Most of us probably can’t hold a plank for more than a couple of minutes. Try doing it for over 5 hours.

A retired US Marine, George Hood, broke the Guinness World Record for holding a plank for 5 hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds, crushing the previous record by nearly an hour.

Throughout the record-breaking event, Hood was surrounded by friends, family and bystanders. They all cheered him on as the music played. He had someone constantly putting icing chips under his elbows to minimize the discomfort he was feeling throughout the challenge.

He was required to follow five Guinness guidelines:
1) He needed to have four points of contact—both arms and both feet—at all times.
2) There could not ever be any “daylight” from the wrist to elbow. Although he could shift his weight, he could not lift his arms from the ground at any point.
3) His hands could not touch one another.
4) His legs had to be straight.
5) His back had to be straight, with no arch or dip.

He spent nine months training for the event, training four to six hours per day and 30 hours of plank time each week. In total, he logged nearly 1,000 of plank time leading up to the event. He frequently trained with 20 and 40 pound weights on his back to build up his endurance and strength.

He also worked on his cardio, running 3-5 miles or two hours on his spin bike. He did corresponding floor work, which consists of, but isn’t limited to, 150-200 pushups a day, 2,000 crunches a day (20 sets of 100), and upwards of 100 repetitions of curls to increase his arm strength and build up muscular endurance.

He eats very little the night before the event—just some protein and light carbs—then goes into the attempt on an empty stomach so he is lighter.

Besides getting his name in the record book, Hood did help raise money and awareness for wounded warriors in the process.

Check out the video to see what went down:

Muscle Prodigy’s Take: This guy is in some serious shape. At almost 60 years old, he can hold a plank for over five hours. That’s legendary status. His core must be so insanely strong to be able to do that. Props to him, especially because he raised money for charity. For those of you who were wondering, the plank is one of the best core exercises. It works all the muscles in your core, including the rectus abdominus (the “six-pack muscles” you can see), transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, hips, and back. I’m not suggesting to plank for five hours. A few minutes a day could definitely strengthen and build up your core.

Source

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/George-Hood-Guiness-World-Record-Plank-Semper-Fi-Fund-305586971.html#ixzz3c8rn8pEQ
http://www.fitbie.com/2013/04/30/plank-world-record