You have to be pretty determined and have a ton of stamina to beat a fitness world record. In 1969, the heaviest deadlift was recorded at 820lbs, and since then, people have conquered incredible feats of strength and stamina to break fitness world records. From the heaviest sumo deadlift to the longest plank, humans have pushed their bodies to the extreme and powered through incredible challenges. Recently, one persistent man broke another record by visiting a surprising number of gyms in just 24 hours.
Setting out to break a world record
Leo Robertson from Lewisham, Southeast London, had suffered from asthma and shared that the gym helped him through many asthmatic episodes. 34-year-old Leo decided he would try to smash the world record and visit the most gyms in 24 hours. It took him six months to prepare for this complex challenge. He had to take a photo in each gym along with a video of him doing the reps. He also took witness statements and arranged phone calls with each gym, so he didn’t have to pay for gym memberships for all of them. Leo focused on the Southeast and Central London areas.
Leo wore a GPS that verified his movements and traveled by bus, train, and foot to get to each gym in the 24-hour time period. In every gym, he completed ten bicep curls with an 11lb weight.
How many gyms?
Leo started at 7.18 am, and it took him 13 hours and 49 minutes to smash the world record and visit 52 gyms, beating the previous record of 50. Growing up, Leo always loved the Guinness Book of World Records, and now he can proudly say that he’s a world record-breaker. Lifting weights in those 52 gyms raised £900 for Asthma + Lung UK.
Three incredible fitness world records
Here are three of the most incredible fitness world records:
Heaviest seated deadlift
Martin Tye became paralyzed in both of his lower legs while serving in the British Army in Afghanistan. He suffered with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but found that performing deadlifts helped him to somewhat recover. At the North Somerset Strongest Man Event in 2019, Martin became a record holder for the heaviest seated deadlift with a weight of 1,113 lb 5 oz.
The longest plank
In February 2020, a 63-year-old former marine, George Hood, spent eight hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds in the plank position with only his toes and forearms touching the floor.
Most push-ups in one hour
To be applicable for the record, the applicant’s arms must bend at a 90-degree angle at the elbow. In June 2020, Jarrad Young from Australia completed 2,919 push-ups in one hour.
