Chinese Police Officer Mao Weidong Sets Plank World Record

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

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.

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.