Many people think of their grandparents as their heroes. But the grandchildren of DonnaJean Wilde (Canada) can officially say their grandmother is a superhero.
The 59 year-old broke her second world record title last week after completing 1,575 push ups in 60 minutes, taking home the award for most push ups in one hour (female).
Her win comes right after her March title, obtained for the longest time in an abdominal plank position (female), when she held a plank for 4 hr 30 min and 11 sec.
DonnaJean says the intense training for her first record title helped her on her second – she fell in love with doing push ups when she had to do 500 a day for her planking preparation. She spent hours working out at her family’s gorgeous home in Beazer, Alberta in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and let the quiet strength of nature inspire her performance.
She came into her second record attempt mentally prepared, with her abs and arms of steel, and surpassed the previous push up record title with 17 minutes left on the clock.
“I had to fight back the happy tears and emotions and keep going,” said DonnaJean. “I still felt quite strong and I was aiming for a high number of push ups to complete in the next 17 minutes.”
The attempt ironically took place at a senior’s home, a markedly different vibe than where she completed her first record, at the high school where she worked as a vice principal before her retirement.
Cheering her on were 11 of her 12 grandkids, whose little voices counted down her sets and shouted encouragement, including a handmade poster saying “My grandma is officially amazing!”
The push ups had to be performed to a certain standard, requiring a 90 degree elbow flexion at the bottom of the push up, with full extension of the arm when pushing up. Independent witnesses displayed her current total on a scoreboard, and as DonnaJean took intermittent breathers, she kept the number of push ups in her line of sight.
She started the hour strong, completing 620 push ups in the first 20 minutes. She then alternated between 20 and five push ups per rep for the next 15 minutes, eventually surpassing the previous record and completing an average of about 10 push ups per rep until the time expired.
And even when she felt her shoulder dislocate and pop back in near the end of the competition, she kept pushing to achieve the incredible total.
Despite winning a world record once before, as a lifelong athlete, DonnaJean knows the importance of taking the time to celebrate your accomplishments. After her record, she took pictures and chatted with excited family members and supporters, and soaked in all their love and appreciation for their Officially Amazing grandmother.
“I believe that if we stay active and have health and wellness goals we can age gracefully and powerfully,” said DonnaJean.
And even if you can’t complete 1,575 push ups— one is always a great place to start!