Former Marine Earns 'Planking' World Record

By MIRNA ALFONSO (Patch Staff)
Photo screenshot of YouTube video posted by aloha8scooby

Though it was for charity, George Hood also did it to accomplish his own personal best Saturday, setting a new world record for abdominal “planking,” or holding his position horizontally, lying only on his arms and his toes for five hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Hood had previously set the Guinness World Record for the prone hold, or plank, at three hours, seven minutes, and 15 seconds in April 2013, back when he was a group exercise director at Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Burr Ridge

The most recent record was 4 hours 26 minutes, achieved by Mao Weidong in Beijing, China in Sept. 2014, according to the Guinness World Records site.

According to the UT San Diego website, Hood was cheered on throughout the day by hundreds of supporters who gathered at the Oceanside Pier Bandshell in California to watch him hold his position for hours. He achieved the record a little after 2 p.m.

To read his comments, please click here.

According to Wikipedia, George E. Hood is an ultra athlete, certified personal trainer (NESTA) and a Group-X instructor.

He owns and operates a business known as Oceanside Paddleboard and lives in Carlsbad.

Wikipedia notes that Hood is a former Special Agent with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and recently retired as a Supervisory Special Agent from theUnited States Drug Enforcement Administration who lives in Carlsbad.

He also graduated from National University in San Diego, with an MS in Forensic Science.

See Also:

• George Hood Sets Abs-solutely Fantastic World Record Saturday
• Five Seasons Burr Ridge Exercise Director Shatters Guinness World Record in Abdominal Plank
• Guinness World Record Holder George Hood Performs 2-Hour Training Plank at Five Seasons Burr Ridge