One Arm Push-Up World Record Holder Jeremiah Gould
Nov 11, 2008 Celebrity Spotlights, Contributors, Health News, Product Reviews, Success Stories
In March of 2006, Greenville, South Carolina resident Jeremiah Gould broke the Guinness Book of World Records standard for most one-arm push-ups in one minute. He did 126. Remarkably, that’s over two push-ups per second. Just two years later, Jeremiah shattered his own record by doing an astounding 135 one-arm push-ups in one minute. To truly appreciate the significance of these accomplishments you’ve really got to understand the heart of this young man. Born a premature baby and having suffered a severe brain hemorrhage as an infant, Jeremiah wasn’t given much of a shot from the get-go. Since then, Big Jer (big for the size of his heart rather than his physical size), as he’s often referred to by family and friends, has spent his life determined to prove his naysayers wrong.
1. Where on earth did you get the crazy idea to try to break these records?
Well, ever since I was kid I’ve always been interested in records and trying to break them. I was born a preemie, and was always the smallest kid for my age. I also had a brain hemorrhage when I was a baby, which caused some cognitive issues and made school a real struggle, to say the least. It did however fuel my competitiveness, and athletics became my outlet. I found that performing crazy physical tasks with my body that nobody else could do gave me confidence in myself. When I was twelve I set the record at my school for most push-ups and pull-ups, and as far as I know those records still stand today. In 2001 I was looking at the Guinness Book of World Records and noticed that a guy from Switzerland held the record for most one-arm push-ups with 120 in one minute. I wondered how many I could do in one minute. I immediately got down and did 125 but it took a lot longer than one minute. I became determined from that point on to break the record and for the next five years trained to do so.
2. You’re a former competitive bodybuilder, how long did you compete and at what level?
I did that when I turned eighteen and competed at the amateur level for about two years. After working my tail off and not placing at any of the competitions, not to mention getting relentless grief about my skimpy briefs from my friends and family, I decided to move on to competitive power lifting.
3. Why did you originally get into bodybuilding?
It was the man, of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger! As a kid I used to watch all his movies, Terminator, Predator, Total Recall, you name it. It was Pumping Iron though that got me interested in the actual industry of bodybuilding. Though I was always the smallest out of all my friends, I was always the strongest. When I was seventeen I could curl 90 lbs. ten times with one arm … So I decided to give it a shot.
4. Were you into any other sports?
I played all sports as a kid. When I was six I actually was the state runner-up in wrestling. But to be honest, performing physical tasks that nobody else could do was always the most rewarding. There’s just a rush I got from it and still do! Whether it be push-ups, pull-ups, you name it, breaking records became a driving force in my life. My dad bought a weight set for me when I was twelve and I immediately took to it. Like I said before, I wanted to be just like Arnold!!
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