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Daisy Phillipson
A personal trainer who runs and walks on all fours like a dog each day has recommended others do the same. Check it out:
Nathaniel Nolan from Indiana, US, reckons the unusual practice has transformed his level of fitness, helping him to build up strength and flexibility without the risk of injury.
Unless he gets into a scrap with a local pooch, that is.
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The 31-year-old came up with what he describes as 'all fours training' after experiencing joint pain from high-intensity workouts.
Since August last year, he’s spent time each day walking on his hands and feet while sharing his progress on TikTok.
At first he could only crawl for a minute or so, but now he can walk, run and perform moves like a canine for at least 30 minutes at a time - and the results are pretty incredible.
As well as improving his agility, the dad-of-two’s arms and back muscles are more defined and muscular.
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Noland’s videos have divided the online community - while some are baffled by his technique, others want to give it a go themselves.
But the martial arts lover says he doesn’t care what others think.
"I've seen people on the internet talking about it [me looking like I'm a dog], but I haven't really given much thought to how it looks while I'm moving," he said.
"If you were to live your life based on how people think something looks then you're going to be cornering yourself into a really small box.
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"When I'm out in public, people don't really care. If you want to get down and do some crawls in the park, nobody cares. I don't care either."
Elaborating on why he started ‘all fours training’, Nolan explained: "I had wrist pain and chronic joint pain.
“A lot of the stuff I do is high intensity, so I wanted more exposure to low intensity movements and that's why I started all fours training.
"I want to be able to build up my mobility in my wrists, hands and elbows to continue working on things like handstands. I was getting to the point where I couldn't train without pain.
"The idea of using the all fours position was mine. I haven't seen anybody else do it."
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Erm, dogs might have something to say about that last statement.
Joking aside, the PT added: "If you want to do something with your body, you should prepare your body for it.
"So if you want to get in shape and work out then you should definitely do this. Anybody can benefit from this."
Nolan’s so into the technique, he’s now developing a set of ‘universal rules’ with the intention of releasing an ‘all fours’ exercise programme.
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His TikTok page has earned almost one million followers since the start of his journey, with many people determined to give it a go.
"I'm starting this tomorrow and I'm so excited,” wrote one. “I warned my roommates so they weren't lost when I started walking around the house on all fours."
Another said: "l just started this and did my one-minute walk and oh my god this is so hard."