When Australian police officer Jade Henderson gripped the pull-up bar on the Gold Coast this August, she wasn’t just chasing a number — she was chasing a limit.
Over 60 relentless minutes, Henderson powered through 733 pull-ups, eclipsing the previous world record of 725, set by fellow Australian Eva Clarke in 2016. That’s more than 12 pull-ups every single minute — a staggering pace that pushed her to the edge of exhaustion and into the record books.
“I decided to start training for the pull up world record because I liked the idea of doing something that nobody else has ever done,” Jade told Guinness World Records. “I also wanted to see what my mind and body were physically capable of.”
The record, confirmed by Guinness World Records, had stood unchallenged for almost a decade. On 22 August 2025, in front of witnesses and adjudicators, Henderson not only broke it but redefined what endurance strength looks like.
At 32, Henderson’s success didn’t come easy. Before her one-hour triumph, she had spent months recovering from a torn bicep tendon and muscle — an injury that derailed an even more ambitious goal.
“In April, I did what was supposed to be my last training session before attempting the 24-hour record,” she said. “I did 3,500 pull ups in 12 hours and tore my bicep. I had a partial tear of the bicep tendon and muscle. I had to rest my arm for about six weeks before I was able to do pull ups again.”
That 24-hour record, still held by Olivia Vinson with 7,079 pull-ups, had been her initial target. But as she healed, Henderson reassessed. “It was while recovering that she decided to go for the one-hour title instead in the hope of avoiding another injury,” she explained.
The decision proved decisive — and transformative. Three months later, she took her shot, this time with one clear goal: push past pain, not past breaking point.
Henderson describes the hour-long attempt as pure grit.
“I didn’t have a set number that I was aiming for,” she confessed. “I knew it was going to be tough to beat the previous record of 725, so I was just aiming to get a couple more reps than that. I was really happy with the result. I gave it everything that I had and in that moment I don’t think I could have done any better.”
As the minutes dragged on, fatigue hit — then the pain.
“With about 20 minutes left to go in the hour, I felt the skin on my hands rip,” she recalled. “I thought to myself that my hands were already a mess and I was already in pain, so I need to make it worth it. I am proud of myself for pushing through that pain and not stopping until the end.”
In photos from her accomplishment, Henderson showcased nasty-looking blisters on both of her hands.
By the time she dropped from the bar, she’d claimed the most pull-ups in one hour (female) title — and the applause of a stunned crowd. “Finding out my record was official was a surreal moment that still hasn’t quite sunk in,” she said.
Henderson credits years of CrossFit competition for preparing her body and mind. The Queensland officer has been competing at a high level for eight years, using fitness as an outlet for the pressures of police work.
“Fitness is a huge part of my life,” she told Guinness World Records. “It’s become an outlet for me when work gets stressful.”
But her greatest takeaway wasn’t physical — it was psychological.
“I also believe that you need to build your mental resilience and need to be doing it for your own personal reasons, not anyone else’s, otherwise you’ll be too tempted to quit when things get hard,” she said.
Henderson trained meticulously, crafting a plan and sticking to it through pain and setbacks.
“Decide on your goal, come up with a plan and relentlessly work towards achieving that goal every day,” she advised. “I made sure that I executed my plan in the lead up to the attempt, so that going into it, I was thinking ‘there’s no way all my work isn’t going to pay off’.”
She drew inspiration from a quote by Theodore Roosevelt, which became a mantra in her preparation: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
Though she hasn’t announced a new record attempt yet, Henderson hinted that her next goal might take her training to a cinematic level.
She joked that she might try “to do the most pull ups whilst on fire,” since she’s currently training to be a stunt performer.
It’s the kind of offbeat ambition that fits perfectly with her mindset — combining danger, precision, and sheer willpower. For now, though, Jade Henderson’s name stands atop the Guinness World Records for pull-ups, a testament to what happens when discipline meets belief.
Congrats!
Featured image credit: Instagram/@g.i_jaded (screenshots)
