Woman asks if she was wrong to make man at gym feel like a 'predator.'
The gym: a place that makes me so uncomfortable, if a stranger even makes eye contact with me I will turn around and leave. Someone speaking to me? Lol, absolutely not.
When a young woman found herself in a socially uncomfortable situation at her local gym, she chose the path of least resistance and removed herself. But apparently, she offended a man who does not understand boundaries! So she took to Reddit to ask if she was actually the bad guy...
'AITA for shortening my workout after a man got on the elliptical next to me?'
I (27F) like to go to the gym later in the evenings so I can have the place mostly to myself since I don’t like how claustrophobic it feels when tons of people are there at the same time. I live around the block from a chain gym and go there most nights to use the elliptical for a while.
Relatable! (being claustrophobic, not the working out part)
When I got to the gym tonight, the entire row of ellipticals was empty, so I grabbed the one all the way on the end. Everything was fine during my workout all the way up to the last few minutes. A guy walked into the mostly-deserted gym and got on the elliptical right next to mine, which I thought was weird since there was a row of about 12 other ones that were all empty.
Oh that would make me livid.
It made me a little uncomfortable, so I shortened my workout by a few minutes and hopped off to grab a disinfectant wipe. When I got back to wipe down the machine, the guy stopped pedaling and asked me what my problem was.
He asked YOU what your problem was?
I was caught off guard and just stammered something about how I was done with my workout, which was basically true anyway, but he said something about me “treating him like a predator for no reason” and then put his headphones back in.
The audacity to think someone going about their workout is 'treating' you like anything...
AITA (Am I the as*hole) for shortening my workout because some guy chose the elliptical right next to mine?
So, what do you think? Was she being too precious about her personal space or should that man be flogged and arrested?
Lol, okay that's a little extreme but what psychopath chooses the elliptical RIGHT next to a stranger and then scolds them for leaving?! As a woman who hates working out and talking to strange men, it's pretty much my nightmare scenario. Here are the top Reddit comments with a unanimous ruling of NTA (Not The As*hole).
NTA. It’s weird that he would choose the one right next to you, and it’s even weirder that he then brought it up that you might be looking at him “like a predator.” It’s like he’s telling on himself. - Rice-Correct
What I want to know is why he was paying attention to how far into your workout you where. - Expensive-Issue-3188
Yeah, maybe if she had moved to a machine further away and continued working out, some guys would take that personally. But to accuse someone who may just be done with their workout? He’s super gross. - Creative_Macaron_441
Totally. He absolutely wanted to creep on her, and he was furious that she circumvented his plans. OP should report the guy to gym management. - Ihateyouranecdotes39
and this comment brings up a great point that is entirely too real:
Maybe I had Taco Bell for lunch and 5 minutes into the elliptical my stomach told me it was time quit being so adventurous. My body, my choice… and gym time, and explosive diarrhea whenever I work out. - FormerWindow
They think they can intimidate women into apologizing for feeling threatened by suspicious creepy men with this tactic. It’s gross and absolutely predatory, and probably a power trip thing. If you’re not being a creep, you wouldn’t be offended if someone decides to end their workout early. That doesn’t affect you in any way.
The fact that he tried to guilt-trip or accuse OP of offending him is exactly what he planned for by choosing the elliptical next to her. - tulipbunnys
There you have it! If a man is quacking like a creep... it's usually because he is. Especially if he vehemently denies it out of nowhere.
OP, I wish you more luck in your evening workouts and I wish only the loneliest of gym experiences for elliptical man. Perhaps he will find an appropriate venue to bother strange women in the future.