Man sets new world record for longest plank

Denmark is once again home to the world record holder in planking after a Danish fitness instructor held his body's weight on his forearms, elbows, and toes for four and a half hours, smashing his previous record. 51-year-old Tom Hoel reclaimed his title in the Zealand town of Jægerpris on Friday night, beating his own previous world record by a full 80 minutes.



“It’s a wonderful feeling to get the title of world champion back. The best feeling is actually not the title but meeting the hopes and expectations of all my friends and club members, who were there to share both my pain and happiness,” Hoel said. “I have never pushed myself that far. I had a serious crisis for almost two hours. After mentally arguing with myself, I finally asked for the time at three hours and 41 minutes.

"I thought that I was still under three hours and was ready to quit but when I realised I that had beat my former record and the goal was within sight, I mobilised every resource in my mind and body,” he said. Hoel said he was able to knock China’s Mao Weidong off his perch as the global master of the abdominal core exercise thanks to a strict training regimen. “The new record time is a result of nine months of structured training.



"My first record was made after four months with little or no planning. I’ve had no alcohol the last four months, have eaten healthy foods and focused a lot on getting enough sleep. Sleep timing was a challenge for me, basically because it’s easier to find time for long planks when my family is asleep,” Hoel said. Hoel’s family were there to cheer him on and he said he couldn’t have done it without the support of his wife Kirsten and sons Frederik and Kaj.

There's a two hour-long video here.