BREAKING A WORLD RECORD
There are certain moments in training that stay with you forever — the kind that remind you why you fell in love with movement, strength, and competition in the first place. This story is one of those.
For anyone unfamiliar, the Bulgarian Bag is a crescent-shaped tool developed by Ivan Ivanov, a Bulgarian Olympic wrestling coach. It’s designed to develop rotational power, grip strength, and whole-body conditioning like almost nothing else. The Suples VIB spin — the movement I competed in — involves gripping the bag by its handles and swinging it around your body in a full 360° arc, again and again, under complete control.
It’s as technical as it is brutal. The bag pulls you off balance with every rotation, and your grip, core, and lungs all start to burn. With the heaviest bag — 38 kilograms — every spin feels like it’s trying to tear the bag out of your hands. The key is rhythm and endurance. Once you find that flow, it becomes almost meditative… right up until it feels like your forearms might explode.
I’d already managed to break the world record in training, but to make it official, it had to be done in competition under strict rules, with certified officials and a brand-new bag. That last part worried me — a new Bulgarian Bag is stiff, the leather grips are tough, and it takes a while before they loosen up. The one I trained with in the gym was well-loved and perfectly broken in.
Still, I was ready.
The attempt took place at the first-ever Bulgarian Bag World Championships, hosted at The Commando Temple in the UK — an incredible venue that brought athletes from all over Europe together. The energy in the room was electric. When the countdown started, all the noise faded and it was just me, the bag, and the spin.
When I finally stopped, I’d hit 43 consecutive spins — breaking the previous world record of 41. It was a surreal mix of exhaustion, relief, and pride. More than anything, I felt grateful to be part of this growing community and to represent what’s possible with focus and consistency.
And I’m not done yet. I’m confident that with another year of training, I can push the record to 50 reps.
It was an unforgettable day — a celebration of strength, movement, and the spirit of competition — and one I’ll carry with me for a long time.
