Islander breaks world record for chin-ups: David Brush’s 24-hour odyssey of pain and triumph

Up, down. Up, down. 

At 11:32 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, Shelter Islander David Brush had spent the last 23 hours and 32 minutes on a chin-up bar in his living room. David was competing to beat the Guinness World Record for the most chin-ups recorded in 24 hours, and with the timer nearly finished, he walked away from the bar.

The former Reporter intern, now 24 and working in New York City government, had broken the official record of 7,479 eight hours before, but in the final minutes of the challenge, at 9,985 chin-ups David stepped off. Speaking to a crowded room of family friends, and neighbors, as well as a YouTube livestream that totaled 2,000 views, he held up his Guinness plaque from when he set the record in 2022.

In August 2025, exactly a year ago, David wrote on the back of his old plaque that in August 2026 he would beat his previous record of 6,757 and complete 10,001 chin-ups. While his family knew David would be attempting the record again, no one had any idea he had set that goal for himself. Just 12 months later, the goal was within reach.

As the “The Final Countdown” by Europe played in the background, David persisted through the final 26 reps, recording the 10,001st at 11:34 a.m. Sunday morning.

“None of us had any idea he wrote that,” said his grandmother Carole Hess after David broke the record Sunday morning. Twenty-four hours before that, Ms. Hess shared the significance of the challenge with the Reporter after David began his first rep. “This means everything to me,” she said. “My husband suffered with Parkinson’s. It would be nice if there were a cure, and Dave is doing his part. I’m so proud of him.” 

Noon — Saturday

David began the challenge at a pace of four chin-ups every 30 seconds. After 60 minutes, he had logged 480 reps. At 2 hours and four minutes, he reached 1,000. Continuing to push on at a pace of eight reps per minute, he relied on his own concoction of an electrolyte mix and a ton of carbs. Throughout the 24 hours, he would burn 10,000 calories. 

6:03 p.m. — Saturday

David’s friend since 5th grade and volunteer nutritionist Max Blakely carried over a platter of Rice Krispie Treats from the kitchen. “David wanted to adhere to a strict diet, mostly simple carbohydrates,” Max said. “I expressed some concern with the amount of carbs he was consuming, but he assured me that ultra-marathon runners do about 90 grams of carbs per hour. He’s doing about 34 to 35.” He added with a smile, “His diet consists entirely of what I like to call the ‘beige diet.’ He’s got Rice Krispies Treats, boiled potatoes, Wonder Bread, bananas, and honey. The only color he gets is from the selection of jams we’ve got.”

6:25 p.m. — Saturday

David stepped away from the bar for the first time since beginning the challenge to use the bathroom. He eats and drinks in between sets and had continued his 30-second, four-rep pace perfectly since noon.

David’s mother, Diane Brush, said.,“As record keeper, I have to mark the time he walked away to use the bathroom and the time he started again because Guinness needs to know.” 

The record-keeping is no joke, and David’s mother is one of 16 people at any given hour of the challenge who are awake and participating in some aspect. There has to be an expert witness with a background in physical fitness and one regular witness at all times. Neither can be related to David. Those witnesses cannot work shifts longer than four hours and must sign paperwork at the end of their shifts attesting to the number of chin-ups they witnessed during their watch.

Two of those expert witnesses were Rita Gates and Michelle Del Giorno, who both witnessed David’s previous attempt in 2022. Ms. Del Giorno explained, “We are from Rock Steady Boxing in Sag Harbor. We teach an exercise method called Rock Steady Boxing for people with Parkinson’s, a free program for people living on the East End who suffer from Parkinson’s disease. The program is sponsored by Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.”

Ms. Gates added, “I came back because it’s an awesome feat that he’s doing. His strength, his endurance and his dedication are just amazing.” 

Ms. Brush explained that the job of the witnesses “is to watch and document the reps during the time they’re sitting there. They’re making sure his form is O.K., that he’s not kipping, he’s not swinging and his chin is above the bar.” 

Additionally, two separate camera angles allow officials to confirm proper form, and a spreadsheet accounts for every second of the challenge. The time spent on the bar, off the bar, and bathroom breaks are all logged. After the challenge wraps, it will take the family a couple of weeks to submit the paperwork to Guinness and hear back from them. “I am probably the proudest mother on Earth,” Ms. Brush said, adding, “It’s unbelievable what he’s doing, the training, the dedication he’s put into it. And he’s raised a lot of money for Parkinson’s. My dad died of Parkinson’s, and David was very close to him.”

David’s father, Charles Brush, who kept count during the attempt and estimated he was responsible for counting over 8,000 reps throughout the 24 hours, said, “It’s just this huge team effort supporting him. It’s hard to put into words.”

7:50 p.m. — Saturday

David officially reached the halfway point of the current record with 3,740 reps. “I’m feeling pretty good,” David told the Reporter after reaching the mark. “I’m confident I’ll get there.” 

3:43 a.m. — Sunday

Hours later, as David neared the record, a wrist injury made him unable to close his right hand. Despite this, he pushed on, and at 3:43 a.m. Sunday morning, he had reached 7,800. David had shattered the 8-hour and 12-hour chin-up records, thanks to his speedy pace.

With around 30 viewers on David’s livestream, a comment popped up that took the family by surprise. Graham Morgan, who has held the record since 2022, wrote, “Congratulations, David. As the now ex-Guinness World Record holder for 24-hour chin-ups for almost 4 years, aged 60-plus, it’s nice to finally pass the baton to the younger generation.”

David walked up to the camera and said, “Thank you. That means so much, you’re an inspiration.” Four reps later, he walked back to the camera and said with a smile, “Why did you have to make the record so difficult?” 

9:26 a.m. — Sunday

With the record now in the books and eight hours to play with, some might have stopped there. Or slowed down. But David kept at his pace all the way until 9:26 a.m., when he halved his reps to four every minute. At the same time, news broke in the Brush household that David’s fundraiser for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research had doubled his initial goal and reached $14,000. Just two hours later, the number surpassed $15,000.

As more and more spectators filled the room, David continued to cruise along. After his final chin-up at 11:34 a.m., he decided to end early, making history and bringing the $15,000 to a cause that means so much to him and his family. Immediately, the room was filled with tears of joy as David went around the room and hugged every family member and spectator, thanking them for their support.

12:22 p.m. — Sunday

After breaking the record and consulting a medical expert on his current status and injuries, having blistered hands and losing the ability to raise his arms above his chest, David sat down to discuss the feat he’d just accomplished.

“Something went horribly wrong with my shoulder, my bicep, and my wrist at the same time,” he said. “Around rep 6,600 or something, I completely lost the ability to close my hand. My wrist was swollen, so every time I grabbed onto the bar, it was excruciating.” But surprisingly, he said the greater challenge came after he had already surpassed the world record. “Mentally, I think the hardest part was after I broke the record because then there was nothing left to prove … I considered quitting after every single set. Mentally, it was borderline impossible for me. I could have stopped right then and still been the world champion. We still raised all the money, so why not save myself the struggle, the time and the pain?”

Instead, with friends and family continuing to cheer him on, David kept climbing toward 10,000. “Once I’m in something like that, and I have everyone there cheering me on, it puts a little bit of a fire under me,” he said. “I figured I had 24 hours, so why not make the most of it? Even though it hurt, I tried to savor it because, in a way, it was proving to myself that I’m not a quitter.”

After 24 hours, 10,001 chin-ups, David said the record was secondary to the cause that first put him on the bar four years ago. “Fighting Parkinson’s. That’s the only reason I got into chin-ups in the first place.”