Mike Aidala
Michael ‘Mike’ Aidala (born April 19, 1989) is an American performance mindset coach, ultra-endurance athlete, and strength specialist with multiple Guinness World Records.
Early life
Mike Aidala was born on April 19, 1989, in Tarrytown, New York, and grew up in Westchester County, New York. He later moved to Boulder, Colorado.
Aidala attended Horace Greeley High School between 2003 and 2007, where he was an all-state football player. Between 2007 and 2010, he was enrolled at the State University of New York at Cortland to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, with a major in Fitness Development. In 2025, he graduated with a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Career
In 2007, Aidala competed in Olympic weightlifting at the Empire State Games, winning a silver medal. In 2022, he set the Guinness World Record for the most weight lifted by a male in Turkish Get-up, lifting 6,270 kg (13,823 lb) in an hour across 149 repetitions. Dylan Miraglia later broke the record.
On February 22, 2025, Aidala broke the Guinness World Record for the heaviest single-repetition Turkish get-up with a 115.6 kg (255 lb) lift, 55 lbs more than the previous record. He reclaimed the title on February 23, 2026, setting a new record after lifting 118.56 kg (261.3 lb) in Denver, Colorado.
While at SUNY Cortland, Aidala interned with the New York Jets’ strength and conditioning staff across two preseason training camps at Cortland State. Following graduation, he joined EXOS to help college football players prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine.
Aidala is the founder of The Offense, a performance mindset coaching practice in Boulder, Colorado. In October 2016, Aidala collaborated with actress and singer Zendaya to recreate the lift scene from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing in New York City. Zendaya's Instagram post about the moment went viral.
Philanthropy
Aidala uses his athletic achievements to support charitable causes. Alongside his team, Elly's Angels V23, he participated in the 2022 Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis race organized by the Piper's Angels Foundation to raise funds for families affected by cystic fibrosis. The event raised nearly $12,000. His 2022 record attempt sought to raise awareness for veteran [...] prevention and raise funds for Mission 22, a nonprofit providing mental health services to veterans and their families.
Aidala performed several feats of strength for charity. He completed over 20 ultra-endurance events, including the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race and the Leadville Trail 100 run in support of the Leadville Trail Foundation.