‘You better get a free year bc what’: Los Angeles woman goes to Solidcore class. Then the instructor bodyshames her over the mic
Solidcore classes can be intense, but where should the line be? Los Angeles woman Joyce Hao (@joyceepoo888) found out during her third session of the high-intensity workout.
In a TikTok video with 808,800 views, Hao remarked how there had been a lot of “Solidcore beef stories” online. This encouraged her to share her own.
In total, she went for three Solidcore night classes—but the red flags were there from the beginning. During the first session, when she was trying to do a lunge, Hao describes how the instructor aggressively pushed her down and adjusted her form. Something which, upon reflection, made her concerned about potential injury.
During the second session, Hao claims that the woman once again tried to ‘adjust’ her without her asking to. This time, the instructor tried to adjust her hips, which caused her to fall over. To add insult to injury, the woman then gave her a stability pole in front of everyone.
But things went up a notch during Hao’s third—and final—session. When she arrived, the instructor pointed out the man next to her and introduced them. She then said, “I’d hate to be beside him because he’s really, really good.”
However, the worst part was when Hao pulled up her pants and adjusted her leggings in the class. On the mic, in front of everyone, the instructor said, “Yeah Joyce, tuck in those rolls!”
This left the TikToker feeling “mortified” and “in shock.”
“If this was my first class, I would actually never come back,” she shared. At the end, Hao ran out of the class and left. However, the instructor once again singled her out by asking,”Joyce, where are you going?”
She’s never been back since.
@joyceepoo888 Wow sorry this is actually so long #solidcore ♬ original sound – Joyce
Was she overreacting?
While Hao was concerned she was overreacting, she told viewers how her roommate, who is also a core power instructor, said she would get fired for speaking to a participant in that way.
This led to Hao calling the store and letting them know, emphasizing that she didn’t want this to happen to anyone else.
Management seemed to be shocked by the incident, with the lady on the phone gasping when she heard what happened. In turn, they offered Hao a couple of free classes for her trouble.
Hao didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email. Solidcore didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via email.
What did commenters think?
Commenters were outraged by the behavior, with sports coaches in particular calling it out.
“As a coach..I’m so sorry,” one wrote. “This is NOT allowed.”
A second concurred: “We are NOT allowed to do or say any of what you just described.”
“‘TUCK IN THOSE ROLLS???!!'” a third repeated. “That’s actually bullying, OMG, as a reformer instructor, I’m mortified.”
On a more general level, a fourth said, “Free classes in exchange for being degraded? Absolutely not.” While a fifth added, “Thank you for de-influencing me from trying Solidcore.”
How did ‘Solidcore beef’ TikTok start?
TikTokers felt inspired to tell their Solidcore horror stories after TikTok user and Solidcore enthusiast Anhony Festa went viral earlier this month.
When he arrived for his Solidcore class, the studio was empty—which inspired him to not only self-teach Solidcore, but also film it all for TikTok.
In the days following this TikTok, Festa shared a ‘storytime’ about what happened when the Solidcore instructor arrived halfway through the session. He claims he was asked to remove most of the footage, and things then became more dramatic when his friend got involved.
The friend told Festa that the instructor, along with other coaches, was worried about losing their jobs — and suggested that Festa’s membership might also be affected. However, when told by the friend that he should remove the video, Festa hung up.
“If this girl [the instructor] wants to be involved in me and my friendships and reach out to my friends on behalf of her, to ask me about my TikToks and Solidcore, then she needs to quit her job as a coach and become a client because there needs to be a level of professionalism,” Festa said. “This isn’t Chuck E Cheese.”
When approached by Us Weekly for comment, Festa said he has “absolutely no regrets.”
“I live my truth,” he said.
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