With every latest strength feat, Hooper demonstrates why he’s such a strong force.
In the present strongman pantheon, Canada’s Mitchell Hooper is certainly essentially the most dominant. The athlete is the reigning World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion and has, at minimum, finished on the rostrum in 10 consecutive strongman competitions. (Note: He has only competed in 11 skilled contests.) The superstar is preparing so as to add much more to his trophy case very soon.
On July 12, 2023, Hooper appeared in a video on 2016 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) Laurence Shahlaei’s YouTube channel, where he documents a part of his preparation for the 2023 Shaw Classic (SC). The competition takes place on August 19-20, 2023, in Loveland, CO. Shahlaei helps train Hooper within the video, and the workout has Hooper polishing up his bench press, log lift, sandbag throw, and chest press. On the approximate 13:10 mark of the video below, Hooper successfully locks out a 210-kilogram (463-pound), three-rep bench press for a latest personal record (PR).
More from Breaking Muscle:
There’s a very bench press-centric event on the 2023 SC, making Hooper’s display of an upper-body milestone a superb sign for his possibilities within the competition. In the only SC appearance of his profession in 2022, the strongman finished in third place to two-time defending champion Trey Mitchell (2021-2022) and the competition’s legendary eponymous competitor, Brian Shaw (second place).
Per Hooper, the bench press hasn’t often been considered one of his strengths prior to now.
“I’m probably essentially the most nervous about this one (the Bench Press event) on the Shaw Classic,” Hooper explained. “I don’t think I’m bench presser. I believe a variety of my overhead strength comes from my legs.”
Hooper had a three-contest winning streak to start out the 2023 strongman season that was snapped with a third-place result on the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic (GLSC). The athlete will undoubtedly be looking for an emphatic way of putting himself back into the winner’s column on the 2023 SC. A Hooper win would also notably keep the enduring Shaw from a triumph in his last-ever strongman competition.
Hooper didn’t appreciate falling short on the 2023 GLSC:
“The longer the third place [at the 2023 GLSC] sits with me, the longer I [expletive] hate it,” Hooper said. “Losing really doesn’t really sit right with me.”
Here’s the roster of strongman competitors on the 2023 SC, including Hooper:
2023 Shaw Classic Roster
Of the general 2023 SC roster, Hooper figures to be considered one of the favorites alongside Mitchell and Shaw. Dark horses might include former two-time WSM champion Tom Stoltman and 2020 WSM champion Oleksii Novikov.
More from Breaking Muscle:
Irrespective of what happens on the 2023 SC, Hooper has firmly established himself as a household name in strongman. A part of what makes him so great is that he’ll likely push full throttle for one more victory no matter a well-earned repute.
Featured image: Big Loz Official on YouTube