A personal trainer and fitness influencer is coming under fire after calling a woman “racist” for moving out of the way of her camera while she was filming content in a gym.
On February 7, personal trainer and fitness influencer Alejandra Muro posted a video to TikTok showing herself working out in the gym.
While this isn’t unusual for many fitness gurus, a woman training in the same space was clearly displeased by being on camera and moved her things over to another section of the gym.
Muro captioned the video: “POV you have haters at the gym. They don’t want to see me win. Say NO to racism.”
Muro’s caption ignited a firestorm of criticism and even caught the attention of Joey Swoll, a fellow fitness influencer and bodybuilder who has made it his mission to teach good gym etiquette.
Fitness guru calls gym-goer “racist” for moving away from camera
In a viral response video, Swoll called out Muro, criticizing her for calling the woman “racist” for simply moving out of the camera’s view.
“This woman is not a hater,” Swoll argued. “She’s there first, working out, minding her own business, and you come along and set your tripod up with her directly in the background of your video.
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“She has every right to be frustrated and not want to be in your video. …and then you go and you call her ‘racist’ for this? Seriously? I hope this gym sees this and kicks your ass out.”
Not wanting to be in someone’s video at the gym does NOT make you a hater or racist. pic.twitter.com/Lbsf8AFQZI
— Joey Swoll (@TheJoeySwoll) February 18, 2024
It wasn’t long before Muro posted a video responding to Swoll’s criticism, where she claimed the woman has had issues with her for some time — regardless of whether she’s filming or not.
“It wasn’t the first time that, no matter what I did, it was so unpleasing to her,” Muro said. “…every single time I see her, she seems disturbed by me.
“I believe that I pay for my membership, and as an online personal trainer, unfortunately, just because the gym is public, people are gonna pass by. …my heart and my motive wasn’t like, ‘Let me record her. Let me be close to her.'”
Muro went on to publish yet another video apologizing for the incident — an upload where she played loud piano music that drowned out her words, drawing even more criticism from viewers who felt her apology was “disingenuous” and a “non-apology.”
Thus far, it’s unclear if Muro has faced any repercussions from her gym due to backlash surrounding her viral video… but