A 28-year-old who broke the Guinness World Record for the longest plank has revealed the gruelling training he endured in the months leading up to the challenge.
Daniel Scali, from Adelaide, South Australia, trained for eight hours a day in order to hold the abdominal plank for nine hours, 30 minutes and one second on August 6, 2021.
Daniel, who has been living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) since the age of 12, told Daily Mail Australia he wanted to raise awareness about the condition that causes pain in his left arm from his shoulder to his hand.
‘I have a passion for fitness and at first I was criticised for what I wanted to achieve, but I used the pain as fuel to push through it all,’ the former mechanic said.
Incredibly, he first attempted a plank in November 2020 and held the position for only two minutes.
On August 6, 2021 Daniel Scali, from Adelaide, South Australia (pictured) broke the Guinness World Record for the longest plank
![The 28-year-old trained for eight hours a day in order to hold the abdominal plank for nine hours, 30 minutes and one second](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/03/03/48626349-10048055-The_28_year_old_trained_for_eight_hours_a_day_in_order_to_hold_t-a-9_1633227706146.jpg)
The 28-year-old trained for eight hours a day in order to hold the abdominal plank for nine hours, 30 minutes and one second
![Daniel, who has been living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) since the age of 12, told Daily Mail Australia he wanted to raise awareness about the condition that causes pain in his left arm from his shoulder to his hand](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/01/05/48624883-10048055-image-a-51_1633064855475.jpg)
Daniel, who has been living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) since the age of 12, told Daily Mail Australia he wanted to raise awareness about the condition that causes pain in his left arm from his shoulder to his hand
It was in January when he started his intense training and began his eight-hour training routine at 5am every day.
Daniel would start the day with a short morning meditation followed by ‘a couple hundred’ sit-ups and push-ups then a quick two-minute cold shower.
He would then attend a high intensity interval training (HIIT) class at JC Fit, run 1km and come home to complete 200 push-ups and 600 resisted arm curls – all before starting work at an automotive repairs business.
At lunch time he would hit the gym for an hour to complete six exercises of two muscle groups along with 300 sit-ups and more push-ups.
After coming home from work he could plank consecutively for five hours from 5pm to 10pm.
‘All I thought about was what I do could today to help improve for tomorrow; I’ve always focused on that extra one per cent every day to build strength gradually,’ he said.
To support his body throughout the seven-day workout routine Daniel took magnesium, calcium and fish oil supplements and ate healthy meals.
![It was in January when he began his intense training and began his eight-hour training routine at 5am every day](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/01/05/48624865-10048055-image-a-43_1633064122076.jpg)
It was in January when he began his intense training and began his eight-hour training routine at 5am every day
![He trained two hours before work, one hour on his lunch break and five hours after work without ever having a day off](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/01/05/48626341-10048055-image-a-47_1633064197688.jpg)
He trained two hours before work, one hour on his lunch break and five hours after work without ever having a day off
!['All I thought about was what I do could today to help improve for tomorrow; I've always focused on that extra one per cent every day to build strength gradually,' he said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/01/05/48626359-10048055-x-a-62_1633066054046.jpg)
![During the midday one-hour gym session, he would focus on two different muscle groups each time](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/01/05/48626363-10048055-image-m-61_1633066043993.jpg)
‘All I thought about was what I do could today to help improve for tomorrow; I’ve always focused on that extra one per cent every day to build strength gradually,’ he said
Daniel first attempted to break the world record on June 16 despite feeling unwell and held the plank for nine hours and nine minutes, but was later disqualified for failing to comply with the correct form.
‘The judges weren’t happy with the angle of my hips and I was absolutely devastated,’ he said.
‘So I spoke to my mindset coach and he ultimately said we have two options – to forget about it or to go for it again.’
Almost without restraint he decided to go for a second attempt.
But the ‘hardest aspect to overcome’ was knowing he would have to complete the training once again for four weeks in order to prepare.
![Despite feeling unwell Daniel first attempted to break the world record on June 16 and held the plank for nine hours and nine minutes, but was later disqualified for failing to comply with the correct form](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/03/03/48626355-10048055-Despite_feeling_unwell_Daniel_first_attempted_to_break_the_world-a-6_1633227705718.jpg)
Despite feeling unwell Daniel first attempted to break the world record on June 16 and held the plank for nine hours and nine minutes, but was later disqualified for failing to comply with the correct form
![When asked what health and fitness advice he would give to others, Daniel recommended seeking professional help from a dietitian to get your diet on track](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/01/05/48626325-10048055-image-a-56_1633065934743.jpg)
![He also said to not be afraid to incorporate light weights into your ab workout routine](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/01/05/48626321-10048055-image-m-55_1633065928585.jpg)
When asked what health and fitness advice he would give to others, Daniel recommended seeking professional help from a dietitian to get your diet on track and to not be afraid to incorporate light weights into your ab routine
![On Friday August 6 he smashed his first attempt and bet the world record by pushing through the pain and watching television shows on his phone](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/03/03/48624867-10048055-On_Friday_August_6_he_smashed_his_first_attempt_and_bet_the_worl-a-7_1633227705721.jpg)
On Friday August 6 he smashed his first attempt and bet the world record by pushing through the pain and watching television shows on his phone
On Friday August 6 he smashed his first attempt and bet the world record by pushing through the pain and watching television shows on his phone.
As he was disqualified after the first attempt, he was concentrating ‘even harder’ not to break the form.
At the seven-hour mark, Daniel said his stomach ‘started to turn’ as if his body went into a ‘stress mode’ and he vomited on himself four times.
‘Planking is definitely a case of mind over matter; it’s 70 per cent mind set and 30 per cent physical.’
The final ten minutes was ‘excruciating’ for Daniel, who was also experiencing a constant burning sensation in his left arm due to his CRPS.
After accomplishing the phenomenal achievement, Daniel said he felt ‘amazing’ despite his body feeling ‘very stiff as if it was going to break’.
Today Daniel maintains a similar workout routine but only exercises three hours a day with a 30-minute plank after work.
![At the seven-hour mark, Daniel said his stomach 'started to turn' as if his body went into a 'stress mode' and he vomited on himself four times](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/03/03/48624877-10048055-At_the_seven_hour_mark_Daniel_said_his_stomach_started_to_turn_a-a-10_1633227707372.jpg)
At the seven-hour mark, Daniel said his stomach ‘started to turn’ as if his body went into a ‘stress mode’ and he vomited on himself four times
![After accomplishing the phenomenal achievement, Daniel said he felt 'amazing' despite his body feeling 'very stiff as if it was going to break'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/03/03/48624869-10048055-After_accomplishing_the_phenomenal_achievement_Daniel_said_he_fe-a-8_1633227705765.jpg)
After accomplishing the phenomenal achievement, Daniel said he felt ‘amazing’ despite his body feeling ‘very stiff as if it was going to break’
When asked what health and fitness advice he would give to others, Daniel recommended seeking professional help from a dietitian to get your diet on track and to not be afraid to incorporate light weights into your ab routine.
‘Use 5kg weights to intensify your crunch and train as if someone’s watching to make sure you don’t slacken off,’ he said.
He also recommended aiming to complete five one-minute planks each day and staying fit through cardio.