Fitness influencers face backlash after mocking man's gym routine

In the age of social media, the gym has become more of a hotbed for controversy than ever before.

It feels like every week there’s a content creator facing backlash over irresponsible or cruel behaviour while filming workout videos – and the latest has seen a pair of female influencers receive a wave of criticism.

The content creators, who are named Berna and Debora, have faced a backlash after appearing to mock a man working out behind them.

The influencers smile and laugh as they impersonate the workout routine going on in the background, all with the text overlay “copying the weird man in the corner of the gym”.

The video was taken down after receiving negative comments, but not before other TikTok users reposted it.

The pair didn’t appear to recognise that the man was doing dynamic stretches, all of which seem pretty common.

TikTok was full of criticism for the pair, with one user writing: “Bro is doing a legit warm up series that athletes around the world do.”

Another wrote: “He’s STRETCHING??? IS THAT NOT WHAT YOURE SUPPOSED TO DO BEFORE YOU WORK OUT?? Leave him ALONE.”

One more added: “This is why I'm scared to go to gym. I'm scared to be judged or made fun of like this.”

It comes after a professional swimmer defended herself against fitness influencer Joey Swoll after he publicly called her out over a video she filmed at the gym.

Nika Godun, 26, a Russian record-holder, refuted Swoll’s claim that she’d been “making fun of a young kid” in a clip she posted to social media.

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