New Jersey woman told a man she had a few more sets left on a gym machine, but he kept coming back until she started recording on her phone

A New Jersey woman has gone viral on TikTok after sharing a video of a confrontation she says took place at her gym, where a man allegedly kept approaching her while she was using an exercise machine. The clip, posted by TikTok user @ni.yahhh__, shows the woman, known as Niyah, telling the man to leave her alone while she was mid-workout.

According to Niyah, the man came up to her multiple times asking to use the machine before she was done with her sets. She says she was civil the first time he approached, but the situation escalated when he continued to come back despite her response.

The video has since drawn widespread attention online, with viewers split on whether Niyah handled the situation correctly. While many supported her decision to stay on the machine, others suggested she could have allowed the man to alternate sets with her instead of letting things reach that point.

Niyah says she told the man she had sets remaining and would let him know when she was done

According to Niyah, the first time the man approached her, he told her it was his last workout of the day and that he wanted to use the machine. She said she responded by telling him she had a few more sets left and that she would let him know when she was finished.

She claims the man then asked if he could “get in real quick,” to which she said no, since she was still actively using the machine. Despite that, she says he returned a second time, and then came back again shortly after.

“That’s when I started recording him,” Niyah said in the video, explaining that by the third visit, she felt the situation had gone too far. Gym memberships can sometimes come with their own unexpected complications, as one LA man nearly faked his death to escape his gym contract.

The footage, which begins mid-confrontation, shows Niyah speaking firmly to the man, whose face is covered by a red heart emoji in the video. “This is your second time coming towards me,” she can be heard saying. “You’re gonna leave me alone. I don’t know you.”

After the confrontation, Niyah said she went to the front desk and showed staff the video. However, she claimed the man was only given what she described as “a slap on the wrist” and was told not to do it again. “Of course they’re going to give him a slap on the wrist, tell him not to do it again, and that is gym etiquette,” she said.

Niyah also stated in the video that this was not an isolated experience for her. “This is not the first time that a white male had told me to get up so they can do their little workouts real quick,” she said, adding, “I don’t care.”

She also addressed a comment the man reportedly made during the encounter, in which he accused her of not respecting her elders. “I respect my elders, but that does not mean that I have to get up out of my seat to give you the machine,” Niyah said.

The video attracted a wide range of reactions in the comments section. One user wrote, “I would be on that machine for a week straight,” while another commented, “You don’t need to respect elders or anyone for that matter who isn’t respectful first. 

He was mad you didn’t do what you were told… good on you babe!” Recording people at the gym without consent has also sparked controversy elsewhere, including a case where a woman got another member’s gym membership canceled for filming her boyfriend without permission.

Another viewer joked, “I would have moved into the gym and that machine would have become my bed, my office, and my dining table.” At least one commenter appeared to reference the man’s appearance, noting, “He was literally dressed for work.”

The clip sparked broader debate online about gym etiquette, with some viewers arguing that working in between sets is common practice and a reasonable request in a shared space, while others maintained that no one is obligated to share equipment mid-set.