November 26, 2024, 5:11 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Last March, a 59-year-old Canadian woman achieved the almost impossible: she broke the world record for planking. She held the forearm support position for several hours. And just a few months later, she went one better – because now she has once again entered the Guinness Book of Records for the most push-ups in one hour.
Donna-Jean Wilde, a grandmother of twelve, mother of four, and former teacher, is now also recognized for holding the plank position for an impressive 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds at nearly 60 years old. As if that wasn’t success enough to celebrate, the Canadian challenged herself again after this world record – this time with push-ups. In this endeavor, the Canadian showcased exceptional performance as well.
Overview
World record with 1575 push-ups
A few days ago, Donna-Jean Wilde started her new world record attempt in a retirement home in Canada after her top plank performance. Before an assembled audience, she commenced her push-ups, which had to adhere to specific criteria for Guinness World Record recognition: achieving a 90-degree elbow bend at the lowest point and full arm extension while pushing up.
She started her attempt for the world record at a strong pace, completing 620 push-ups in 20 minutes. She then completed the strength exercise in sets, taking short breaks between each set – and broke the previous women’s world record with a total of 1575 push-ups just 17 minutes before the 60 minutes were up. However, the feat was not without difficulties: towards the end, the 59-year-old experienced a shoulder dislocation, which she promptly managed to reset. Even that didn’t stop her from achieving her goal.
Donna-Jean Wilde’s family stood by her side
The support of her family probably also helped the Canadian to persevere. Eleven of her twelve grandchildren cheered her on during the competition – 17 minutes before the end, the euphoria was great. “I had to suppress my tears of joy and emotions and keep going,” says Donna-Jean. “I was still feeling pretty strong and had resolved to do as many push-ups as possible in the next 17 minutes.” Her ability to exceed the target by such a margin also left her grandchildren in awe.
How Wilde achieved the push-up world record
Her training for the initial world record inspired her to also tackle the push-up record. To prepare for the plank challenges, she had performed nearly 500 push-ups daily. “I fell in love with doing push-ups,” the Canadian tells Guinness World Records. Donna-Jean Wilde seamlessly integrated her push-up regimen into various daily activities, from gardening to quad biking, ensuring she never skipped a day of exercise.
The 59-year-old has a message
“I’ve always loved sports and running,” Wilde said in an earlier interview with USA Today. “I love running and working out. Fitness, health, and nutrition were very important in my family when I was growing up.” Donna-Jean Wilde doesn’t just do all this for the love of sport, however. “I believe that we can age gracefully and vigorously if we stay active and set health and wellness goals,” she explains. With her performance, she wants to inspire her peers that it is still possible to be active in sports at an older age.
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Previous plank record
In March, the Canadian set the Plank world record for women with a time of 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds. She had started preparing for this around a year earlier by incorporating longer plank sessions into her everyday life, for example, while reading. Altogether, she dedicated five to six hours daily to this physical exercise, complementing her regimen with running, weightlifting, jumping, and additional push-ups. This not only created a good athletic foundation for her plank world record but also for her push-up sensation.