Falk Teacher Breaks World Record
Physical education teacher Laura Hunt sets record for push-ups
Falk Laboratory School K-5 Physical Education Teacher Laura Hunt (BS ‘98, MAT ‘99) has always been inspired by her students, and she wanted to return the favor in the form of a recent Guinness World Record.
In November 2025, shortly after turning 53 years old, Hunt set a new Guinness World Record for the most push-ups in 60 minutes in the female category—completing an astonishing 1,826 push-ups. She surpassed the previous record by 251 reps, achieving the record-breaking attempt in the Falk school gymnasium.
“I know they’ll probably be proud of me, but I’m actually really proud of them for how hard they work in my classes, and I’m excited to share this with them,” she said.
Hunt is a Falk lifer, having taught physical education at the progressive, K-8 school since 1997. Before that, she was a student intern at Falk, until a phys-ed vacancy paved the way for her to join the faculty.
Her lofty ambitions in sports started at a young age. She recalls her swim coach, Barbara Zimmerman, sitting her down to examine all of the swimming records set at a swim club. They carefully assessed and set realistic goals to hit and later surpass multiple records.
From then on, Hunt had caught the bug.
“I have always been a goal-oriented person since then,” she said.
Hunt trains in a home gym using a modest setup. She has sets of dumbbells, a spin bike, some resistance bands, and a mat.
“You don’t need much,” Hunt said. “Just consistency and determination.”
Around 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunt began taking a more serious approach to her training. She kept track of her reps, implemented progressive overload, and didn’t skip cardio for endurance. After each workout, like clockwork, she got down on the mat and started doing push-ups. She used push-ups to “superset” her fitness routine because she didn’t have enough weights that were heavy enough.
The progress began to show on the mat.
“I started doing more and more, then I noticed, ‘Wow, I’m doing thousands of pushups,’” Hunt said. It got her thinking about what records existed for push-ups, and she saw her next goal: 1,575.
She knew she could do it. She was already logging around 4,000 push-ups a week, and one day after work, she decided to go for the record. That night, with no fanfare, witnesses or cameras, Hunt broke the record of 1,575 in her living room.
“I got it,” she said.
In March 2025, Hunt submitted an application to UK-based Guinness World Records, and after a months-long process, she secured the requirements for an attempt on November 8, 2025.
The attempt required total compliance with two books of guidelines specifying all kinds of recordkeeping, including multiple timers, certified fitness coaches and clinical experts on site, and multiple cameras operating in fast, regular, and slow motion recording speeds.
After compiling all of the evidence, Hunt submitted her attempt in January 2026, and it was certified by Guinness World Records in late June.
Hunt remains inspired by her Falk students. In the upcoming school year, she’ll continue to work with them on her innovative integrated physical literacy curriculum that could serve as a model for PE classes across the country, so students can break records just like hers.
“They’re rockstars,” she said of her students.
On the Guinness World Records website, Hunt is described simply as “a Personal Trainer and Physical Literacy Educator who wants her children, students, and others to see that hard things are worth doing.”
