Canadian strongman Mitchell Hooper is one of the fastest-rising strength sports athletes around. He’s coming off a historic first-place performance at the 2023 Worlds Strongest Man, held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In a recent YouTube video, Hooper broke bodybuilding icon Tom Platz’s legendary 525-pound squat record of 23 reps with 24 reps.
Mitchell Hooper first gained attention for his insane strength after he dominated the qualifying group stages of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man competition. He followed up with back-to-back bronze medals at the 2022 Rogue Invitational and 2022 Shaw Classic. He scored gold at the 2023 Australia’s Strongest International contest as well.
Following the win, Hooper achieved a new PR (personal record) with a 420-kg (925.9-lb) raw deadlift in a training session. He left the fans in awe of his unreal strength by smashing 770-kg (1,697.6-lb) raw leg pressses for eight reps in preparation for the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic. His intense training methods paid off as he secured the title impressively two months ago.
Hooper claimed the biggest win of his career at the 2023 World’s Strongest Man last month. He set his lead early in the opening stanza and extended it further on day two. He created history by becoming the first Canadian to win the coveted WSM title, defeating the likes of former champ Oleksii Novikov and Tom Stoltman.
Bodybuilding legend Tom Platz made a name for himself with his stellar lower body development and conditioning. While he moved on from professional competition decades ago, his passion for working out persists. He showed off his jacked quads after changing his diet and training regimen at the age of 67 last month.
Platz set the squat challenge record of 525 pounds for 23 reps in 1992 in Essen, Germany. He accomplished this epic feat in a head-to-head matchup against Fred Hatfield, who squatted the same weight for 11 reps. This iconic competition was popularly known as the ‘Great American Squat-Off.’
Many have attempted to break the record. Powerlifter Bradon Gulch took on the challenge earlier this month. Matt Wenning broke Platz’s record of 23 reps with 24, however, wasn’t able to match ‘The Quadfather’s’ total weight lifted of 525 pounds.
Mitchell Hooper breaks Tom Platz’s squat challenge record
In a recent YouTube video, Mitchell Hooper surged past Tom Platz’s record on 525-lb squats. Hooper used a lifting belt and wore knee sleeves during the challenge.
“At the 1993 FIBO show, Tom Platz and Fred Hatfield had a squat-off and in the squat-off, they did 525 for reps. Tom Platz set the record at 23 which is a record that stood all the way up until about eight months ago when Matt Wenning went and did 24.”
“It’s going to be difficult. There’s a lot of anxiety around doing that many reps that heavy.
“It gets really challenging at first to squat due to my shoulder mobility.”
“It actually got to a point where just standing with the weight was the challenge. I was losing my balance just trying to stay upright.”
Hooper performed a warm-up set, did a second set of 495 pounds, and finally got to 525 pounds. He didn’t seem too confident before the lift as he recognized the challenge of the task ahead of him.
He performed the squat with proper technique and form at a quick pace for the first 10 reps before taking a brief pause. He continued to get five more reps in and took another quick break before squeezing out a few more reps without breaking form. He appeared to struggle in the last five reps as he began to breathe heavily and had his legs shaking from the load. In the end, he managed to perform 24 reps.
Mitchell Hooper got back to training days after his win at the 2023 WSM. He utilized a bodybuilding style workout to ease his way back into training strongman.
Hooper opened up about his experience competing at the contest weeks ago. He called for a proper ruleset to ensure fair competition and to avoid confusion at the events. Hooper also recently laid out his must-have supplements along with his take on consuming alcohol and sugar for recovery.
He crushed 20 reps on 465-lb squats over a week ago. His latest achievement shows Hooper is continuing to improve and will likely return stronger than ever.
Hooper’s amazing squat set showcases why he’s the current WSM. The strength and endurance required for that many reps are top-notch, and his quads will need some good recovery time.
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Hooper is making serious strength gains based on the latest performance. He will look to defend the WSM title successfully next year. Given his young age, he has the potential to add many more records to his glittering resume.