38 | NOVEMBER 21 • 2019 

sports HIGHlights

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A 

burpee sounds like 
something fun to do. It’
s 
not.
It’
s a pushup and then some, 
a full-body exercise that begins 
and ends in a standing position 
and involves squatting.
Fighting through painful 
cramps, Mike Berean did 5,010 
chest-to-ground burpees in a 
12-hour period Oct. 27 and 
added his name to the list 
of Guinness World Records, 
beating the old record of 4,689 
chest-to-ground burpees in 12 
hours.
“The cramps were every-
where. My legs, chest, abs ...
” 
 
Berean said. “I kept going 
because I’
m stubborn and my 
family was watching.
”
Berean said the cramps hit 
about seven hours into his 
world-record effort and with 
about 3,600 to 3,800 burpees 
done.

“I wanted to do 5,400 
burpees. That was my goal,
” he 
said. “But I had to stop with 
about 15 minutes left (in the 
12-hour period). My body said I 
couldn’
t do any more. It was just 
too painful to continue.
”
After taking a two-minute 
break each hour, Berean had 
to take longer breaks when the 
cramps hit.
“I needed time to get more 
fluid into my body and give my 
body a chance to relax,
” he said.
While he was sore the next 
day, Berean said, he recovered 
quickly from the record-break-
ing effort.
Why did the 46-year-old 
former U.S. Marine go through 
that ordeal?
Berean is a third-degree black 
belt in Krav Maga and co-own-
er of Krav Maga Great Lakes, 
where he teaches his 200 stu-
dents of all ages to push them-

selves beyond what they think 
they can do.
Krav Maga is a self-defense 
and fighting system developed 
by the Israeli military.
During October, Krav Maga 
studios worldwide raise money 
for the Marni Fund, created in 
the memory of Marni Levine, 
who died Aug. 31, 2006, at age 
37 from breast cancer.
Levine was a founder of Krav 
Maga Worldwide along with her 
husband, Darren Levine. She 
was a fourth-degree black belt 
in Krav Maga, and the high-
est-ranking female instructor in 
Krav Maga in the world.
She also was a wife and moth-
er with two daughters.
Nearly $4 million for breast 
cancer research has been raised 
by Krav Maga Worldwide in her 
honor.
Berean connected his burpees 
world record attempt with the 
Marni Fund. His burpees raised 
$7,653 through donations big 
and small.
“One person made a $400 
donation and said he’
d double 
it to $800 if I broke the record,
” 
Berean said.
The former 12-hour burpees 
world record was set just a few 

months before Berean’
s achieve-
ment and not that far away.
Bryan Abell, who at 23 years 
old is half Berean’
s age, did 
4,689 burpees July 7 at the 
YMCA in Milford.
Like Berean, Abell also raised 
money through his burpees. He 
did it for the Stronger Warrior 
Foundation, a not-for-profit 
organization that helps military 
members and their families.
Berean said he began training 
for his burpees world record 
attempt in August, after he 
couldn’
t take the good-natured 
goading of one of his Krav 
Maga students any more.
“I was already doing about 
300 burpees a day,
” he said.
During his five hours of train-
ing a day for the world record 
attempt, he said, he bumped up 
his pace to 500 burpees an hour.
Berean said he learned about 
Krav Maga while he was serving 
in the Marine Corps in the early 
1990s and is one of only a few 
people in the state who is cer-
tified to train law enforcement 
and military personnel in Krav 
Maga.
He owns Krav Maga Great 
Lakes with his wife, Dori, who 
handled all the paperwork and 
collected the donations for his 
world record burpees effort. 

Pushing 
Through 
the Pain

Co-owner of Krav Maga Great Lakes
sets a world record with 5,010 burpees.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

MELISSA ABFALTER

MELISSA ABFALTER

Why is Mike Berean 
smiling? He just did 
a world record 5,010 
chest-to-ground burpees 
in nearly 12 hours.

LEFT: Mike Berean takes a break
from doing chest-to-ground burpees 
for nearly 12 hours. 

