A 6-foot-4 athlete nicknamed “Lumberjack Lance” completed 36 grappler pull-ups in one minute in Sherman Oaks Sunday, surpassing the 31 he completed during a previous record attempt in July.
Lance Pecht made the attempt outside BUF Studio at 13514 Ventura Blvd., between Sunnyslope and Allott avenues.
Natalie Joseph, owner of BUF Studio, told City News Service that the attempt was conducted under Guinness World Records guidelines and will be submitted to the organization for certification.
Joseph said four judges monitored the attempt, including an attorney serving as an independent professional and two fitness professionals. The judges were instructed on Guinness guidelines and monitored Pecht’s form to determine whether each repetition qualified.
Grappler pull-ups add a considerable twist to the familiar exercise. Instead of simply gripping the bar, Pecht performs the pull-ups using lacrosse balls suspended over the bar, putting additional strain on the hands, wrists, forearms and upper body.
Pecht, a former Whitworth University basketball player, completed 31 grappler pull-ups in one minute on July 12 at Body Unlimited Fitness in Spokane Valley, Washington, surpassing the official Guinness World Records mark of 29 held by Elias Benz of Switzerland.
The July feat came on Pecht’s 43rd birthday.
“Initially I just made up my mind. I wanted a world record,” Pecht told television station KXLY in Spokane after the July attempt. “I started looking at pull-ups and things I was actually better at.”
The July performance was recorded from multiple camera angles and monitored by witnesses as part of the Guinness verification process.
Pecht, who performs under the nickname “Lumberjack Lance,” wore a red-and-black sleeveless flannel for that previous attempt and managed 31 successful repetitions before straining for a 32nd.
Pecht told reporters after his July performance that he hoped the effort would encourage people to set more ambitious goals.
“I think oftentimes we train our minds to think smaller than what we’re capable of,” Pecht told KXLY. “I didn’t want to be the best in my area. I wanted to be the best in the world.”