Mitchell Hooper has begun his prep for the 2025 World’s Strongest Man (WSM). Hooper is a three-time Arnold Strongman Classic champion, the 2023 WSM winner, and ranked second to Tom Stoltman at the 2024 WSM contest. Redemption is on Hooper’s mind.
Hooper is training at West Coast Iron Gym in Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada. He’s working 18-inch deadlifts, which he teased may be an event in the 2025 WSM contest in Sacramento, CA, on May 15-18, 2025. He worked up to a massive 470 kilograms off 15 inches of padding. Check out the lift at the 12:47 mark in the video below.
Hooper wore a weight belt and a wrap around his left leg below the knee while using lifting straps. He did not have a deadlift suit when he made this attempt. After bracing himself, he pulled the weight off the pads gradually to a standing position and held a brief pause.
Aside from the padding reducing the height of the bar, Hooper was pleased with the lift.
Harder than it should’ve been; like 500 (kilograms) three inches higher. Add a suit; things are getting serious.
—Mitchell Hooper
Hooper followed the lift with regular deadlifts, arm-over-arm pulls, seated rows, lat pulldowns, and the ab wheel, which he credits with helping relieve lower back pain. 2025 WSM events are expected to be revealed before the contest’s kickoff.
When Hooper arrives in Sacramento, he will seek his second WSM title. Stoltman aims to make history as the sixth strongman to win four WSM championships. Twenty-three other competitors will stand in their way.
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Featured Image: @mitchellhooper on Instagram
