USA man shatters chest-to-ground push up record with 1,246 in an hour

In an immense display of strength and endurance, Alex Capogna has achieved one of the most physically demanding world records in existence: the most chest-to-ground push ups in one hour.

The 31-year-old attorney from New York, USA, performed 1,246 push ups, averaging over 20 per minute.

He smashed his previous world record of 884, which he set in October last year.

“Tremendous effort” is the answer Alex gave when asked how he was able to improve upon the record by such a large margin.

“My approach to training isn’t nuanced or exotic,” he explained. “Each session ends at the point of absolute failure, which arrives – by absolute necessity – sometime later than last.”

For the purposes of this record, a chest-to-ground push up is performed by starting with the chest in contact with the ground, arms positioned shoulder width apart. The torso is then lifted off the ground by performing a push up, with the body raised until the arms are straight, before returning to the start position.

The chest must make clear contact with the ground for each push up and the body mustn’t bend at the knees or waist.

Maintaining perfect form is the most difficult part of this challenge, according to Alex.

“All the way down, all the way up – everybody knows what it should look like, when done right,” he said.

Incredibly, Alex didn’t experience much muscle fatigue afterwards – in fact, after resting for 20 minutes, he attempted a different push up record, which is currently under review.

He began training for this two and a half years ago, gradually increasing the number of push ups he could do each time.

However, Alex admits he sacrificed quality for quantity at some point along the way, likening himself to a “writhing fish”.

With a renewed focus on perfecting his technique, he felt ready to make his first official record attempt last year, and he describes his much-improved recent attempt as “a refinement of that practice”.

Alex hasn’t always been the brawny man he is today. As a high-school freshman, he achieved a lower physical-education test score than every other boy in his year group.

But by consistently training over the next few years – with push ups being the centrepiece of his workout routines – he managed to set his school’s pull-up record (35) in his senior year.

“I think it is good to fail like that sometimes,” Alex said.

“I aim to develop this sort of personal relationship with failure – through physical training, where it is easiest to synthesize – in the hope that it will serve me in all aspects of life. It is an analogue for many things.”

Alex feels honoured to hold this “universally understood and familiar” record.

“Just about anyone can attempt this for themselves, just about anywhere - no special equipment necessary,” he explained.

But challengers be warned: Alex intends to defend his world record for as long as he physically can!