Kamal Kaloi breaks underwater pushups record on one breath

The underwater pushups record has been claimed by Kamal Kaloi, a 38-year-old yoga teacher living in Vietnam who completed 86 pushups beneath the surface while holding one breath, according to Guinness World Records.

United Press International reported that Kaloi, who is originally from India, made the attempt in October 2025 at a pool in Ninh Binh, Vietnam. Guinness reviewed the evidence and has now confirmed him as the male record holder for the most underwater push ups with a single breath.

The feat adds another line to Kaloi’s Guinness file. He previously set the record for the most consecutive yoga positions underwater, completing 21 in 2020, according to UPI.

What underwater pushups record did Kamal Kaloi break?

Guinness World Records said Kaloi earned the title for the most underwater push ups with a single breath in the male category. His verified total was 86 underwater pushups without taking another breath.

The record combines strength work with breath control. In Kaloi’s case, he told Guinness that his background in calisthenics and breath-holding helped prepare him for the attempt.

Kaloi said his earlier underwater yoga record pushed him toward a tougher challenge. “I had a passion to do something different right from the beginning. Whenever I saw someone who had made a record or achieved anything like this, I was always inspired by them,” he told Guinness World Records.

He said that after his first Guinness success, he better understood what he could do in the water. “When I made my first world record about underwater yoga, I realized my strength and decided to challenge myself more,” Kaloi told the organization.

Yoga, he said, was central to the preparation. Kaloi told Guinness he had built up strong experience in holding his breath and said he became able to hold it for six minutes.

“Of course yoga helped me a lot in making this record,” he told Guinness. “I had very good experience in holding my breath, which I used during my world record and I became an expert in holding my breath for six minutes.”

Kaloi also told Guinness that his training was not limited to staying still underwater. He said he had practiced doing activities while holding his breath, a key distinction for a record that required repeated pushups beneath the surface.

Guinness World Records confirmed the mark after reviewing the submitted evidence of the 86-pushup attempt, UPI reported. The organization listed Kaloi as the record holder after that review.

For Kaloi, the new title links two specialties he has already brought into the record books: underwater endurance and body-control training. This time, the count was pushups, the breath was single, and Guinness says 86 was enough.

This story draws on original reporting from UPI.