The 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) and 2024 Strongest Man on Earth (SMoE) Mitchell Hooper has three months until he attempts to defend his Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC) title for the second time. He won the contest that prioritizes static strength in 2023 and 2024 and seeks to score the three-peat in Columbus, OH, from Feb. 27 through March 2, 2025.
Part of Hooper’s training is heavy conventional deadlifts to challenge arguably the world’s strongest deadlifter, Hafthor “The Mountain” Björnsson. Check out Hooper’s 750-pound beltless deadlift in training in the video below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
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Hooper deadlifted with lifting straps in socks. While in a conventional setup, he rolled the bar toward his lower shins before initiating his explosive pull, which did not appear to be any more difficult for him than a standard training lift.
The ongoing undercurrent in the build-up to the 2025 ASC is a battle between Hooper and Björnsson in what is expected to be the opening event — a max deadlift — even though the 2025 ASC events have not yet been officially revealed at the time of this article’s publication.
Thus far in history, only two strongmen have pulled 500-kilogram conventional deadlifts. Eddie Hall, in 2016, pulled 500 kilograms, the first human to ever do so, and Björnsson, in 2020, chipped a kilogram to that, locking out 501 kilograms.
Since then, the race to pull a 505-kilogram deadlift has loomed large on the sport and who might be capable of accomplishing it. Tom Stoltman and Ivan Makarov have both stated their intent to achieve that feat of strength, though the former has yet to attempt it, and the latter has failed on multiple occasions despite coming closest to entering the 500-kilogram club.
Hooper is the most recent strongman to pose his intent to enter the 500-kilogram club earnestly. It’s reasonable to argue that the best betting odds are on the athlete who hasn’t missed a podium in his last 24 elite contests. Since 2022, the only athletes to best Hooper in a max deadlift event are Björnsson and Tom Stoltman.
When the 2025 ASC rolls around, we’ll see if Björnsson and Hooper push each other into a must-win situation involving a world-record deadlift. Historically, both have prioritized winning the competition rather than attempting a world-record deadlift. However, history could be made if the incentive aligns with their condition in Columbus.
Will Björnsson or Hooper make that history, or will a deadlift wildcard like Tom Stoltman come out of nowhere?
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Featured image: @mitchellhooper on Instagram
