David Lloyd George is a 23-year-old graduate student and rising quantum computing researcher. He’s also a Palm Beach resident and great-great grandson of the former UK prime minister for whom he was named. But recently he’s made his mark setting a new world record in a very niche exercise realm: He is the master of the muscle-up.
More precisely, he now holds the Guinness World Record for the number of muscle-ups completed in 24 hours.
A muscle-up is a move that combines a pull-up and a dip into a single, continuous movement. It’s a fairly challenging exercise that requires the athlete have a pull-up powerful enough to propel them above the bar and then strength and control to then transition into a dip — and do it repeatedly.
Lloyd George executed the move 2,002 times within 24-hours, surpassing the previous record by 276.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said the student who is also working toward a doctorate in physics at Duke University. “Prior to (securing the record), I had a lot of doubts. I think I had undertaken a lot of projects throughout high school and throughout college, but a lot of them I never really saw to completion. For one reason or another, you’re pulled in a lot of directions when you’re going to high school or college.
“But with this,” he said, “I really felt like I wanted to go all the way and see it through to its conclusion — give everything I had to it. I’m really glad that I did, because that’s honestly sort of the biggest confidence booster for me, knowing that I have what it takes to go out and try something ambitious and difficult and see it through.”
Lloyd George, who grew up on the island and attended Palm Beach Day Academy, said he started calisthenics and weight training in middle school to build more muscle.
In high school, he stepped up his training regimen by adding muscle-ups.
“I figured a muscle-up was a really good exercise,” Lloyd George said. “It’s sort of a core exercise in more advanced calisthenics. I trained for it starting in ninth grade, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Lloyd George decided he wanted to chase the world record for muscle-ups after graduating from Georgia Tech, where he studied physics.
Though he initially considered joining the military, he opted instead to pursue a graduate degree at Duke, where he could continue his muscle-ups training while supporting veterans through fundraising.
“I decided to go to Duke for physics, but I figured I wanted to do something that would still honor veterans and the sacrifices that service members make,” he said. “I figured this would be a good opportunity to find another challenge for myself. At the time, I could already do 10, 15 muscle-ups in a row. I figured this would be a good record to go for, because it really challenges you. It’s not something you can do easily.”
Months of training went into his Guinness world-record showing
To grab the title, Lloyd George had to get from 10 or 15 in a row to beyond 1,726 in 24 hours — a record set by Alejandro Soler TarÍ of Spain in October 2021. He trained for nine months.
While YouTube serves up plenty of muscle-up videos, explaining what one is or discussing technique. There weren’t any training programs for this particular type of challenge, so Lloyd George studied ultramarathoners for guidance on how to prepare.
“The core ideas I took away from these ultramarathon runners is, they won’t run 100 miles in a day during training, but maybe over a week they do 100 miles,” he said. “And in aggregate, they recreate the stress of what it might feel like on race day, but they don’t actually make themselves more prone to injury or anything like that. My long-term goal was to get to 2,000 muscle-ups per week. That would be nice, clean number. If I could do that, then I know I’m ready.”
Working from a climbing gym in Durham, he started with a goal of completing 500 muscle-ups in a week during training sessions that lasted 1 to 2 hours.
He increased the length of those training sessions each week until he was able to complete 2,000 muscle-ups per week.
The challenge set the window of time Lloyd George had to work within. The muscle-ups don’t have to be consecutive, he could take restroom breaks and stop to refuel (according to Guinness, he eventually powered through on a diet of bananas, sandwiches, and Nutella).
By the time he was ready to attempt the world record, he had completed 35,001 muscle-ups.
“I mostly stuck to the plan, and by and large and it paid off quite well,” said Lloyd George, who raised $20,000 to support the Gary Sinise Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists U.S. military personnel, veterans, first responders and their families.
With one world record behind him, Lloyd George said he aims to pursue one more before committing fully to his academic work.
“I’m thinking about maybe one more endurance or calisthenics world record,” said Lloyd George, who returned home briefly in early July to participate in the annual Bill Bone 5K Run/Walk in West Palm Beach. “I realize it’s a great opportunity to raise money for good causes as well.
“So I’m looking at other charities I might like to help raise money for. But I think after this second record, I probably won’t try to go for any more, I think. I’d rather devote my energy to my research on quantum computing. I think fitness will always be a core aspect of my life. But I don’t see myself trying to go for any more records.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach resident takes time out from physics to grab Guinness record in muscle-ups
Reporting by Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
