Social media fitness influencer Joey Swoll has carved his own space in the industry with his gym-positivity brand. He’s not afraid to call out poor gym etiquette, whether it be while working on machines or invading others’ space by recording irresponsibly. In a recent post made on Instagram, Swoll implored Planet Fitness to step in after a special needs gym member got targeted in a disturbing locker room video.
Joey Swoll is leading the charge against the rise in toxic gym culture stemming from the growth of social media platforms such as TikTok, where the content that goes viral isn’t necessarily healthy. Many aspiring influencers take to the short-form video channel in hopes of amassing fame and fortune with all different kinds of content. However, there comes a point where it no longer seems appropriate in the training room.
A female TikToker named Jessica Hernandez made headlines after hurling insults at a man who glanced in her direction earlier this year. Swoll bashed Hernandez for twisting the situation out of context and going as far as to say that he should die for being a pervert when he actually offered to help her set up the weights on the barbell. Hernandez realized her mistake after the call-out and issued an apology message crediting Swoll and his fanbase for the wake-up call.
Bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger took notice of Swoll’s positive movement and joined forces with him for promoting the mission of making gyms a safe space for everyone five months ago.
IFBB Pro bodybuilder Mark Hunter Jr. recorded his experience of facing a hostile gym worker who falsely thought he did not re-rack the weights properly months ago. Swoll rebuked the employee for treating Hunter Jr. rudely and canceling his membership based on a misunderstanding.
Two months ago, Joey Swoll took issue with Chelsea soccer player Mykhailo Mudryk for making fun of a man whose pants dropped while working out. He called on Mudryk to reflect on his actions and work on setting a better example as a professional athlete.
Swoll criticized a female TikToker for improperly recording a fellow male gym-goer without his consent in between sets last month. He argued not everyone feels comfortable being recorded in the gym and urged her to be more considerate of others next time.
Joey Swoll Implores Gym to Step In for Special Needs Man Targeted in a ‘Very Disturbing’ Video
In a recent Instagram post, Joey Swoll requested Planet Fitness to do something after he found a video of a special-needs man getting mocked in the gym’s locker room.
“Today I was sent a very disturbing video of someone filming a special needs man in the gym locker room to post on social media and make fun of him. I’m not going to share the video. Instead, I sent it to @PlanetFitness in hopes they do the right thing and take appropriate action.”
“It’s very sad what people will do to others just for attention on social media,” he captioned.
Joey Swoll voiced his disapproval of a woman who refused to share machines while performing supersets over two weeks ago. He reproached her for rudely slamming a man who tried to use one of the four machines she was hogging and encouraged her to work on her gym etiquette.
Swoll put social media influencers on blast for getting upset over people walking in the frame of their videos working out earlier this week. He argued such an expectation can’t be set while training at public gyms and called on her to get a private gym instead.
His latest message takes his movement a step forward in making gyms a positive and welcoming space for everyone.