Mitchell Hooper has quickly risen to fame with his Strongman championship achievements. With his kinesiology background to his advantage, he has prioritized recovery and gradual steps to secure his success. Although he keeps his fans updated about his journey through various workouts and power-packed lifts, he recently talked about his diet through the ages in a YouTube video.
For Hooper, strength sports didn’t come into the picture until later in his life. He began as a post-graduate in exercise physiology after college football, participated in bodybuilding shows later, followed by marathon running before ending at strength sports. Throughout these fields, Hooper’s diet has been through many changes.
Mitchell Hooper revealed his diet for bodybuilding
Hooper’s first proper physique show required him to diet his way down, and he did so for about 16 months straight. While his journey as a bodybuilder didn’t last long, his diet witnessed significant changes. Throughout this time, he revealed how his diet only consisted of salmon, vegetables, chicken, and eggs.
Transition to marathon running
Going from about 300 lbs to 225 lbs had been a drastic change in itself. But to be an aerobic athlete, Hooper had to load up on carbs and keep a check on his calories. As a result, his diet focused on giving him quick doses of energy. His essentials mainly consisted of energy gels, bananas, and sandwiches.
“I remember many times I felt totally out of energy after a run, a little lightheaded, a little woozy…I’d put together a peanut butter sandwich with honey and banana, and I would have three or four of those just trying to get calories back.”
Settling on strength sports
Hooper later put on weight, standing at 264 lbs, to become a champion powerlifter. He admitted that while his diet at the time didn’t change as much, his energy output did. He included more and more food as he shifted to strongman championships later on.
“I basically landed at 315 lbs over the course of 5/6 months. During this time, I was eating 4500 to 5000 calories…my metabolism and my general movement is clearly lower…I’m someone designed to be a larger person.”
Currently weighing around 325 lbs, Hooper’s current diet is just like any other average person. The only catch is that the quantities are increased, and with the help of former powerlifter Stan Efferding’s guidance, Hooper also switched to a healthier, low-calorie diet plan. Now armed with extra protein shakes and more food, he’s ready to ace any strongman battle.
