Grandma breaks record, joining the select few in the Guinness World Records by planking for 4.5 hours

A 58-year-old woman, mother of five and grandmother of 12, broke the world record for the longest plank.

The plank exercise involves holding a position like a push-up to work your core muscles without moving for as long as possible, according to Physiopedia.

This exercise engages your entire body without any movement. It targets core muscles like the abs, lower back, and sides while also working your arms and legs.

Planks offer many benefits for your body, especially your core, glutes, and lats.

Strengthening these muscles supports your spine, stabilizes your pelvis and back, and improves balance and posture.

They also enhance shoulder health and prepare your body for exercises like squats and deadlifts by improving core stability.

Plus, doing plank exercises is convenient because you can do them anywhere without equipment.

Plank exercises are challenging because they work multiple muscles, including the back, core, and lower body.

Weakness in these areas, especially the core and upper body, can make holding a plank hard. Not engaging your glutes and quads properly adds to the difficulty.

However, planks can become easier with practice and targeted exercises, and modifications like kneeling planks can help.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, you should be able to hold a plank for about a minute as a beginner.

Meanwhile, DonnaJean Wilde, the 58-year-old woman who holds the title for the world’s longest plank, has a record of holding plank for 4 hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds, according to Guinness World Records.

She set the new record on March 27, 2024.

DonnaJean had a long career in education, teaching at Magrath Elementary and Magrath High School for many years.

She also held the position of Vice Principal at the high school before retiring.

“Growing up, whenever we woke up, my mom had already run four miles. That just progressed through the years, and she’s always been very active and fit,” her son, Ray Wilde, said.

Twelve years ago, Donna Jean broke her wrist in a fall, which stopped her from running or weight training due to wearing a cast.

“I love to work out, I love all sports, and I love to run. And I just found I couldn’t do that with a cast on. The family was doing little planking challenges of a couple of minutes, and I tried it with my cast on, and I could do it,” DonnaJean said.

Donna Jean added that planking is the only thing she can do for the next six to eight weeks with her cast on.

She found that she could read and do other things while doing the exercise and fell in love with it.

According to her husband, Randy Wilde, DonnaJean has spent the last month intensely preparing for her big day.

She has been consistently planking for 5 to 6 hours daily, typically in sessions lasting 2 to 3 hours.

“If I’m going to watch a movie and she’ll watch a movie with me, then she’ll be in the plank position,” he said.

“The incredible thing is, she did her entire master’s degree planking,” said her daughter, Laura Stevenson, who just moved in next to her parents house with her new born baby.

She also shared that she often wakes up in the morning at 3:30 or 4, only to find her mom planking.

DonnaJean’s family, her grandchildren, and the children from the school where she worked were at the Guinness event to support her.

Randy shared that about two decades ago, Donna Jean developed transverse myelitis during her university years, causing chronic pain and numbness in her arms and hands.

Despite this daily struggle, she has learned to persevere through the discomfort, allowing her to continue planking despite the pain.

“The first couple of hours went really well. But I feel like the last hour, maybe I was just getting anxious and excited,” DonnaJean said, adding that she just feels like the last hour was the most challenging, just to stay focused and keep her form.

After years of dedication, Donna Jean felt overwhelmed by achieving the new world record in planking.

She described it as surreal and advised others to persevere and practice regularly. She suggests integrating planks into daily tasks like reading or computer work to maintain consistency.

“Keep trying and keep practicing. When you have to read or work on your computer, just get on the floor and do it on the floor,” DonnaJean said.

Watch DonnaJean as she makes it into the Guinness World Record for the longest-ever female plank:

If you want to see more record breaking videos, visit Guinness World Record YouTube channel.