A personal trainer sees the key to outstanding fitness as walking like a dog on all fours for hours every day.
Nathaniel Nolan, 31, of Indianapolis, says he used to struggle with joint pain during high-intensity exercise sessions.
He improvised his “all fours workout” to find a less vigorous way to build his strength and flexibility.
Nathaniel Nolan, 31, of Indianapolis, adopted the unusual running style after more orthodox exercise programs left him with joint pains
The personal trainer credits the regime with improving his strength and flexibility
He now regularly runs and walks around his area in his doggie style, not caring what people think.
While videos of him sprinting across grass on TikTok have been viewed more than 20 million times.
Nathaniel explained why he took the unusual position: “I had wrist pain and chronic joint pain.
“A lot of what I do is high-intensity, so I wanted to be exposed to more low-intensity movement, and that’s why I started all-fours training.
“I want to be able to build mobility in my wrists, hands and elbows to continue working on things like handstands. I got to the point where I couldn’t exercise without pain.
“The idea of using the all fours position was mine. I haven’t seen anyone do it yet. I still live a very normal life, but I make time for it 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, you should definitely do it. Everyone can benefit from it.
“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 of him and his unusual running style – and says more people should try it to help their bodies and fitness
Life on all fours: Nathaniel, who walks barefoot, says he enjoys seeing life from a dog’s perspective. Luckily he hasn’t embraced other unsavory canine practices such as: B. marking its territory on lampposts
Most dogs will bite or chase balls, but Nathanial incorporates large balance balls (pictured) into his training regimen to improve his balance and core strength
His martial arts background has helped Nathanial adopt his unusual technique, which he has been building for a year
Nathaniel has been building his daily routine for almost a year.
Not only does he walk and run, he tries to climb, play and balance dog-style.
Surreal viral footage shows him sprinting across grass and clambering through his living room like a dog.
In other clips, the father-of-two practices breakdancing and handstand push-ups, charting his progress as movements appear less strenuous and more “natural” day by day.
The martial arts enthusiast claims the regime provides low-intensity training for his arms, as does walking for his knees, ankles, and legs.
He claims that since a whopping 140 hours on all fours, his joint and back pain have disappeared and it’s clear his arms, shoulders and back muscles are more defined.
handstand anyone? Granted, most dogs don’t, but the extra arm strength helps Nathaniel with his daily dog training
Previous training sessions left him with joint pains. This new approach is less intense, so it’s gentler on the body
Because of the unusual training, his body now has well-developed muscles in certain areas
Nathaniel’s inner dog was unleashed with the dog routine, causing his body to change
But TikTok users were stunned by his daily clips, which he started posting in August last year.
Many deride his routine as “crazy” and compare him to a dog – while others try it themselves.
But Nathaniel says he “doesn’t care” what people think and believes every gym-goer should commit to “training all fours” daily 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 lived your life by how people think something looks, you’d be cramming yourself into a really small box.
“When I’m in public, people don’t really care. If you want to come down and do some crawls in the park, nobody cares. I don’t care either.’
Nathaniel started his “all fours workout” by crawling for one minute, then adding a minute each day until he stopped increasing on day 30 to avoid “getting out of hand.”
The father used to wear wristbands and ankle braces during high-intensity workouts, but he credits his unorthodox methods as an alternative to building joint and muscle tolerance.
He admits he found it tiring at first, but says it hasn’t caused him any back problems or any other negative effects aside from calluses on his hands.
He plans to publish an exercise program, but is currently developing the “universal rules” of the technique that can apply to anyone.
He says he’ll train as long as he trains to not lose the benefits, and he’s aiming to incorporate even more movements.
Nathaniel’s videos have gone viral on TikTok – with some saying the moves look “natural” and others saying they’ll try
But other users have poked fun at the personal trainer and laughed at his dog-like abilities
Nathaniel’s page has garnered nearly a million followers since the beginning of his journey, with thousands intrigued by his unorthodox method, which he’s been posting about for more than 315 straight days.
One said: “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. What’s wrong with the world?’
Another said: “It looks like we should. It looks so natural.”
A third added: “Bro go into puppy mode.”
One joked: “Honey! the crazy neighbor’s freaky dog has broken loose again.’
Others have decided to try the “all fours workout” for themselves and commented to tell Nathaniel how excited yet tired it makes them.
One said: “I’m starting this tomorrow and I’m so excited! I warned my roommates not to get lost when I started walking around the house on all fours.’
Another said: “I just started this and did my one minute walk and oh my god this is so hard.”