How many leg raises can you do during a flexed bar hang with palm-toward-you grip? How about plyometric parallel bar dips? How many sumo squat arm flaps or high knee jump push-ups can you muster in three minutes? And just how long can you remain in an ipsilateral one-arm, one-leg plank? 

Alicia Weber can answer those questions with her head held high. She has set records in every one of those physical fitness categories and over 1,000 more. Those feats have earned her the moniker “World Record Weber.”

The rope climber

Alicia Weber has been into fitness literally her whole life. 

She grew up in a Pittsburgh household surrounded by parents with healthcare backgrounds, and before even starting school, Alicia was working out regularly. By age 4, she was lifting weights, running alongside and occasionally accompanying her dad, a triathlete, to races. At age 6, she was running on a half-mile cinder track. Somewhere between 4 and 6, she was doing more pull-ups than most grown-ups can manage. In kindergarten, Alicia, who was always game for trying extraordinary and unique things, set a goal of climbing a tree every day. 

But the first realization of what she was truly capable of came in third grade.

“I was a self-coached, highly-motivated athlete early on, but in elementary school, teachers believed I was shy and weak because of my demeanor. I was quiet; I always went to the back of lines, and I didn’t raise my hand much,” Alicia says. “But inside, I could not wait to prove them wrong.”

How she went about it foreshadowed Alicia’s mind-blowing achievements.

“On a very rare occasion in gym class, they brought a 20-foot rope down and let students try to climb it, but none of them could make it all the way up,” Alicia says. “My third-grade teacher, who was one of the people who thought I was weak and shy, showed up at the end of class to get us, and I thought, ‘This is it. This is going to be my defining moment. Things are going to change.’”

Alicia says she was “on fire,” so instead of getting in line with her classmates, decided to give that rope a try.

“I hurried over to the rope, grabbed it, and climbed up and down five times in a row, for a total of 200 feet. After that I thought, ‘Enough said.’” 

Fast forward

Thinking back to that day in gym class, Alicia, now 43, says she’ll never forget the wide-eyed look on everyone’s face, how her teacher’s gradebook flopped open, and the only sound heard was that teacher’s pencil hitting the floor.

“There was not one word ever again about me being weak or shy. And in that moment, I knew that one day I would hold world records in strength and endurance,” she adds.

Call it intuition, a spur of the moment plan, or coincidence, but Alicia became an elite multi-sport athlete. Record Setter, a website that calls itself “the new home of world records” credits her with establishing more than 1,100 world records in physical fitness events from 2008-’23.

Her first record, for 75 consecutive bar dips in an all women category, was set on Feb. 21, 2008 when she was 27.

In December 2012, at age 33, after breaking 188 world records, Record Setter named Alicia “The most prolific female record setter in the world.”

Other highlights include breaking 1,000 world records in 1,785 days—equivalent to one record every 42.8 hours from March 6, 2012, to Jan. 23, 2017—with Record Setter. 

Determined to continually better herself, Alicia’s even broken some of her own records multiple times.

Alicia’s many faces

In addition to her lifelong passion for breaking world records, Alicia has long been an accomplished athlete.

In 6th grade (1992), she started competing in individual sports. At age 16, Alicia came out on top at her first national championship in the 3,000 meters at Junior Olympics in 1996.

“I was the only athlete at that time to compete and qualify for nationals in the 400M, 800M, 1,500M, 3,000M, 5,000M, 5K cross county, and 10,000M with USA Track and Field,” Alicia recalls.

From there, she was practically unstoppable. From 1996-’98, Alicia won seven medals at various national championship competitions and was the only two-time All-American in 10,000 meters while still in high school.

She was also the last All Female American in the event at Junior Nationals, (it is no longer contested for women). As an elite triathlete, she made her first world team at age 19 for Olympic distance triathlon. The next year, Alicia competed in the Olympic Triathlon World Championships in Perth, Australia, for age 20-and-under. 

From there, she became a Gator, winning letters in track and cross country under Coach J.J. Clark, her main motivation for attending the University of Florida (UF). In 2002, Alicia graduated with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications and film studies. Later, she received a bachelor’s in biology, and was on her way toward a Doctorate of Physical Therapy when she transferred out and became a licensed massage therapist in 2011.

Alicia has also written three books: “Wild Under the Waves,” a biology-based adult coloring book that focuses on marine life; “World Record Weber Wellness Routines,” which highlights the records Alicia has set and the routines that have helped keep her in shape; and “Your Winning Way to Physical Fitness,” a fitness/nutrition planner with a 52-week logbook people can use to track their daily routines, complete with motivational quotes. All three books are available on Amazon.

Alicia says she likes to think people enjoy the things she’s shared in her books and hopes more than anything, that her tips and insights serve to motivate, inspire, and help people achieve whatever their own dreams may be. 

If that’s not enough, Alicia is into motivational speaking, comedy, and creative writing/blogging, but she’s not ready to give up pushing her body to the limit. She continues to compete in 19 individual sports, though not simultaneously.

“I usually compete in about four sports a year but the most I have done in one year has been 10 sports,” Alicia says.

Looking ahead

Today, besides continuing to establish world records, Alicia lives in Clermont and works as a massage therapist helping people through ailments that limit their ability to enjoy life to the fullest. She also doubles as a personal trainer for people interested in losing weight, gain strength or increase their bone density as they age, a topic she says is not talked about enough.   

“People tell me they like that I self-coached myself and know I can achieve things because I did it on my own most of my life,” Alicia says. “I’m able to take what I’ve learned and help others.”

When Alicia talks, clients listen. Afterall, how many fitness trainers can say they’ve set 1,140 world records and garnered 193 victories and 300 top 10 finishes in 367 elite competitions since 1992? 

“That I’ve been able to accomplish what I have blows me away, especially the records,” Alicia says. “I never thought I would be able to do as much as I’ve done. It’s really exciting to achieve beyond your goals and I hope that continues to inspire people; to inspire me, for a long time.”

Personally, Alicia says she recently attained a longtime goal she’d been working on throughout COVID—placing in the top 100 women in the world in three sports.

In 2022, Alicia says she finished 20th in the world for lightweight women in Concept2 RowErg, 57th in the world for Concept2 BikeErg, and 90th in the world for Concept2 SkiErg, her most challenging category because of her (lower) weight status. 

“That was a very big goal that I was working on; to finish top 100 in the world at World Championships in all three, and I finally did that and honestly, I feel proud of myself,” Alicia says. 

As far as new records, Alicia has broken 21 of them since ringing in the new year. About a dozen more are still pending, and her plans include pressing on indefinitely. 

“I have so many things I’m working on that I just kind of see how I’m feeling and where I’m at because sometimes I feel stronger in some things than others,” Alicia explains. “I just take it day by day, really. I like constantly improving myself, and I like helping others do the same. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  

To learn more about Alicia and her accomplishments, visit www.aliciaweber.com. If interested in personal training or booking a massage, contact Alicia via email at awinningway@gmail.com.