How he did it: Meet the Salem man who set a new world record for burpee pull ups
Two-time world record holder Tommy Vu didn’t realize his own strength until the COVID-19 pandemic. A small crowd saw his special abilities on Monday when he attempted the world record for most burpee pull ups done in an hour.
“I'm never going to be the world's fastest man — I'm just not genetically gifted,” he said after breaking the world record at West Coast Strength in West Salem. “But what I found during 2020 training was I just have endurance and grit and a never-give-up attitude.”
That attitude was visible as Vu, 36, pulled himself over a bar and landed into a push-up over and over, never pausing for more than a few seconds over the course of an hour. Even after surpassing the world record of 573 burpee pull ups in an hour around 56 minutes in, and then blowing his personal goal of 600, he kept at it until the clock ran out, eventually competing 611 burpee pull ups.
The previous record for most burpee pull ups completed in an hour was held by Shawn Dobbs of Jacksonville, Florida, according to Guinness World Records.
Vu's record has yet to be certified as the official world record. He expects to receive verification in three months, after sending in video camera angles and witness testimony.
Training to do what no one has
Vu works in orthopedics at Salem Health, so he knows firsthand the importance of training and goal-setting. He trained for over three months to beat the record, taking an hour each day to focus solely on his health and training.
“I do a lot of bodyweight exercises,” he said. “I’ve engaged with all types of exercise as a powerlifter, weightlifter and crossover.”
On top of all that, he’s also in the Army National Guard, which inspired him to use Monday’s world record attempt to raise awareness for Team Red, White and Blue — an organization that provides veterans free membership to events that combine fitness and social connection.
Dean Chambers, state coordinator for Team RWB, came to support Vu during the world record attempt.
“We're trying to get veterans out of their house, engaging with other veterans and the community,” Chambers said. “This helps other people be aware of our mission.”
Vu has spent the year focusing on records for burpees. He did the most chest to ground burpees in one hour (1,003) in March. He decided to go for speed and warm up for Monday’s record attempt by completing the most burpee pull ups in one minute (26) on the set of Good Morning America on Dec. 1. On the show, he was given $15,000 to donate to Team RWB.
Keeping up with the next generation
Also in attendance were as many of Vu’s friends and family as could fit in the small room at West Coast Strength. Vu said their support powers him through such exhausting, repetitive movement.
“Every time I do one of these people will come up to me and say their kids want to do burpees on their own — they say, ‘Mom and Dad, hey, can we go to the gym, get a gym membership. I'm gonna do what Tommy does,'” Vu said. “That stuff just gets me so motivated.”
Vu has his own kids too; his wife was near him during his record-setting attempt, holding their newborn. He planned the date to be on his 6-year-old son’s birthday. He's excited to eventually gift him the certificate.
“I want to make sure that as I age I stay healthy and fit, so I can keep up with them,” Vu said.
The finish line
What does a three-time world record holder do after pushing his body to its limits?
Eat a whole lot of food, Vu said. On Monday night, it was Chinese.
However, Vu was already thinking about reaching new peaks. Continuing in partnership with Team RWB, he wants to involve the community in his next effort, which he’s calling “Your Hardest Mile.”
Vu’s hardest mile will, unsurprisingly, be burpees, as he tries to overtake the current burpee mile record of one hour, 32 minutes. However, he encourages others to set realistic goals for themselves.
“Go out, go walk for a mile, you know, push a baby stroller or whatever it is, whatever you can do — set that goal,” he said.
Olivia Stevens is the Statesman Journal's sports intern. You can reach out with comments or questions at ostevens@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @byoliviastevens.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Tommy Vu attempts new world record for burpee pull ups in Salem, Oregon
