Hooper was a master of his craft, and he decided to pass on some strongman wisdom.
Among the current elite strongman contenders, Mitchell Hooper could be the next big thing. After rushing to the stage in 2022 — with six podium finishes in seven races and two wins in the last three races, including the 2022 British Arnold Hercules Classic — many are keen on Hooper Expectations are understandably higher in 2023. However, the Canadian athlete first gave some valuable training tips before he tried to build on a stellar debut year that saw him captivated by the sport.
On January 11, 2023, Hooper posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he demonstrated to a group of athletes how to properly lift the Atlas stone. The class isn’t new to Hooper, who occasionally shares similar technical training videos in between building his own strength.
Hooper soon began his lectures on the Atlas Stone.
set your stand middle stone
He begins by describing how a person begins with a high-quality weightlifting posture, noting that When set, the ball of the athlete’s foot should be flush with the center of the stone. Another key factor is to ensure that the foot position is wide enough.
“You want to be in a place where you can see your feet [on either side of the stone]. Look at your feet on both sides of the rock. “
If a person’s feet are too close to the Atlas stone, Hooper insists this could negatively affect the opponent’s position when they grab the stone. Additionally, when holding a stone, the knee may rub against the athlete’s elbow, resulting in less than ideal posture when lifting.
Hold the stone with your hands and forearms
Regarding specific considerations for athletes’ hands when attempting to lift the Atlas Stone, Hooper clarified The hands should not be placed directly underneath as this forces the relatively weak biceps to support the load.
“The name of the game is to create friction by creating as much surface contact as possible. You want your hands and forearms to be on the stone as much as possible.”
Instead, the goal should be to get one’s arm in contact with the stone as much as possible, placing your hand slightly in front of the center of the weight, almost “holding” the iconic large Hercules machine.
“Straight arms, hands forward, arms locked. That way, we’re squeezing the rock with our chest and lats. We’re not picking it up with our biceps.”
deadlift high and around the rock
According to Hooper, once the athlete is in the correct position, Their goal should be to lift the stone to the knee by placing the stone as high as possible above the knee. Then, once ready, the hips can sink back and the stone can naturally roll onto the knees.
“What you should be doing is lifting the rock as high as you can. You don’t want to just kneel down and sit down immediately,” says Hooper. “…think about how muscles resist force, and where that force goes.”
A common technique principle for strongmen and strongmen, grinding stones helps the athlete seamlessly re-grip before standing to improve leverage.
“The first goal is to get the rock off the ground and onto your lap…Once the rock is over your knee, you can sit and roll. You switch your hands and you can pick it up [to a standing position]”
let the buttocks stand up under the stone
Per Hooper, once someone is ready to change their grip on the hip movement, The stone should “sit on the sternum” with the body as close to the stone as possible. When the athlete stands up, the stone should move straight up.
Hooper clarified that some people make the mistake of actually trying to lift the stone higher when it’s against their sternum. To combat this overcorrection, the strongman recommends working to keep the stone against the chest and simply extending the lower glutes for increased leverage and full extension.
“When it comes to expanding [into a standing position]you shouldn’t be thinking about lifting the rock up… your thinking should be shooting your butt under the rock and it will roll up.
Special technology for high platform
Hooper said if a strongman or strongwoman is tasked with lifting stones higher up the podium, they should try to do it When repositioning the grip, make sure their hand is not directly around the center of the stone. This “hugging” allows for limited flexibility in power mobility, with stones positioned higher, and a higher chance of failure to lift.
Conversely, when the athlete struggles to regain grip, The arm should be positioned at a 45 degree angle to the top of the stoneAllows for more room to work stones onto higher platforms.
Ultimately, Hooper came up with a reminder that the sole of the foot indicates the center of the stone. Therefore, the arms should still be in sync with the soles of the feet during the initial positioning. While reviewing sample performances from several video participants, Hooper made a final correction to a common mistake in the early stages of the elevator.
“The movement off the ground is not a squat, but a straight-leg deadlift. The hips are really high.”
Already an established superstar, Teacher Hooper will soon make a seamless transition to Hercules Hooper. The athlete will compete in the 2023 Australian Strongest International (ASI) in Aping, Australia on January 21, 2023. If his exploits there come close to his success starting in 2022, Hooper could start the new competitive year with a bang.
Featured Image: Mitchell Hooper on YouTube