2023 World’s Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper trained with CrossFit sensation Emma Cary before the 2023 CrossFit Games. Cary placed eighth overall in Madison, WI, an eight-rank jump from her 16th-place finish in 2021. On Aug. 3, 2023, Hooper continued his “CrossFit Tour” YouTube series, going behind the scenes to learn about Emma Cary’s mindset for the 2023 CrossFit Games and programming advice. Watch the interview via the video below:
Game-Changing Advice on Mindset & Programming For the CrossFit Games | Emma Cary
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Strengthening Upper Body
Cary conveyed to Hooper her weaknesses at the beginning of her CrossFit training journey, saying that upper body strength, running, and cardio were lacking. A back injury in 2022 prevented her from lifting with her typical technique, and she used that interim time to shore up her upper body strength and conditioning. Hooper wasn’t shocked to learn of Cary’s weaknesses, as he mentioned they’re common among younger women athletes:
“It’s a lot to do with neural control,” said Hooper. “If I program for someone like [Cary] off-season, it wouldn’t be near as much about building muscle. It would be a lot more about how the brain communicates to the body.”
Cary remarked how she learned of her lacking strength foundation as she trained CrossFit without a coach for her first five years in the sport. It led to lifting in poor positions and instilled bad habits that she aimed to offset in 2023.
Strongman and Olympic Lifting Modalities
Continuing the neural control mentality, Hooper suggests training with an Olympic lifting style, where Cary trains upper body movements three times a week for five sets of five reps at 60-65 percent of her one-rep max. Doing so is aimed at improving motor neurons before developing raw strength.
Cary feels her biggest weakness currently is heavy strict lifts. She feels confident when she can kip, but anything strict is challenging, as she loses speed and power. To help build strength, Hooper suggests a strongman programming modality, where heavy single-rep sets create a potent systemic response.
Hooper compared Cary to strongwomen or female powerlifters with similar build and body weight, saying, “Their body composition is much the same, and their strength is through the roof because they can coordinate it much better. Not because they have a bigger engine; they could just feel it much, much easier.
Hooper wants to raise Cary’s strength ceiling to match her endurance, imploring her that heavy singles, doubles, and triples are crucial for developing the necessary strength. If Cary incorporates Hooper’s programming suggestions to good effect, she could return to the Games in 2024 and contend for a podium spot.
Featured image: @emmacaryy on Instagram
