A personal trainer claims that running on all fours like a dog for hours every day is the key to his ultimate fitness.
Nathaniel Nolan, 31, of Indianapolis, says he used to struggle with joint pain during high-intensity workouts.
He improvised his ‘four-legged training’ to find a less vigorous way to increase his strength and flexibility.
Nathaniel Nolan, 31, of Indianapolis, took up the unusual style of running after more orthodox exercise regimens left him with sore joints.
The personal trainer credits the regimen with 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 running on grass on TikTok have been viewed more than 20 million times.
Explaining why he took 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 training on all fours.”
‘I want to be able to develop my mobility in my wrists, hands and elbows to continue working on things like handstands. It was getting to the point where I couldn’t train without pain.
‘The idea to use the all fours position was mine. I haven’t seen anyone else do it. I still live a completely normal life, but I make time to do this every day.
‘If you want to do something with your body, you must prepare it for it. So if you want to get fit and exercise, you should definitely do this. Anyone 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 you jump into push-ups for the first time.”
The ‘human dog’ says he doesn’t care what people think of him and his unusual style of running, and says more people should try it to help their bodies and get fit.
Life on all fours: Nathaniel, who runs barefoot, says he likes to see life from a dog’s perspective. Fortunately, he hasn’t adopted other unsavory canine practices, like marking his territory on utility poles.
Most dogs bite or chase balls, but Nathanial incorporates large balance balls (pictured) into his training regimen to help with his balance and core strength
His martial arts background has helped Nathanial adopt his unusual technique, which he has been developing for a year.
Nathaniel has been developing his daily routine for almost a year.
Not only does he walk and run, he also tries to climb, play and keep his balance in the style of a dog.
Surreal viral images show him running through the grass and climbing around his living room like a canine.
In other clips, the father-of-two breakdances and push-ups, recording his progress as the moves seem less strenuous and more “natural” from day to day.
The martial arts lover claims the regimen provides a low-intensity workout for his arms in the same way that walking does for his knees, ankles, and legs.
He claims that since a whopping 140 hours on all fours, his joint and back pain has disappeared and it is clear that his arms, shoulders and back muscles are more defined.
Hand support anyone? It’s true that most dogs don’t do this, but the added arm strength helps Nathaniel in his daily dog training.
Previous exercise workouts left him with joint pain. This new approach is less intense, so it’s gentler on the body.
His body now has well-developed muscles in certain areas due to unusual training.
Nathaniel’s inner dog has been unleashed by the canine routine, and his body has changed as a result.
But TikTok users were left baffled by his daily clips, which he began posting in August last year.
Many mock his routine as “crazy” and compare him to a dog, while others try it for themselves.
But Nathaniel says he “doesn’t care” what people think and believes all gym-goers should make a daily commitment to “training on all fours” to avoid soreness 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 had to live your life based on how people think something looks, then you’re going to box yourself into a really small box.
‘When I’m in public, people don’t really care. If you want to go down and do some crawling in the park, no one cares. I don’t care either.
Nathaniel began his ‘four-legged training’ by crawling for one minute and then adding a minute each day until day 30, when he stopped the increase to prevent it from ‘getting out of control’.
The father used to wear wrist wraps and joint supports during high-intensity workouts, but attributes his unorthodox methods as an alternative to building muscle and joint tolerance.
He admits he found it tiring at first, but says it hasn’t caused him any back problems or any other negative impact apart from the calluses on his hands.
He is planning to launch an exercise program, but is currently developing the “universal rules” of technique that can be applied to everyone.
He says he will continue training as long as he works out, as he doesn’t want to lose the benefits, and his goal is to integrate even more movements.
Nathaniel’s videos have gone viral on TikTok, with some saying the moves look “natural” and others saying they’ll give it a try.
But other users have mocked the personal trainer, laughing at his canine prowess.
Nathaniel’s page has gained nearly a million followers since the beginning of his journey, with thousands intrigued by his unorthodox method that he’s been posting about for over 315 days straight.
One said: ‘This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. What’s wrong with the world?’
Another said: ‘Looks like we’re supposed to do this. It looks so natural.
A third added: ‘brother is getting into puppy mode’.
One joked: ‘Honey! the crazy neighbor’s freaky dog is loose again.
Others have decided to try ‘fours training’ for themselves and have commented to tell Nathaniel how excited but tired it is making 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.’
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