Paddy Doyle is one of the world’s most prolific record holders when it comes to feats of fitness, strength and endurance. Since 1987, eighty-one of its world records still stand. He has been called the fittest man in the world, but he does not accept that as an exact title, saying that “it is too difficult to judge, the athlete would have to be brilliant in all sports”. His military endurance fitness training style has proven to be too much for some who have tried to train with him at his boxing and martial arts gym in the UK.

Paddy has quite a few world records. World records for this common physical exercise can be held in many categories. In both men’s and women’s competitions, to name a few, there are:

Without scales

– 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes

– 1 hour, 5 hours, 24 hours

– Days, weeks, years

– One armed

– At your fingertips

– Weighing 50 pounds

– Inclined

The rules that cover a proper and qualified push-up are briefly outlined here:

– Hands should be at shoulder height.

– The body must be kept straight

– The elbows should form a 90 degree angle at the bottom of the movement.

– The arms should be straight at the top of the movement, thus completing a push-up.

If you can’t do a full push-up and are starting completely from scratch, the best way to start is to decrease resistance by doing them from the knees. To properly train to go break some of Paddy’s records … Good luck! And remember that you are never too old. The famous Jack Lalanne, who once held the world record for making 1,000 in just 23 minutes, is now 93 years old and still is!

– Remember this is a standard basic exercise. Keep in good shape

– Do as many as you can, continuously.

– After failure, rest for two to three minutes, then go to another round

– Even for your first day, do at least three sets per session

– There is a great benefit to doing so many sessions of at least three sets during the day

– After this “push-up day” rest! You will be sore the next day. Wait until this dissipates before your next day of push-ups.

Because muscle balance is so important, be sure to do some “opposite” exercises on your days off. Try chin-ups. The standard ones will work, but if you can lower the bar or raise your feet so that you are doing a “backwards” pushup, even better.

Stretching is also very important. A good way to stretch your pectoral muscles, along with your shoulders and other muscles and ligaments that will come into play during your push-up journey, is to use a tackle. Stand in the doorway with your hands raised by your shoulders against the jamb and then lean forward and hold for 10 seconds.