The Canadian sensation is setting PRs as his next contest approaches.
On Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2023, Canadian strongman Mitchell Hooper posted a video of himself log pressing 195 kilograms (430 kilos) for 2 reps on his Instagram page. The lift is 10 kilograms greater than his competition record of 185 kilograms (408 kilos), in response to Giants Live. This feat got here seven months after Hooper managed to perform two reps with 184 kilograms (406 kilos) in training.
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After bringing the log to his knees and cleansing it as much as the shoulders, Hooper began the press, but he briefly stalled midway through the rep. After powering it as much as a lockout position, he lowered the log to mats and took several breaths before starting the subsequent repetition. The second rep took even longer to lock out, but he managed to achieve this successfully.
“Things are heating up. All is correct on target.”
Hooper is preparing to compete within the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic, set to happen Mar. 2-5, 2023 in Columbus, OH. One event confirmed for the competition is the Austrian Oak — a log press event named after the competition’s namesake, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s unclear as of this writing whether the event will likely be for max reps, max weight, or one other format.
Within the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, Luke Stoltman won the Austrian Oak Log Lift event by pressing 213.1 kilograms (470 kilos) over his head. Stoltman will likely be competing on this yr’s contest, as will Log Press American record holder (217.5 kilograms/479.5 kilos) Bobby Thompson.
When the identical event appeared through the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic, competitors were asked to perform maximum repetitions inside a 90-second deadline. Within the caption of the Instagram post, Hooper reported that it took him 50 seconds to finish each reps. This may occasionally indicate that either Hooper expects a return to the “reps for time” format or that he is concentrated on constructing each strength and endurance as an elite strongman.
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Hooper goes into this Arnold Strongman Classic with momentum on his side. In January 2023, he won Australia’s Strongest International contest. Two months prior to that, he placed first within the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals in Glasgow, Scotland. Hooper was also the 2022 Arnold Strongman UK winner.
Hooper is taken into account by many strongman fans and experts to be certainly one of the fastest rising stars in the game. That was emphasized after he placed first in Group 2 of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man, and ultimately placed eighth within the finals. This will likely be his first Arnold Strongman Classic contest, and he’s already confirmed to be certainly one of the entrants for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, set to happen Apr. 19-23 in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Ticket and pay-per-view information for the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic may be found at www.arnoldsports.com.
Featured Video: @mitchellhooper on Instagram