Beijing, Nov 4 (IANS): A Chinese man from Hebei province Monday said he plans to apply for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for his ability to walk in heavy iron shoes.

Zhang Fuxing, 51, a resident of Fengnan district in Tangshan city, does daily exercises in a pair of iron shoes which weigh 405 kg, about seven times his own weight, reports Xinhua.

The shoes are 30 cm long with a width of 20 cm each, but the sole is made up of welded iron chunks to a height of 40 cm.

Zhang spends 20 minutes walking in the shoes every morning, usually only about a dozen metres. He keeps his iron shoes in the courtyard because "they are so heavy that I don't have to worry they might be stolen".

Zhang has done exercises in these shoes for over seven years. He works in a local factory and made the shoes himself.

Initially he made a pair weighing 70 kg and has added weight to the shoes as he intensified his routine. He plans to add more weight to the shoes early next year.