Canadian Grandmother Holds A Record-breaking 4.5 Hour Plank; Know How

A 58-year-old woman from Alberta, Canada, has broken the world record for the longest time in an abdominal plank position. According to the Guinness World Records, DonnaJean Wilde planked for 4 hours 30 minutes and 11 seconds – just over 10 minutes longer than the previous record set by a fellow countrywoman in 2019.

According to the reviewers of the feat, DonnaJean’s forearms and toes always touched the ground, and the remainder of her body was continuously lifted off the ground and was completely straight throughout.

“My elbows hurt pretty bad,” DonnaJean told newspersons after completing her record-breaking plank. “I was so worried about losing my form, and I think that’s why my quads hurt because I was just really tense.”

For the grandmother of 12, the first two hours did go by quickly, but the following time was extremely difficult. “The last hour was the most challenging, just to stay focussed and keep my form.”

DonnaJean said she drew motivation from her grandchildren who came along to watch.

Suffered pain in arms and hands

DonnaJean said she took up regular exercising and workouts to get rid of chronic pain in her arms and hands that caused discomfort for years.

According to her husband Randy, DonnaJean’s condition has proved to be helpful, rather than a hindrance: “That chronic pain and numbness that she deals with every day has helped her to be able to plank through the pain,” he said.

How did DonnaJean do it?

DonnaJean says she used to practice planks for up to three hours every day, and in preparation for this record attempt, she upped it to six hours after splitting it into two three-hour blocks.

She included it into her daily routine more than a decade ago after breaking her wrist and finding herself unable to run or lift weights while wearing a cast.

“I realized that I could read and do things when I was planking and fell in love with it,” she said.

The men’s plank world record currently stands at 9 hr 38 min 47 sec, achieved last year by Josef Salek from Czechia.

How to successfully do planks?

According to experts, planks help you keep your tummy tight and your core strong, apart from your daily exercise.

Easy ways to hold your planks for a longer time include:

If you work in a sedentary job, doing planks every day helps improve your posture. The exercise strengthens your back, chest, shoulders, neck, and abs, making it easier to keep your shoulders back and your lower back in a neutral position.

Planks also help you develop isometric strength in your core muscles.

This exercise is also a great way to stretch out the lower half of your body lengthening your hamstrings as well as the arches of your feet.

While the classic plank is a great go-to exercise, planks can also be modified and added to suit what your body needs.