Woman Praised Over Hilarious Three-Word Reply to Man Offering Advice in Gym

A woman's pitch-perfect response to a man offering unsolicited advice in the gym has been praised online.

Adhering to a fitness regime may be an important part of any healthy lifestyle but for some women a visit to the gym can often be an awkward and intimidating experience.

A 2019 study of 2,000 women conducted by deodorant brand Sure Women, found one in four women suffer from "gymtimidation" and will often shy away from exercise in these shared spaces for fear of judgment.

Nearly half, meanwhile, said they had felt negatively judged at some point while working out with just over a third stating that they felt others believed they were not "good enough" to exercise. Worse still, just under a third of respondents reported feeling like they were not "attractive" when working out.

Though the source of this discomfort is still the subject of some debate, several instances have surfaced on social media in recent months showing women being made to feel uncomfortable by men in gym settings.

Now another incident has come to the fore online, only this time the woman involved managed to have the last laugh.

Writing in a post shared to Mumsnet under the handle Pollydonia, the 49-year-old woman recalled how she was in the gym "doing my own thing" when a man she did not know came over.

"He approached me, got in my personal space, leaned on the back of the equipment I was using (leg press) and told me what weight to use," she wrote.

The woman said his input was frustrating on several levels. For one thing, he knew nothing about the "physical problems" she had been having when he tried to tell her how to do it "his" way.

"I've got nerve damage in my back and hips and my gym program has been made specifically to meet my needs," she said.

On another level, his input was alarming too. As she recalled, his opening words to her were "I've been watching you" with the woman admitting "a younger me would have been intimidated."

Fortunately, in this instance, she had the perfect response ready and simply replied to his advice: "thanks random man." According to the post: "He just looked confused but another woman nearby burst out laughing."

In any case, she decided to email her gym to let them know what had happened. "The gym has a respect policy," she explained. "Basically don't approach people actually using equipment unless advice is asked, which is a result of them losing members due to people (not all women) feeling uncomfortable."

The woman's reaction to the incident was commended on social media.

"Well done," nocoolnamesleft said with MrsTerryPratchett in agreement, writing: "I wish I'd been there! I'd love to see a comeback like that in person."

Gaspingandleaping, meanwhile, praised the woman for contacting the gym's owners, explaining: "Nothing changes if nobody says anything."

Not everyone was convinced though with some accusing the woman of overreacting. Why2why said: "This is over the top. Emailing the gym to say a man spoke to you and gave you unwanted advice? I'm surprised you did not call the police."

However the responses for the most part were wholly supportive.

"Good for you!" Georgeskitchen wrote. "I hate unsolicited 'advice' from strangers, usually with the intention of making the recipient look like an idiot for not doing something the 'approved way.'"

"I get pestered by random men all the time," Workquestion12 also commented. "It's extremely draining. No decent man would approach a woman unknown to him to offer unsolicited advice.

"For me it's usually leering and wanting my number. No thanks. I go to the gym to work out, not pick up men."

Newsweek has contacted Pollydonia for comment.