Hooper was in nice place to make a comparability.
Within the present strongman pantheon, a star in all probability doesn’t shine any brighter than Mitchell Hooper. The Canadian athlete is the reigning World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion and has firmly established his total dominance atop the game of strongman. As a flexible athlete, Hooper is clearly additionally prepared to flex his health information. He posted this at some point after the conclusion of the 2023 CrossFit Games.
On August 7, 2023, Hooper posted a video to his YouTube channel the place he carried out a mixture of strongman and CrossFit workouts. It seems to be a round-up of clips from earlier movies which have appeared on Hooper’s channel. Within the course of, the athlete mentioned the distinction between the 2 completely different athletic disciplines. The video is overlayed with Hooper strolling in an undisclosed neighborhood, narrating his included exercises whereas sharing his ideas. The narrated dialog takes place all through the clip.
Over the course of his varied exercise clips, Hooper seemingly leaves no stone unturned. Highlights included him performing variations of high-rep log presses, clean & jerks, muscle-ups on a pull-up bar, bounce rope, running on a treadmill, and basic back squats.
In the long run, Hooper used a well-recognized argument in opposition to strongman’s results on one’s well being because it pertains to CrossFit. Hooper notably highlighted the distinctive checks of elite competitors.
“The massive problem with CrossFit is that you just take what the professionals do, and it’s kind of the identical argument as, ‘Strongman’s not good in your well being,’ which, in fact it’s not … since you’re pushing your physique previous what it’s able to and, ultimately, generally that causes you to interrupt down. And CrossFit’s the identical means.
If you have a look at how CrossFit Video games are deliberate, usually occasions whenever you’re coping with one of the best on the earth, you’re going to program issues in a means that make it notably difficult on the physique. Let’s say you do a squat right into a deadlift right into a clear. That’s massively difficult on the posterior chain and your again goes to explode. However that’s the objective. If you’re at a contest and also you’re on the skilled degree, that’s what try to be doing.”
On the native, non-professional degree, Hooper condensed his argument in a way extra accessible for much less skilled athletes and leisure lifters who don’t plan to shine on the Games. How athletes use CrossFit to get match can differ tremendously from individual to individual, with everybody having completely different objectives and desires.
“The most important problem [at the local level] is that each CrossFit field is kind of as much as the one that runs it. Do you need to comply with that model of programming? Do you need to comply with it extra holistic? And ultimately, CrossFit has a complete bunch of elementary motion patterns that they consider are elementary abilities, that they consider embody health.
I believe the one time you get right into a problem, and why folks usually hate on CrossFit and name it ‘silly,’ is whenever you do one thing like a high-rep clear & jerk with somebody who’s not proficient at doing the clear & jerk within the first place … that turns into actually harmful as a result of your energy degree and talent degree have such a discrepancy.”
It’s that discrepancy that Hooper says creates a battle for CrossFitters of all expertise ranges. Per Hooper, it’s right here {that a} coach ought to develop into a major precedence.
“So, that’s what occurs with CrossFit. Even if you happen to’re not notably robust, that zero talent goes to need to be balanced out with some kind of energy. So that you’re routinely stronger than your talent means that you can be. And that’s the place a extremely good and actually good coach goes that will help you get there.”
Maybe few different folks might clarify the challenges and downsides of CrossFit as eloquently as Hooper. His rationale as an elite energy sports activities athlete is sensible and is one any potential CrossFitter ought to heed.
Featured picture: Mitchell Hooper on YouTube
Trending Merchandise
