Man Films Himself Leading 6 A.M. Workout Class After Instructor Doesn’t Show Up, Wasn’t Expecting Threats to His Membership

TikToker Anthony Festa showed up for a 6 a.m. solidcore class on a Sunday expecting a normal workout — and instead found himself completely alone in the studio, with no instructor in sight.

He recorded the moment in a now-viral clip posted Nov. 30, asking, “Am I the only one at solidcore?” and adding, “I don’t even think the teacher’s here.”

With no coach present, Festa decided to run the session himself and turn the awkward moment into content. “You snooze, you lose. I was here on time. I’m doing my class,” he said in the video, later describing it as “a very good makeshift private solidcore.”

Days later, Festa returned to TikTok with a more serious follow-up, explaining that the situation quickly escalated behind the scenes. He claimed the instructor eventually arrived halfway through the class and that, afterward, he began getting urgent messages asking him to delete most of the footage.

“Once I left the class, the teacher started blowing up my TikTok, my Instagram, my phone,” Festa said, recalling that he was asked to keep only “the last 30 seconds” of the video. Because it was Thanksgiving weekend, he said, he didn’t respond right away.

According to Festa, things intensified when his best friend called to say several coaches were panicking, worried they might lose their jobs, and that Festa’s own membership could be at risk. “He’s like, ‘You need to take this video down,’ ” Festa recalled, adding that he hung up because he “couldn’t even deal with this right now.”

Festa said he later learned that one of the coaches had allegedly contacted his friend directly in an effort to reach him — something he felt crossed a 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.

When Festa returned to the studio the next day, he said he confronted one of the coaches about reaching out to his friend, calling the situation “completely unacceptable.” He also claimed that a manager later told him, “I think we all learned some valuable lessons from this,” a response he found frustrating.

Festa insisted there was “nothing wrong” with his original video and said it was ultimately allowed to stay up. “What really happened was someone didn’t show up to their job on time,” he said, alleging that the coaches then tried to “cover their a–” by pressuring him to delete the post.

He added that the ordeal strained his friendship and left him with “a really bad taste” about the entire experience.

In a statement, 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.”