Only 18 men have held the title of Mr. Olympia since its inception in 1965. Out of all 18 champions, only one is from Iran — Hadi Choopan. Since he first burst onto the bodybuilding scene in 2017, he has made a consistent rise in the sport to become one of the most elite competitors in the world.
He has made the Mr. Olympia stage a second home since he first walked onto it in 2019. He has never finished below fourth in any of his five appearances, and he is considered a top contender to win the Sandow Trophy in his sixth appearance at the 60th edition of the show, set for Oct. 10-13, 2024 in Las Vegas, NV.
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[Read More: IFBB Pro League Announces 2024 Olympia Qualification Rules]
Choopan has earned his spot in the sport through many years of hard work and dedication, which has earned him a legion of followers. Here’s a brief of how and why he has reached the pinnacle of his sport.
Early Life
There isn’t a lot of publicly available information about his childhood, but we know that Choopan grew interested in bodybuilding at an early age. He competed and won his first national-level show in 2005.
By 2013, he was a part of the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation and remained in that organization until 2017. That year, he entered and won the Amateur Olympia title, which earned him his IFBB Pro League status.
Choopan has dealt with some level of hearing loss throughout his life. He speaks to the English-speaking media through a translator, most commonly his coach, Hany Rambod.
Contest History
Choopan made a lot of noise in his first pro season by placing second to Flex Lewis in the Asia Grand Prix 212 show. He then competed in the Open at the San Marino Pro two months later, finishing as the runner-up once again.
“The Persian Wolf” now competes in the Men’s Open division consistently, and he’s been a major player since first gracing the Mr. Olympia stage in 2019. Between the two divisions, he’s competed in 11 shows as of April 2024, and he’s won five of them. The devil is in the details when it comes to how big of a deal Choopan has become.
Choopan has shared the Olympia stage with four other Olympia champions — Brandon Curry, Phil Heath, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, and the man who beat him in 2023, Derek Lunsford. He defeated Elssbiay to become the 17th Mr. Olympia in 2022. He was the eighth man to defeat the defending champion to win the title, as well.
Thanks to his Arnold Classic win in March 2024, he joined Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Dexter Jackson, and Curry as the only men to have won both the Olympia and Arnold Classic titles.
He has also now exceeded $1 million in career prize money. His contest history is below, as documented by NPC News Online.
2017
- Asia Grand Prix 212 — 2nd Place
- San Marino Pro — 2nd Place
2018
- Portugal Pro 212 — 1st Place
2019
- Vancouver Pro — 1st Place
- Mr. Olympia — 3rd Place
2020
- Mr. Olympia — 4th Place
2021
- Mr. Olympia — 3rd Place
2022
- Mr. Olympia — 1st Place
2023
- Mr. Olympia — 2nd Place
2024
- Arnold Classic — 1st Place
- Arnold Classic UK – 1st Place
[Read More: Hadi Choopan Wins the 2024 Arnold Classic]
Hadi Choopan’s Shoulder Workout
Choopan trains and prepares for his competitions under the guidance of his longtime coach, Hany Rambod. He traditionally follows a higher volume form of training, with several exercises used to train the muscles from different angles.
He will do this by working with both free weights and machines. Even though he’s stronger than many people who could share a weight room with him, he usually favors more moderate weights that allow him to challenge the muscles while maintaining proper form. Not every set is the same, but he usually trains in the 10 to 15-rep range.
Following the 2023 Olympia, Choopan performed this offseason shoulder in December 2023. This was right before he began preparing for the 2024 Arnold Classic.
- Cable Front Raise
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Cable Front Raise
- Seated Dumbbell Front Raise
- Barbell Front Raise
- Power Smith Machine Shoulder Press
- Barbell Shrug
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[Read More: Hadi Choopan’s Shoulder Training Post-2023 Olympia]
Business and Social Media
The business of bodybuilding is just as big as the sport is for its athletes, and Choopan is holding his own in that realm, too. Rambod is the founder of the Evogen supplement line, and Choopan is one of his athletes representing that brand. Choopan is prominently featured in ad campaigns and makes appearances around the world for Evogen as well as the Olympia brand as a past champion.
He is also active with self-promotion and keeping his followers updated through social media. His verified Instagram page has 7.5 million followers as of April 2024, and his YouTube channel 60,600 subscribers. He has a TikTok page as well, which has an additional 294,000 followers.
2024 Olympia and Future
Choopan will look to make more history in 2024. If he can defeat Lunsford to reclaim the Sandow Trophy at the 60th Olympia Weekend, he would become the second man to reclaim the title after losing it onstage. Cutler was the first in 2009.
The Persian Wolf could also set a record for the most money made in a single bodybuilding season. The $400,000 at the Olympia combined with his $300,000 at the Arnold Classic in Columbus and $130,000 at the Arnold UK event would give him a grand season total of $830,000.
Beyond 2024, Choopan could compete for several more seasons and add to the legacy he has already created. His fans around the world are not ready to see him retire anytime soon, either. Even with everything he has already done, Choopan can easily continue to have a bright future in bodybuilding.
Featured Image: @hadi_choopan / Instagram
