A 61-year-old grandmother from Canada has stunned the fitness world after holding an abdominal plank for more than five hours, breaking her own world record and proving that extraordinary feats of endurance are possible well beyond middle age.

DonnaJean Wilde, a retired schoolteacher, mother of five and grandmother of 12 from Alberta, achieved the remarkable milestone at the World Senior Games in Utah on October 6, 2026.

Her latest performance surpassed her previous record of four hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds, which she established in 2024.

While many people struggle to maintain a standard plank for even a minute, Wilde managed to sustain the demanding position for hours, leaving spectators and online viewers amazed by her endurance.

A family challenge sparked her passion for planking

Remarkably, Wilde did not discover her talent for the exercise until 2013, when she broke her arm.

Unable to run or participate in her usual cardiovascular activities while wearing a heavy cast, she began focusing on core exercises instead. The decision came after her children challenged one another to a family plank competition.

What began as a way to remain active during her recovery soon developed into a lasting passion.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilde’s family encouraged her to test just how long she could maintain the position. They were astonished when she reached the two-hour mark.

That experience helped reveal the extent of her endurance and encouraged her to take the challenge more seriously.

An intense training routine helped her break records

Wilde began specifically training for world-record attempts in 2023, incorporating planking into an already demanding fitness routine.

Her preparation included hundreds of push-ups each day, weight training, running and dead hangs, alongside extensive practice holding the plank position.

The combination of strength, conditioning and endurance training helped prepare her for the extraordinary demands of maintaining the same position for hours at a time.

Her latest achievement at the World Senior Games represents another milestone in a fitness journey that began unexpectedly with an injury more than a decade ago.

Planking is not her only world-record achievement

Wilde’s accomplishments extend beyond her extraordinary abdominal endurance.

In 2024, she also set a female world record for the most push-ups completed in 60 minutes, performing an astonishing 1,575 repetitions.

Her ability to excel in both endurance-based core exercises and high-volume push-ups has made her an especially remarkable figure in the world of fitness.

The Canadian grandmother’s latest record has also attracted widespread praise on social media, where viewers celebrated her determination and physical capabilities.

“Congratulations, you are an inspiration,” one person wrote on her Instagram page.

“This is actually the most insane thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” another commenter said.

Others described the achievement as “seriously impressive,” while one admirer remarked, “That’s insane, good for her.”

Another fan congratulated Wilde on the milestone, calling the accomplishment “super badass.”

What is next for the record-breaking grandmother?

Despite already holding multiple world records, Wilde is not finished setting ambitious goals for herself.

For her next challenge, she hopes to complete at least 1,600 push-ups in one hour, aiming to surpass her previous record in the discipline.

Her latest achievement has demonstrated the extraordinary levels of endurance she has developed over the years, while her plans for another record attempt suggest that she remains determined to push her limits even further.

From a broken arm that first led her to discover planking to a five-hour world-record performance, Wilde’s journey has become an inspiring example of how an unexpected challenge can develop into an extraordinary personal pursuit.

Source: Compiled from various sources