Pittsburgh PE teacher crushes push up record by completing over 1,800 in just one hour
For 60 straight minutes last November, Laura Hunt (USA) lay parallel to the ground, pumping out push ups.
As an athletic coordinator and physical education teacher for the Falk School at the University of Pittsburgh, she was no stranger to completing dozens of reps a day – but on that fateful fall afternoon, Laura was attempting a record-breaking amount.
In an effort to claim the Guinness World Records title for the most push ups in one hour (female), Laura smashed a total of 1,826 – and she did it all to prove to her children, students, and others, that hard things are worth doing.
“I have always been a goal-driven person who thrives on challenges,” she said. “[Setting the record] is a statement of perseverance, discipline, and belief in what is possible… we can all be bigger than ordinary!”
With over 25 years of experience in the physical education field – including work as a personal trainer – Laura was very knowledgeable about what makes a good push up.
Yet for this challenging attempt, she says that she had to train consistently to get her strength, balance, core, and mobility at the level she needed to compete.
Videos across her social media document her journey, depicting Laura throughout her workouts as she completes core movements on her exercise ball, push ups on a balance board, and stretches on her yoga mat. She even said that she averaged 5,500 push ups a week in the lead up to her big attempt!
Finally, on 8 November, she felt prepared to take on the title… and she invited an independent witness, a fitness specialist, two timekeepers, and her supportive loved ones (including her gym friends the ‘Push Up Pirates’) out to a gym in Pennsylvania to watch her make history.
With her palms pressed flat on her purple yoga mat, and her sneakers squarely propped upon the floor behind her, when the timer started Laura immediately began confidently banging out reps of 15.
Her loved ones passionately cheered her on, while her timekeepers diligently marked her count and remaining time.
Yet even when she would drop to her knees, taking a few seconds of much-needed rest, Laura kept going – gradually approaching DonnaJean Wilde’s (Canada) 2024 record of 1,575 push ups.
Eventually, Laura surpassed that incredible total on her 105th set. But she pushed through her exhaustion – even increasing the amount of push ups in each set – until she hit her record-breaking number of 1,826.
Her loved ones showered her in praise, bursting confetti over her head, and Laura couldn’t stop smiling as she reveled in her outstanding achievement.
So congratulations, Laura, on your record-breaking push up performance – you are Officially Amazing!