Surely, you know that hashtag #ShowUpForYourself. The one gymmers love, the one they use in every selfie and fitness video. How about we change it to #ShowUpByYourself? Because, honestly, we’ve had enough of ending up in other people’s frames when working out.

No one wants to be a photobomber. And no one wants to do it when they’re ugly sweating, huffing, puffing and wincing through another set of reps. People just want to work out in peace. But somehow, a camera is always in the way, and it’s often a live stream.

It’s not the kind of etiquette tip that’s typically on the posters. Gym bros (and that includes women) are instructed to wipe down sweaty surfaces after use. They know they’re not supposed to leave the dumbbells lying around. They buy separate sneakers for working out.

But camera use remains a blind spot. Ankit Gautam, 37, founder-director of the Fitness Xpress chain of gyms, says that enough customers have complained of people taking pictures in locker rooms that they’ve put up signs about it. “People read the instructions but fail to follow them,” he says.

In most gyms, there are mirrors everywhere. So, unwitting members who came in to work out, to let off steam, and leave, end up in someone else’s #WeightLossJourney content without their knowledge and consent. Even without being tagged or recognised, without the leering and the comments, it’s creepy. It gets worse when an aspiring fitness influencer has a tripod out, and asks people to move out of their frame, expecting everyone else to adjust because the camera is on.

A 2023 survey conducted on 1,006 Americans by Ebike brand Velotric, found that 23% of them avoided public workouts for fear of being filmed and posted on social media. Almost one in 10 respondents shared that they had been photographed or videotaped while working out, and 46 per cent felt violated by the incident. Many simply fear that the world will judge them as harshly as they judge themselves. Others dislike being recorded, even inadvertently, without their knowledge or consent. About half the people polled said gyms should ban cameras and smartphones.

It’s tricky. The device that might violate another person’s privacy is the same one that tracks your own fitness, keeps Jay Z playing though the workout, and keeps you connected with the world outside. Elite gyms, such as Maddox in Melbourne, Australia, ban cellphone use altogether. Others are taking baby steps. Women-only fitness centres in the US are being redesigned to accommodate designated social areas – well-lit booths with seating and motivational-slogan backdrops – so that members can shoot #IWorkedOutLikeThis videos there. Trainers are being taught to gently redirect people towards the corners and walls if they plan on filming their workouts.

Besides, there are plenty of challenges at the gym already. Reddit has a section called Photobombed at the Gym. It started out as a funny thread, but quickly became a place make fun of strangers and stalk women. Women gymmers have found that men feel more comfortable approaching them to ask when they’ll be done using a certain machine, as opposed to asking other men. Both men and women are realising that it’s tough to be a gym regular and not end up being part of a social circle that will ultimately want to take photos together.

And gyms, perhaps more than any other place, are where every member has main-character energy. Everyone’s the hero of their own fitness journey. Why should you end up as an extra in someone else’s story just because you were on your way to the treadmill?

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