A UK charity that reduces knife crime by turning weapons into outdoor gyms hosted a record-breaking day to help spread its message.
On 12 August, London-based calisthenics coach Adam Morsel achieved the longest duration to perform a single arm handstand on a balance dome (male) – managing to stand on one hand for an incredible time of 52.40 seconds.
The attempt was part of the mass-participation event organized by Steel Warriors, which aims to create a street workout movement and empower young people previously affected by street crime.
During the day, the pro bono association aimed to break two records:
- Most people performing an unassisted handstand simultaneously (with a minimum to beat of 399 people performing an unassisted handstand for at least 10 seconds)
- Longest duration to perform a single-arm handstand on a balance dome (a minimum of 45 seconds)
"I was very relieved," Adam said after the attempt. "I worked a lot for this, so I'm grateful for the journey as well."
Although sadly the mass participation attempt didn't result in a record, not reaching the minimum to beat, Adam amazed the crowd with his athletic capabilities.
For the entire time, Adam maintained his balance while standing on a BOSU trainer ball with the dome side facing the ground.
The event and Adam’s successful feat attracted a large crowd, highlighting Steel Warriors’ relentless fight against crime.
As reported on the Arsenal website, one of the partners of the charity, after the attempt Steel Warriors followed with more news and announced the formation of a new national governing body for calisthenics: British Calisthenics.
“The organization will aim to govern, codify and develop the sport in a manner that reflects the best interests of our community and protects the authenticity of calisthenics,” writes the website.
Founded in 2017 by Ben Wintour and Pia Fontes, Steel Warriors is an anti-knife crime charity that helps keep the streets of London knife-free.
The charity collects and melts street knives into free-to-use outdoor calisthenics gyms: spaces where the community can grow, rather than be divided by crime and violence.
Ben and Pia (working in PR at the time) came up with the idea for the project after noticing that all they read about in the news was crime and illegal acts.
Realizing that the existing solutions were missing some important marks, they decided to create a movement that relies on love, support and community.
Living by the motto "a nation where young lives are built on steel, not destroyed by it,” the founders took an unconventional route: morphing unlawful weapons into objects at the service of the community.
Today, the charity has expanded and evolved into a solid reality.
Steel Warriors continues to repurpose knives taken off the streets, melt the steel and turn it into outdoor street gyms.
The goal is to create a network of outdoor safe spaces (at the moment they count three training locations: starting from the very first one in London's Langdon Park and then expanding to Finsbury Park and Ruskin Park, also in the capital) to empower street workout movements.
The charity also offers free classes and workout videos online.
"Steel Warriors is a case of problem solving in action," says Steel Warriors member Christian D'Ippolito. "Taking something that is predominantly considered to be negative and turning it into a positive."
Turning negatives into positives with a clear objective of helping young people pursuing their dreams through their unique skills, they transform the lives through physical training.
Although promoting sports and healthy training in general, Steel Warriors relies mainly on calisthenics, a specific form of strength training. The word comes from the Greek words kalos, meaning beautiful, and sthenos, strength.
Mixing a wide range of exercises such as push-ups, squats and burpees, but also headstands and leg raises, the calisthenics athletes train their body while achieving the grace of movement.
Adam, who took home the coveted GWR certificate after breaking the record for longest duration to perform a single arm handstand on a balance dome (male), is a calisthenics athlete and trainer with a strong online presence.
With a passion for combining fitness and impressive videography, Adam shared his over-six-year journey with calisthenics (and how it changed his life) on his YouTube channel.
The record for the overall longest duration to perform a single arm handstand (male) was achieved by Mexican Nicolas Montes de Oca (Mexico).
Nicolas achieved a whopping 1 min 11.82 sec on 25 March 2022.
Want more? Follow us onGoogle News and across our social media channels to stay up-to-date with all things Guinness World Records! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snapchat Discover.
Don't forget to check out our videos on YouTube and become part of our group chat by following the Guinness World Records WhatsApp channel.
Still not had enough? Click here to buy our latest book, filled to the brim with stories about our amazing record breakers.
Related Articles
