58-year-old woman beats world record with 4.5-hour plank

DonnaJean Wilde, a 58-year-old grandmother from Alberta, Canada, crushed the world record for the longest female plank hold.

Wilde on March 21 held the pose for 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds—just over 10 minutes longer than the record set by Dana Glowacka in 2019 (4 hours, 19 minutes, and 55 seconds)—at Magrath High School where she used to serve as vice principal.

To achieve the record, the challenger’s forearms and toes must touch the ground and the remainder of the body must be lifted off the ground and be kept straight the entire time. 

Wilde’s 12 grandchildren watched her break the world record and were, according to Wilde, her motivation to achieve the title. 

“My elbows hurt pretty bad,” DonnaJean, who suffers from chronic pain in her hands and arms, told the Guinness World Records, “I was so worried about losing my form, and I think that’s why my quads hurt because I was just really tense.” 

“The last hour was the most challenging, just to stay focused and keep my form,” she added. 

Guinness World Records Official Adjudicator Tina Shi closely monitored DonnaJean’s form during the record attempt. 

Wilde reportedly planks three to six hours every day in preparation for the record attempt. 

She started planking after a wrist injury 12 years ago. 

Wilde told the Guinness World Records that she realized she could read and do things while she was planking and fell in love with it – she even did all her master’s degree studies while planking. 

“I actually still can’t believe it,” she said after achieving the feat. “It feels like a dream.”