Revere’s Record Breaker: Dr. Joseph DeMarco Is About To Be Crowned the Undisputed World Champion of Pushups

Dr. Joseph DeMarco is awaiting official certification from Guinness World Records that he in fact is the most prolific pushup person in his age category in the world.

On May 25, DeMarco shattered the eight-hour and twelve-hour world records for most pushups. He shattered the latter record by 900 pushups, completing his fantastic feat of conditioning with 21,008 pushups. Earlier in that session, he had surpassed the record for eight hours with more than 15,261 pushups.

“I started off by doing two sets of 18 pushups every minute,” said DeMarco, 57, a 1982 Revere High graduate. “I took a five-minute break after three hours. I try to keep my rest period to an absolute minimum. So probably over the whole 12 hours, I took maybe three or four 5-minute breaks. At the eight-hour mark when I broke the record, I took a 10-minute break.”

Being the best at his craft is not unfamiliar territory for the talented 5-foot-5-inch chiropractor.

Excelling in Gymnastics and Bodybuilding

At Revere High, DeMarco was a championship gymnast under Coach Dave Montani. He later competed for the Division 1 UMass/Amherst gymnastics team, earning the New England all-around events title.

Following his studies at UMass. DeMarco attended Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa, receiving his Doctor of Chiropractic degree. He has been practicing for 31 years, currently in Manchester-by-the Sea.

DeMarco became a competitive bodybuilder and competed for 20 years, winning the title of Mr. Continental USA in 1989 and claiming the national championship in the 40-and-over category in 2007. He retired from bodybuilding in 2009.

Raising Funds for Cape Ann Animal Aid

DeMarco undertook his pushup challenge during a fundraiser he organized at the MAC Fitness facility in Gloucester, beginning his trek to Guinness glory at 8 a.m. and continuing until at 8 p.m.

DeMarco donated the proceeds of his record-breaking effort to Cape Ann Animal Aid, a dog shelter located, appropriately enough, at 4 Paws Lane Gloucester. He raised more than $9,000 for the cause, dedicating his efforts to his own dog, Buddha, who is battling cancer.

“I wanted to do something for Buddha – that’s where I got this idea to do something for Cape Ann Animal Aid,” said DeMarco.

“The people were very generous in donating to the shelter,” said DeMarco.

Making the Record Official

Entering your name in the world’s most prestigious book of records is no easy achievement, and all record pursuits must be chronicled with precision and clarity.

“We had to have two cameras, one from the front and one from the side, shooting video on my pushups for the whole twelve hours,” explained DeMarco. “There had to be personal trainers recording all the repetitions into a logbook. I had seven different trainers over the twelve hours, along with random, independent witnesses.”

DeMarco is expecting world-record certification from Guinness soon.

Returning to a Regular Workout Schedule

Tens of thousands of pushups later, Dr. DeMarco is happy to be returning to a less strenuous workout regimen.

“I lost 22 pounds getting ready for the pushups quest,” said DeMarco. “I was doing massive workout days, with five hours of pushups, followed by two hours of cardio. I’m back to 145 pounds now, but I was 160 when I started my training.”

Dr. DeMarco’s wife, Lori [Perry] DeMarco, was also a superb athlete at Revere High, graduating in 1985 as a multi-sport recipient of the best athlete award. They have two sons, Joey and Jack, and a daughter, Emily.

DeMarco still has strong connections to Revere. “My mother [Grace DeMarco] still lives in the same house in which I grew up,” said DeMarco proudly. “I love Revere. I feel a lot of the success you have in life is from where you grow up.”