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 prepared to flex his health information. He posted this sooner or later 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 workouts. 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, leap rope, running on a treadmill, and basic back squats.

Ultimately, Hooper used a well-known argument in opposition to strongman’s results on one’s well being because it pertains to CrossFit. Hooper notably highlighted the distinctive assessments of elite competitors.

“The large 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, in fact it’s not … since you’re pushing your physique previous what it’s able to and, ultimately, typically that causes you to interrupt down. And CrossFit’s the identical manner.

If you take a look at how CrossFit Video games are deliberate, typically instances whenever you’re coping with one of the best on the earth, you’re going to program issues in a manner 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 aim. If you’re at a contest and also you’re on the skilled degree, that’s what try to be doing.”

On the native, non-professional degree, Hooper condensed his argument in a way 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 differ significantly from individual to individual, with everybody having completely different objectives and desires.

“The largest issue [at the local level] is that each CrossFit field is kind of as much as the one that runs it. Do you wish to observe that model of programming? Do you wish to observe it extra holistic? And ultimately, CrossFit has a complete bunch of basic motion patterns that they imagine are basic expertise, that they imagine embody health.

I feel the one time you get right into a problem, and why individuals typically 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 ability 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 change into a major precedence.

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