You may have seen David Rush conquer past record titles before, but if not, let us introduce you to one of our most accomplished record-breakers.
At age 36, David Rush has broken nearly 200 Guinness World Records titles. This brave daredevil has broken records that involved him trekking the farthest distance with a bike on his chin to stuffing over 120 blueberries into his mouth.
To help inspire and make use of our time at home, David filmed a short, fun special to share with fellow Guinness World Records fans who are looking to break records.
In this video, he shares some of his helpful strategies that he uses when attempting records and explains how easy it is to break records in the comfort of your own house!
Records using kitchen items
David first walks us to the kitchen where he shows us what record attempts you can do with common household items like lemon juice, lime juice, plastic wrap, and toilet paper from the pantry.
To attempt the fastest time to drink one litre of lemon juice through a straw, David suggests practicing with a litre water first before practicing with lemon juice.
Before attempting these records, David prepares by doing four things:
- Experimenting with his breathing
- Determining whether he should sit or stand
- Thinking of how to best position his body
- Testing what slurping method works best when consuming liquids
David achieved the lemon juice drinking record with a time of 16.53 seconds in May 2020. He also broke the record for the fastest time to drink one litre of lime juice through a straw at 17.29 seconds in April 2020.
However David didn't hold these records for long, as Andre Ortolf (Germany) broke both records in November 2020 and is now the current record-holder for these titles.
The next attempt David talks through requires only cling film, also known as plastic wrap.
David gathers some of the material from his kitchen and demonstrates his attempt on his wife, Jennifer.
David executed this record with his wife at 1 min 58 seconds, achieving the record for the fastest time to wrap a person in cling film/plastic wrap.
David next talks through the fastest time to bounce a ping pong ball into five pint glasses.
The key to success for this record is practicing slowly first and taking the time to accurately throw the ball into each cup.
He is now the current record holder with a time of only 2.03 seconds.
Records using bathroom items
Before David guides viewers into the bathroom, he shows an attempt the entire family can do – the fastest time to stack 10 toilet paper rolls (one hand). Currently, Silvio Sabba (Italy) holds the record at 5.45 seconds.
David takes us into his bathroom next, where he scours his drawers and cabinets for shaving cream.
The next record attempt is an awfully fun one! Strap on a swimming cap, gather some shaving cream, and assemble some ping pong balls to attempt the record for the most table tennis balls caught in shaving foam on the head in 30 seconds.
David explained that all records take practice and you may fail, but with practice you can achieve anything.
"If you fail, you are finding out where you can improve." - David Rush
David tossed 29 balls into Jonathan’s towering shaving cream shaped hat, successfully achieving this record.
Records using other items
The following record attempted was the longest duration to keep two balloons in the air with the head.
David shares that the crucial solution to successfully breaking this record is to keep the moving balloons from colliding with one another.
David attempted this record in an open space indoors where he was able roam and bounce the balloons on his head without any external interferences, like wind or rain, that would hinder his attempt.
David achieved the record with a time of 3 minutes 40 seconds.
The last attempt David demonstrates is the most T-shirts put on in one minute (individual).
Broadcasting from his closet, David lays out how he would attempt the record, showing us how he preps, including little tips like what fabric material will impede on your record time.
David Rush and his wife, Jennifer Rush, also worked together to achieve the most T-shirts put on in one minute (team of two) with 35 t-shirts.
Tune in to the end of the video, as David also includes a quick tutorial on how to juggle!
Having broken so many records in one video, many wonder what is the secret to his success?
One final tip from the passionate STEM educator is to never give up. He often encounters unsuccessful attempt during his first practices but he pushes on, practicing and improving slowly, to the point where he is confident he can achieve the record.
"When I try a new Guinness World Record title for the first time, I fail and I fail badly. And then I fail again and then I get a little bit better. But what I don’t do is I don’t give up." - David Rush
"One of the most important things you need to understand is that when you fail when you first try it, that is not a judgement on you or your ability or your natural talent, or your ability to succeed in the future."
We hope you are able to take away from some of David’s insights and tips and apply them to your own record-breaking attempts at home!
