Athlete Breaks Record With 261-Pound Lift, Raises $3K

Mike Aidala spent two and a half hours attempting the impossible, and on his final try, he lifted 261 pounds from lying flat on his back to standing with the barbell overhead. The performance coach and former college football player just claimed the Guinness World Record for the heaviest single Turkish get-up ever completed.

The Turkish get-up sounds simple but demands everything your body can give. You start lying down holding a weight, then use your free hand and legs to stand up while keeping that weight extended overhead the entire time. This centuries-old exercise, believed to have trained Ottoman Empire soldiers in the 13th century, recruits every muscle in your body and tests your coordination, mobility, and mental toughness.

Aidala's road to 261 pounds wasn't smooth. He first set the record at 255 pounds in March 2025, then returned on February 21, 2026, hoping to beat himself. He failed that day, facing the weight and his own disappointment.

But 48 hours later, he was back. On February 23, Aidala missed around 20 attempts before finally hoisting that record-breaking weight. "Weightlifting is a solo attempt with yourself, it's you vs. the weight," he explained. "The Turkish get-up specifically is a unique orchestra of movement that requires many aspects to play in tune for it to happen."

This wasn't even Aidala's first Turkish get-up record. In 2022, he completed the most weight in one hour by racking up 13,823 pounds through repeated lifts. When France's Nicolas Stir broke that record in 2024 with 16,378 pounds, Aidala didn't give up. He simply found another mountain to climb.

The Ripple Effect

Aidala's grueling session did more than earn him a world record. Every rep raised money for Valor Fit, an organization that provides financial assistance for veterans' gym memberships. By the time he completed his final successful lift, he'd raised over $3,000 to help those who served access fitness and community.

As a performance coach, Aidala uses his achievements to show clients what's possible when you refuse to quit. "Lessons are learned through failure," he wrote on Instagram after his journey. His message resonates because he lives it, turning setbacks into stepping stones and personal goals into opportunities to serve others.

Two days, countless failures, one historic lift, and thousands raised for veterans who need support—that's the kind of perseverance worth celebrating.