Fitness fanatic's eight world record attempts

Fitness fanatic Stephen Buttler was today attempting to smash a 100-year-old record and claim a unique place in the history books.

Mr Buttler, 36, from Weston-under-Lizard, near Shifnal, was pushing his body to the limit on Guinness World Record day at Lilleshall Hall Sports centre by targetting eight individual fitness world records.

If Mr Buttler succeeds in his task it will make him the only man on the planet to break eight fitness world records in one day.

The individual records that Mr Buttler must break include the most full body clap push-ups in one minute, most clap push-ups in one minute, most side jumps in 30 seconds, most tricep dips in one minute, most star jumps in one minute, and the most squats on a Swiss ball in one hour and one minute.

He hopes to both break world champion runner Alfred Shrubb's 1904 record as well as raise money for the Help the Heroes campaign and Hope House hospice.

Mr Buttler already has 12 World Records to his name including 73 clap press-ups in 60 seconds, which smashed the former record of 43, and 1,702 squats on a Swiss ball in one hour.

Guinness World Record day will see people up and down the country attempt wacky, dangerous and down-right stupid records in the hope of securing their place in history.

This includes Ashrita Furman, from Queens, New York, who set the Guinness World Record for the heaviest shoes ever walked in at 146.5 kg, beating the previous record of 122 kg,

Merlin Cadogan, from Northam in North Devon, set the new record for the longest time to juggle three objects underwater on a single breath with a time of one minute 20 seconds at Pottersfield Park in London.

Other records targeted include a 90-year-old man walking across the wings of a plane whist in flight, a man pulling trucks with his beard, and hundreds of women in Belfast banding together to create the longest ever bikini parade.

By Peter Finch