A Red Deer man is waiting to find out if he has set a new world record after completing thousands of reps at an outdoor gym in the city.
Harold Jacobson, 59, was at Bower Place Fitness Park, located in the green space behind the mall, Saturday to complete his goal of 20,000 reps on four body-weight machines: chest press, less press, lat pulldown and rider bike.
A video of the world record attempt was recorded and, along with witness reports, will be sent to the Guinness Book of World Records for review. Jacobson expects to hear back within 12 weeks.
“There’s nothing in Guinness right now (for a record on most completed reps). I’ll be setting a mark and it’ll be up to them to say, ‘Yay you did it,’” Jacobson said.
“I know I did it. I know I did something nobody in the world has ever done before. I’m pretty proud of myself. I feel pretty good. I’m surprised because I thought I might be a little worse off.”
After all was said and done, Jacobson completed 20,071 reps in four hours and 29 minutes, which is about a rep a second.
“I’m sore in areas I didn’t know existed,” Jacobson said with a laugh.
“A bunch of people came by or drove by and honked. My buddy Jay Hutton (who also kept count for Jacobson) kept me in the groove. I got it done and afterward we went to Montana’s for some fish and chips.”
Jacobson only stopped for two bathroom breaks – once at the 10,000 mark and again around 15,000.
“I’ve been a personal trainer now for 28 years and I want to leave a legacy for my last name,” Jacobson said, adding he was bullied and wants to inspire others, especially young people.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I can do this. It’s not about fame. We all get stuck in our own ruts and think that we’re not good sometimes. Once I’ve done this and get recognized for it, I want to be able to speak to people about it.”
On May 23, Jacobson completed 15,100 reps in a trial run. He admitted to feeling “wiped out” the following day. He said the cooler weather on Saturday helped him out.
Jacobson said he wanted to give a special thanks to Action Equipment Rentals, who rented out a generator at the last minute, which was needed to ensure the camera would record the entire world record attempt. He also said Westerner Park provided a clicker to make sure they could count reps.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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