A man has revealed how people compare him to an “alien” due to his flexibility – which has earned him a world record.
Shakirudeen Alade, aka Bonetics, has earned himself the Guinness World Record title for “Fastest Time Walking 10 Metres on the Hands with the Legs Behind the Head” in an incredible 25.55 seconds.
Previously, the record had been unrecorded.
Shakirudeen, aged 25, has shared the expertise and training behind scoring the record title, but claims that he’s been dubbed an “alien” and “Tarzan” for his bizarre skill.
In a clip posted on Instagram, which has racked up 2.9 million views and over 253,000 likes, he can be shown performing his “animalistic” movements.
“I mostly get compared to an alien, even though I have no idea how an alien would move like how I do,” the professional contortionist and dancer, from London, told NeedToKnow.Online.
“I think people are just shocked at my movements, so the first thing they assume is that this kind of movement is out-of-this- world, hence why they call me an alien.
“Some people even compare my movements to Tarzan from Disney.
“I love to move very fluid, almost as if I don’t have a bone in my body, to create a style that’s very illusory and intriguing.”
Over the course of 12 years, Shakirudeen has perfected his talent, but says he wasn’t even able to touch his toes when he first began his journey.
Now, after stretching his body everyday, keeping himself mobile and his body “supple” he’s been able to break the record on 4 February 2023 after training for two weeks solid.
He said: “The truth is I never actually discovered this ability, I trained for it.
“I had zero flexibility and I couldn’t even touch my toes.
“I remember the first time seeing a contortionist I was shocked and couldn’t believe my eyes.
“I even thought it would be physically impossible to gain this sort of flexibility.
“I am a dancer and I was very inspired by contortion and yoga, so I started stretching every day.”
In one clip, he shows off his flexibility, demonstrating his range of joint movement.
Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many comparing him to different animals.
One viewer commented: “The spider under my bed listening to my airpod that dropped.”
“Oh my goodness he’s like liquid,” said another person.
“I’m sorry, if I see that in person I will be scared and screaming ‘what in the bug world is this’,” someone else added.
One user commented: “Movies/shows need you as a creature somewhere for sure”.
“Bros practising for demogorgon auditions,” someone else added. [sic]
Following his world record, Shakiurdeen hopes to continue teaching contortionism as an art form, one day aspiring to have his own school.
To all budding contortionists, his advice? Hard work and determination.
He added: “This is not natural and anybody can do it with hard work.
“The same way you have to work out in the gym to gain muscles and strength is the same way you have to stretch to achieve more flexibility and mobility.
“Most people would train for months, but I was confident that I could still do it – and I did.”
