Champ of pushups eyes 10 new records in new year

Here is a new year's resolution that is unthinkable for most people.

He is in the Limca Book of Records this year for doing the most pushups in a minute, and now Shaikh Rejaul Haq, 25, wants to break ten records with the power of his arms in the new year. The Ulhasnagar-based Haq will make his attempt at the Pondicherry international record festival, a gathering of aspiring record-breakers, which will be held from January 2 to 18.

Haq teaches martial arts, gymnastics, and skating in Ulhasnagar, and has been a sporting and fitness buff right from his childhood. This craze for physical fitness has made him make several records. "The latest one being doing maximum push-ups with two fingers of the same hand," said Haq. In September 2014, Haq made the record of doing 20 push-ups with two fingers.

This record has gotten into the 2015 edition of the Record-setter book of world records, an American publication. Haq's earlier records include doing the most push-ups - 164 in a minute in May 2013, and 48 push-ups in a minute using an arm and a thumb in June 2014 - which are now in the Limca book of records.

Though nobody guided him along his record-breaking path, Haq wants to share his knowledge with other aspirants. "In 2013, I started researching into various kinds of records, and now I have three titles to my name," he said. "I tell my students and others interested in various kind of records that even they can achieve the same. It depends on how hard they are willing to work," he said.