Most fitness gurus will tell you a plank is one of the best core exercises you can do, but anyone who has done a plank can tell you just how excruciating it really is. Generally, plank workouts entail two to three minutes in various plank positions. However, if you're looking to break the Guinness World Record for planking, you’ll have to last a little longer than that.

Former U.S. Marine George Hood broke that record this past Saturday at the Junior Seau Oceanside Pier Amphitheatre in California after he held a plank for a staggering five hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds. The personal trainer and group exercise instructor shattered the previous record held by Mao Weidong from Beijing, China, at four hours and 26 minutes.

Hood, who previously held the record before Weidong at four hours and one minute, had spent the past nine months training for last Saturday’s record attempt. He hopes that others will see that even at 57 years old fitness is always possible and, secondly, hopes to call attention to the men and women serving our country, which includes his two sons who are also Marine officers.

“There are injured Marines that come back from the fight, who have suffered life-altering injuries and the discomfort that I feel right now pales in comparison to that which they feel,” Hood told NBC San Diego during his record attempt.

Hood’s record attempt, also known as “The People’s Plank,” doubled as a fundraiser whose proceeds went to the Semper Fi Fund, a charity benefiting injured U.S. servicemen.