Health
Meet the 80-year-old man who held a plank for 50 minutes — and learn how he stays fit
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Fitness experts say people should be able to hold a plank for anywhere from 20 seconds up to two minutes, depending on their age.
An 80-year-old Florida man has blown that goal out of the water, recently holding a plank for a whopping 50 minutes — 100 times longer than the average recommendation for his age.
Bob Schwartz held the plank — which is believed to be a record for his age — at the Ocean Reef Fitness Club in Key Largo.
CAN YOU HOLD A PLANK LONGER THAN OTHERS YOUR AGE? FOX HOSTS TEST THEIR CORE STRENGTH
Luis Bracamonte, director of fitness and wellness at the club, said he witnessed Schwartz’s feat, which earned him the nickname of “The Plankster.”
“To our knowledge, after extensive searching, it is the longest plank ever held by an 80-year-old,” Bracamonte told Fox News Digital. “Mr. Schwartz is an extraordinary individual and a perfect example of a ‘super-ager.’”
Bob Schwartz, 80, recently held a plank for a whopping 50 minutes — 100 times longer than the average recommendation for his age. (Bob Schwartz)
A plank is an isometric move where the person holds a push-up position for a set period of time. It is often touted as an abdominal exercise, serving as an alternative to traditional sit-ups and crunches.
In addition to strengthening stomach muscles, planks also work the arms, legs, chest and back, according to experts.
CRUNCHES BY AGE: HERE’S HOW MANY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO
Schwartz’s planking journey began when Bracamonte set up a contest in 2016, where any member who could do a four-minute plank would get a free smoothie. Schwartz not only got his smoothie, but he won the contest, planking for just over 10 minutes.
Bob Schwartz is pictured planking while two of the club’s fitness trainers sit on his back. (Bob Schwartz)
“Prior to that, one minute was probably my max, although by this time, my core was in pretty decent shape,” he told Fox News Digital.
As Schwartz continued to extend his planking times, he started researching online and discovered that his times were already longer than the records for his age bracket.
“The over-80 record has been 15:03 since 2019, and the over-70 record was 38 minutes,” he said.
PUSH-UPS BY AGE: HERE’S HOW MANY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO
Schwartz applied to Guinness World Records, but was told that they don’t recognize records by age group.
“So in this internet age, you just post a video of your accomplishment and claim the title until somebody beats you,” he said. “So during this year’s fitness challenge, we decided to video my plank and post it.”
“The hardest part is just making the commitment to exercise, and staying with it long enough for it to become a habit.”
The passion for planking has become a family affair, as Schwartz’s youngest grandson, who is 7 years old, has started joining him in plank challenges.
Schwartz embraces planking as a convenient way to work virtually every major muscle in the body. “A plank can be done at home, without equipment, and in a short period of time,” he noted.
Sticking with it
Schwartz has not been a lifelong fitness enthusiast — he didn’t set foot in a gym until 2006, when he was 62 years old.
After years of suffering from chronic back pain, he finally discovered the therapeutic effects of exercise.
“Since I’ve been doing core exercises, I have never had a back issue,” he told Fox News Digital.
Schwartz started with a core and cycle class, eventually adding strength training sessions to his regimen. He also walks three miles each morning.
On March 26, 2025, Schwartz is pictured immediately after completing his 50-minute plank. (Bob Schwartz)
“When I strength-train, I push myself as hard as I can,” he said. “Many exercise sets end in muscle fail. I’ve been able to improve my stats every year, but it’s getting much harder now.”
Schwartz said he also adheres to a “healthy-ish” diet, aiming for a minimum of one serving of fruit, two servings of vegetables, fish for at least one meal, and usually chicken (or occasionally pork or beef) for dinner.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
He also tries to minimize sugar and rarely drinks alcohol.
“My blood pressure is the same as it’s always been, and I’m not on any medications,” he said. “I do take several supplements. My weight has not changed more than 10 pounds since I was 18.”
In 2017, at the Ocean Reef Fitness Club, the manager challenged Schwartz to a plank contest. “To intimidate him, I came up with ‘The Plankster’ persona,” Schwartz said. “I beat him and the legend grew.” Here, his “fan club” helps celebrate his victory. (Bob Schwartz)
“The hardest part is just making the commitment to exercise, and staying with it long enough for it to become a habit and part of your lifestyle,” he said.
For those just getting started with planking and fitness in general, Schwartz recommends seeing a trainer to learn the proper form and minimize the chances of injury.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
He also emphasized the importance of maintaining balance, especially in older age.
“Pick up a foot as you stand in a line; move it around as you wait,” he recommended. “A fall and a trip to the hospital at an advanced age can be devastating.”
Schwartz is pictured with his daughter and 7-year-old grandson, all of whom engaged in a plank challenge. (Bob Schwartz)
Looking ahead, Schwartz said he hopes to continue exercising and maintaining his current fitness level.
“I’m going to try and at least maintain it as best as I can until the end,” he said.
“I enjoy a lot of different activities, but they all require a modicum of strength and agility. So until they come up with that magic exercise pill, I guess I’ll keep going to the gym.”
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
One of the most widely known risks linked to the COVID-19 vaccine is myocarditis, especially in young males — and now a new Stanford study has shed some light on why this rare effect can occur.
Myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart, occurs in about one in 140,000 people who receive the first dose of the vaccine and one in 32,000 after the second dose, according to a Stanford press release. Among males 30 and younger, that rises to one in 16,750.
Symptoms of the condition include chest pain, shortness of breath, fever and palpitations, which can occur just one to three days after vaccination. Another marker is heightened levels of cardiac troponin, which indicates that the heart muscle has been damaged.
LOWER DEMENTIA RISK LINKED TO ROUTINE VACCINATION IN MAJOR NEW ANALYSIS
In most cases, people who experience myocarditis recover quickly and restore full heart function, according to study author Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, the director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and a professor of medicine and radiology.
One of the most widely known risks linked to the COVID-19 vaccine is myocarditis, especially in young males. (iStock)
“It’s not a heart attack in the traditional sense,” Wu told Fox News Digital. “There’s no blockage of blood vessels as found in most common heart attacks. When symptoms are mild and the inflammation hasn’t caused structural damage to the heart, we just observe these patients to make sure they recover.”
In rare cases, however, severe heart inflammation can lead to hospitalizations, critical illness or death, Wu noted.
Finding the cause
The new Stanford study — conducted in collaboration with The Ohio State University — aimed to determine the reasons for the myocarditis. The research team analyzed blood samples from vaccinated people, some with myocarditis and some without.
They found that those with myocarditis had two proteins in their blood, CXCL10 and IFN-gamma, which are released by immune cells. Those proteins then activate more inflammation.
COVID VACCINE UNDER NEW SCRUTINY AFTER STUDIES REVEAL POSSIBLE HEALTH RISKS
“We think these two are the major drivers of myocarditis,” said Wu. “Your body needs these cytokines to ward off viruses. It’s essential to immune response, but can become toxic in large amounts.”
In mouse and heart tissue models, high levels of these proteins led to signs of heart irritation, similar to mild myocarditis.
Prevention mechanism
“One of the most striking findings was how much we could reduce heart damage in our models by specifically blocking these two cytokines, without shutting down the entire (desired) immune response to the vaccine,” Wu told Fox News Digital, noting that a targeted, “fine‑tuning” immune approach might be enough to protect the heart.
Myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart, occurs in about one in 140,000 people who receive the first dose of the vaccine and one in 32,000 after the second dose. (iStock)
“This points to a possible future way to prevent or treat myocarditis in people who are at the highest risk, while keeping the benefits of vaccination,” he added.
The team also found that genistein, an estrogen-like natural compound found in soybeans, reduced inflammation in lab tests, but this has not yet been tested in humans.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
The findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
“This is a very complex study,” Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital. “Myocarditis is very rare, and the immune mechanism makes sense.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“Myocarditis is worse with COVID — much more common, and generally much more severe.”
Wu agreed, adding that COVID infection is about 10 times more likely to cause myocarditis compared to mRNA-based vaccines.
‘Crucial tool’
The researchers emphasized that COVID-19 vaccines have been “heavily scrutinized” for safety and have been shown to have an “excellent safety record.”
In rare cases, however, severe heart inflammation can lead to hospitalizations, critical illness or death. (iStock)
“mRNA vaccines remain a crucial tool against COVID‑19, and this research helps explain a rare side effect and suggests ways to make future vaccines even safer, rather than a reason to avoid vaccination,” Wu said.
“The overall benefits of COVID‑19 vaccination still clearly outweigh the small risk of myocarditis for nearly all groups.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The study did have some limitations, primarily the fact that most of the data came from experimental systems (mice and human cells in the lab), which cannot fully capture how myocarditis develops and resolves in real patients, according to Wu.
“This points to a possible future way to prevent or treat myocarditis in people who are at the highest risk.”
“These findings do not change what people should do right now, because our work is still at the preclinical (mouse and human cells) stage,” he said. “Clinical studies will be needed to confirm whether targeted treatments are safe and effective.”
The researcher also added that myocarditis risk could rise with other types of vaccines.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“Other vaccines can cause myocarditis and inflammatory problems, but the symptoms tend to be more diffuse,” he said in the release. “Plus, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines’ risks have received intense public scrutiny and media coverage. If you get chest pains from a COVID vaccine, you go to the hospital to get checked out, and if the serum troponin is positive, then you get diagnosed with myocarditis. If you get achy muscles or joints from a flu vaccine, you just blow it off.”
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Gootter-Jensen Foundation.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Cannabis has been linked to some significant medical benefits, but recent research calls those into question.
A major new analysis published in JAMA examined more than 2,500 scientific papers from the last 15 years, including other reviews, clinical trials and guidelines focused on medical marijuana.
“While many people turn to cannabis seeking relief, our review highlights significant gaps between public perception and scientific evidence regarding its effectiveness for most medical conditions,” Dr. Michael Hsu of University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) Health Sciences, author of the study, said in a press release.
Many medical claims about cannabis are not supported by strong scientific evidence, according to a comprehensive review published in JAMA. (iStock)
The researchers — led by UCLA with contributions from Harvard, UC San Francisco, Washington University School of Medicine and New York University — set out to determine how strong the research is on the effectiveness of medical cannabis and to offer evidence-based clinical guidance.
MYSTERIOUS MARIJUANA-LINKED VOMITING DISORDER GETS OFFICIAL WHO CODE AS ER CASES JUMP
The review found that evidence supporting most medical uses of cannabis or cannabinoids is limited or insufficient, the release stated.
“Whenever a substance is widely used, there is likely to be a very wide set of outcomes,” Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
“Cannabis is now used by about 15 to 25% of U.S. adults in the past year, for various reasons ranging from recreational to medicinal. This study points to the reality that this widely used substance is not a panacea,” said Dimitriu, who was not involved in the study.
There are very few conditions for which cannabinoid therapies have clear, well-established benefits backed by high-quality clinical data, according to the researchers.
HEAVY DRINKERS CUT ALCOHOL USE BY NEARLY 30% AFTER ADOPTING ONE NEW HABIT, STUDY FINDS
The strongest evidence supports FDA-approved cannabinoid medications for treating specific conditions, including HIV/AIDS-related appetite loss, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and certain severe pediatric seizure disorders.
The review identified significant safety concerns, with high-potency cannabis use among young people linked to higher rates of mental health issues. (iStock)
For many other conditions that are commonly treated with cannabis — such as chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder — evidence from randomized trials did not support meaningful benefit.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The analysis also examined safety concerns — in particular, how young people using high-potency cannabis may be more likely to suffer higher rates of psychotic symptoms and anxiety disorder.
Daily inhaled cannabis use was also linked to increased risks of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke when compared with non-daily use.
Daily inhaled cannabis use is associated with increased cardiovascular risks, including coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. (iStock)
Based on these findings, the review emphasizes that clinicians should weigh potential benefits against known risks when discussing cannabis with patients.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
The authors suggest that clinicians screen patients for cardiovascular risk, evaluate mental health history, check for possible drug interactions and consider conditions where risks may outweigh benefits.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
They recommend open, realistic conversations and caution against assuming that cannabis is broadly effective for medical conditions.
The review highlights the need for caution, urging clinicians to weigh risks, screen patients appropriately and avoid assuming cannabis is broadly effective. (iStock)
“Patients deserve honest conversations about what the science does and doesn’t tell us about medical cannabis,” Hsu said.
This article is a narrative review rather than a systematic review, so it did not use the strict, standardized methods that help reduce bias in how studies are selected and evaluated, the researchers noted.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The review notes further limitations, including that some evidence comes from observational research rather than randomized trials, which means it cannot establish cause and effect.
The trial results also may not apply to all populations, products or doses.
California governor race heats up with uncertainty and potential surprises
Some Colorado schools will be closed Thursday due to power outages
Overnight Forecast for December 17
Delaware holds off Louisiana for 68 Ventures Bowl win in first season of FBS play
Florida man set to be executed for killing 2 during a home invasion – WTOP News
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Border Patrol chief, progressive mayor caught on camera in tense street showdown: ‘Excellent day in Evanston’
European Parliament asks for EU funds to finance abortions abroad
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he will step down in January
Video: Man on Roof Faces Off with ICE Agents for Hours in Minnesota
Maryland to study slavery reparations after lawmakers override Dem governor’s veto
-
Iowa3 days agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Washington1 week agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa5 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine2 days agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland3 days agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
Technology7 days agoThe Game Awards are losing their luster
-
South Dakota4 days agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
Nebraska1 week agoNebraska lands commitment from DL Jayden Travers adding to early Top 5 recruiting class