A member of the Beijing SWAT team has smashed the world record for holding the plank position – a bodyweight exercise that puts a man's core strength to the test
29 Sep 2014
It may not look that difficult, but holding the plank position is notorious for being the litmus test of a person's core strength.
This innocuous-looking bodyweight exercise puts strain on your abdominals, shoulders, arms and glutes, which all scream with increasing pain as every second ticks by.
What a planker: Mao Weidong during his record attempt Photo: AP
An average Joe might be able to hold the position for up to a minute, while a trained gym bunny would be proud of making it to three minutes. So spare a thought for the physical strength and mental resilience of Mao Weidong, who last week set a new world record by holding the plank position for a whopping four hours and 26 minutes.
Weidong, a member of the Beijing Police department SWAT team, smashed the previous record of three hours and seven minutes by an hour and 19 minutes.
