As obesity grows worldwide and population density has risen, people are increasingly confined to small spaces. Exercising has been seen as a non-starter to some people because, they either don’t have the motivation to spend a chunk of time moving their limbs or have to divert from a busy schedule to travel to a place, like a gym, for proper equipment. Planks have been seen as a valuable alternative. Planks work your abdominal region, obliques, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. You don’t have to leave your house and can listen to mass media while planking. Most importantly, it’s a continuous motion. Some wonder how different testosterone levels (gender) and muscle mass (age) affect how long you can do a plank. Look at who holds the longest plank through classification based on age and gender.

Longest Plank Record Based on Age between 12 -18 years old

Male

Date: November 8, 2021
Time: 241 Minutes
Age:13 years old

Subhash Lakshmanan, from India, planked for a reported 4 Hours,1 minute, and 3 seconds. Not much information is known about the young teen but this is an impressive feat for him.¹

Female

Date: April 19, 2014
Time: 80 Minutes
Age:16 years old

Colorado native, Gabi Ury, did a 1 hour, 20 minute, and 5 second plank, a female record at the time. Gabi suffers from VATER syndrome (Vertebrae, Anus, Trachea, Esophagus, Renal). This affects her legs so she wasn’t able to run for exercise. She took up planking and did minutes a day. She built enough endurance to set up a date to break the female record, which was 38 minutes at the time. She did her record-setting event in conjunction with fundraising for Children’s Hospital Colorado, which performed surgeries for her condition. ²

Longest Plank Record Based on Age between 19 -30 years old

Male

Date: August 6, 2021
Time: 570 Minutes
Age: 28 years old

Australian native ,Daniel Scali, went for 9 hours, 30 minutes, and 1 second to set an at-time record for a plank. Daniel suffers from CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). This causes changes in color and temperature in limbs and is extremely painful. Reflecting on his record and the pain he endured, Daniel said, “If someone told me five years ago that I’d be going for a Guinness World Records attempt for the world’s longest plank, I wouldn’t believe it. I didn’t have the belief back then, nor did I have the courage, to accept what I had to deal with. It was only recently, when I’ve grown up, [that I’m] accepting the cards I’ve been dealt and using them to my advantage.” ³

Female

Date: 2015
Time:211 Minutes
Age: 26 years old

Cyprus native, Maria Kalimera, smashed the women’s record by an hour when she finally dropped after 3 hours and 31 minutes. Maria reflected by saying, “I consider this a major achievement and an extremely important milestone of my life. It’s a very big challenge for me, I have been working for a long time on this.”⁴

Longest Plank Record Based on Age Between 31-54 years old

Male

Date: May 30, 2023
Time:579 Minutes
Age: 53 years old

Josef Šálek, from the Czech Republic, set the current world record after planking for 9 hours, 38. minutes, and 47 seconds. Before this attempt, Josef felt he was overweight and needed a change. He says, “Five years ago, I was 15 kilos (33 lb) overweight, I used to be fond of alcohol and cigarettes. But a certain life-changing moment brought me to this transformation, so the thing I want to give to the world is that no matter your age, you can just make changes to feel happier, more vital, and healthier.” ⁵

Female

Date: May 18, 2019
Time:260 Minutes
Age:48 years old

Canadian yoga teacher, Dana Glowacka, held her plank for 4 hours,19 minutes, and 55 seconds at the 1st International Plank Training Conference. She used tips given by a past male record-holder, George Hood. ⁶

Longest Plank Record Based on Age Between 55-64 years old

Male

Date: February 15, 2020
Time:495 minutes
Age: 62 Years old

As mentioned above, George Hood was at the time the leading individual for holding a plank, lasting an impressive 8 hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds. A marine, Hood prepared by doing about 4 hours of daily plank exercises and 700 pushups. According to Hood, he burned 4,252 calories during his record-breaking feat. ⁷

Female

Date: March 21, 2024
Time: 270 Minutes
Age: 58 years old

A retired Canadian teacher, Donna Jean Wilde, is the current record-holder for a female, lasting for 4 hours,30 minutes, and 11 seconds. She broke her wrist in 2012, and planking helped her stay in shape. “I realized that I could read and do things when I was planking and fell in love with it,” she recalled. ⁸ Leading up to the day of the attempting, record-breaking feat, she did 3-hour planks every day.

Longest Plank Record Based for Age 65+

Male

Date: March 19, 2019
Time: 38 Minutes
Age: 71 years old

Minnesotan, Andy Steinfeldt, planked for 38 minutes as he wanted to break the previous record of 36 minutes and 58 seconds. He wanted to prove to others that anything is possible after finishing cancer treatment.⁹

Female

Date: September 28, 2011
Time: 37 Minutes
Age: 71 years old

Fitness guru, Betty Lou Sweeney, planked for 36 minutes and 58 seconds. 2 years prior, she weighed around 250 pounds and knew she needed a change. “Too old, too heavy” was how a trainer described her when she approached them about a partnership.¹⁰ As of 2018, she holds a fitness class where she helps the elderly.

Planks are for everyone of all shapes and sizes. Evident from the people highlighted, planks are good for those limited in movement, either because of weight gain or conditions out of their control. Most experts say doing planks for 10 to 30 seconds is enough,¹¹ so these record setters went to extreme lengths through desperation and determination to reach their time.