Almost 50, commando officer sets record for number of pull-ups

SINGAPORE — Heading to the pull-up bar is a source of dread for many national servicemen, but for Lieutenant-Colonel Robin Lee, pull-ups are an inviolable part of his daily training regime.

The 48-year-old commando even has a bar mounted on the door frame of his bedroom at home so that rain or shine, he can keep his daily appointment.

Those hours put into doing pull-ups culminated in a national record-setting effort on May 5, when LTC Lee clocked a total of 650 repetitions in an hour.

"I was inspired by other senior commandos who achieved records showcasing their fitness and fighting spirit," said LTC Lee, pointing to fellow commandos, including former Colonel Ang Yau Choon, who was part of the Antarctica 2000 expedition that trekked to the South Pole.

For his record-setting attempt, LTC Lee said that he had broken up the hour into 60 sets, aiming to finish 12 pull-ups each minute.

"Each time I came down from the bar in between sets, I was panting and wondering why the remaining 45 seconds would pass by so quickly before I began the next set," said the Singapore Armed Forces regular of 25 years.

The father of two daughters said because of his training, he was able to push through the pain despite developing blisters in the last 10 minutes of the attempt.

He also got tired as the hour wore on, and some pull-ups were not counted because his chin had not gone above the bar or his arms were not straightened between repetitions.

"The invigilator, at my request, would tell me if any of the pull-ups were not counted. Within the minute, I would try to get back up on the bar and finish the outstanding repetitions," he said.

LTC Lee said he hopes the feat, which made it into the Singapore Book of Records, will inspire more young people to take on such physical challenges.

His record did not come as a surprise to his training buddies, who besides other SAF regulars also included Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.

The group would train together at fitness parks on the weekends, where they would do a circuit of different workouts. Mr Tan told ST it was intimidating to train with LTC Lee, but the group was very encouraging.

"The number of reps of each exercise was scary. Even if we had a choice of different repetitions or intensity, it seemed too much... The important thing is to try (the workouts) bit by bit and do what you can," said Mr Tan.

LTC Lee encouraged those trying to improve their fitness or hoping to lead a more active lifestyle to try doing pull-ups.

"Most people are intimidated because they think they have to do 10 pull-ups at one go, but even if you have to get off the bar and take a break between each pull-up, you would have done 10 in total.

"Even if you can just hang on the bar for 10 seconds, it's better than not having done so. The right way is to just go and do it."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.