By Amy Pollock
A BANGOR man is redefining the ‘impossible’ by tackling tough physical challenges to inspire others to realise their potential and make the most of local outdoor spaces.
Thirty-seven year-old David Bradford is documenting his ambitious fitness feats as well as the borough’s picturesque areas through a series of YouTube videos.
To date, he has mastered muscle-ups at Castle Park, a handstand walk along Ballyholme beach, and running a marathon along the Bangor-Holywood coastal path without any prior training.
“The way it works is I pick a challenge and create a video of how I got on while keeping it lighthearted and entertaining,” he explained.
His YouTube channel, titled @DoTestMe, follows David’s first attempts right through to his final achievements, using slapstick humour to show that failure is all part of the fun when trying to achieve any goal.
He says his goal is to ‘encourage people to get moving and try new things’.
“I want to inspire the everyday person to try something they think is impossible,” he said.
“With a bit of willpower, nothing is impossible,” said David.
On his YouTube bio, David wrote: “I never really understood the whole antagonist saying ‘Do not test me’. Surely you want to be tested, to be able to show what you can do? I welcome the challenge; the motto here is DO test me.”
With three challenges now under his belt, David says he has another seven lined up.
“I have planned out 10 videos in total. My next challenge is called a kip-up, where you’re lying flat on your back, then you roll onto the back of your neck and flip yourself up to stand.
“Upcoming challenges include backflips, the human flag, open water swimming, the splits and many more.”
He also hopes to encourage people to take advantage of North Down’s many outdoor areas and amenities by showcasing iconic local landmarks in every video.
“I like to make use of what we have here in North Down to get people to go outside and enjoy the spaces we have. We have lots of parks and the coastline, so there’s loads of outdoor areas for people to go and do exercise.”
With plenty of other challenges coming up, David shares where people can expect to see him next.
“I’m basically going to work my way around parks and historical landmarks to either use or have in the background. I’m thinking Helen’s Tower, the fort in Holywood and Scrabo Tower. There’s a new playpark at Ward Park too – so there’s lots of different options.
“I want to show that you don’t just have to do things in the gym – you can make use of what there is locally, especially with the weather now turning.”
Speaking about the work that goes into each video, David says he is committed to keeping up the momentum by creating regular content.
“Some challenges take weeks to prepare for, some are spontaneous – the handstand walk took 40 days to do, and the marathon was just a spur-of-the-moment, on-the-day decision which took five hours.
“I want to stay consistent with uploading the videos, so I’m hoping to get a video out every two weeks.”
In his quest to motivate those living locally to ‘push their limits, have fun and get active’, David says: “It’s not just about fitness – it’s about enjoying the journey and showing that even failure can lead to success.
“Through determination and grit, I want to show that we can push ourselves to achieve anything.”
