the UAE support a complete ban on taking selfies and videos inside fitness establishments, a recent study by a research agency has revealed.

Out of 2,000 gym-goers polled, an overwhelming 61 per cent agreed that filming videos and taking selfies for social media should be banned. Nevertheless, more than 80 per cent of those polled confessed they have taken videos or pictures themselves.

Released by research agency Perspectus, the survey asked participants what frustrated them the most during their gym sessions. The top two irritants included those who film TikTok videos and people who talk loudly on their phone — both with 40 per cent of respondents agreeing it was an annoyance.

The poll also noted that 30 per cent of respondents found it annoying when people take selfies in the gym and leave without working out, while 27 cent of gym goers didn’t like it when people took selfies in the gym in general. Moreover, 23 per cent found it an annoyance to see fitness “influencers” at the gym.

'Be mindful of others'

Sadia Anwar, a regular gym-goer, said every time she steps into the gym there is at least one person recording themselves there. Although she is opposed to an outright ban on filming, she said people need to be mindful of others. She noted that the UAE already has laws to protect people’s privacy. Article 44 of the Cyber Law prohibits the recording of others in private or public places without their consent and is punishable by law.

She said that even though she thinks it is inspiring seeing other people’s fitness journeys online, the scale at which gym influencer culture is growing “risks becoming another trend".

“What kind of society are we building when the primary goal is to be seen rather than to be? Is there anything we still do purely for the joy of it, for personal growth, without an audience in mind?

“As long as you’re not disturbing anyone or hogging machines, it’s fine,” Anwar added. “The same rules that apply in any shared public space apply to the gym — basic respect, awareness and common sense,” she said.

Gym etiquette

Personal trainer Radoslaw Adam Lesniak, too, comes across a lot of people recording or taking selfies at the gym — to the point where there would be tripods all around. He said he supports a ban on filming inside gyms because, “not everyone who goes to the gym wants to be in the background of people filming themselves".

In terms of gym etiquette, Lesniak said people should have permission to record in a public gym space, recounting how he saw arguments among people who did not approve of being in a video. “Something positive happened once in front of me. While a girl was recording herself training, she politely asked the guy who came to train next to her if he doesn’t mind being in the video. She said if he did mind, then she would stop. That’s the right approach,” he said.

Lesniak added that because of his job as a personal trainer, he is strict about people recording during their training session. “You are here to do your workout and focus. It’s only one hour from your day that you can forget about everything, all problems outside the gym and phones have to be left in the locker.” He said there are exceptions to be made, like if a client wants to take pictures to keep as memory.

Positive content

Lesniak said there are some upsides when it comes to posting gym content online. He said he sometimes posts himself before or after a workout on his social media accounts and once got a message from a follower saying he was inspired to start his own fitness journey. “So, there are some positives in that if we can motivate someone or promote any sort of discipline.”

Mubarak Hamad, another gym regular, said he supports the banning of filming in the gym. He said he comes across fitness “influencers” quite often in his gym, which he doesn’t appreciate because he feels like he might appear in the background of somebody’s social media.

For Hamad, gym etiquette is all about “not delaying others from using the equipment because some people are filming. It is also about making sure that the area is free of people before recording, and leaving the space as clean as it was,” he said.