When he was a young kid, Mike Aidala’s grandfather — a US military veteran — died by suicide. 

In 2025, years later, Mike decided to break a world record in his honour and raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. 

“I want to use my physical strength to raise awareness for the mental and emotional strength needed to face the inner struggles so many people... battle,” Mike told us.  

Earlier this year in February, Mike broke the record for heaviest single repetition Turkish get-up by lifting 115.6 kg (255 lbs) in Denver, Colorado, USA.  The record attempt was used as a fundraiser to support Mission 22, a nonprofit that supports veterans and their families.  

Mike wrote on his website that he was too young to do something about his grandfather’s passing, but now that he is old enough, he wants to contribute his skills for a greater cause.  

“I am sure he faced many inner demons,” Mike wrote. “At the time, I was too young to support him, but today, many great organizations are committed to helping people who are hurting.” 

Mike wrote on his fundraising page that he chose to perform the Turkish get-up because it “offers excellent symbolism for the ups and downs of life.” He told us that it is one of the most complicated exercises one could do in the gym.  


Performing the Turkish get-up involves moving from a lying down position to a standing position, while raising one arm with weight and employing a combination of strength, mobility and concentration. 

“The way back down is really tough,” Mike says. “Because you’ve put so much energy into going up... you have to make sure you save enough in order to come back down to complete the lift.”   

Because of his hand placement not being perfect, Mike did not break the record in his very first attempt. Every act of Mike’s to break the record, even his unsuccessful attempt, symbolizes the importance of not giving up.  

Until May 2022, Mike also held the Guinness World Records title for most weight lifted by Turkish get-up in one hour (male). He lifted a total of 6,270 kg (13,823 lb) in an hour, but the record was broken by Dylan Miraglia (USA), who lifted 6,858.95 kg (15,121.40 lb) in one hour.



By profession, Mike is a performance mindset coach and has his own practice called The Offense. He describes himself as someone who loves to constantly grow and improve. 

“I’m a very curious person. I love to learn and push myself in all different types of endeavours.”