Hadi Choopan – Complete Profile: Height, Weight, Biography

The Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan is the 2022 Mr. Olympia champion. This is his life story, diet, training regimen, and more. 

Hadi Choopan

(Bodybuilder)

Athlete Statistics

Early Life

Hadi Choopan was born in September of 1987 in Sepidan County, Fars Province, located in southern Iran. He was born into a very poor family, a product of the financially struggling region they were in. These poor conditions resulted in Hadi having to work at an early age. He started peddling goods, along with working in construction.

Despite his constant need to work, Choopan still managed to develop an interest in bodybuilding. He began his path to be a pro bodybuilder in 2000, at the age of 13. This process began with Choopan mocking poses of other famous bodybuilders, in front of his family. Initially, he was rather undersized, and dealt with jokes and push back from his friends and family.

Early Bodybuilding Career

However, Hadi Choopan was eventually able to gain some size, and start looking like a bodybuilder. His first coach was Jamshid Owji, in 2002. At the time, Jamshid only allowed Hadi to lift 5kg weights, due to his small size. Nevertheless, Choopan would eventually grow and get bigger.

Within three years of pursuing professional bodybuilding, Hadi Choopan already earned a third place in a national competition. Additionally, he won first place in competitions in his native Providence Of Fars. However, 2005 is where he won his first national title and began establishing himself as someone to keep an eye on.

In 2008, Choopan would stop training with Jamshid Owji, and spend a few years without a trainer. Despite that, he still managed to win more national titles, along with a silver medal at the WBPF World Bodybuilding Championships. Hadi went without a trainer until 2013. At that point, he began training with Ali Ne’mati, and his career as a professional bodybuilder began to take off.

Hadi Choopan – Pro Bodybuilding Career

In 2013, Hadi Choopan won first place in the WBPF Asia Championships, to start off a good run professionally. He would return to compete at the WBPF World Bodybuilding Championships, winning gold in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Despite the success, this was the only competing he did in those years.

2017 would begin the next chapter of his pro career, as Choopan would stop training with Ne’mati. At this point, and continuing forward, he would train with the world-renowned Hany Rambod. Subsequently, his career began to take a bigger leap. He made his first showing under Rambod’s tutelage at the 2017 Mr. Olympia Amateur, where he managed to score a gold medal.

Hadi Choopan competed three more times in 2017, earning silver medals across the board. Most notably, he lost in the 2017 Asia Grand Prix to multiple-time 212 Olympia champ Flex Lewis. However, this decision was seen as controversial by many in attendance. According to skeptics, it appeared that Choopan had a bigger and better physique than Lewis, despite the judge’s decision. Nevertheless, it was at this point, that “The Persian Wolf” would be known as a force to be reckoned with, around the world.

Unfortunately, Choopan would be forced to deal with issues receiving a U.S. Visa, to compete in the big shows stateside. It would force him out of more than a few competitions over the years, including the Arnold Classic, and Mr. Olympia in 2018. However, he was able to get the issues resolved for 2019.

Hadi Choopan – Championships and Accomplishments

Misc. (2003-2011)

• 15 Provincial Gold Medals (Fars and Tehran provinces)

2008

• Babol National Tournament – 3rd
• Saari National Tournament – 2nd

2009

• Saari National Tournament – 2nd
• Rasht National Tournament – 2nd

2010

• Saari National Tournament – 1st

2011

• Mashhad National Tournament – 1st

2012

• WBPF World Bodybuilding Championships – Silver Medal

2013

• WBPF Asia Championships – Gold Medal/Overall
• WBPF World Bodybuilding Championships – Gold Medal

2014

• WBPF World Bodybuilding Championships – Gold Medal

2015

• WBPF World Bodybuilding Championships – Gold Medal

2017

• Mr. Olympia Amateur  – Gold Medal/Overall
• IFBB Sheru Classic Pro – Silver Medal
• Asia Grand Prix – Silver Medal
• San Marino Pro – Silver Medal

2018

• Dubai Expo – Silver Medal
• IFBB Portugal Pro – 1st
• Asia Grand Prix – Gold Medal

2019

• IFBB Vancouver Pro – Gold Medal
• Mr.  Olympia – 3rd

2020

• Mr. Olympia – 4th

2021

• Mr. Olympia – 3rd

2022

• Mr. Olympia – 1st

Hadi Choopan – Training Regimen

Hadi Choopan likes to utilize a combination of strength training, along with hypertrophy training to get the best results. He oftentimes will spend one day a week, lifting heavy weights, focusing on strength. However, he will then spend another day working for the same muscle groups, this time focusing on volume.

When it comes to Hadi’s workouts, while he is doing strength training, he typically rests for 2-3 minutes in between sets. On the other hand, when he does hypertrophy training, Choopan will only take 30 seconds to a minute between sets. He says this allows for his heart rate to stay up, improving his cardio, and burning fat.

However, as far as specific cardio training is concerned, Choopan does not individually train cardio. He is known to do two or three High-Intensity Training sessions a week, leading up to competitions. Other than that, there is no unique cardio routine he follows.

Chest Workout – Strength

• Incline Bench Press – 5 reps/5 sets
• Flat Smith-Machine Chest Press – 5 reps/5 sets
• Incline Dumbbell Press – 5-8 reps/3 sets
• Weighted Dips – 6-8 reps/3 sets
• Heavy Cable Flys – 4-6 reps/3 sets

Chest Workout – Hypertrophy

• Incline Dumbbell Press – 10-12 reps/3 sets
• Flat Barbell Bench Press – 8-12 reps/5 sets
• Incline Flys – 10-12 reps/4 sets
• Dips – 10-12 reps/4 sets
• Dumbbell Pullovers – 10-12 reps/4 sets
• Push-Ups (superset, with cable flys) – 12 reps/4 sets
• Flat Bench Dumbbell Flys (lightweight, finisher) – 10-12 reps/5 sets (drop set last set)

Hadi Choopan – Diet and Nutrition

Hadi Choopan focuses his diet around his desire to grow lean muscle. In fact, it is his belief that diet is the most important part of achieving a toned appearance. Therefore, he consumes a lot of brown rice, avocados, and skinless chicken breast for the majority of the year. These slow-releasing foods help him to keep his levels of fat low, allowing for easier competition prep.

In addition to a strict diet, Choopan also uses a variety of supplements. Here are some of his preferred choices:

• Whey isolate
• BCAAs
• L-Carnitine
• Fish Oil
• Multivitamin

Additional Information

Hadi Choopan has made significant progress in improving his physique over the years. He has emphasized the importance of paper-thin conditioning, which has won over the judges. As a former 212 competitor, Choopan has demonstrated that it is possible to achieve success and become a champion in higher divisions by focusing on aesthetics, conditioning, and fullness rather than size alone.

Hadi Choopan began his journey in bodybuilding as a competitor in the Men’s 212 division. From the start, he showed great potential and promise as an athlete, with a formidable physique and a strong dedication to his craft. However, due to various challenges, he faced difficulties in finding opportunities to compete at the highest levels in the United States. Choopan was determined to follow his dreams, even after these setbacks. He eventually made it to the United States.

After years of hard work and dedication, Choopan achieved the ultimate triumph in 2022 by winning the Mr. Olympia title. This journey has been widely regarded as one of the most impressive and inspiring in the history of modern bodybuilding, earning Choopan a place in an elite group of Olympia champions. These champions are considered the best and most successful bodybuilders in the world and have achieved a level of recognition and respect that is rare in the sport. Choopan’s journey from a promising Men’s 212 competitor to an Olympia champion is a testament to his talent, dedication, and determination.

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