George Kotsimpos

George Kotsimpos (Greek: Γεώργιος Κοτσιμπός, born June 15, 1977) is a Greek-Canadian fitness athlete. He is mainly known for his push-up skills. He has achieved six Guinness World Records in the world of physical fitness.

Training method
Kotsimpos trains under the "Iron Body" philosophy. He is coached by Kostas Stathopoulos, who has held in the past the Guinness World Record for the "Most diamond push-ups on medicine balls in one minute". When asked about his workout program in a TV interview, Kotsimpos said "My training is a blend of calisthenics, resistance training and core strength building". He also explained about his training approach that, "it emphasizes on a combination of exercises that build the core muscles of the body, mainly using medicine balls and swiss balls".

Athletic achievements
Kotsimpos has broken four Guinness World Records in three different fitness exercises. The first in December 2020 for the "Most hand release push ups in one minute (male)" by performing 64 push-ups in one minute, 6 more than the previous record. The second in December 2022 for the "Most consecutive tandem push ups (male)" with his fellow athlete Apostolos Dervas, performing 43 push-ups while carrying out the exercise together. They outnumbered the previous holders by 4 repetitions. In September 2023, he secured his third Guinness World Record for the "Most consecutive tandem push-ups (male)" alongside fellow athlete Apostolos Dervas again. They executed 51 push-ups, surpassing their own previous record by 8 repetitions. “This is an extremely difficult achievement due to hard work and unwavering determination,” said George Kotsimpos. “We had faith in our abilities and knew we could break the 50-rep mark.”



In November 2023, Kotsimpos, alongside training partner Apostolos Dervas, claimed on the same day, two further Guinness World Records for tandem knuckle push-ups (male). They achieved 40 repetitions for the  "Most consecutive tandem knuckle push-ups"  and 46 repetitions for the  "Most tandem knuckle push-ups in one minute". Kotsimpos said about the difficulty of the exercise: "It is unexpectedly difficult. We didn't expect the knuckle push-ups to be so challenging. We were forced to find answers to questions we didn't know we would face."

In January 2024, Kotsimpos achieved to break his sixth Guinness World Record for the "Most push-ups on medicine balls in one minute (male)". He performed 100 push-ups in a minute, becoming the first athlete in history to reach the three-digit milestone. In a statement, he expressed, “It is a tremendous honor for me to achieve such a feat. It was a lifelong dream, and I worked hard to make it happen.”

Health and injuries
Kotsimpos has sustained severe injuries twice during his athletic career. The first injury occurred nine months before his first Guinness World Record attempt, when he cut four flexor tendons of his right forearm in an accident. The second injury occurred about one year prior to his second record attempt when he sustained a shoulder injury, which led to arthroscopy. Kotsimpos has fully recovered from both his injuries.

Personal life
Kotsimpos is married and has two children. He and his family reside in Heraklion, Greece. Kotsimpos holds a Bachelor's degree as well as a Doctorate in Informatics from the University of Piraeus. He works as an IT specialist.