George Hood Sets Abs-solutely Fantastic World Record Saturday

George Hood bested his own Guinness World Record in the abdominal plank on Saturday morning with a time of 3 hours, 7 minutes and 15 seconds.

The 55-year-old group exercise director at Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Burr Ridge more than doubled his December 2011 record of 1 hour, 20 minutes, 5.01 seconds.

Hood set the record in Newport, KY, in support of an American Heart Association fundraiser.

“I am a big believer in doing things with a purpose—and the greater the purpose, the more I am motivated and inspired to get involved,” Hood said prior to setting the record. “I’m on a mission to raise money, accomplish a goal and help others on behalf of the American Heart Association. Heart disease is our nation’s number one killer and affects us all, directly or indirectly, in profound ways.”

Hood, who lives in Aurora, performed long planks during training sessions, including a 2-hour plank at Five Seasons Burr Ridge on Guinness World Records Day this past November and a 2-hour, 10-minute plank at the club on March 16 in conjunction with a Spinathon fundraiser.

Five Seasons updated folks on the inspiring bid through its Facebook page throughout the morning: "Congratulations to George, his support crew and HeartChase, the American Heart Association fundraiser on whose behalf George performed this marvelous feat."

Check out a recording of this morning's planking record via Ustream, where it was streamed live on the Internet. 

Hood’s various Guinness World Record attempts raised more than $100,000 for several charities and organizations, including the family of Gunnar Hotchkin, a young soldier and friend who was killed in Afghanistan on June 16, 2010; the Injured Marine Semper Fi fund; Fox Valley United Way; Illinois Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS); Kiwanis of Willowbrook Burr Ridge; and the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign in Naperville.

Related Posts: George Hood on Burr Ridge Patch