The Men’s Open division is stacked with threats heading into the biggest event of the year. On May 20, 2025, head judge Steve Weinberger revealed the areas Hadi Choopan needs to improve to win the Mr. Olympia title in October.
For the past two Olympias, Choopan has found himself in second place. Derek Lunsford narrowly beat him in 2023, and Samson Dauda closed the door in 2024. Having won the marquee contest in 2022, Choopan is never out of the title picture and is known for bringing arguably the best conditioning of anyone in the IFBB Pro League.
With the event set to take over the bodybuilding calendar in a few months, Weinberger laid out what it would take for Choopan to overwhelm contenders like Lunsford, Dauda, and Nick Walker onstage.
Steve Weinberger Says Hadi Choopan Needs More Sweep on His Thighs, Back Width, and Capped Delts to Win 2025 Mr. Olympia
In the recent YouTube video, Weinberger was asked what areas Hadi Choopan needed to improve to find success at the Mr. Olympia.
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“Honestly, he’s short, so I’d like to see even more sweep on his thighs and more width on his back and more cap on his delts.
That’s what I’d like to see out of him. He’s as dangerous as any of those guys. He gets rock-hard. His conditioning is never in question,” he said.
Choopan will face some intense challenges if he hopes to win back his Olympia title. Lunsford is filled with confidence and momentum after not only beating Dauda at the Arnold Classic, but also thanks to his razor-close win over Walker in Pittsburgh.
He’ll have to get through the aesthetic shape and freakish size of Dauda. ‘The Nigerian Lion’ is determined to repeat as champion, especially after he came up short to Lunsford in Ohio. However, Choopan has proven he can defeat every contender headed to this event, as he’s done so in the past.
Walker has a feeling that his greatest threat isn’t Dauda or Lunsford but actually Choopan. If both nail their peaks and enter the event at 100 percent, Walker expects it to be a memorable showdown. Since he’s been out of action since the 2024 Mr. Olympia, there’s some mystery surrounding Choopan as we inch closer to the celebrated contest.
Watch the full video from the RxMuscle — The Truth in Bodybuilding YouTube channel below:
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