Who doesn't love a Guinness World Record?

While the annual book can often be filled with some rather bizarre accomplishments, you can always guarantee that the sports section will make for a thoroughly interesting read.

Sports fans will have become familiar with records such as Arsenal going 'Invincible' and Lionel Messi's insane 2012, but some of the sheer physical feats are the most impressive.

We've already seen the women's plank and men's burpee world records fall this year, and now it seems we might have the most thrilling of the bunch.

That's because a former college footballer, Chris Spell, has been training himself to surpass one of the most viewed world records on Guinness' YouTube channel. 

Standing jump world record

Over one million people have watched Evan Ungar jumping higher from a standing start than anybody in recorded history, landing on top of gym equipment 63 inches off the ground.

Pretty incredible stuff, but Guinness could probably do with changing the title after Spell went one better in July, raising the record by landing an astonishing 64.125 inch (162 centimetre) jump.

It was actually the third time that Spell had attempted the record and despite jumping even higher, leaping 64.625 inches, his performance didn't comply with Guinness' rules.

Chris Spell raises the bar

The ex-University at Buffalo student had used gym boxes that were considered to be too soft, but that wasn't a problem when he leapt most recently at Retro Fitness in Cortlandt Manor.

Speaking after the achievement, Spell remarked: “It was a freeing sensation. I felt like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders."

It will come as little surprise that jumping so high, especially when it's taller than a lot of people, is quite the spectacular sight and the full video can be seen here: 

He's made Cristiano Ronaldo's headers look like bunny hops.

Quite how he manages to pull off the jump is almost beyond our comprehension, so it's not surprising that he decided to celebrate the end of his project with a back flip.

To ensure there were no hiccups this time, an architect was brought along to verify the height; two police offers confirmed the event and Spell's girlfriend filmed the jump itself.

As a result, Spell can now be found on the official website as the new record-holder and Guinness have sought to clarify the rules for anybody trying to top it. 

They are as follows: "The participant must stand facing the surface onto which they will jump. They can stand at any distance away from the surface before jumping.

"The landing surface must be completely flat and with enough surface area to accommodate both the jumper’s feet. Suitable surfaces include permanent platforms or exercise boxes found at fitness centres.

"Regardless of the surface, the landing area must be fixed and immovable by the participant."

How high do you think you could leap with a standing jump? Have your say in the comments section below.