The #TabletopChallenge Is All Over TikTok—So We Asked a Personal Trainer to Explain How to Master It

You've probably seen some amazing physical feats and crazy hacks on the internet. But are they really possible for everyone and safe to do? Health vs. The Internet ask real experts to review, examine, and judge if that hashtag challenge is real or not.

If you've been killing some pandemic time on TikTok during the past few months, you've likely seen what's referred to as the #tabletopchallenge, where two people try to latch onto each other, lean all the way back, and balance out their weight.

But like many viral TikTok challenges, it's important to consider whether the tabletop challenge is safe. That's why Health asked Lauren Williams, fitness model and personal trainer, what she thought of the trend. Luckily, she gave it the thumbs up from a safety perspective. "I would say that this one's an okay one to try," Williams tells Health.

The move still poses dangers if you don't do it properly, however. The key to not getting hurt comes down to how you prepare to try it, Williams says. "You kind of want to talk through who's going to be on the bottom, because if you do fall, that person's going to be kind of bearing the load," she explains. "But you're not far off the ground, so falling for either one of you is not that big of a deal."

In the above video that demos the move, Williams also provides some tips for getting the challenge right without falling too many times (foot placement is crucial), plus what to keep in mind if there's a major height difference between the two participants.