Fitness World Records

Isaiah Tolbert pressed 847 pounds on a 45-degree leg press at a gym in Snellville, Georgia, three days before he turned 13. Before the lift he shows the camera the sled's 167-pound label and the plates loaded on both sides, then lowers the sled into a deep knee bend and drives it back up to nearly straight legs in one continuous take. The total counts the plates plus the sled, as the rules require. Not a bad way to sign off on age 12.

Mutis Dragos loaded a 45-degree plate-loaded leg press with 30 plates of 20 kilograms, 600 kilograms in all, at a gym in Bucharest, Romania, and ran through ten slow calf raises without a leg strap. The continuous video opens with a pan across the stacked horns on both sides of the sled, then circles round to show both legs locked straight while the ankles alone drive the sled through every rep. That's more than half a tonne, about 1,322 pounds, pushed around by a pair of calves.

Matthew Lawson loaded a 35-degree plate-loaded leg press to 750 kilograms at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, and knocked out eight straight calf raises with it. His legs stay locked straight through the whole continuous set, moving the sled with nothing but his ankles, and he finishes by walking the camera around the sled to show the stacks of 25 kg and 20 kg plates on every horn. That's three-quarters of a tonne, moved by two calves, eight times in a row.

Matthew Lawson loaded a 35-degree plate-loaded leg press to 790 kilograms at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, locked his knees and pushed the sled up onto his toes using nothing but his calves. The continuous video shows his legs staying straight as the sled rises, holds at the top and comes back down under control, and he then walks the camera around the machine to show the stacks of bumper plates and 20 kg plates loaded on the sled. That's more than three-quarters of a tonne, lifted by a pair of calves.

Matthew Lawson loaded eight 20 kg plates, 160 kilograms in all, onto one arm of a plate-loaded Viking press at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, and pressed it overhead with the left arm alone. A Viking press is a standing shoulder-press machine worked through lever arms with handles at head height; on this one each arm moves independently, and the continuous video shows the other arm parked while the left handle goes to full lockout seven times in a row. The plate count is clear on camera, and a training partner keeps a hand on the end of the sleeve only to hold the plates on. One arm, eight plates, seven reps.

Matthew Lawson loaded seven 20 kg plates, 140 kilograms in all, onto one arm of a plate-loaded Viking press at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, and pressed it overhead with his left arm for eight straight reps. A Viking press is a standing shoulder-press machine worked through lever arms with handles at head height; on this one each arm moves on its own, and the continuous video shows the other arm parked while the left handle travels from shoulder height to full lockout eight times in a row, with the seven-plate stack in view the whole way. Seven plates, one arm, eight reps.

Mark Farhat pressed 858 pounds for eight reps on a plate-loaded 45-degree leg press at a Planet Fitness in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 70. The set was filmed from the front corner of the machine in one continuous 25-second take: he lowers the loaded sled with his hands on the seat handles and drives it back to nearly straight legs on every rep. RecordSetter counted the reps from the video; the 858 pounds is his stated total for the plates and sled, consistent with the stacks on camera, and his date of birth was confirmed privately. That is 40 pounds more than his 818-pound set from two weeks earlier.

Stanley Tomajko, 61, deadlifted 505 pounds, more than two and a half times his 192-pound (87-kilogram) bodyweight, for two full reps in his barn gym in Strasburg, Virginia, holding the bar with a double-underhand hook grip, both palms facing forward. A pair of large spoked wheels on the barbell sets it about 13 inches off the floor, the classic wagon wheel deadlift height from strongman, with three 45-pound plates and one 50-pound plate stacked outside each wheel. The continuous video shows both pulls to a full standing lockout with the wheels resting on the floor between reps, and Stanley itemized the load (plates, wheels, a 44-pound bar and collars) to the 505-pound total. Surrounded by anvils, ropes and antique iron, it is old-school strength in every sense.

Michael Joseph Drouin, a 68-year-old Navy veteran, rowed a 75-pound dumbbell for 10 reps with each arm at a gym in Elk Grove, California. Bracing one knee and one hand on a flat bench, he pulls the dumbbell from below the bench up to his chest, then switches sides, all in one continuous video. Drouin trains with spinal hardware from his neck to his lower back and a replaced hip, and his outlook is simple: we were given one life, so live it regardless of age.

At 50, Matthew Lawson loaded five 20 kg plates onto each side of a plate-loaded Viking press at a gym in Bathurst, Australia, 200 kilograms in all, and pressed it overhead with both arms. A Viking press is a standing shoulder-press machine worked through lever arms with handles at head height; the video shows him drive both handles from his shoulders to a full lockout and hold it there, then walks the camera along both loaded sleeves so every 20 kg plate is counted on screen. His aim is to show that age does not define what you can lift.

Jason Faulkner lay back on an incline bench at a gym in St. Joseph, Missouri, and worked a pair of 90-pound dumbbells through 26 incline flies in one unbroken set. Filmed from beside the bench, the clip shows the dumbbells sweeping apart and closing back together above his chest on every rep, and the 90 stamp on both bells is readable as he finishes. RecordSetter counted the reps in the continuous 48-second video. Flies hang the whole load off nearly straight arms, which is why most lifters use a fraction of this weight.

Jason Faulkner lay back on an incline bench at a gym in St. Joseph, Missouri, and took a pair of 100-pound dumbbells through 20 incline flies in one unbroken set. Filmed from beside the bench, the clip shows the bells opening out from above his chest and closing back together on every rep, with the 100 stamp readable on the near dumbbell late in the set. RecordSetter counted the reps in the continuous 41-second video, where one more rep stalls at the bottom and he sets the weights down. Flies hold the whole load out on nearly straight arms, so a hundred pounds a hand is far beyond what most lifters ever try.

A day after his 4,723.2-pound minute, Incredible Faulk went heavier in St. Joseph, Missouri, picking up a pair of dumbbells stamped 55 that weighed in at 54.4 and 55.8 pounds and raising them out to his sides 44 times in one minute. That adds up to 4,848.8 pounds, beating his own mark from the day before. RecordSetter counted all 44 raises in the continuous video, a screen recording of the clip he posted, which shows the 55 stamp on the dumbbells before he starts. Fewer reps with heavier iron turned out to be the winning trade.

Atul Raj kicks up into a handstand against a wall in Malappuram, India, lifts one hand off the floor and grinds out seven straight push-ups on a single arm. His feet rest on the wall for balance while his free arm stays bent beside his head, and on every rep he lowers until his head meets a cushion before pressing back up. The single continuous phone clip shows the kick-up, all seven reps and the dismount. Handstand push-ups are hard on two arms; on one, they belong to a very small club.

Emmanuel Frechou curled a single 14.3-kilogram dumbbell for an hour in Antibes, France, moving 22,536.8 kilograms in total. The video opens with the dumbbell weighed on a scale, then shows him working through 197 sets of 8 one-arm curls, setting the dumbbell on the floor and switching arms after every set. The total is the dumbbell weight times 1,576 repetitions, and RecordSetter checked the set and rep count against the continuous, single-camera footage. He finishes red in the face and reaching for a towel.

At a New York gym, 56-year-old Joseph Naggar hung two kettlebells from a dip belt and pulled himself from a dead hang until his chin reached the bar. The bells are cast with 12 kg (26.4 lb) and 36 kg (80 lb), for 106.4 pounds of added weight, roughly 60 percent of his reported 176-pound bodyweight. The rep was verified from one continuous clip, with a separate photo of both kettlebells confirming their markings. Plenty of people half his age can't manage a single pull-up without the extra iron.