Columbus man completed over 7K pull-ups in 24 hours. Did he beat Guinness world record?
Editor’s note:
Retired Fort Benning Army Ranger Brandon Tucker unofficially broke the Guinness World Record for the most pull-ups in a 24-hour period.
Tucker, 29, finished with 7,715 pull-ups, well above the current world record of 7,600. Guinness will now review video of Tucker’s attempt to determine if officially he broke the record.
Original:
Retired Fort Benning Army Ranger Brandon Tucker is about to pump things up to inspire others and raise money for veterans in need.
That’s because Tucker, 29, knows what it’s like to need support. Over the span of several years, he lost his mother — and his career.
When things got dark, Tucker found solace in pushing his body and mind beyond its limits. Now, he’ll attempt to break a Guinness World Record.
Tucker will try to complete the most pull-ups in a 24-hour period starting Saturday, near the four-year anniversary of his mother’s death. The current world record for men sits at 7,600. Tucker wants to exceed 8,000 and raise a dollar for each pull-up performed.
It won’t be an easy task, Tucker said. They must be strict pull-ups, meaning he must start at a dead hang, raise his chin over the bar and return to a dead hang.
But he’s trained for a while now.
“Everything leading up to this … I feel like I need to get myself back together,” he said. “At the same time, I want to try and inspire other people to do the same. We all go through things in life.”
The beginning
On October 25, 2015, Tucker, a Missouri native, lost his mother and stepfather in a car accident. Tucker was stationed at Benning at the time.
“The death of my mom changed me,” he said. “It made me realize how short life was.”
Not long after her death, Tucker was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a bowel disease that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers in the digestive tract. Doctors told him the disease could have laid dormant in his system for years. But stresses of the military and the death of his mother could have caused the initial flare-up, doctors told him.
He found a drug that helped manage his symptoms, but the disease eventually led to his medical retirement from the Army. He served from 2011 to 2018, he said.
“I really wanted to stay in,” he said. “I didn’t have any time to plan for the next chapter. When I joined the Army, I planned on staying in for 20-30 years, making a career out of it. I had all these goals lined up.”
Tucker looked towards the future. The U.S. Special Operations Warrior Care Program (Care Coalition) led him to downtown Columbus’ Uncommon Athlete gym.
He started working there when he was still an active duty service member transitioning into retirement. He currently works at the gym as a personal trainer. He found self-help books and like-minded people like the gym’s owner Tyler Wyatt, giving Tucker strength to take steps toward getting his life back to where he wants it, Tucker said.
“I’d wake up and have days where I didn’t feel like doing anything,” he said. “But all of this kind of woke me up in a way. I stopped looking at what’s going around me, and I started looking at what’s going on inside me.”
Why pull-ups?
Tucker wanted to push himself. He decided on the pull-ups record after reading retired Navy Seal David Goggins’ book “Can’t Hurt Me.”
Goggins made several attempts at breaking the pull-up record, eventually succeeding in 2013. His record no-longer stands.
“I just felt like I needed to do something,” he said. “I wanted to do something big. I wanted to push myself, not just physically, but mentally to see what I’m capable of.”
The training has been intense, he said. He’s meal prepping and even getting advice from the current pull-up record-holder John Orth. Swapping gloves and a good team are key, Tucker said, recalling some of Orth’s advice.
“If your hands get wet, you’re toast,” Tucker said.
Tucker’s gotten to the point where he can hit about 4,000 pull-ups in a 12-hour period. Of course, that isn’t done all at once. There are breaks. But if Tucker performs at that pace this weekend, he will be a world record holder. Still, conditions Saturday are going to be different.
“I’ve been so nervous. When I think about it, I almost get nauseous,” Tucker said with a chuckle. “I’ve never put myself out there. … I can either be that guy that talks a big game or I can be the guy that backs it up.”
How can you help?
Tucker’s world record attempt begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at Uncommon Athlete gym downtown. It was the closest day he could get to the anniversary of his mother’s death.
She remains his constant source of motivation, he said.
“She is my why. She is why I’m doing what I’m doing, and when things get hard, she is the reason I keep trying harder,” he said. “She was always so proud of me, and she always saw so much potential in me and my brothers. I guess it was hard for me to see that. So, now I’m trying to see what she’s seen.”
The event is open to the public, and Tucker hopes to raise $1 for each pull-up. All proceeds will benefit these six organizations:
▪ Achilles International - Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans
Tucker will raise the money through cash donations, a 50/50 raffle and a GoFundMe page.
Tucker will submit video evidence of his attempt to Guinness. If he doesn’t break the world record this weekend, Tucker said he’ll just try again.
Tucker said he hopes Saturday’s attempt will serve as an inspiration to veterans and others going through tough times.
“I want them to know that there are people out there that care for them and support them,” he said. “I would like to walk out of there and be able to give a couple thousand to each non-profit. ...If I can help change one life, then I’m happy.”
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 1:00 AM.