- Donna Jean Wilde, 59, holds the world records for longest plank and most push-ups by a woman.
- She can do a plank in 4.5 hours and 1,575 push-ups in an hour.
- She shared tips on how to get and stay strong no matter your age.
Donnajean Wilde started planking in the early 2010s, when her children started planking in random locations as part of the viral outbreak. At the time, her wrist was in a cast, so she couldn’t run or do strength training as usual, but she It was done Stand a plank on her forearm.
Wilde, a teacher, began planking for longer periods of time each day, and by 2020, she was planking horizontally for several hours while planning lessons and reading for her master’s degree. You can now
Now retired at age 59, she holds two world records. One is the longest time a woman spent in an abdominal plank position (4 hours 30 minutes 11 seconds)most push-ups in an hour (1,575) by women include one.
Wilde can plank for hours at a time and do over 1,500 push-ups in an hour.
Donna Jean Wilde
Wilde’s feats aren’t just impressive, they require strength and may be helping her age healthily.
People typically lose muscle mass as they age, but strength training helps maintain muscle mass, leading to longer lives. A 2022 meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that one hour of strength training per week reduced the risk of dying from any cause by 27%. The authors say that resistance training helps regulate blood pressure and insulin sensitivity, improve lean muscle mass and strength, and reduce abdominal fat.
During his Guinness World Record attempt, Wilde completed 1,575 push-ups in one hour.
Donna Jean Wilde
After signing up to break the world record for longest plank, she started training to do hundreds of push-ups a day and decided that was her next challenge.
“I realized that I also loved doing push-ups, so I increased the number of push-ups to about 1,000 a day and tried to reduce the amount of time it took me to do them,” she said. “I had already broken several home push-up records through official attempts.”
Most of us don’t spend hours doing planks and push-ups, but Wilde shared what helps her stay fit.
Find your favorite activity
“Do whatever feels good to you and just get started,” Wilde said. Because loving your chosen exercise is the key to maintaining it as a habit.
“I still do planks because I love planks. Whenever I have a message or email I want to respond to, or something I want to read, I sit on the floor and plank, no matter where I am,” she said. Ta.
While a combination of aerobic and strength training is important, physiologist and healthy aging researcher Nathan K. LeBlasser previously told Business Insider that the best exercise is the one that’s consistent.
Wilde has five children and 12 grandchildren, all of whom were there to cheer her on during her Guinness World Record-winning plank.
Donna Jean Wilde/Guinness World Records
Start small and take one step at a time
It took 10 years for Wilde to be able to plank for hours on end.
“Little by little, it adds up to something big. It’s just that compounding effect. It’s called ‘aggregate marginal gains,'” she says, adding that small changes add up to everything you do. I mentioned the idea that it could lead to major advances.
But to reap these benefits, she said, you need to “just start.”
Experts agree. Personal trainer Sohee Lee previously told BI that the best way to stay healthy is to ease yourself into a light workout so you don’t feel discouraged from continuing.
consider the benefits
“I love the way planking makes me feel,” Wilde said. “It helps me stand up straight and I feel stronger. Plus, planks and push-ups have completely eliminated my back pain.”
She said it also helps her stay mentally healthy by being closer to her grandchildren every day.
Exercise has many benefits, including improving brain function and memory, as well as reducing your risk of dying from cancer and heart disease.
