Hafthor Bjornsson’s new Deadlift World Record of 505 kilograms (1,113.3 pounds) surprised many in the Strongman community. His massive lift drew a lot of attention, and several well-known Strongman athletes spoke up and shared their thoughts. One of those is the former World’s Strongest Man, Mitchell Hooper, who shared his reaction on YouTube. In his post, Mitchell commented on Hafthor’s lockout and revealed his plans to set a Deadlift World Record in 2026.
Mitchell Hooper wanted to break the 505-kilogram Deadlift World Record, but as his results got worse during the 2025 season, he canceled his attempt. He withdrew from multiple competitions after the Giants Live Strongman Classic, shifting his focus on rest and recovery. Hooper plans to return when he’s ready to go after the sport’s biggest titles again.
Related: Eddie Hall Reacts to Hafthor Bjornsson’s New 505-kg (1,113.3-lb) Deadlift World Record
Mitchell Hooper’s Reaction and Plans For The Future
Mitchell Hooper first answered what many wanted to know, which is whether Hafthor Bjornsson’s lockout with 505 kilograms (1,113.3 pounds) was adequate. Hooper said that the record should definitely stand and that Hafthor made no mistakes in regard to his lift. Moreover, he compared Strongman to powerlifting, talking about the strictness of regulations in both sports.
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“There has been a reasonable amount of noise about the lockout — that the hips were soft and knees were soft… I want to formally 100% say that this is a good lift.
In strongman, it’s not powerlifting. We don’t have to have our shoulders locked back. We can hitch the bar. And we have to get it from point A to point B. The standard for hips and knees are a little bit less than in powerlifting. Nonetheless, the nature of Strongman is, can you move the weight from A to B successfully? Stop worrying about all of the minor details along the way. And he absolutely did that. So, he gets the deadlift world record.”
Mitchell Hooper also commented on Hafthor Bjornsson’s plans to compete at the 2025 World Deadlift Championships on September 6th in Birmingham, England. Hafthor is expected to attempt a 510-kilogram (1,124.4-pound) deadlift at the competition, but Hooper believes that it might be out of his reach. However, he also points out that, if Hafthor is successful, it would be one of the biggest achievements in the sport.
“To me, the eye test says that 510 is going to be a massive ask. But if he does it, this would be an Eddie-level accomplishment, like when he broke the deadlift world record by 30-plus kilos in one evening. For Thor to come along and 6 weeks later get a new world record, surpassing what he’s already done by another 5 kilos. I don’t know if it’s going to happen. I’m going to say more likely than not, it doesn’t happen. But the best moments in sports are when the unlikely happens.”
Finally, Hooper addressed his comeback to the sport, revealing that it actually might come sooner than expected. He initially hoped to come back for the 2026 Arnold Strongman Classic. However, his statement indicates that he could actually return to the competition floor before that, potentially for the 2025 Rogue Invitational.
Moreover, Mitchell Hooper confirmed his plans of going for the Deadlift World Record, regardless of where it stands at that moment. So, even if Hafthor does push the record to 510 kilograms (1,124.4 pounds), Hooper will not shy away from the challenge.
“Now, when I come back is to be determined. It’s actually tracking to be earlier than I originally anticipated, and I originally anticipated that to be at the Arnold Strongman Classic next year, but things are moving in a really positive direction. I’m feeling really good. My body is feeling really good. So, it could be earlier. Stay tuned for that.
Regardless, next year, I will take a really good run at the Deadlift World Champs… I’m going to attack it much more systematically and give it the respect it deserves.”
Watch the full video here:
Mitchell Hooper has won pretty much all major titles in Strongman, despite competing for only three years. So, he was crowned the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, the 2024 Strongest Man On Earth, a 2x Rogue Invitational champion, and a 3x Arnold Strongman Classic champion. That makes his opinion on Hafthor Bjornsson’s new World Record exceptionally credible. Furthermore, Hooper stands as the most formidable potential challenger to Hafthor’s record in the years to come
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