Imagine this: You’re lying flat on the ground as if preparing for a push-up.

But no, you raise yourself onto your tippy toes with thighs locked so your legs and back are straight. You then come up on your forearms and feel the burn from head to toe as you place all of your body’s weight on your forearms.

Stay in balanced, motionless form, with your elbows steady and the contour of your body remaining horizontal. Now hold it—it’s time to do the plank or, as Guinness World Records calls it, a “static abdominal hold” position.

How long did it last? Four-time Guinness World Record holder, personal trainer, former Marine and retired DEA agent George Hood estimates one can usually hold the position for one to two minutes.

Starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, the Aurora man will attempt to grab his fifth Guinness World Record by holding the plank for over 60 minutes.

The current record for "Longest time in an abdominal plank position" was established on Sept. 16, at 50 minutes, 11.21 seconds, by Richard Hazard (Australia) in Warriewood, Sydney, Australia. Only recently sanctioned by Guinness as a standalone event, the first plank record was 19 minutes, 58 seconds and set in December 2010.

Hood hopes to break the record by a margin exceeding any previous attempts.

Philip Robertson, a Guinness World Record official, will be on site for Hood’s attempt at Eggsperience Pancakes & Café, 2727 W. 75th St. in Naperville. All of Hood’s previous attempts have contributed to charity. This time, he said, he hopes to inspire others and challenge himself while giving publicity to Eggsperience and its owner, John Sakoufakis.

“As a personal trainer and for a guy my age, I am aware of the value that core work has to one’s personal fitness,” Hood said. Although typically mistaken for being in his early 40s, Hood will turn 54 two days after the event.

“Aside from my experiences in Afghanistan, this attempt is by far one of the most extreme and intense physical feats I’ve ever undertaken,” Hood said. “It sets an example worthy of respect by athletes in all genres and it goes to show that even guys my age can accomplish such things. We aren’t `over the hill.’”

Hood has taken on a rigorous training regimen over the past six months and has trained primarily at the XSport Fitness in Naperville or wherever he can find sufficient flat ground to lay down his multiple repeat sets of planks.

His daily routine lasts anywhere from five to seven hours. He typically practices the plank for 90 minutes a day, followed by “floor work” that includes primarily repeated sets of 200 to 400 push-ups, plus 2,000 abdominal crunches/sit-ups and three- or four-hour hours on the “spin” bike. Hood continues to train on the spin bike in preparation for yet another Guinness World Record attempt in Spring 2012 in the country of Malta.

Unofficially, during training, Hood has exceeded the current plank record seven times and has done so following the strict protocol set forth by Guinness.

In one recent training effort, on Nov. 19th, Hood performed a plank for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

How does he bear the pain of the plank for so long? Hood explained that training has enabled him to manage to build an incredible tolerance to the physical pain, but there is a mental component that permits him to simply relax, breathe and push through the inherent discomfort.

After about 35 minutes, Hood must begin to manage muscle spasms with proper breathing and relaxation. Those spasms, if not managed properly, can shake one so severely that they disrupt balance and form and result in disqualification.

By contrast, in most Yoga circles, the plank position is often referred to as an active position of rest, which when properly executed, is true.

More than 25 years ago, in October 1986, Hood set his first Guinness World Record by jumping rope for 13 hours, 12 minutes, 11 seconds while he was stationed in Hawaii as a Special Agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

And three times, he has held the record for the longest time riding on a stationary bike. He set his first record at 111 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds in July 2007, at Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Burr Ridge. He topped it again a year later at the YMCA in Naperville and for his third and current record on the spin bike, Hood clocked in at 222 hours, 22 minutes and 22 seconds in November 2010 on behalf of a fallen soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Hood held the spin bike record until May, when it was broken by two hours in Italy.

This time around with the plank, Hood hopes to keep his tradition with numbers alive and go beyond an hour by 11 minutes and 11 seconds—or perhaps longer.

To defray the cost of holding the event, which includes paying for the Guinness official to be on hand, cash donations will be accepted at the door of Eggsperience starting at 7:30 a.m. A $10 donation per person or $25 per family (children 12 & under free) will include a discount coupon for breakfast and complimentary coffee.

For more information, please visit http://www.RideGeorgeRide.org. To see the event live via U-Stream, go to the web site and click on the LIVE link.