Donna Jean Wilde does a plank while reading. She also plansk while checking her phone or email.
The 59-year-old from Alberta, Canada, has mastered the plank and has now broken the women's Guinness World Record for longest abdominal plank position, Guinness has announced.
Plank, which strengthens your core muscles, involves you in a push-up position with your forearms up. Some people can only hold it for a few seconds, while others can hold it for a minute or even several minutes.
However, it turns out that Wilde can hold the board for four and a half hours.
Wilde tells USA TODAY how he started planking.
Wilde laid out her winning plan recently in the theater at McGrath High School, the very school she retired from, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, students and staff.
Wilde told USA TODAY on Wednesday.
She had broken her wrist in an accident at school, but that didn't stop her from trying planks. She realized she could do it, and was pretty good at it.
“I kept it on for about six to eight weeks while I was in a cast,” she said. “I found that I could read my school lessons, mark up some reports, and read my emails. It felt like I was training even though I was in a cast, and I loved that feeling. Ta.”
She continued to do planks as part of her daily training and, at the encouragement of her family, eventually applied to set a Guinness World Record.
Preparing for the big day
Wilde started training about a year ago. She had longer plank sessions, and per day she tried to fit in 5 to 6 hours of plank. She said she would do a two-hour session and then a three-hour session.
She also did cross-training such as running, skipping, weight lifting, and other activities.
She also read motivational books about athletes to learn about how they trained their minds for competition.
When she applied for the record, Guinness sent her guidelines and urged her to make some changes to her workout routine.
“I've been planking for years, always wearing shoes, and I just couldn't do that,” she said. “I had to be barefoot. I also couldn't bring my hands together, I had to keep them apart, and I had to have perfect form.”
Before attempting to break the record, she prepared an uplifting talk on her phone to listen to on the day of the event.
“In addition to listening, I was able to focus on my form,” she said.
Retired school teacher achieves goal surrounded by loved ones
Wilde said almost all of her children were there on the day she broke the record, as well as her grandchildren.
She chose theater for her previous job because she needed a public space to accomplish this challenge. People came to sit and watch all day long, and she also had carpet on the floor, so if her students wanted to plank with her, they could, she said. Ta.
During the challenge, she looked up at the crowd quite a bit.
At times, she said, the theater was filled with people, including students she once taught.
“It was very encouraging and I had a lot of fun,” she said. “It was so great to see my students cheering for me and my family rooting for me.”
The last hour of the challenge was the most difficult, she said.
“The last hour was probably the toughest,” she said. “The game was getting closer and I was really excited and maybe a little emotional.”
The record-setter “always loved sports and running”
Wilde, a mother of five and grandmother of 12, comes from a very active family and was a high school volleyball coach.
“I've always loved sports and running,” she said. “I love running and working out. Fitness, health, and nutrition have been very important to my family from an early age.”
“My husband is also very active and healthy, so it's just like a lifestyle for us,” she said.
She said breaking the record was “unbelievable” and still feels like a dream. This experience also taught her what she can pass on to the students she teaches on her behalf.
“Especially since I broke this record, I always try to encourage them that if they keep doing what they love, they will get better,” she said. “It's going to be easy for you, but you never know where it will lead.”
She doesn't want her students to look back on their experiences and say, “I should have tried harder'' or taken advantage of that opportunity.
“You never know what opportunities are in front of you,” she says.
Saleen Martin is a reporter for USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia and is 757. Follow her on Twitter.@SaleenMartin or email hersdmartin@usatoday.com.
