WATCH: Athletes break 44 Guinness World Records in 24 hours to launch new Reebok sneaker

On the day Beyoncé announced that she and husband Jay Z were expecting twins and subsequently broke the internet, more than two dozen athletes quietly shattered something of their own: 44 fitness-based Guinness World Records.

The attempts took place on Feb. 1 in New York, Los Angeles, London and Sydney over the course of 24 hours to launch Reebok’s new training shoe, the Nano 7.

“Putting Nanos to the test through breaking Guinness World Record titles was a fun and exciting way to bring it to life,” Inga Stenta, senior director of brand management for the Boston-based company, said in a statement.

Broken records included the most lunges in one minute, most consecutive tandem pushups, most kettle bell back somersaults in one minute, fastest mile hula hooping and most weight lifted in three minutes barbell snatch.

Ohio CrossFit athlete and five-time CrossFit Games competitor Dan Bailey of Ohio broke the latter record in New York. Baily lifted more than 4,729 pounds in three minutes, breaking the previous record of 4,410 pounds.

Metro chatted with Bailey about his feat, his love of CrossFit and the biggest misconceptions about the fitness regime.

What were you feeling when you realized you broke the barbell snatch record?

“I actually didn’t use the best strategy that I could have for this event. My plan fell apart real fast, and I knew that I had missed some reps. At first I had thought the record would be very doable, but at that point it was little up in the air!”

As someone who can barely carry a gallon of water, can you now describe, physically, how that felt?

“It hurt pretty bad, all over, but a good hurt. The type of pain that you know you are going to grow from. Your legs, back, arms and mind are screaming at you to take a break, but you know you can’t if you want to achieve your goal. In the end, the pain subsides, but the record stands.”

What was it like competing in New York?

“It was a fun atmosphere. Having the other Reebok athletes there, all of whom are good friends, made the experience that much more rewarding. We got to do the event in an awesome building with a great view of the city and the water, which made the record attempts that much cooler!”

How did your involvement with Reebok come about?

“Through being a competitor in the CrossFit Games. Reebok came on board as a major sponsor and started developing apparel for the needs of our athletes. The mainstay of which has been footwear with the most recent release of the Nano 7, which I got to wear when going after the record.”

How did you get into CrossFit?

“I got into CrossFit by a friend of mine, Will, suggesting I should give it a try to help fulfill a competitive hole I had in my life after finishing a collegian track career at Ohio University. I had some ups and downs in 2010 with competition, but being a spiritual guy, I felt God calling me to continue to go after being the fittest man on Earth. That path has taken me to many places I never expected to go, and many things I never thought I would get the chance to do. I wouldn’t trade the journey I’ve been on for anything.”

What do you love about it?

“I love the variety, the variance in training. There’s tons of skills to develop, and there is something in CrossFit that will always humble you, no matter how good you think you are. Above that, I love the community. It’s a very motivated group of people who are dedicated to pushing the pursuit of fitness in the right direction.”

What, to you, is the biggest misconception people have about it?

“The biggest misconception is that CrossFit is only for die-hard, or hardcore elite fitness enthusiasts. Anybody can do CrossFit. From the amputee to the grandma or grandpa in the nursing home, every workout is scalable to any ability level.

If you’re hesitant, I’d recommend you go visit a few gyms, watch a class, talk to the coaches and really see what it’s like. Every gym I have been to is full of inspiring people trying to better themselves.”