With 1,84,000 followers on Instagram, Belgian documentary filmmaker Alexia Kraft de la Saulx has transformed what began as a personal exploration into a full-fledged lifestyle she now calls the “Tarzan Movement”.
A glance at her Instagram reveals Reels of her running on all fours through meadows, climbing trees barefoot, and crawling across urban parks with a kind of meditative playfulness.
"When I was a little girl I wanted to be connected to nature. When I grew older I moved to the city, but then I started to disconnect from the natural world. When I am out on adventures, outdoors I would explore it on all fours or sometimes when I am with my friends in an urban environment, we also explore the city on all fours," says Alexia who not only crawls in her all fours but also motivates and teaches (her online classes, will start by the end of 2025) others to do so.
Living And Teaching The Monkey Lifestyle
Alexia's Instagram bio reads: "Remembrance of our roots." It's a philosophy she takes seriously. In her upcoming Quadrobics (by the end of 2025) online course, she promises to help followers "reconnect with your primal self and play outside in nature".
She frames it as a call to return to the way our bodies were meant to move - fluid, grounded, and instinctive.
What She Practises
Alexia, who lives in a van now with her boyfriend, practices quadrobics which centres around quadrupedal movement - crawling, running, and transitioning on hands and feet. She pairs this with climbing, balancing, and barefoot hiking to build strength, control, and resilience.
Her training style blends primal movement (a functional, bodyweight-based fitness trend that mimics the natural actions our ancestors used for survival), natural locomotion, and outdoor play. "It's about remembering what it felt like before we sat in chairs all day," she says in one of her posts. "We've forgotten how to move with curiosity."
Why It's Trending
Quadrobics has exploded on social media in recent years. What began as a niche fitness experiment now features wellness roundups and TikTok and Instagram fitness challenges, thanks to influencers like her.
Alexia's YouTube channel showed us that more and more people are practising the same. Some notable ones are : Leo, who goes by the name 'The French Tarzan', and Victor Manuel, founder of the 'Tarzan Movement'.
"After the pandemic, I made the decision to move to Barcelona, where I began training with friends in city parks, climbing trees, and learning from one another. Weekends were spent camping, living off recycled food, and sleeping in a hammock or my old car. People began asking for my guidance to reconnect with their ability to move consciously and gracefully, in harmony with nature. This marked the beginning of my journey as a coach, and in the three years since, I have facilitated over 60 events around the world, offering workshops and retreats that inspire others to rediscover their natural movement," Victor's website reads.
Videos under the hashtag #quadrobics show people moving like animals - jumping, crawling, and balancing is also growing on social media. The idea is to improve strength and coordination while reconnecting with one's body and the natural world. For many, it's less about fitness and more about rediscovering a sense of play and freedom.
Potential Benefits
Those who practise quadrobics, like Alexia, Leo and Victor describe it as a full-body workout that engages muscles most people never use.
Trainers claim it boosts stability, core strength, and body awareness, while some even call it a form of moving meditation.
The cardiovascular benefits are significant too - since moving on all fours demands coordination, strength, and stamina. More than anything, followers of quadrobics say it offers mental clarity.
"You feel grounded, alive, and connected," says one of Alexia's caption on her feed.
The Barefoot Connection
Alexia also promotes barefoot training as an essential part of the primal lifestyle. Her posts often feature her running or climbing barefoot, encouraging followers to "let the feet remember the earth".
By toughening the soles and improving balance, she believes barefoot contact helps strengthen the foot muscles and enhances stability.
What Experts Say
Alexia's videos on Instagram have received a mix reaction. Some offered a lot of criticism, while other comments claim an urge to join her classes and living like her.
But is walking on all fours really good for your body?
Dr Debashish Chanda, Director, Department of Orthopaedics, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, says that while the practice may have some short-term benefits, it comes with serious caveats.
"I have seen this video and this person is actually walking on four limbs, like both the legs and both the hands. This is the way we used to walk in ancient times. Humans evolved from monkeys, gorillas - so according to that, we evolved, and now we walk on two legs," says Dr Chanda.
He explains that while walking on all fours does improve stability and muscle balance, it is not ideal for the human body long-term.
"There are some benefits of walking with four legs. It gives very good stability. Hands and legs both are acting together in this walking, and it leads to equal bone density in both the parts. Because all four limbs are taking equal stress, the bone strength is going to be equal," he says.
Another positive, he adds, is the reduced strain on the back. "Humans suffer from a lot of back pain because the back muscles have to be strong to make the whole body straight, which is not needed if walking on four limbs. So, with two arms and two legs, back pain is not going to be there because back muscles are not active."
However, he cautions that the same advantage can turn into a problem. "Those muscles will never develop, so walking on two legs will be very difficult later on. Moreover, the neck extension while walking on four limbs can lead to cervical spondylitis. There is also the risk of hand and foot injuries," he adds.
Dr Deepak Kumar Mishra, Director And Head, Orthopaedic And Robotic Joint Replacement Surgery Unit, Asian Hospital agrees and adds that while many viewers praised her for trying something new, such trends with caution.
"From an orthopaedic standpoint, walking on all fours places the body under unusual biomechanical stress. Unlike the legs, the wrists and shoulders are not meant to bear full body weight during locomotion. Prolonged or repetitive use of such movements can cause wrist pain, shoulder strain, or lower back discomfort, especially in adults unaccustomed to the position," says Dr Deepak.
Crawling movements are sometimes used in controlled physiotherapy or child development exercises, but they are carefully guided and tailored to the individual's body condition, rather than being performed as viral challenges.
Dr Chanda also points out the practical limitations. "Humans have evolved to move efficiently on two legs. Walking on four limbs consumes more energy for the same activity and is not sustainable. It might be fine as an exercise or short practice, but not as a lifestyle. Over time, it can weaken the back and cause neck or wrist problems."
He advises that anyone tempted to try the trend should first assess their physical health. "If they already suffer from shoulder or neck issues, those might worsen. For most people, it's better to integrate short primal movements as part of workouts rather than walk around like this regularly."
The Balance Between Trend And Health
While primal movement and quadrobics may seem liberating and empowering, experts remind us that our evolutionary journey happened for a reason. As Dr Chanda puts it, "We have already evolved; why go back to that again? Whatever is necessary now should be done. For exercise, some movements can be done on four limbs, but regularly it is not advisable."
Alexia's all-fours adventures might look wild and freeing on Instagram, but as with most fitness trends, the real test lies in balance - between reconnecting with nature and respecting how far evolution has brought us.
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