Tom Hoel, a 51-year old fitness instructor from Denmark, has recently managed to hold a plank position for a total of 4 hours 28 minutes, setting a new world record in the process.
He actually held the world record before, but lost the title to Mao Weidong, a Chinese police officer, back in October 2014. However he has now regained his title by eclipsing the previous time by two minutes.
This really is an incredible feat because if you have ever tried this particular bodyweight exercise, which is considered by many to the best exercise for strengthening your core, you will know that it is extremely difficult to hold this position for more than a few minutes.
I thought I was doing well because I can now hold this position for about five minutes, having started at 30 seconds a few years ago and gradually working my way up, but it is incredible to even consider the possibility of staying in this position for nearly four and a half hours.
After just a few minutes you can feel the enormous strain being placed on your arms, shoulders, glutes and abdominal muscles, and it is incredibly difficult to stay in this position with correct form because your body is begging you to give in.
So as I say, it really is an incredible feat of strength, even if he did spend nine months training for this latest world record attempt.
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