A 58-year-old grandmother has been recognized by the Guinness World Records for breaking the record for the longest time held in an abdominal plank position by a woman.
DonnaJean Wilde held a plank for 4 hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds and broke the record at her former workplace, Magrath High School in Magrath, a town in Alberta, Canada, on March 21. Wilde’s time is ten minutes longer than the previous record, set in 2019 by fellow Canadian Dana Glowacka, according to Guinness.
In order to set the new record, Guinness said Wilde needed to keep her forearms and toes on the ground at all times and the rest of her body needed to be lifted up from the ground and remain straight throughout the time period.
Wilde told Guinness her 12 grandchildren, who went to watch their grandmother achieve the impressive feat, were the source of her motivation for breaking the record.
According to Guinness, Wilde started planking about 12 years ago after she sustained a wrist injury and was unable to lift weights or run. Despite living with chronic pain in her hands and arms, Wilde said she fell in love with planking after she realized she could multitask while doing the fitness move, such as reading a book.
Wilde, a retired high school vice principal and teacher, has since finished studying for her master’s degree while planking and continues to keep up her planking, which she can do for up to three hours a day.
While practicing to break the record, Wilde said she even planked for up to six hours a day.
Wilde told Guinness the first two hours of her record-breaking attempt were a breeze but the last couple of hours were more difficult and afterward, her elbows and quads all hurt but she was determined to stay focused.
“I actually still can’t believe it,” she said of breaking the record. “It feels like a dream.”
For anyone else inspired to break the record she set, Wilde had a few words of advice.
“Keep trying and keep practicing,” Wilde told Guinness. “When you have to read or work on your computer, just get on the floor and do it on the floor.”
