Who let the dogs out? Personal trainer says running on all fours for HOURS each day has made him fitter than ever and helped him beat joint pain
- Nathaniel Nolan, 31, from Indianapolis, runs for hours a day on all fours
- The personal trainer credits the doggy style of running for his supreme fitness
- TikTok users have had mixed reaction – with some calling him lazy and barking mad and others trying it for themselves
A personal trainer credits running on all fours like a dog for hours each day as the key to his supreme fitness.
Nathaniel Nolan, 31, from Indianapolis, says he used to struggle with joint pain during high-intensity workouts.
He improvised his ‘all-fours training’ to find a less vigorous way to build up his strength and flexibility.
Nathaniel Nolan, 31, from Indianapolis, adopted the unusual running style after more orthodox exercise regimes left him with joint pain
The personal trainer credits the regime with him improving his strength and flexibility
He now regularly runs and walks around his local area in his canine style – not caring what people think.
While videos of him on sprinting across grass on TikTok have been viewed more than 20m times.
Explaining why he adopted the unusual position, Nathaniel said: ‘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. I still live a completely normal life, but I set time aside to do this every day.
‘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.
‘It’s about knowing what you want to do with your body and then getting low-intensity versions of those things before jumping into push-ups for the first time.’
The ‘human dog’ says he doesn’t care what people think about him and his unusual style of running – and says more people should try it to help their bodies and fitness
Life on all fours: Nathaniel, who runs barefoot, says he enjoys seeing life from a dog’s perspective. Thankfully, he hasn’t taken to adopting other unsavoury dog practices, such as marking his territory on lamp posts
Most dogs bite or chase balls, but Nathanial incorporates large balance balls (pictured) in his training regime to help with his balance and core strength
His martial arts background has helped Nathanial adopt his unusual technique, which he has been building up for a year
Nathaniel has been building up his daily routine for almost a year.
Not only does he walk and run, he also attempts to climb, play and balance in the style of a dog.
Surreal viral footage, shows him sprinting across grass and climbing around his living room like a canine.
In other clips the dad-of-two practises breakdancing and handstand push-ups, charting his progress as movements appear less strenuous and more ‘natural’ day by day.
The martial arts lover claims the regime provides a low-intensity workout for his arms in the same way walking does for knees, ankles and legs.
He claims since his whopping 140 hours on all fours his joint and back pain has gone and it’s clear his arms, shoulders and back muscles are more defined.
Hand stand anyone? Admittedly, most dogs don’t do this, but the added arm strength helps Nathaniel in his daily doggy work-out
Previous exercise work-outs let him with joint pain. This new approach is less intense, so gentler on the body
His body now has well-developed muscles in certain areas due to the unusual training
Nathaniel’s inner dog has been unleashed with the canine routine, with his body changing as a result
But TikTok users have been left baffled by his daily clips, which he began posting in August last year.
Many are mocking his routine as ‘crazy’ and comparing him to a dog – while others are trying it for themselves.
But Nathaniel says he ‘doesn’t care’ what people think and believes every gym-goer should make a daily commitment to ‘all fours training’ to avoid pain during their other workouts.
He says, ‘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.
‘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.
‘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.’
Nathaniel began his ‘all fours training’ by crawling for one minute and then adding a minute each day until the 30th day, when he stopped the increase to avoid it ‘getting out of hand’.
The dad used to wear wrist straps and joint supports during high-intensity workouts but he credits his unorthodox methods as an alternative to build up joint and muscular tolerance.
He admits he found it tiring at first but says it hasn’t caused him any back problems or any other negative impacts aside from hand calluses.
He’s planning on releasing an exercise programme but is currently developing the ‘universal rules’ of the technique that can apply to everyone.
He says he’ll continue training for as long as he’s working out as he doesn’t want to lose the benefits, and he’s aiming to integrate even more movements.
Nathaniel’s videos have gone viral on TikTok – with some saying the movements look ‘natural’ and others saying they are going to try it
But other users have mocked the personal trainer, laughing at his dog-like prowess
Nathaniel’s page has earned almost one million followers since the start of his journey, with thousands intrigued by his unorthodox method which he’s been posting about for more than 315 days straight.
One said: ‘This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. What’s wrong with the world?’
Another said: ‘It looks like we’re supposed to do this. It looks so natural.’
A third added said: ‘bro’s going puppy mode.’
One joked: ‘Honey! the crazy neighbour’s freaky dog got loose again.’
Others have decided to try ‘all fours training’ for themselves and commented to tell Nathaniel how excited yet tired it’s making them.
One said: ‘I’m starting this tomorrow and I’m so excited! 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.’
Source: Read Full Article
