2023 World Strongest Man (WSM) champion Mitchell Hooper revamped his morning routine and documented it as part of his new YouTube series, “No Stone Unturned.” The series is a vlog of his commitments to improving his diet, training, and recovery heading into the 2024 strongman season, which also includes other athletic endeavors outside of the sport.
Hooper’s updated morning routine is designed to maximize productivity. It features cold therapy, what makes the cut in his supplement stack, and how he optimizes his stretching. It was inspired by 2017 WSM champion Eddie Hall, who Hooper will contest in an MMA fight in February in Qatar. Check out Hooper’s new routine below:
Hooper’s Cold Therapy Routine
Hooper’s days in the Canadian winter begin with an invigorating cold therapy session. Clad only in shorts, he stands on his back porch for five minutes every morning after waking up. Hooper intends to pair this cold therapy with hot therapy via a hot tub.
“I’m not big into unique productivity hacks. My normal wake-up time is 7:00 a.m.; I got my 7:05 a.m. alarm set to come out and do my cold therapy,” said Hooper. “Depending on the time of year and the day, sometimes it’s really easy, and sometimes it is massively, massively difficult.”
Hooper’s Breakfast & Supplement Stack
Below are the ingredients and supplements that ascend to Hooper’s breakfast counter each morning:
- Greek Yogurt
- Orange Juice
- Whey Protein
- Creatine
- Honey Bunches of Oat Cereal
- Coffee
- Beef Heart
- Beef Liver
- Vitamin D
Hooper streamlines his breakfast by mixing Greek yogurt with orange juice — he suggests that it tastes like a creamsicle; don’t knock it til you try it. Then, he blends whey protein and creatine powder in water and pours it over honey bunches of oat cereal.
Hooper drinks coffee and a serving of beef heart, liver, and vitamin D supplements to ensure he meets his daily micronutrient targets.
Post-Breakfast Cardio
Following each meal, Hooper hops onto the Rogue Echo Bike or treadmill for a 10-minute low-intensity session, maintaining the bike at 150 watts. He opined that physical activity after a meal can improve digestion, cardiovascular fitness, and body composition.
High-intensity exercise is not ideal for digesting food as it’s going to send blood to your extremities.
[Related: The Best Beginner Workout Plan To Start Your Fitness Journey]
Stretching
Stretching is a relatively new addition to Hooper’s morning routine. While he is skeptical of its ability to reduce injury, he acknowledges the potential performance benefits of improved mobility and the short-term relief that stretching offers.
I’m as mobile as I need to be.
[Related: The 10 Best Strongmen & Strongwomen of 2023]
Mitchell Hooper’s Lunch
Below are the common ingredients found in Hooper’s lunch:
- Chicken Breast
- Instant Rice
- Chicken Broth
- Greek Yogurt
Hooper had his first lunch at 10:30 a.m. He maintains a strict meal schedule, with alarms set for each meal to stay on track. Hooper doesn’t train until 1 p.m. after his second lunch.
Hooper is next scheduled to compete at the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic, set for March 1-2, 2024, in Columbus, OH, where he will defend his ASC throne against a stacked lineup comprised of former WSM champions Tom Stoltman, Martins Licis, Oleksii Novikov, and the return of Hafthor Björnsson, making his competitive strongman comeback after a four-year hiatus.
However, two weeks before that, Hooper will square off against Hall in both athletes’ MMA debuts in Qatar. Hooper feels he has the range to be prepared and find success in both. We’ll see if he can bob and weave the punches in February and hoist another trophy in March.
Featured image: @mitchellhooper on Instagram
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