Mitchell Hooper Discusses Dangers and Advantages of CrossFit, Attracts Parallel to Strongman

Hooper was in nice place to make a comparability.

Written by Robert Zeglinski Final up to date on August 8, 2023

Within the present strongman pantheon, a star in all probability doesn’t shine any brighter than Mitchell Hooper. The Canadian athlete is the reigning World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion and has firmly established his general dominance atop the game of strongman. As a flexible athlete, Hooper is clearly additionally keen to flex his health information. He posted this at some point after the conclusion of the 2023 CrossFit Games.

On August 7, 2023, Hooper posted a video to his YouTube channel the place he carried out a mixture of strongman and CrossFit workout routines. It seems to be a round-up of clips from earlier movies which have appeared on Hooper’s channel. Within the course of, the athlete mentioned the distinction between the 2 completely different athletic disciplines. The video is overlayed with Hooper strolling in an undisclosed neighborhood, narrating his included exercises whereas sharing his ideas. The narrated dialog takes place all through the clip.

Over the course of his varied exercise clips, Hooper seemingly leaves no stone unturned. Highlights included him performing variations of high-rep log presses, clean & jerks, muscle-ups on a pull-up bar, soar rope, running on a treadmill, and traditional back squats.

In the long run, Hooper used a well-recognized argument towards strongman’s results on one’s well being because it pertains to CrossFit. Hooper notably highlighted the distinctive assessments of elite competitors.

“The massive problem with CrossFit is that you just take what the professionals do, and it’s kind of the identical argument as, ‘Strongman’s not good in your well being,’ which, after all it’s not … since you’re pushing your physique previous what it’s able to and, ultimately, generally that causes you to interrupt down. And CrossFit’s the identical approach.

While you take a look at how CrossFit Video games are deliberate, usually occasions whenever you’re coping with the most effective on the planet, you’re going to program issues in a approach that make it notably difficult on the physique. Let’s say you do a squat right into a deadlift right into a clear. That’s massively difficult on the posterior chain and your again goes to explode. However that’s the purpose. While you’re at a contest and also you’re on the skilled degree, that’s what you need to be doing.”

On the native, non-professional degree, Hooper condensed his argument in a fashion extra accessible for much less skilled athletes and leisure lifters who don’t plan to shine on the Games. How athletes use CrossFit to get match can range enormously from individual to individual, with everybody having completely different objectives and desires.

“The most important issue [at the local level] is that each CrossFit field is kind of as much as the one that runs it. Do you need to observe that fashion of programming? Do you need to observe it extra holistic? And ultimately, CrossFit has an entire bunch of elementary motion patterns that they consider are elementary abilities, that they consider embody health.

I believe the one time you get right into a problem, and why individuals usually hate on CrossFit and name it ‘silly,’ is whenever you do one thing like a high-rep clear & jerk with somebody who’s not proficient at doing the clear & jerk within the first place … that turns into actually harmful as a result of your energy degree and talent degree have such a discrepancy.”

It’s that discrepancy that Hooper says creates a battle for CrossFitters of all expertise ranges. Per Hooper, it’s right here {that a} coach ought to turn out to be a big precedence.

“So, that’s what occurs with CrossFit. Even for those who’re not notably robust, that zero talent goes to must be balanced out with some kind of energy. So that you’re robotically stronger than your talent permits you to be. And that’s the place a very good and actually good coach goes that can assist you get there.”