This Workout Warrior Runs to Break Records

RON COOPER BEGINS every Monday morning with a workout that most people might not be able to fit into a week: 30 push-ups every minute, for 30 minutes, wearing a 20-pound backpack. He grabs his stopwatch, throws the dumbbell-filled pack over his shoulders, and gets to work. Down, up, down, up.

- THEO KAHLER

Nine-hundred push-ups is child's play for Cooper, whose nickname in the fitness world-the "pull-up guy"-refers to an entirely different prowess. Discipline and repetition have helped Cooper, a financial advisor by day and father of two, break 29 Guinness World Records in feats of strength, including the five he actively holds: the most chest to-bar chin-ups in one minute (33), push-ups in one minute with a 40-pound pack (84), step-ups in one minute with a 40-pound pack (60), step-ups in one minute with a 60-pound pack (60), and step-ups in one minute with an 80-pound pack (54).

But despite earning a reputation as an upper-body-workout warrior, Cooper doesn't limit his athletic endeavors to the strength-based challenge she's also a blazing-fast runner. In June 2022, the 44-year-old clocked a 17:13 PR at the Boston Waterfront 5K, taking 6th place in a field of 637. While Cooper runs only once or twice a week due to nagging injuries, he's plenty proud of his race PRs. "I'm just as psyched when I hit a running goal as when I break a world record," he says.

Chase Greatness / In high school, Cooper was convinced his talents lay in the short sprints and jumps, often running the 100 meters and 200 meters, until his brother-a middle-distance stud in New England-persuaded him to try the 800 meters his junior year. Cooper took to the event instantly, placing high in his county meet and ultimately earning a spot on the Boston College track team.