A grandmother from Massachusetts has just set a new world record for holding a plank for longer than five minutes.
Sarah Blackman, who was inspired to work on her strength and fitness two years ago after the death of her husband, is a full two years older than the previous Guinness World Record holder, and held her plank for over two minutes longer. “I’m impressed with myself,” she told Guiness World Records.
Here’s everything to know about Blackman’s inspirational fitness story and incredible accomplishment.
How old is Sarah Blackman?
Blackman was 82 years and 229 days old when she aced her plank record. You can watch it below!
And as stated earlier, she was a full two years older than prior record-holder Annie Judis. Judis was 80 years and 244 days old when she held a plank for 3 minutes.
How long did she hold a plank?
Blackman held a plank for a whopping 5 minutes and 20 seconds. She did it forearm style and pushed through the pain while listening to “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. “One of the reasons that I do, besides that I like it, is that it runs for almost 4 minutes and 40 seconds,” she said.
The previous record was held by Annie Judis, who was 80 years and 244 days old when she held a plank for 3 minutes. Blackman completely obliterated her record.
The longest plank ever held by a woman was 4 hours 30 minutes and 11 seconds. The record is held by DonnaJean Wilde of Canada.
More Feats From Women’s HealthWhy did she do this?
Blackman was inspired to focus on fitness after her husband, Arthur, died about two years ago. “I’d been taking care of him for a long while, and I decided it was time to do something for myself,” she said. “I thought it’s one of the best things to do, get back into shape.”
But Blackman was also inspired by her grandkids. (Her youngest grandchild is three.) They “encouraged me to seek out a trainer a few years ago to become more flexible to be able to sit comfortably on the floor and play as I had with the others,” Blackman said.
So, Blackman joined forces with a trainer named Vince and she started working out. “Vince introduced me to the plank and he’d do it at the same time as me,” Blackman said.
She started to practice her plank every day. “When it got to that I could do it for four minutes, he decided either there was something wrong with him or maybe I was better than he thought I was,” Blackman said.
How did she get ready for her record-breaking attempt?
Blackman said she worked on her planking nearly every day, and focused on physically pushing herself. Once she’d make it to four minutes, she’d tell herself to go for just 30 minutes seconds. She said she would keep telling herself that until she gave the planking session everything she had.
Now that she’s a world record holder, Blackman says she’s proud of her accomplishment. “It was something that I didn’t expect, but I do have, I think, more confidence in myself because I’ve done this.”
Congratulations to an all-around core strength superstar!
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.