The sport of Strongman is usually the measure of who the strongest men in the world are, and in 2023, that turned out to be Mitchell Hooper. However, the Canadian athlete posted a YouTube video on January 30th, where he covered and talked about the strength feats of Tom Haviland.
Tom Haviland is known as a very mysterious guy in the strength community, since he posts videos of incredible lifts without revealing his face. His lifts can sometimes be a bit unconventional, which aligns with the events seen in the sport of Strongman.
Moreover, due to this approach, Tom has strengthened all aspects of his body. So, like many, Mitchell Hooper has noticed how impressive he actually is. In fact, Hooper decided to give his thoughts on what Haviland could achieve if he were to compete at the WSM.
Related: Mitchell Hooper Smokes Huge 211-kg (465.2-lb) Split Jerk PR in Training
Mitchell Hooper’s Thoughts on Tom Haviland
Tom Haviland has garnered attention from a lot of famous figures, one of which was Joe Rogan. Consequently, Mitchell Hooper decided to start off the video by quoting Rogan’s statement and putting into perspective how big Tom Haviland actually is.
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“According to Joe Rogan, he has the most freakish physique ever. This guy is 6-foot 8-inches; he is on a quest to be 400 pounds with abs and he is well on his way. “
After that, Mitchell Hooper revealed some more information about Tom Haviland, such as what his origins are and how he got into strength training.
“I think he got into strength training initially for the same reason that a lot of Strongmen do, which is because they have Logs, stones, and a whole lot of random implements hanging around.
This progressed, and he ended up doing a whole lot of different sports, not dissimilar to myself and a lot of top strength athletes.
He loved basketball… He wanted to use strength training to increase his athletic abilities.”
Mitchell Hooper decided to make a hypothetical comparison between him and Tom Haviland. So, to start it off, Hooper analyzed what the heaviest Yoke Carry was that each of them performed. The 2023 World’s Strongest Man has carried a 1,350-pound Yoke, while Haviland has a video of him doing 1,200-pound Yoke on a less professional setup.
“I’ve seen him do everything and I can’t pick out one thing that he can’t do really well… If you look at the equipment that he trains on, it is non-spec. I’m sure that if he was on a more stable kit, these numbers would be even higher. I think I would still get him on the Yoke.”
Next up, Mitchell Hooper pointed out Tom Haviland’s 235-pound Bicep Curls, which are way too heavy for even the reigning World’s Strongest Man to take on.
“Project Bicep went relatively well. I think we are getting better, but I sure as hell can tell you that I can’t curl anywhere near to 235”
Tom Haviland has also done a 626-pound Zercher Carry, which would be similar to the Conan’s Wheel event in Strongman. While Hooper is very good in endurance events, he believes that Haviland and him would draw in this exercise.
“I’m going to call that a big 50/50. Now, he does zerchers with either an axle or a barbell, which is a bit easier.”
The Stone to Shoulder is also one of the Strongman exercises that Haviland has done, as he lifted a 275-pound boulder, carried it for a few feet, and did a few squats as well.
“I don’t know how that would feel, 275 pounds. I find it hard just to stabilize standing, never mind squatting. At 120 (265 pounds) or 125 kilos (275 pounds), I think that would be manageable for me.”
Moving on to one of the ultimate tests of strength – the Deadlift. Tom Haviland’s personal best on a completely raw setup is 926 pounds. On the other hand, while Hooper does not deadlift in this way, he believes that it is very close to what he could be lifting on a good day.
Another compound lift that is a good measure of strength is the Squat. Hooper’s PR stands at just over 800 pounds, while Haviland has performed multiple reps with just under 700 pounds. So, the duo is once again quite close on this exercise. The final feat of strength that left Hooper marveling at Tom Haviland was his 485-pound Clean with a squat following it up.
“I could not clean 485 pounds, definitely not. That is absolutely berserk.”
After looking at some of Tom Haviland’s best lifts, Mitchell Hooper came to a clear and certain conclusion. He believes that Haviland is easily one of the strongest men alive and that he would do wonders in Strongman.
“I can’t pick out anything (event) where he is not even close. So, we line up pretty well. If Tom Haviland came to the World’s Strongest Man with a little bit of training behind him, I don’t think that he would just contend for the finals; I think that he would contend for the podium.
I think he could win World’s Strongest Man if he committed to Strongman.”
Watch the full video here:
Related: Mitchell Hooper Recreates Legendary Dorian Yates’ Leg Workout
It was clear that Tom Haviland was extremely strong, but Mitchell Hooper’s praise of his power just proves how extraordinary he is. There are not a lot of people in the world that could match the greatest Strongman athlete across so many different exercises. So, it would definitely be very exciting to watch Tom battle against Hooper in an actual competition.
Mitchell Hooper has had an incredible 2023, having won the Arnold Strongman Classic, World’s Strongest Man, and the Rogue Invitational. So, his goal this year is to defend his titles, and perhaps add some more to his resume. Moreover, he has scheduled an MMA match against Eddie Hall in late February.
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