At 62, former US Marine creates new planking record

Age is just a number. Don’t believe us? Read on…

George Hood is a 62-year-old former US Marine and retired Drug Enforcement Administration supervisory special agent.

And what is so special about this former Marine?

On 15th February, Hood, who is from Naperville in Illinois, set a new world record for holding the abdominal plank for an incredible 8 hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds!

Can you imagine that? Doesn’t this seem like an impossible feat? For most of us, holding this position for a few minutes is an arduous task.

However, Hood is not new to records. He broke the record for the longest plank in 2011 when he held the position for a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes. This record was subsequently broken in 2016 by Mao Weidong from China, who held the plank for 8 hours, 1 minute, and 1 second.

Not one to give up easily, Hood was determined to reclaim his title.

And he underwent exhaustive training and fitness regimens to do so, which included training for an average of seven hours for an year and a half. This encompassed over 2,100 hours of planking, including holding the plank for a 10 hours and 10 minutes in one attempt. Isn’t this just superhuman?

“It’s 4-5 hours a day in the plank pose,” Hood told CNN. “Then I do 700 pushups a day, 2,000 situps a day in sets of a hundred, 500 leg squats a day. For upper body and the arms, I do approximately 300 arm curls a day.”

Remarkably, Hood said that he was setting this record to raise awareness about mental health. The event was co-sponsored by Five15 Fitness, a gym that helps to address issues of mental health and illness through exercise and professional help.

“When you’re in a combat situation, and even in law enforcement with the agents that I used to work with, we get involved in shootings,” Hood said to CNN. “Some people don’t handle it well because they’re burdened with other issues that are running in the background, whether it be marital issues, kid issues or financial problems. Sometimes those things can push people over the edge and they don’t know how to flush it out, how to talk about it.

“But when they walk through the door at 515 Fitness, there’s hope because there’s licensed clinicians there and trainers that will help them get well,” Hood added.

But, Hood did not stop at just breaking the record. He ended the event with 75 pushups!

Isn’t Hood really breaking stereotypes with these remarkable feats?

What do you think about this achievement? Do let us know your views in the comments section below.

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