Mitchell Hooper made a case for himself being one of the greatest Strongmen in history over the course of the past few years. However, his results have slowly declined in recent months, sparking multiple questions about his longevity in the sport. So, Hooper has decided to withdraw from the Strongest Man On Earth and Deadlift World Record attempt in order to recover and return once he is back at his best.
Mitchell Hooper’s decision to withdraw from multiple high-profile competitions and the deadlift record attempt comes following his seventh-place finish at the 2025 Giants Live Strongman Classic. Coming into the competition, Mitchell brought a streak of 24 consecutive podium finishes, meaning that his recent result was the lowest that he had since his international debut.
Mitchell Hooper Withdraws From 2025 Strongest Man On Earth & Deadlift World Record Attempt
Mitchell Hooper reflected on his past performances, pointing out that he wasn’t satisfied with how he displayed his strength even when he won competitions. This goes back to the previous season, where Hooper won the Rogue Invitational but realized that there were a lot of flaws in his showing.
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“If I go over my results as of late, if we go back to the Rogue Invitational last year when I was going to defend my title, I won the show, but I wasn’t sharp. I wasn’t as good as I could be. I didn’t execute as well as I normally do, and I wasn’t entirely happy with my performance. But I ended up on top.”
“At Arnold this year, the same thing happened. I struggled to clean a 195-kilo log. That is not normal for a professional strongman. That’s weird. I ended up winning the show regardless, but I was not at my best. I was my strongest, but I was not my best,” said Hooper in his YouTube video.
Having to diagnose the issue, Mitchell Hooper noticed that he was losing his most valuable trait, which was his overall athleticism. That involves his speed, agility, and great transitions between implements. However, in recent times, Mitchell was not as dominant as before, often due to small injuries that made a big impact. Hooper believes that his decline in athleticism can be attributed to his packed competition schedule.
“I’m losing my biggest strength and my biggest asset, which is my athleticism and my ability to recover…
My average competition time, or average preparation time, average time between events, is 45 days. So about 6 and 1/2 weeks. Every 6 and 1/2 weeks I have a show…
The good news is I see an opportunity to be one of the greatest of all time…
I have three Arnold Straw Classic titles. I have a World’s Strongest Man title. I have two Rogue Invitational titles. and I have a Strongest Man on Earth title for seven major titles. I think if I play my cards right, this number could be well into the teens, if not into the 20s. But I just have to be a bit more careful and intentional.”
Phase Two of Hooper’s Career
While deliberating what the best plan of action is, Mitchell Hooper came to the conclusion that he needs to take an off-season. Moreover, instead of competing as often as he did in previous years, Hooper will now pick out his appearances in major competitions.
“So phase two of the career is going to be: let’s be selective, let’s win the biggest shows, and let’s turn up to those shows absolutely unbeatable. The exciting thing is nobody has seen me on a full prep. Nobody has seen me fully rested. Nobody has seen me be able to give intention to every single show.”
However, the first step toward recovery for Mitchell Hooper is to withdraw from the 2025 Strongest Man On Earth competition. He won the competition in 2024, making him one of the biggest favorites for this year. But he left the throne vacant, prioritizing his fitness levels this summer instead.
“I’m going to have to pull out of The Strongest Man on Earth.
This is the first time I’ve ever done this in my career…
This is going to be a time when I take a step back, and I let my body repair and recover. I get back to some fitness, I get back to some running, and I get back to playing some other sports to make sure that I am athletic when I go back to being as strong as I possibly can be.”
Consequently, Mitchell Hooper will not attempt to break the Deadlift World Record this year either. It still remains one of his biggest goals, which is why he plans to come back for it next year. So, as things stand currently, Hooper will stop competing for a couple of months and will most likely return for the 2026 Arnold Strongman Classic.
“What this holds for the deadlift world record? I’m also going to have to pull out of this for this year. This is probably the hardest one for me. Because the record does mean a lot, but it’s going to be something that I attack next year, and I attack in a more systematic way…
Now, what it holds for the rest of the year, World Tour finals, other Giants Live shows, the Rogue Invitational? I’ll treat them as they come. If I’m being totally transparent, I think it’s more likely than not that I will return for the Arnold next year. And I take a good chunk of time, a few months, to just build myself back, to fall in love with training again, to get fit again, to do a lot of grip work training, things that I just am not able to do on a regular basis when I’m prepping for show after show after show.”
Watch the full video here:
Related: Strongest Man on Earth Mitchell Hooper Breaks Down His Peptide Stack
Mitchell Hooper entered the international Strongman scene in 2022 and has since taken part in 26 international competitions. He won 15 shows, including three Arnold Strongman Classics, the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, the 2024 Strongest Man On Earth, and two Rogue Invitationals. So, taking an off-season will certainly help Hooper get back to his best and to a place where he will continue battling for major titles.
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