Georgia Tech Alum David Lloyd George Breaks World Record

David Lloyd George's advice for Yellow Jackets is simple: Do hard things. 

“Life is inevitably going to be hard at points. If you can develop in yourself the ability to solve hard problems and do difficult things, that will carry you forward. It certainly has helped for me,” says Lloyd George (PHYS 2024). 

He’s put that theory to the test multiple times in his life. Most recently, by completing 2,002 muscle-ups in 24 hours (276 more than the previous record) to set a Guinness World Record. Along the way, he has raised more than $20,000 for the Gary Sinise Foundation, a charity that he chose because he felt inspired by the military, which he once considered joining. “Although I ultimately decided not to join, I took away admiration and respect for the men and women serving in the military, and I wanted to do something to help honor them,” he says. 

Training to break the muscle-up record started months in advance. Though already an avid climber who regularly performed calisthenics in the gym, he developed a rigorous training regimen to break the world record. Since there weren’t any previous training programs for this particular feat, he looked at ultra marathoners for inspiration to recreate the physical stress and volume of activity he would need. During the months leading up to the challenge, he completed 35,001 muscle-ups (he kept a tally).

On April 13, the day he set out to break the record, he arrived at his local climbing gym at 4:30 a.m. Guinness has strict requirements to verify a record, so Lloyd George had to install cameras and equipment and line up independent witnesses for the challenge. To be valid, he needed two witnesses present at all times to watch the clock and to count his repetitions, and they couldn’t serve a shift longer than four consecutive hours. Lloyd George was meticulous with the logistics and planning. He estimated he would burn 300 calories per hour or roughly 5,000 calories throughout the day. He ate bananas, applesauce, Nutella, and bread, which are high in calories and easy to digest, to stay energized throughout the day, which didn’t end until 12:38 a.m. on April 14. 

The hardest part was the last 50 muscle-ups. “At that point, I was really having to dig deep and I thought I was done.” Muscles burning, labored breathing, exhaustion setting in—he was ready to quit, he says. The larger crowd that had cheered him on throughout the day had dwindled to a handful of close friends and family. “They kept pushing me and telling me, ‘you can keep going, keep going.’” 

The support made the difference. “Most people have this extra gear that if you really push you can unlock. At the time, I didn’t believe I could, but they had seen me train and they knew I could do it.

“Ultimately, I found this other mode. It unlocked this other side of me and I did the last 50 reps.” He decided to end with 2,002 muscle-ups to be safely beyond the previous record and because it was the year he was born.

This summer, Lloyd George is focusing on quantum computing and theoretical physics for a summer research project and his doctoral program in physics at Duke University. After, he says he’ll be ready for his next challenge. “Maybe the ring muscle-up world record…” he muses.