Mike Aidala, a strong and durable athlete, won another Guinness World Record after doing a barbell squat with a weight of 261 pounds (118.6 kg).
Aidala, a former college football player who competed in Olympic-style weightlifting events and is now a performance coach, is once again proving to his clients that anything is possible. This is not the first time that Aidala with the Turkish team Getup enters the group of Guinness records. In 2022, he used the same movement to lift more weight in an hour. It weighed 13,823 pounds (6,270 kg).) by repeating as much as possible. While this record was eventually passed by Nicolas Steer from France, who passed in 2024 with a weight of 16,378 pounds (7,429 kg) Aidala gave up on his quest to be the best and chose another punishing Turkish Getup record for his next feat.
What is the Turkish uprising? Full body strength explained
The coordination, movement, and strength required to complete the Turkish Getup engages every muscle in your body, making this move an old-school staple for centuries. The Turkish Getup is believed to have gained popularity during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the late 13th century as a heavy training method for its soldiers.
To perform, you start by lying on your back while holding a weight such as a dumbbell, kettlebell, or barbell. Using your available arms and legs, lift up until the entire load is over your head with the other arm. Turkish getups are deceptively easy, but they take dedication to master.
Mike Aydala’s journey to the single record for the heaviest Turkish Getup
Aidala won the heaviest Turkish Getup for the first time at 255 pounds.115.6 kg) lift in March 2025but he did not stop there. On February 21, 2026, he decided to try again for the heaviest single repetition of the Turkish Getup, but he failed to break his previous record. “Weightlifting is a solo effort with yourself, it’s you against the weight” explained his initial disappointment. “The Turkish uprising in particular is a unique orchestra of movement that requires many aspects to play in harmony.”
Fortunately, Aidala dusted off his gear and returned to work 48 hours later, on February 23, and while he missed nearly 20 attempts in a two-and-a-half-hour session to try and break the record, he continued to fight fatigue and eventually hit the top weight. Aidala not only broke his published world record with his new performance 261 pounds (118.6 kg)but more than that, he raised it $3,000 for Valor Fitproviding financial assistance for veterans gym members.
“Lessons are learned through failure,” Aidala wrote in a previous Instagram post, and if that sentiment doesn’t inspire you to reach for your dreams, what will?
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