A 17-year-old Langley High School junior named Andrew Shapiro broke three Guinness World Records for pull-ups to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
Shapiro was inspired to break the records thanks to his favorite show, American Ninja Warrior, and his father’s five-year battle against colon cancer.
Andrew’s attempt started on Saturday at 8 a.m., a time I’ve only been awake for maybe three times in my entire life usually against my will. He completed 3,515 pull-ups in six hours (world record), 5,742 pull-ups in 12 hours (world record), and matched the previous world record for pull-ups in a 24-hour period – 6,800 completed by Czech Republic athlete Jan Kares in 2015 – at the 15-hour mark.
If you need some visual proof and you’re not bored easily, here’s video of him training:
The aspiring warrior ended up pumping out 7,306 pull-ups in 18 hours as his family recorded from three video cameras and 15 judges from Guinness World Records looked on and made it official.
Shap credits his success to the Star Wars movies, sushi, pineapple, and American Ninja Warrior. But, he has to wait four more years until he can go on the hit obstacle course show, which he called, “the biggest challenge out there.” Apparently, he’s never seen The Eliminator on American Gladiators. Pretty sure AMN will be a walk in the park compared to doing thousands of pull-ups all day. But, waiting four years? That might be tough. Because that’s usually when sex, drugs, and booze creep up on your to-do list.
Check out young Shapiro breaking records… @RelayLangleyVA @LangleyBaseball pic.twitter.com/GfdN7ZQZ1h
— Jessica Statz (@jnstatz) May 15, 2016
So, how did he do it? Well, he gave up baseball for the season to train full time. His regiment was 10 pull ups a minute for six hours straight. To stay motivated and sane, he’d watch the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and X-Men franchises. His diet included boxes of sushi and cartons of pineapple. Hey, laaaaaaaadieeeeees!
Shapiro raised $4,000 for the American Cancer Society. His mom said her husband was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2011 and has endured two major surgeries, chemotherapy, plus radiation. He’s now cancer-free and in remission.
Andrew added:
“I’ve always liked challenging myself so I’ll add this to my resume as a person for American Ninja Warrior,” Shapiro said. “I figure they won’t say no to someone who has the world record for pull-ups.”
The last time I was personally involved in a pull-up was when mom put on my diapers. There are days when I can barely pull up my pants. Pull-ups are like the quintessential intimidation move, especially in prison. By the time Shapiro’s done intimidating, everyone’s asleep.
Via Washington Post