The Combat Fitness Test must seem like a walk in the park for Seaman Jason Armstrong, who shattered three world records by cranking out 3,376 overhand pull-ups in one day.
A 19-year-old who studies Mandarin Chinese at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, Calif., Armstrong set records for the most pull-ups in six-, 12- and 24-hour periods during a Memorial Day stunt that raised $5,500 for the Wounded Warrior Project.
His young career is defined by such ambition. Before switching gears to study languages, Armstrong spent time in the Navy SEAL training program, BUD/S, which is short for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL. In 2006, when he was just 16, Armstrong cranked out 2,409 pull-ups in 12 hours, according to the Book of Alternative Records, which is produced in England. Since then, two others had topped that record. Armstrong also owns rowing records and hopes to row in the Olympics one day.
Armstrong takes the “hare” approach to pull-ups — cranking out quick bursts followed by frequent breaks. When he set the world record on Memorial Day, he averaged about 218 pull-ups per hour for 15.5 hours, leaving the rest of his time unused.
Armstrong submitted his latest achievement to the Guinness Book of World Records, but hasn’t heard back. As of Friday, Guinness had yet to respond to a request for its current pull-up record.
With pull-ups an integral part of the Marine Corps’ Physical Fitness Test, Marines stand to learn a thing or two from this sailor. Marine Corps Times picked his brain for advice on mastering pull-ups and mixing up your training regimens. Excerpts:
Q: How do you train to break such records?
A: I wake up … before class and row, swim or run for an hour. Then I go to class and afterwards, spend two to three hours at the gym, weight training and doing pull-ups. I’ll do eight pull-ups a minute for as long as I can. I put in about 30 to 33 hours a week.
Q: How did you feel the day after you broke the pull-up record?
A: I felt surprisingly good. I had some soreness and stiffness, especially in the elbows, but after a week I was already back into full training — and 2½ weeks later I was fully recovered.
Q: Why did you go for this record and use the opportunity to raise money for Wounded Warriors?
A: I’ve been in the Navy for about two years now and feel like all I have done is train and go to school, so I wanted to start giving something back to all the guys that have served and sacrificed.
Q: How can Marines maximize their pull-up output?
A: If you want to get good at pull-ups, you have to do pull-ups. There is only one way to get good at them. I also do some cross training and rowing, which helps.
A 19-year-old who studies Mandarin Chinese at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, Calif., Armstrong set records for the most pull-ups in six-, 12- and 24-hour periods during a Memorial Day stunt that raised $5,500 for the Wounded Warrior Project.
His young career is defined by such ambition. Before switching gears to study languages, Armstrong spent time in the Navy SEAL training program, BUD/S, which is short for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL. In 2006, when he was just 16, Armstrong cranked out 2,409 pull-ups in 12 hours, according to the Book of Alternative Records, which is produced in England. Since then, two others had topped that record. Armstrong also owns rowing records and hopes to row in the Olympics one day.
Armstrong takes the “hare” approach to pull-ups — cranking out quick bursts followed by frequent breaks. When he set the world record on Memorial Day, he averaged about 218 pull-ups per hour for 15.5 hours, leaving the rest of his time unused.
Armstrong submitted his latest achievement to the Guinness Book of World Records, but hasn’t heard back. As of Friday, Guinness had yet to respond to a request for its current pull-up record.
With pull-ups an integral part of the Marine Corps’ Physical Fitness Test, Marines stand to learn a thing or two from this sailor. Marine Corps Times picked his brain for advice on mastering pull-ups and mixing up your training regimens. Excerpts:
Q: How do you train to break such records?
A: I wake up … before class and row, swim or run for an hour. Then I go to class and afterwards, spend two to three hours at the gym, weight training and doing pull-ups. I’ll do eight pull-ups a minute for as long as I can. I put in about 30 to 33 hours a week.
Q: How did you feel the day after you broke the pull-up record?
A: I felt surprisingly good. I had some soreness and stiffness, especially in the elbows, but after a week I was already back into full training — and 2½ weeks later I was fully recovered.
Q: Why did you go for this record and use the opportunity to raise money for Wounded Warriors?
A: I’ve been in the Navy for about two years now and feel like all I have done is train and go to school, so I wanted to start giving something back to all the guys that have served and sacrificed.
Q: How can Marines maximize their pull-up output?
A: If you want to get good at pull-ups, you have to do pull-ups. There is only one way to get good at them. I also do some cross training and rowing, which helps.
