Daniel Scali (Australia) has broken the record for the longest time in the abdominal plank position (male) with an unbelievable time of 9 hours 30 minutes and 1 second.
He set the record in Adelaide, Australia, on 6 August 2021.
This smashes the previous record of 8 hours 15 minutes and 15 seconds, set by ex-marine George Hood (USA) in February 2020, who was then 62 years old.
The fact that Daniel was able to better this record by over an hour is truly incredible – but becomes even more impressive when you learn that Daniel has CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome), leaving his left arm in almost constant pain.
"When I was 12 years old, I fell off my trampoline causing a severe break in my left arm and as a result I live with a condition called CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome)," he explained.
"It’s the brain sending wrong messages to my arm, which is the affected area. So anything like soft touch, movement, wind, water, will cause me pain."
During the attempt, he wore a compression band on his left arm to try and alleviate the worst of the pain, but as you'd expect, his condition made this attempt even tougher that it already was.
"Obviously putting constant pressure on my elbow and forearm, up to my shoulder did give me quite a bit of grief at the start."
"It was a full head to toe experience of constant pain. My feet were numb. My knees were burning. My thighs were burning. My left arm felt like it was on fire. But it was all worth it in the end."
In order to prepare himself for the ordeal of this record attempt, Daniel knew he needed to be in peak physical condition.
"I incorporated a few gym activities, my own personal gym use, and doing tons of push-ups and sit-ups to get my body conditioned for the plank."
But Daniel knew it was crucial to also prepare himself mentally.
"I knew I had to get in place a mind coach. By doing this, it helped my mental state, to get through the barriers that I needed to get through."
"When I finished the plank, the emotions that ran through me were phenomenal. The emotion of joy. I’ve achieved the goal, I’ve achieved my main objective of bringing awareness to CRPS, and I’ve achieved the record."
"CRPS has had a huge effect on my day to day life. I had to learn to alter my life to deal with the pain and overcome the mental challenges. This was not easy when you live with a constant ache.
"You fall into periods where you don’t want to move in the fear that you will aggravate or increase your pain further. Fortunately, I found a passion for health and fitness which has had a great improvement to my health and overall wellbeing."
Daniel actually used exercise - and planking specifically - as a way to train himself to manage his resilience to the chronic pain.
It is this passion for fitness that led Daniel to break this gruelling record – using the opportunity to raise awareness about persistent pain and help other people find effective ways to help manage it and live life to the fullest.
"I wanted to prove to people that no matter what the circumstances you go through, no matter what pain barriers you have- if you put your mind to it and you believe you can do it, you can achieve it."
"If someone told me five years ago that I’d be going for a Guinness World Records attempt for world’s longest plank, I wouldn’t believe it. I didn’t have the belief back then, nor did I have the courage, to accept what I had to deal with.
"It was only recently, when I’ve grown up, [that I’m] accepting the cards I’ve been dealt and using them to my advantage.
"Anyone can do anything if you put your mind to it. Just believe and be grateful for it. I promise you."
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