India's Sidhu Kshetri's 55-hour punching marathon wins him new Guinness World Record

An Indian 42-year-old software engineer Sidhu Kshetri, broke the record for the longest marathon of punching a punch-bag by displaying immense physical and mental strength. 

He broke the previous record by five minutes, kicking the punching bag for 55 hours and 15 minutes, as reported by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Sidhu is a longtime martial artist practising for the last 25 years and has represented India in various taekwondo championships. 

He previously held the title for the most martial art kicks in three minutes using one leg and for the most number of kicks in a single minute by one leg, both of these records have been broken by Ahmad Amin Bodla from Pakistan.

Similar to all other "longest marathon" records, the challenger is allowed to take a five-minute rest break, which can be accrued for an hour of continuous action. Sidhu could not eat, sleep, or use the restroom except during these intervals.

Sidhu trained for eight hours a day for six months to be ready for this record attempt. He would train for eight hours every day, with four in the morning and four in the evening.

According to Sidhu, the mental preparation was the most difficult part, for this attempt, I had to be physically and mentally strong.

He said, "The pain started around the 20-hour mark, I reminded myself at that time that it was a test of my limits. I thought that if I maintained my emotional fortitude, I could bear the suffering".

"The worst part was the second night, which lasted for around thirty hours straight and involved no breaks. It was difficult to endure, but my friends and family's encouragement and support helped me to keep going and push my boundaries. Even though I hadn't considered quitting, I kept telling myself, just an hour more".