Meet the 80-year-old man who held a plank for 50 minutes and learn how he stays fit
Fitness experts say people should be able to hold a plank for anywhere from 20 seconds up to two minutes, depending on their age.An 80-year-old Florida man has blown that goal out of the water, recently holding a plank for a whopping 50 minutes — 100 times longer than the average recommendation for his age.Bob Schwartz held the plank — which is believed to be a record for his age — at the Ocean Reef Fitness Club in Key Largo.Luis Bracamonte, director of fitness and wellness at the club, said he witnessed Schwartz’s feat, which earned him the nickname of “The Plankster.”“To our knowledge, after extensive searching, it is the longest plank ever held by an 80-year-old,” Bracamonte told Fox News Digital.“Mr.
Schwartz is an extraordinary individual and a perfect example of a ‘super-ager.’”A plank is an isometric move where the person holds a push-up position for a set period of time.It is often touted as an abdominal exercise, serving as an alternative to traditional sit-ups and crunches.In addition to strengthening stomach muscles, planks also work the arms, legs, chest and back, according to experts.Schwartz’s planking journey began when Bracamonte set up a contest in 2016, where any member who could do a four-minute plank would get a free smoothie.
Schwartz not only got his smoothie, but he won the contest, planking for just over 10 minutes. “Prior to that, one minute was probably my max, although by this time, my core was in pretty decent shape,” he told Fox News Digital.As Schwartz continued to extend his planking times, he started researching online and discovered that his times were already longer than the records for his age bracket.“The over-80 record has been 15:03 since 2019, and the over-70 record was 38 minutes,” he said.Schwartz applied to Guinness World Records, but was told that they don’t recognize records by age group.“So in this internet age, you just post a video of your accomplishment and claim the title until...