Man Dubbed 'Creep' For Using Elliptical At The Gym

Readers of a viral post on the Reddit forum "Am I the A**hole" backed a woman who said she decided to cut her workout short after a man decided to use the elliptical machine right next to her in a nearly empty gym.

Reddit user u/Key_Quail_7921 wrote in her post that received more than 10,000 votes since she shared it on Monday that she typically goes to the gym at night to avoid large groups of people. However, she wrote that a man hopped on the elliptical machine right next to her despite there being a row of other empty machines.

Many readers chimed in to write that she was not out of line to leave early, some even criticizing the man for his gym etiquette.

What is Gym Etiquette?

According to the YMCA, there are some points of etiquette that gym-goers may be aware of, including getting to class on time, cleaning up after themselves and giving people their personal space.

"Gyms can get busy, but it's polite to give other gym-goers as much space as you can," the article published by the organization said. "Try not to get on a bike or treadmill right next to someone if other machines are open."

In the event that all the machines have been claimed, gym-goers are encouraged to keep their eyes on their own machine.

And, the organization cautioned against flirting with others trying to exercise.

"The gym is a great place to meet new people, but it should also be a safe space to work out, not a place where people worry about being harassed," the article stated.

Am I The A**hole?

In her post, u/Key_Quail_7921 wrote that she began exercising on an elliptical machine at the end of a row, and all was well until the last few minutes of her workout.

It was then that a man walked into the gym and began exercising on the elliptical machine directly next to her own.

"It made me a little uncomfortable, so I shortened my workout by a few minutes and hopped off to grab a disinfectant wipe," she said.

When u/Key_Quail_7921 returned to her machine, she said the man asked her "what her problem was. Caught off guard, she said she told him that she was done with her workout.

"But he said something about me 'treating him like a predator for no reason' and then put his headphones back in," she wrote, concluding her post.

Reddit Users React

Readers overwhelmingly agreed that u/Key_Quail_7921 did nothing wrong by ending her workout early because she felt uncomfortable, and many criticized the man for using a machine next to hers.

"That guy is a weirdo," a top comment read. "Gym etiquette: don't take the machine RIGHT NEXT to someone if there are other vacant ones. Especially during covid. And not next to a single woman."

Many Redditors wrote that his reaction to her leaving was also strange.

"He jumped to conclusions from the act of you getting off an elliptical, sounds like he's projecting some feelings there," one Reddit user wrote.

"He had no reason to assume she was weirded out by him other than that he obviously knew it was weird to take the elliptical right next to her's," a comment read. "It 100% seems like he was telling on himself for creeping."

"The fact that he got upset about it is telling," another commented. "If he didn't want to be treated like a creep he shouldn't have acted like one."

Newsweek reached out to u/Key_Quail_7921 for further comment.

Other Viral Posts On "Am I the A**hole"

A woman was backed for her decision to not serve the cake that her mother-in-law prepared for her husband's birthday, opting to serve her own.

Another woman was supported after she left her niece's party with the gift she made for her after an argument with her sister-in-law, and one woman was applauded for purposely being unfriendly to a new neighbor.