Ultra-fit Aussie policewoman Jade Henderson should’ve been on top of the world after getting into the Guinness Book by completing a staggering 733 pull-ups in just one hour recently – but awful abuse from online trolls took the gloss off her incredible feat.
Henderson literally took the skin off her hands as she set the mark on the Gold Coast in August, despite partially tearing one of her biceps during her gruelling eight-month training regime.
The 32-year-old beat the previous mark of 725 set by fellow Aussie Eva Clark, cracking out an average of 12 repetitions every minute.
A high-level Crossfit competitor for the last eight years, the Queensland-based fitness fanatic has now opened up about the shocking reaction from trolls.
‘I wasn’t expecting to receive half the amount of attention I have received already, so when I saw that a lot of it was negative comments accusing me of being on steroids or cheating, it’s quite disheartening,’ Henderson said.
‘It discredits the amount of work that’s actually gone into doing this record.
Jade Henderson completed a mind-boggling 733 pull-ups in one hour in August
The Queensland-based police officer was hailed for the amazing feat online – but some commenters also baselessly accused her of being on steroids
‘I try not to focus on it, and those who love me, my family, friends, they know that I have not cheated.
‘I’ve never done steroids, so I don’t have anything to prove to anyone else.’
Several comments on the police officer’s Instagram posts about the record referenced performance-enhancing drugs, with trolls using syringe emojis to make baseless accusations.
Henderson also revealed how an agonising training mishap made her change her plan to make her way into the Guinness Book.
She was originally going to attempt to break the record for most pull-ups in 24 hours, which was set by Australia’s Olivia Vinson, who completed 7079 of them in March this year.
‘I did 3500 pull-ups in 12 hours and tore my bicep,’ Henderson said.
‘I had a partial tear of the bicep tendon and muscle. I had to rest my arm for about six weeks before I was able to do pull-ups again.’
Her taxing record attempt became more difficult and painful about two-thirds of the way through.
The 32-year-old was originally planning to attempt more than 7000 pull-ups in 24 hours, but suffered an agonising setback during training
Henderson ripped the skin off her palms about two-thirds of the way through the amazing feat, but refused to give in to the pain
Henderson has been a top CrossFit competitor for years and has also been rubbing shoulders with stars like former UFC world champ Robert Whittaker for a Netflix show
‘I gave it everything thing I had and in that moment I don’t think I could have done any better,’ she said.
‘With about 20 minutes left to go in the hour, I felt the skin on my hands rip.
‘I thought to myself that my hands were already a mess and I was already in pain, so I need to make it worth it.
‘I am proud of myself for pushing through that pain and not stopping until the end.’
In an Instagram post shortly after setting the new mark, she wrote, ‘It’s pretty insane to see what the body is capable of if the mind is willing.’
Henderson – who is training to be a stuntwoman with practise in firearms, being set on fire, falling down stairs and specialised driving – also got the chance to join some famous Aussie names on Netflix’s Physical Asia show this year.
The program pitted national teams of eight elite athletes, male and female, against each other in a series of strength and endurance contests.
Henderson was brought to South Korea as a reserve contestant during filming, alongside names like former UFC world champion Robert Whittaker, ex-NRL star Eloni Vunakece and strongman Eddie Williams.
Henderson told the ABC she now wants to beat the record for most pull-ups in one minute, which stands at 44.
