KOCHI: Martial artist K J Joseph recently broke the world record for the most number of knuckle push-ups in a minute. He did 85 push-ups on July 8 and broke the record set by American Ron Cooper in 2015.
"I hope to make it 90 to 100 in the coming months," he says.
To set the record, Joseph followed a specific diet. "I ate only raw vegetables and two pieces of chapatti for 111 days before I made the attempt," he says.
Joseph says that the change in diet, which he had started as an experiment, had brought a remarkable difference to his body.
"My stamina and strength improved a lot," says the martial arts teacher who is also an exponent of yoga, and Kalaripayettu, among others.
However, Joseph is no stranger to comfort food-free diets. George Thomas, a teacher and author, who stayed with him for a year, to study his lifestyle, and write a book, describes how the Muvattapuzha resident stopped having sugar and salt, milk, and eggs. Instead, his diet includes small portions of rice or chappati.
"I have maintained a steady weight all my life. I always tell my martial arts students that if I could achieve this feat, with just 45 kilos of body weight, imagine what the human body is capable of, once we set our mind to it," he says.
Says George: "Joseph is the 'Indian Bruce Lee'."
Joseph also holds a record for breaking three iron rods of 17.9 milimetres in five seconds. He is attempting to break his own record and has also applied for an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records.
In fact, when Joseph attempted to set the record for breaking iron rods, he had to do maximum push-ups. "This is how I ended up doing push-ups," he laughs, and adds, "It was an uncle of mine, who is also into martial arts, who inspired me to take up the profession."