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Push-ups are known for being one of the most challenging fitness moves to perform.

Even though many have difficulty building up the stamina to do a round of proper push ups, 12-time record holder and personal trainer Luis Vargas has worked hard to prove himself as the "Push Up King". 

Luis first got into record-breaking after reading the annual Guinness World Records book with his children as a bedtime story.

“Since they were so impressed with all the Guinness World Records titles in the book, I just told them ‘hey you know, all dads are superman, so I can actually be one day in that book’.”

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At the time Luis was mostly kidding, but unfortunately his kids took his words literally! 

Everyday afterwards, they began asking when he would get into the official Guinness World Records books.

Luis had a lot of areas of interest, so he started to think creatively about what record titles he could pursue.

Since he is a certified skydiver, personal trainer, has a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and loves snowboarding, his had lots of options.

As Luis had mostly stuck to bodyweight exercises for training, and needed to develop his knuckles for Tae Kwon Do, he came to the conclusion that push-ups were the best option and began to train.

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Although the minimum records were quite high, Luis wasn’t deterred.

In fact he practiced for several years leading up to his first record attempt to ensure he broke the record.

That’s when he managed to break his first two records for most spiderman knuckle push ups carrying a 60 lb pack in one minute with 28 push ups and most spiderman knuckle push ups carrying a 40 lb pack in one minute (male) with 35 push ups while at an event for Caesar’s Palace and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA).

“From then on, yes, I proved to my kids that I can actually beat a record. But after that I said to myself ‘I kind of like this’ - so I decided to keep doing it and looking for opportunities to challenge myself and become better so I could start breaking other records.” 

Since that time, Luis has broken a total of 12 records and currently holds nine. They include: 

  • Most spiderman knuckle push ups carrying a 60 lb pack in one minute – 28 push ups 
  • Most spiderman knuckle push ups carrying a 40 lb pack in one minute (male) - 35 push ups 
  • Most knuckle push ups in three minutes (male) - 192 push ups 
  • Most knuckle push ups carrying 40 lb pack in one minute (male) - 69 push ups 
  • Most spiderman push ups in one minute – 72 push ups 
  • Most knuckle push ups carrying 40 lb pack in three minutes (male) - 110 push ups 
  • Most spiderman knuckle push ups in one minute – 74 push ups 
  • Most spiderman knuckle push ups three minutes (male) - 140 push ups 
  • Most knuckle push ups carrying a 60 lb pack in three minutes (male) - 92 push ups 

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On average, Luis does 110,000 push per year and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon! He currently has a few additional push up records he has applied for.

He hopes to keep motivating others as someone who has broken all his records past the age of 50.

“What I like about record breaking is that it gives my kids an example and it gives them inspiration to be determined and disciplined. It’s a real way to see how determination, discipline, and focus can get them in real life. Nothing is impossible to achieve If you are really determined to get it, and you’re really convinced that you can actually do it. That’s the lesson that I want to teach my kids, and the lesson that I want to teach people my age.”