Roy Berger, world record holder and teacher, may soon hold a third push-up title.
The last time Roy Berger spoke to his brother Lee, he mentioned he was thinking about breaking a pushup record he saw on TV. His brother encouraged him and Berger promised Lee he would break the record. When Lee was killed while serving as a Canadian peacekeeper with the United Nations protection services, Berger says he had to keep his promise.
After more than a decade of hard work, the Centretown resident has earned several records including two Guinness records: most pushups in 60 seconds (138) and most pushups in one hour (3, 416). But he’s not done yet.
“Why stop? I kept my promise, so I might as well go for it,” says Berger.
Berger plans on officially breaking another record on March 21 at the Westgate Health & Fitness Club. He will attempt to break the world record time for the fastest 1,000 pushups on his fists, which is 18 minutes and 13 seconds.
Berger says he has already attempted and broken the record twice, but he says problems with the documentation and questionable pushups during the attempt prevented official recognition.
Berger is training hard, and says he will dedicate the record to one of his best friends who passed away in 2008.
“It just makes me extra motivated to get it done.”
Berger says he uses his success to help others. He works as a special education teacher with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board.
“I help the kids discover their place in the universe,” he says.
Berger says many of his students have low self-esteem. He uses his records to teach goal setting.
“I tell them to set a goal, whether it’s going for a record, or going to the Olympics or academic, the process is the same,” Berger says.“If you stick with it, the results are going to come.”
Deirdre McKie is a colleague and personal friend of Berger and says he is a very caring person.
“He’s dedicated to helping the kids who need help,” says McKie. “He is thoughtful and caring.”
McKie, who witnessed Berger unofficially break the record in November 2007, says that it was very impressive and exciting.
“It was really cool, I couldn’t believe that there were so many pushups so fast,” says McKie.
Whether or not he officially breaks the record in March, Berger says it’s the effort he puts in that matters most. That’s the message he tries to convey.
“Whether or not you accomplish your goal is not important,” he says. “As long as you can walk away and say ‘I gave it my best,’ that’s all anyone can ask for.”