A 10-times Guinness World Record holder is aiming to add one more to his tally this week – and he needs our help.
Alex Goulding is returning to his old school – Mark Rutherford – on Thursday (15 December) with the aim of breaking the record for the most people simultaneously performing clap push-ups in one minute.
The current world record is 250, so Alex is hoping to have at least 251 people at the school on Thursday at 6.30pm to add the new record to his haul.
Everyone is welcome to take part, you just need to register on the Eventbrite page so Alex knows how many people to expect. You can register here.
“The event is to promote the importance of physical exercise to improve mental health,” said Alex. “The world record is just a by-product of this, to make it more fun.”
Alex, who works in mental health for the NHS, is also a personal trainer and uses exercise himself to cancel out a negative mindset.
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After bumping into one of his old sports teachers at the gym, they asked him to work with students at Mark Rutherford School to encourage more school children to get involved in physical activity.
“They asked if I wanted to do a world record attempt at the school,” said Alex.
“I was totally up for it, but wanted to make it a mass participation event, so that we could get as many people involved as possible.
“Bedford is such a supportive community, so I know that we’ll have a good turnout.”
Coincidentally, another teacher at Mark Rutherford, Michelle Bye-Gannon, is studying for a PhD about how exercise can help men’s mental health, so she and Alex will both speak at Thursday’s event to reiterate the importance of keeping physically active.
This latest Guinness World Record attempt will wrap up Alex’s achievements for 2022, but he’s already got his sights set on 2023.
“I’ll be heading to Bedford town centre in January to lead a mass workout to raise awareness of suicide prevention,” said Alex, who is an ambassador for Samsons Academy Charity. In February he’s off to Italy to participate in the Guinness World Record Show, competing in a team with his former record-breaking rival, Jimmy Choi.
Alex is also training for a pull-up world record attempt.
“Exercise was always my therapy, without me even knowing it,” said Alex. “And I’m passionate about sharing that.”
