The new fitness trend? Using your baby as a weight

Before becoming a dad, Oli Brooks would hit the gym four to five times a week. But the birth of his son forced the fitness influencer to look for different ways to squeeze in exercise at home.

His solution: the baby dumbbell. Brooks, 31, found he could combine his parental responsibilities with his responsibilities to his abs by involving his nine-month-old son in his workouts. The pair perform moves like “pickaboo pushups”, crunches while singing “row, row, row your boat”, and his baby’s favourite: sitting on his dad’s shoulders while he squats.

“He absolutely loves that,” Brooks said. The Folkestone-based fitness coach shares the workouts on Instagram to inspire people “to explore different ways to prioritise their health amongst all the chaos of being a