From push-ups to ropes - Portlaoise gym-goer smashes Guinness World Record
Anton Krivski.
But what began as a bid to create a new category with Guinness World Records soon took an unexpected turn, leading him toward an entirely different, and far more gruelling, challenge.
What followed was a story of relentless training, creative adaptation, and a willingness to embrace opportunity when plans fell apart.
From hours spent battling heavy ropes to unconventional preparation methods and a last-minute setback that could have ended everything, Krivski’s journey is less about a single record and more about the mindset required to achieve one.
Krivski spoke to the Laois Nationalist about his incredible journey smashing another Guinness World Record which he incredibly stumbled across, when he was preparing for another one and also talked about the difficulties he overcame to achieving this success.
Originally, Anton hoped to create a new record category for “Most push-ups in one go,” with his personal best at 323. As part of his training, Anton added different exercises, including battling ropes. While practicing with them, he discovered an existing Guinness record.
Soon word filtered through the push-ups record idea was rejected, but the ropes record was approved. Anton threw himself into preparation to set the battling ropes record which stood at four hours.
He said: “I expected that my personal best for push ups wouldn’t be enough for them. I thought their criteria would probably be somewhere between 500 and 1000, since it’s Guinness World Records and they have very high standards.
“As my training included battling ropes, I stumbled across the record for the longest time performing alternate waves with battling ropes, which stood at an impressive four hours. So, I applied for that record as well, just in case.” Krivski’s training schedule was nothing short of gruelling. Seven days a week, he devoted several hours a day to perfecting his rope technique and building endurance.
To prevent monotony, he invented new rope drills and workouts, ensuring that each session remained challenging and engaging. But he didn’t stop there. Recognizing the importance of supporting muscles, he incorporated other unconventional methods.
“I trained for this record seven days a week, several hours a day. I developed new workouts and rope drills to keep the training process interesting and prevent it from becoming boring or monotonous.
“When not on the ropes, I practiced backwards swimming in the pool, using a parachute to build arm strength, and lifted weights between 110 and 150 kg. I also added cardio: Short 30-minute sessions on the stair machine, but at full speed for the entire duration.” On the day of his official attempt, Anton aimed high to double the record time and preparation was key, but the challenge wasn’t as plain sailing as hoped as the length of the ropes that he prepared with were too short but that didn’t stop Anton in his pursuit.
“My goal was to double the current Guinness World Record and sustain it for 8 hours. I even went so far as to stop drinking liquids for two days beforehand, avoiding any interruptions: Rest breaks were strictly prohibited.
“Then, just a few hours before the start, something unexpected happened, I noticed the new battling ropes I had bought for the first attempt, and hadn’t used for several months, couldn’t be stretched full length.
“Their threads and fibres had compressed, making the ropes a few centimetres shorter than the standard required by the Guinness World Records.” Despite these problems, Anton battled through using the original ropes he had used for training and preparation for the event and managed to double the record by hitting 9 hours 21 minutes This was the third world record Anton broke in recent years. In 2022, he broke the record for the greatest distance swimming backwards in 8 hours with 15.66km. In 2024, he bet the record for the farthest simulated distance climbed on a stair machine.
The recent record spoke for itself. Anton’s unexpected journey, discipline, and determination had paid off. His message to others? Simple and powerful: “Follow your dreams, guys!”
