NICK IS A RECORD BREAKER

from Wokingham Today, October 6, 2022

by Wokingham.Today

SINKHOLE OPENS IN TOWN ROAD

He’s a record breaking deadlifter: Nick’s 24-hour challenge is a hit

EXCLUSIVE

By DANIEL BLACKHAM dblackham@wokingham.today

A COACH from a Winnersh gym has smashed a world record after tackling a 24 hour challenge.

Nick Riding, a strength and conditioning specialist at Move HQ in Winnersh Triangle, deadlifted the most cumulative weight in 24 hours between Friday, September 23, and the following day

The gruelling effort resulted in Mr Riding lifting 580,220kg, a total of 8,660 repetitions at 67kg.

“It’s an individual event but you need people there to help you sort it out, especially if it is a world record attempt because there’s a lot of admin,” he said.

“You don’t really think about the cameras, is everything in the right place, who’s counting the reps, who’s logging it down, what time do those reps happen, that sort of thing.

“You also need someone to remind you to eat and drink at certain times to make sure you’ve got the right stuff because. even when it’s feeling good, it can soon go downhill if you don’t.”

The previous record was achieved by Sam Murphy in November 2020, when he lifted 520,072kg throughout the day.

Mr Riding was inspired to take on the challenge after learning of the record through an old school friend.

He said: “One of my mates I went to school with trained at Sam’s gym, so when he broke the record I saw it on social media and thought ‘oh that was cool’.

“Then a year-and-a-half, two years go by, I’d stopped rowing and since then felt a bit lost training wise and nothing felt fulfilling enough.”

Mr Riding then decided to take on the record, but wanted to do it for an important cause.

“When I was at tennis academy in Leeds we did a charity run and I really enjoyed the sense of fulfilment it gave me doing it for a bigger purpose than just myself,” he said.

Mr Riding decided to raise money for the Charlie Watkins Foundation, which hosts fundraising events for charities supporting young people who struggle with their mental health and wellbeing.

Their main objective is to tackle the stigma around mental health issues and encourage young people to discuss it more openly.

Mr Riding went to university with Harry Watkins, who founded the charity after his brother Charlie committed suicide, so has witnessed the impact it can have on families.

“I’ll be very honest, I think over the last five years my perception of mental health has definitely changed,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily something that I fully

RECORD BREAKER: Nick Riding smashed the previous best by more than 50,000kgs

understood at the time but now having seen what happened with Harry and his family, it definitely opened my eyes a little bit.

“Once Harry said yes [to the challenge], it was a no-brainer so I just went all for it.”

So far Mr Riding’s recordbreaking effort has raised £3,000 for the foundation, triple his original target. n For more information on the challenge, or to make a donation, visit: essexcommunityfoundation. enthuse.com and search Nick Riding.

Midland railway exploration

A WOKINGHAM railway club has invited speaker Richard Heacock to give a presentation at its next meeting.

Richard will be talking about the Midland and South Western Junction Railway, paying special attention to its history.

Today, part of the route is the Swindon and Cricklade Heritage Railway, which ran from Cheltenham via Swindon and Savernake to Andover.

The Wokingham Methodist Railway and Transport Club will meet at the Bradbury Centre, in Rose Street, at 7.45pm on Tuesday, October 18. n For more information contact programme secretary, Jim Dunning on: 0118 977 1754.

ITALIAN speakers can enjoy a social event that allows them to practise their skills.

The gathering is not only for those who come from il belpaese, but welcomes those who would like to speak or listen to Italian.

The event, Conversazione Italiana a Wokingham, is held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Two Poplars on Finchampstead Road in Wokingham from 8pm.

The next event is October 19, and entry is free. n To find out more, search meetup.com for Conversazione Italiana a Wokingham