In a show of dominance, Hadi Choopan delivered the victory at the 2024 Arnold Classic, paving the way for him to regain his Olympia title. In a recent IFBB AMA YouTube video, coach Milos Sarcev discussed Choopan’s low body fat percentage and improved posing, admitting that ‘The Persian Wolf’ has closed the gap between himself and Mr. Olympia champion Derek Lunsford.
The fanfare surrounding Hadi Choopan is at an all-time high following his decisive win at this year’s Arnold Classic, where he defeated Samson Dauda by 10 points on the judges’ scorecards. Having displayed jaw-dropping conditioning and dryness, Choopan commanded the stage to secure his first AC title.
Choopan, who lost his 2022 Mr. Olympia crown to his teammate Derek Lunsford last year, continues to march forward in hopes of recapturing the sport’s greatest honor. However, Choopan’s title-winning ambitions hinge on his ability to improve and perfect back poses, which are Lunsford’s most notable strengths.
In light of Choopan’s success, Milos Sarcev believes he has asserted himself as the clear-cut number-one contender at Mr. Olympia. In addition to his posing prowess, Sarcev underlined Choopan’s carved-out conditioning levels and what it could mean for Derek Lunsford when they battle in October.
Milos Sarcev Believes ‘Dry as a Desert’ Hadi Choopan Gaining Ground on Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford
Sarcev believes Choopan brought a showstopping combination of size and conditioning to clinch his first Arnold Classic title.
“This first impression when you see Hadi, oh, that’s not the Hadi we know but then Hadi start getting a little tighter and then you realize, there’s a combination of both and it was perfect and he won. I think 2023, he could have been tighter and that cost him right, there was a few points, I don’t even know, a couple of points difference.”
According to Sarcev, people say two percent body fat is impossible, but he suggests Choopan might be getting close to that mark.
“There’s no way that Hadi would bring anything else on the stage. This is dry as a desert. Okay, we can’t even comprehend this kind of conditioning. The thin skin, zero body fat… I mean if I would estimate, even though people say it’s impossible to be two percent body fat, I think he is,” shared Milos Sarcev.
In addition to Choopan’s conditioning levels, Sarcev believes the former Mr. Olympia has made significant improvements to his posing control, having displayed exceptional endurance while executing vacuums on stage.
“He stepped on the stage with a vacuum and throughout the whole quarter turns, he kept the vacuum. And throughout the whole mandatories, he kept the vacuum and he was just pushing the abs on the abs shot and the most muscular shot. It was superb control. I mean, it was like holy shit.”
“Hadi can keep a vacuum for like two hours straight,” adds Milos Sarcev.
Sarcev specified that Choopan’s back lat spread was drastically improved, but still gives the edge to Lunsford. However, Sarcev believes Choopan is catching up to Lunsford and the champion’s powerful back poses.
“This [back lat spread] is way improved. Lat spread is like an airplane Boeing 747, I mean it’s like boom. He comes out big time, boom. I still think he loses this pose to Derek. But he’s closing in, he’s closing in and then all the other poses, you know.”
Milos Sarcev isn’t the only bodybuilding veteran who believes Choopan is inching closer to Derek Lunsford and his Mr. Olympia title. Dennis James and King Kamali (Shahriar Kamali) aren’t convinced that Lunsford will be able to prevent Hadi Choopan from regaining the throne when they meet for 2024 Mr. Olympia, set to take place October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It will be interesting to see how Choopan and Lunsford approach their preps given that they share Hany Rambod as their coach. Given the dominating back double biceps pose displayed by Lunsford, many believe Choopan will need additional back thickness if he hopes to completely close the gap against his teammate.
RELATED: Samir Bannout Talks Futures Of Hadi Choopan & Samson Dauda Post 2024 Arnold Classic
Watch the full video from the IFBB AMA YouTube channel below:
Catch comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analyses, and complete Arnold Classic results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
