Mexican athlete completes 12,000 pull ups for third title after epic gym transformation

A talented strongman from Mexico made history last month after claiming the competitive record for the most pull ups in 24 hours (male).

Enrique Zapata took over the record from Lennert Schots (Belgium) in Queretaro, Mexico this 31 January, after finishing an insane amount of 12,345 pull ups in just one day. 

This is the third pull-up record conquered by the incredible athlete, who also held the titles for the most pull ups in eight hours (male) with 4,949 and the most pull ups in 12 hours (male) with 7,100. 

Even though the latter two titles have since been broken by David McCarthy (USA, 5,450 pull ups) and Rémi Girard (France, 7,300 pull ups) respectively, Enrique is still immensely proud of his trifecta of achievements, which he spent over five years practising for.

“It took discipline, belief, and an extraordinary team,” said Enrique to GWR.

“The record is dedicated to my team: my wife, Mariana; Humberto, my physiotherapist and friend; Alex and David, my mindset coaches; Rosendo; Jorge; and everyone who stood by me during the hardest moments… 

“This record is about perseverance over time. If I can do this, everyone can,” he concluded.

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Accompanied by a cardboard cutout of himself before his fitness transformation (featuring the phrase: “if he could, you can”), Enrique showed up at La Loma High-Performance Sports Center at the end of last month, determined to take the record.

“The 24-hour record has always been the dream, and now I am ready,” he stated in his GWR application.

Similarly to many other fitness records, a key part of the attempt is not just the strength, but the endurance – and for full-day events, it is crucial that the athlete prepares a plan to spread out their power throughout the 24 hours.

Luckily, Enrique was more than prepared, with a dedicated spreadsheet helping him count out his repetitions, and a host of supporters there to cheer him on.  

And at 2:49 p.m. on that Saturday afternoon, he was ready to start the attempt – beginning with 10 quick and confident pull ups that would set the pace for the rest of the challenge.

Yet remarkably, as his workout continued, Enrique took very few breaks. He hopped off the bar for a couple minutes after finishing a few hundred pull ups, and would only stop to replace the protective sponges on the bar or to rehydrate and replenish.

Most of the time, Enrique completed reps in sets of seven or eight, banging them out consistently in front of his crowd of supporters and trainers. 

And as he got closer to his goal, they gradually got more excited – cheering on the determined athlete through his mental fatigue and physical exhaustion.

Finally, after nine hours and 53 minutes of excruciating labour, Enrique surpassed the previous record of 11,900 pull ups set by Lennert – and less than an hour after that, he had at long last reached his goal.

In front of the enthusiastic crowd, Enrique completed his 12,345th pull up, absolutely crushing the title he wanted so badly. As his friends, supporters, and his wife celebrated his achievement, the weary strongman was able to take a deep breath for the first time in hours, secure in the fact that he finally accomplished his dream.

“I did this for those who feel discouraged or uncertain about the future,” said Enrique. “No matter where you are, you can always take one more step.”

So congratulations to this incredible athlete for his triple-crown of pull up records – Enrique, you are Officially Amazing!