He performed 76 reps while holding his breath underwater
One Russian athlete has taken his fitness achievements to new heights (or depths, depending on how you look at it) – by setting a new world record in the underwater bench press.
This is definitely a ‘don’t try this at home’ record, but despite the dangers it’s still an impressive show of strength. Regardless, you probably can’t expect to see it in the Olympics any time soon.
The new world record holder is Vitaly Vivchar. Vivchar hails from Tomsk, Siberia. He managed to smash out an impressive 76 reps on the underwater bench press.
Speaking to Russian media, Vivchar said: “I was really anxious because the water became cold and muddy due to bad weather.
“Moreover I was really nervous before my performance. My pulse rate was more than 108 beats per minute! It took me a long time to calm down.”
The weight Vivchar lifted was only 50 kilograms (110 pounds). This might not sound like much to the keen gym goer, but the man was doing it underwater. Holding his breath. Fair play.
The Russian said he trained for two months before attempting this new record, which was set last Thursday at Lebyazhye Lake.
“I came across the official Guinness World Record a couple of years ago after seeing a man lifting a barbell underwater.
“Then I thought that I had enough skills to do that myself. I have experience of winning bench press competitions, I won the European Russian-style bench press tournament. And I’m an amateur free diver. So I applied to set a new record.”
Vivchar’s effort beat the previous underwater bench press record (yes, there was an actual existing record holder) of 62 reps. This was set by American Greg Wittstock, who set his record in 2019.
You can only wonder what Vivchar would be capable of on dry land.
