Before Mitchell Hooper became the strongest man on Earth, he went through many sports before finding his calling. He is now a kinesiologist by profession and competes in Strongman championships alongside. He recently sat down and talked about his journey in a YouTube video.
One of the segments in the video focused on his relation to his body composition. Transitioning from traditional sports to bodybuilding and then Strongman, Hooper went through an intense transformation. Throughout the journey, he made amends with his body and developed the ultimate training plan for himself.
Body composition for strongmen involves measuring the body fat percentage. There are different methods to do so, and Hooper used calipers for his case. He revealed how his physique changed drastically over the years due to a change in his career. Therefore, it was crucial to keep a check on his body regularly.
Before his widespread success as a strength athlete, he played American football in college. He put on a lot of weight once he gave that up and lost another significant number of pounds when he took up running. His body fat percentage also fluctuated as he went from being a runner to a bodybuilder before settling as a strongman.
“When I finished playing American Football in college…I was probably about 15% body fat. But when I stopped playing, I just totally let myself go. I ended up at 302 lbs, around 40% body fat…It was really not good, my self-esteem was quite low, and body image is something that I’ve struggled with for a really long time.”
Currently sitting at around 325 lbs, Hooper reports that his body fat percentage still fluctuates depending on his prep. Only this time, his experience as a health professional helped him take care of his body.
“Not sure I want to get a huge amount leaner than I am right now because we do need that cushion and protection for the joints. But I also don’t want to be unhealthy to an extent that it’s going to impact my long-term prognosis…in the end I consider myself a health professional first…I know I’m not doing the healthiest thing right now.”
He ended the segment with a montage of him checking his body fat. Addressing the key issue in this activity, the Strongman icon acknowledged that no method would give accurate results. But if one were to keep their medium of measuring consistent and regular, it could still help provide useful insights.
Mitchell Hooper prepares for another round of Strongman activities
If the Arnold Strongman Classic at Ohio wasn’t enough, the Canadian ‘Moose’ is all set for part two of the strongman championships. With Arnold Classic UK around the corner, Hooper has confirmed his presence with a promise of another title to his arsenal.
In an Instagram post, lifting a hefty 441lbs, he declared that he wasn’t going to be there just to make an appearance. Hooper had already impressed fitness enthusiasts with his Hulk-like strength, winning three out of five rounds at the Ohio event. Now, as he prepares for a second chance at the show, will fans see another icon beat him? Only time will tell.
