Bodybuilder and powerlifter Jeff Nippard was pushed in the throat by fellow fitness influencer Mike Van Wyck during an altercation at a gym in Canada.
The row is believed to have sparked from a post from Van Wyck on Instagram last week which took aim at ‘science-based guys’ such as Nippard, who has a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry and applies that knowledge to plan and promote his workouts and diet.
‘Science guys really need to answer this question before anything – why is it that you remain so mediocre, yet you know so much?’ Van Wyck, who has 289,000 followers on Instagram, said in his video.
‘Bodybuilding, you can be this big, or this short in other cases, it’s always short though, somehow you’re an expert on muscle, but you don’t have any, and if you do have any it’s not that well put together and there’s holes in the physique.
‘You pride yourself on being strong… strong doesn’t matter. Sadly you do need to apply what it is that you know for people to trust you. But they’ve got these nerds and these dorks, they try and prove themselves in shows and they come last.’
Nippard, who has over two million followers on Instagram and over 5.7m subscribers on YouTube, responded directly to Van Wyck’s video by listing his achievements in powerlifting and bodybuilding.
He also said: ‘It’s pretty obvious that bodybuilding success comes from great genetics and really hard training, and if you want to make it in the IFBB, steroid use.
‘I like science because it gives me more confidence in what actually works and what doesn’t because it isolates variables. If you trust a big guy’s advice over scientific studies that doesn’t bother me, I listen to what big guys have to say too.’
On Monday, a brief video of the altercation at Pure Muscle and Fitness gym in Ontario, Canada, was shared on social media which shows Van Wyck aggressively pushing Nippard to the floor by the throat.
In the video, Nippard could be hard saying: ‘Damn, bro’.
In a post on Instagram after the incident, Nippard wrote: ‘If you’ve seen the video by now, I want to clarify the incident. First, I just want to give an update that I got a CT scan done and I’m okay.
‘In case you didn’t see it, this is exactly what happened and there were many witnesses. Mike Van Wyck jabbed me in the throat twice in the middle of the gym and then shoved my camera man.
‘There is already a lie going around that Mike asked me to stay away from him, and that I didn’t listen, and approached him first. This is FALSE and Pure Muscle and Fitness has security footage to prove it. I think they should release it.
‘This is exactly what happened. As I was filming bicep curls for a YouTube short, Mike brushed by me and said “sup”. This was our first engagement that day. I chuckled.
‘Mike said “oh things are about to get real funny” as he walked past me. I then asked him “what did you mean by that?” and I made sure my camera man was filming in case he tried any funny business.
‘Then he walked back toward me, he said “turn the camera off” and immediately jabbed me in the throat and I fell onto the floor. I stood back up and he told me to never talk about him ever again. Then he jabbed me in the throat a second time. Then he turned to my videographer and pushed him against a cable machine. Then he walked away.
‘That is the full story and there is gym security footage to prove it. It’s up to the gym if they want to release it.
‘I also want to say I really, really appreciate the outpouring of support from the community and from other gym members. It’s honestly making this situation a lot easier to deal with for me. So thank you all so much.
‘I don’t know why he attacked me other than that he really, really hates my training style. I certainly gave him absolutely no reason to hate me. And even if I did, there’s no excuse to physically attack someone over a disagreement. My opinion is that it was the result of anger brought on by the clip I posted yesterday responding to his question about science-based training. Pretty wild stuff.’
A statement from Pure Muscle and Fitness read: ‘At Pure Muscle + Fitness, we have a strict zero- tolerance policy for violence and bullying.
‘We are deeply saddened by a recent incident involving unacceptable behavior by a member. This individual was not employed by or formally associated with our gym, and we have permanently removed their access to our facility, including any privileges to train clients.
‘Our hearts go out to the member affected, and we stand in full support of their well-being. The safety of our community is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for everyone. The matter is currently under police investigation, and we are cooperating fully with authorities.’
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