A 58-year-old grandma holds the new Guinness World Record for the longest abdominal plank by a woman. DonnaJean Wilde of Magrath, Alberta, Canada, held the plank position for an astonishing 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds, breaking the previous record by 10 minutes.
A plank is a test of core strength
A plank is a test of core strength in which you hold a position comparable to a push-up, with your toes and forearms touching the ground at all times and your torso remaining straight.
The retired former teacher has practiced planking for the past 12 years, beginning when she couldn’t run or lift weights while wearing a cast due to a broken wrist.
She increased her plank time over the next few weeks, and it is now part of her daily workout routine, which she can do for up to three hours. She then extended this to six hours (two blocks of three hours) ahead of her record attempt.
DonnaJean Wilde held the plank position for an astonishing 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds
Wilde’s entire family, including her grandchildren, as well as school students, came to support her in her world record quest.
“My elbows hurt pretty bad,” she said after smashing the record.
“I was so worried about losing my form, and I think that’s why my quads hurt because I was just really tense.”
She noted that the first two hours went quickly and the “last hour was the most challenging,” but she managed to “stay focused and keep my form,” and eventually in the last 30 minutes she maintained her position by “breathing, staying calm, and not shaking.”
Wilde suffers from pain in her hands and arms, making her determination to break this record even more astounding.
“That chronic pain and numbness that she deals with every day has helped her to be able to plank through the pain,” Wilde’s husband Randy explained.
Wilde described herself as “overwhelmed” by the fact that she had set a Guinness World Record.
“I actually still can’t believe it,” she remarked. “It feels like a dream.”