Man Films Himself Leading 6 A.M. Workout Class After Instructor Doesn't Show Up, Wasn't Expecting Threats to His Membership
- - Man Films Himself Leading 6 A.M. Workout Class After Instructor Doesn't Show Up, Wasn't Expecting Threats to His Membership
Ashley VegaDecember 9, 2025 at 5:23 PM
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Stock photo of a man in the gym -
Anthony Festa arrived at a 6 a.m. solidcore class on a Sunday to find the studio empty and no instructor present
He filmed himself completing a “makeshift private” workout and shared the video on TikTok
Festa later alleged instructors pressured him to take the video down, which led to personal conflict and lingering frustration
TikToker Anthony Festa arrived for a 6 a.m. solidcore class on a Sunday, expecting a normal workout, and instead found the studio completely empty, with no instructor in sight.
He captured the moment in a now-viral clip posted Nov. 30, asking, “Am I the only one at solidcore?” before adding, “I don’t even think the teacher’s here.”
With no coach present, Festa decided to start the class himself and turn the strange situation into content. “You snooze, you lose. I was here on time. I’m doing my class,” he said in the video, later calling the session “a very good makeshift private solidcore.”
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Stock photo of a solidcore fitness center
Days later, Festa returned to TikTok with a more serious follow-up, explaining that the fallout from the video quickly escalated behind the scenes. He alleged the instructor arrived halfway through the class and that he later began receiving urgent messages asking him to remove most of the footage.
“Once I left the class, the teacher started blowing up my TikTok, my Instagram, my phone,” Festa said, recalling requests to keep only “the last 30 seconds” of the video. Because it was Thanksgiving weekend, he said he did not respond right away.
According to Festa, the situation intensified when his best friend called, warning that several coaches were panicking and feared losing their jobs, and Festa's own membership could be in jeopardy as well. “He’s like, ‘You need to take this video down,’ ” Festa said, adding that he hung up because he “couldn’t even deal with this right now.”
Festa later learned that one of the coaches had allegedly contacted his friend directly in an effort to reach him, something he said crossed a professional line. “If this girl wants to be involved in me and my friendships and reach out to my friends on behalf of her, then she needs to quit her job as a coach and become a client,” he said.
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When Festa returned to the studio the following day, he confronted one of the coaches about reaching out to his friend, calling the situation “completely unacceptable.” He later alleged a manager told him, “I think we all learned some valuable lessons from this,” a response that left him frustrated.
Festa maintained that there was ultimately “nothing wrong” with the original video and that it was allowed to stay up. “What really happened was someone didn’t show up to their job on time,” he said, alleging that the coaches tried to “cover their a--” by pressuring him to take it down.
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Stock photo of a man working out at a gym
He added that the incident caused a rift in his friendship and left him with “a really bad taste” about the entire experience.
In a statement shared exclusively with PEOPLE, solidcore said, “We have been in contact with Mr. Festa regarding the situation and his experience, and have also addressed the situation internally. We value Mr. Festa as a long-time [solidcore] member and remain committed to providing a welcoming environment for all our clients.”
PEOPLE reached out to Anthony Festa, as well as the individual solidcore location, for comment.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
