The Godfather of Push-ups
Copyright Charles Linster (500 W. Belmont Ave. Apt. 5-C Chicago,
IL 60657 USA, chick9@ameritech.net)
My disability was responsible for my living a different kind of life.
However, my setting the world push-up record has also made an impact on
my life.
First of all, I spent almost three years no quite sure that I was the
world champion. In 1968, I found my name in the American edition of the
Guinness Book of World Records confirming it. Unfortunately, in the one
sentence I was in, four errors were made. My name was spelled Lunster
instead of Linster, It listed the date as October 7, 1965, not October
5
when it happened. It said I was from Chicago, not my home town of
Wilmette. Finally, it said that my record took over four hours to
perform when it took three hours and 54 minutes. All four errors
were corrected by 1970.
In 1968, Jim Benagh wrote Incredible Athletic Feats. It was published a
year later. A brief but complete summary of my record breaking feat was
written on Page 74 of that book while a drawing of me performing it is
on the following page. Tears came to my eyes when I read the
acknowledgement page to the book. In it, Mr. Benagh specifically
mentioned ten athletes including me. Three names were instantly
recognizable. I had read of two of them, Paul Anderson and Joaquin
Capilla, seven years before and wondered if I'd ever accomplish any
thing that would put my name in print. Not only had I but my name was
now in print next to theirs. The third name needed no introduction. It
was an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with Jesse
Owens.
If imitation is the purest form of flattery, Mr. Benagh's story about
me was eulogized. It was copied word for word in 1976 by Kevin McFarlin
on Page 134 of his book Incredible But True!
Eight years later, Takeshi Naruse did the same thing in his book News
to Amuse You. It was brought to my attention by Renee, a former member
of our staff, who left to teach English to students in Japan. Lesson
Twenty-three of his book is entitled "6,006 Consecutive Push-ups
Without
a Pause." Renee wrote and said that she felt very proud to tell her
class that she had the opportunity to work with me and that I was a
nice person.
In May, 1970, people from Mendelson Films of Los Angeles interviewed me
for a Guinness TV special. When the show aired on NBC 11 months later,
I
didn't make the final cut but did receive a check for $100.
During Winter Break, 1972, William Crawford of the Chicago Tribune
interviewed me for a story. It appeared in the January 18, 1973 edition
of that newspaper under the banner "Former pushup champ fighting back
from fall." Staff from the President's Council for Physical Fitness and
Sports saw it and wrote asking for my address so that a letter from the
White House could be sent. In a letter dated June 14, 1973, I received
a
congratulatory letter on my graduation from the University of Illinois
on White House stationary. The kudos came from the President and
Captain James Lovell (U.S. Navy Ret.), Chairman of the Council and a
former astronaut. Captain Lovell signed the letter.
That same year, I received a letter from Al Hershey, a reading
specialist at the Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown,
Pennsylvania. He read of my achievement and wrote to thank me for
accomplishing something that he used to inspire his students. Enclosed
in his letter were six more letters. They were written by his students
and each one told me how I had inspired them.
A few months later, I received a letter from the National Inquirer. For
$100, it proposed to write my story under my byline and publish it.
Unsure of the results, I told them to proceed but reserved the right of
final approval. I was displeased with the final draft and didn't
approve
it. I didn't need $100 that bad.
The following year, Craig brought an article in the National Inquirer
to my attention. It reported that a young college student man named Ray
Chase from Middletown, Connecticut performed 7,006 push-ups. However,
Guinness didn't ratify it because he didn't fully extend his arms. I
felt relieved that Guinness had high standards like my own when it came
to ratification of push-up records.
A year after that, Triviata: A Compendium of Useless Knowledge by
Timothy Fullerton was published. In it, it stated that I had set a
record that would be tough to beat. Mr. Fulerton was wrong. In early
1976, I learned that my record was broken. I wrote to Guinness asking
for confirmation. It forwarded my letter to Robert Knecht, a 13
year-old
professional acrobat. He answered my letter by stating that he had
trained for eight years to perform 7,026 consecutive push-ups. "My hat
is off to you," he wrote, "Your record was tough to beat." Two years
later, I met The Balancing Knechts, John, Arlene, Robert and Richard at
the Orland Square Shopping Center. I saw two of their shows and, as a
former gymnast, was amazed at their performance. After meeting Robert,
personally congratulating him and comparing and contrasting our
training methods, I felt lucky that it was he who broke my record. He
had adhered to the highest standard and had done so with modesty and
grace. Besides, record breaking was a Knecht tradition. His little
brother Richard held the world sit-up record.
Robert's record did not last long. Seventeen months later, Henry
Marshall of San Antonio, Texas performed 7,650 consecutive push- ups
and was listed in the Guinness Book.
Several authors were unaware of this fact. In 1977, Fred Worth
stated that I set a record at Page 375 in his Complete Unabridged Super
Trivia Encyclopedia at Page 375. The following year, George Sullivan
credited me with the world record at Page 178 of his book Amazing
Sports
Facts. In 1979, James Meyers did the same in his Mammoth Book of
Trivia. A year later in More About My Magnificent Machine: Fifty-two
Unusual Devotions for Families, William Coleman, listed my
accomplishment. Mine was Devotional number Forty-five, "Muscles Are
Amazing."
Henry's record didn't last very long either. Guinness credited the
following men with setting the world push-up record:
Tommy Gildert, 9,105 push-ups on July 1, 1979,
Colin Hewick, 10,029 push-ups on July 18, 1982,
Tommy Gildert, 24,044 push-ups in 24 hours on March 29-30, 1985,
Paul Lynch, 25,753 push-ups on July 18, 1985,
Jack Atherton, 29,601 pushups in 24 hours on July 11-12, 1986,
Jeffery Warwick, 32,251 push-ups on June 16, 1987,
Paul Lynch 32,573 push-ups in 24 hours on 12-13 September, 1987,
Paddy Doyle 37,350 push-ups in 24 hours on May 1-2, 1989,
Charles Servizio 43,360 push-ups in 24 hours on January 18-19, 1992,
Junber Lezhava, 44,141 push-ups in 24 hours, 1992 and
Charles Servizio, 46,001 push-ups in 24 hours on April 24-5, 1993.
What Guinness did not state was that from Gildert to Servizio, it
listed records that were set with the aid of rest breaks. The standard
it now listed was the most push-ups performed in 24 hours leaving it up
to the athlete how many rest breaks to take and how long the breaks
would be.
When seeing this change, I wrote to Guinness and asked why it changed
its push-up standard. I was told that it felt that the most consecutive
number of push-ups lacked credulity and the most in 24 hours was a
fairer standard. This didn't make sense to me so I began a two year
campaign to restore the consecutive standard. My task was compounded by
the fact that there is no official national or international definition
for the push-up. I read, researched, called and wrote on the matter
thoroughly.
The biggest splash I made in my campaign was when I spoke to Fred
Klein, the sports editor of the Wall Street Journal. He heard me out
and
wrote a very supportive column that appeared in the newspaper on
September 18, 1987. Entitled "A Sport to Call His Own," it didn't
sway Guinness but I can honestly say that I was quoted in the Wall
Street Journal.
My masterpiece was an eight page letter to the Sports Editor of
Guinness. After quoting numerous definitions defining the push-up as a
non-stop exercise, I enclosed the written statements from six
professors
of physical education and/or kinesiology siding with me. In the face of
all my proof, the Guinness Sports Editor made the following statement,
"A push-up is a push-up and I don't see any particular reason why it
should be 'non-stop.'"
In 1990, a friend sent me Card 281 from Trivial Pursuit's The 1960's
Edition. One of the questions states, "What did Charles Linster push
himself to do 6,006 of in under four hours in 1965?" One of the
answers is, "Push-ups." The card has other questions and answers that
begs another question, "What do I have in common with Pete Rose, Roy
Orbison and Ralph Nader?" The answer is, "We're all on the same Trivial
Pursuit card."
In 1992, I wrote "The Ulysses Factor," a 6,200 word article that
explained how I set the world push up record but more importantly
how the experience had prepared me to rehabilitate myself to
complete independence after my devastating accident. During the next
two
years, I sought constructive criticism of it, revising and distilling
it until it became "Ulysses' Yield," a
2,800
word improvement. For several years thereafter, I submitted it two
dozen magazines, none of whom published it.
In 1999, I discovered the website of Rekord-Klub Saxonia, a Leipzig,
Germany based club who's only requirement for membership is to hold or
have held a world record. I joined and posted "Ulysses' Yield" on the
club's website. On the front page of the article is the record history
of non-stop push-ups. It begins with my 6,006 because I was the first
such champion in the Guinness Book It also includes Robert Knecht and
Henry Marshall because their totals were accomplished non-stop. It
excludes those mentioned in Guinness who achieved their "records" with
the aid of rest breaks. Last on the list is Minoru Yoshida the current
world record holder who performed 10,507 non-stop push-ups in 1980.
When
I look at the record history, I feel like a king who has a list of his
legitimate successors.
The essence of "Ulysses' Yield" is contained in the following
paragraphs:
"During my rehabilitation, I harkened back to by quest for the push-up
record when the going got rough. Knowing that I was capable of
achieving
what other people considered impossible, I did all that was asked of me
and more. I lived in a world of three colors. Black represented the
things I couldn't do, white the activities I could. Between those two
tones were many shades of gray. I concentrated on this tint and through
trial and error discovered what was truly light and dark. While doing
so, I brightened my world to an extent that surprised my doctors,
nurses, therapists and me.
I told…[my daughter] of a book I had read several years earlier, The
Ulysses Factor by J.L.R. Anderson. It was the author's premise that,
'There is some factor in man, some form of special adaptation which
prompts a few individuals to exploits which, however purposeless that
they may seem, are of value to the survival of the race.'"
But in the greater scheme of things, it doesn't really matter who can
do the most push-ups. What is important is what I derived from the
quest. I discovered and cultivated the virtues of discipline,
sacrifice,
and perseverance within me while pursuing a dream. Shortly after
achieving that dream, I found myself engulfed in a nightmare. But the
survival component of the Ulysses factor, that leads people to safety
in times of trouble, came to my rescue. Had I known in advance that I
was going to break my neck; I couldn't have prepared myself better for
the demanding task of rehabilitation than to train for the world
push-up record. I strove, sought and found, but unlike Tennyson's
Ulysses, my quest yielded me the fortitude I needed to rehabilitate
myself to complete independence.
Since I put my E-mail address on it, I've received responses to it from
individuals across the country and around the world. Over 40 of them
wanted to know how to do more push-ups and I had given them all advice.
Over 30 others have told me how much my article has inspired them. The
most moving communication stated:
"You're an inspiration to life itself. I found your personal story
uplifting as you defined life as "a struggle" not a triumph. I too hope
to look back and hope that I "struggled" well. I think you're right
though, it is this struggle that gives the triumph perspective, the
countless hours of training that go to make the difference (in some
cases for a fraction of a fraction of a second can be summed up in the
"struggle.") It is this innate drive to improve no matter the odds that
ultimately will make or break the human race. But it is your
indomitable
spirit that will eventually lead us back into the light."
During the millennium year, Christine Boulch, the teacher of a
junior high English class in France, used my article when they studied
the superlative structures of English. Since my E-mail address
was
on it, some of her students sent me message to which I responded. They
showed her my responses and she asked me for a favor. To give her
students a practical exercise, could all 21 of them write me in English
and could I responded to them in English? To further the cause of
education and Franco-American Relations, I agreed.
In 2005, I received an E-mail message from Claudia Bessel of Agentur
Riese-Burghhart, an international artists agency in Düsseldorf,
Germany.
She wanted to know if I be interested in performing an outstanding and
spectacular act in Paris on July 24-5 of that year and suggested
fingertip push-ups. While I was flattered with her question, I had to
decline.
Later that year, a Columbia College student E-mailed me. She was
writing an article for the student magazine about Illinoisans in The
Guinness Book of World Records. While Ulysses' Yield had given her the
nucleus for a portion of the article, she wanted to "flesh it out" with
an interview. I consented. The result was my name and achievement in
print again in "Step Right Up," an article in the Winter /Spring 2006
edition of Echo, the Student Magazine of Columbia College.
The Internet gave my push-up accomplishment a second wind. From time to
time, I'll put my name into a search engine and find more websites that
list my old record. After 50, I stopped counting. It also has
universality to it. For some reason, I'm a big hit in Turkey. Over 30
websites mention me in Turkish. I've also found four my name and
accomplishment in German websites, three in Hungarian and one each in
French, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish.
My favorite push-up story occurred in the summer of 1987. I received a
telephone call from a fellow Toastmaster asking me if I had held the
world push-up record. When I said yes, he said that he had just heard
it
on the radio. A local DJ had asked the question, "What happened at New
Trier High School on October 5, 1965?" My friend Seymour who was
listening to that station thought I'd know the answer. A woman called
in
and said that I had set the world push-up record. The DJ then asked the
woman if she knew what had happened to me. She said that I was killed
in a car crash. I called that DJ and like Mark Twain told him that the
rumors of my death had been greatly exaggerated. Seymour summed the
whole thing up when he thought, "Chick not only knew the answer, he was
the answer."
Being a former world champion is something that I'll always cherish.
I'm one of the few who objectively knows that I've done something
better
than it's ever been done before. I know that a world record holder
never fully appreciates his accomplishment until someone else has
broken it. In one sense, the record was never really mine. I was merely
the custodian of it. I picked up the torch, moved it forward and
surrendered it to someone who could move it even further. Some of my
most intimate relationships are with those who have held or are holders
of world records because we are all cut from the same cloth. When I
hear
"We Are the Champions" by Queen and Nobody Does It Better" by Carly
Simon, they become, "I Was the Champion" and "Nobody Did It
Better."
Why doesn't Minoru Yoshita receive more recognition for his world
push-up record? I don't know but I'd like to have a photograph of the
two of us together. It could even be captioned by my saying to him,
"You're the man!" I haven't done a push-up since 1965 and my world
record
was broken in 1976, However, I think it's safe to say that I'm the
Godfather of push-ups.
Ulysses' Yield by Charles Linster,
Push-Up World Records,
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