Hooper was in nice place to make a comparability.
Within the present strongman pantheon, a star in all probability doesn’t shine any brighter than Mitchell Hooper. The Canadian athlete is the reigning World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion and has firmly established his total dominance atop the game of strongman. As a flexible athlete, Hooper is clearly additionally prepared to flex his health information. He posted this someday after the conclusion of the 2023 CrossFit Games.
On August 7, 2023, Hooper posted a video to his YouTube channel the place he carried out a mixture of strongman and CrossFit workouts. It seems to be a round-up of clips from earlier movies which have appeared on Hooper’s channel. Within the course of, the athlete mentioned the distinction between the 2 completely different athletic disciplines. The video is overlayed with Hooper strolling in an undisclosed neighborhood, narrating his included exercises whereas sharing his ideas. The narrated dialog takes place all through the clip.
Over the course of his numerous exercise clips, Hooper seemingly leaves no stone unturned. Highlights included him performing variations of high-rep log presses, clean & jerks, muscle-ups on a pull-up bar, bounce rope, running on a treadmill, and basic back squats.
In the long run, Hooper used a well-known argument in opposition to strongman’s results on one’s well being because it pertains to CrossFit. Hooper significantly highlighted the distinctive checks of elite competitors.
“The large problem with CrossFit is that you simply take what the professionals do, and it’s type of the identical argument as, ‘Strongman’s not good in your well being,’ which, in fact it’s not … since you’re pushing your physique previous what it’s able to and, in the long run, generally that causes you to interrupt down. And CrossFit’s the identical means.
Once you take a look at how CrossFit Video games are deliberate, typically occasions whenever you’re coping with the most effective on this planet, you’re going to program issues in a means that make it significantly difficult on the physique. Let’s say you do a squat right into a deadlift right into a clear. That’s massively difficult on the posterior chain and your again goes to explode. However that’s the purpose. Once you’re at a contest and also you’re on the skilled degree, that’s what you ought to be doing.”
On the native, non-professional degree, Hooper condensed his argument in a fashion extra accessible for much less skilled athletes and leisure lifters who don’t plan to shine on the Games. How athletes use CrossFit to get match can differ significantly from individual to individual, with everybody having completely different targets and desires.
“The largest problem [at the local level] is that each CrossFit field is type of as much as the one that runs it. Do you wish to observe that fashion of programming? Do you wish to observe it extra holistic? And in the long run, CrossFit has a complete bunch of basic motion patterns that they consider are basic expertise, that they consider embody health.
I believe the one time you get right into a problem, and why folks typically hate on CrossFit and name it ‘silly,’ is whenever you do one thing like a high-rep clear & jerk with somebody who’s not proficient at doing the clear & jerk within the first place … that turns into actually harmful as a result of your energy degree and talent degree have such a discrepancy.”
It’s that discrepancy that Hooper says creates a battle for CrossFitters of all expertise ranges. Per Hooper, it’s right here {that a} coach ought to change into a major precedence.
“So, that’s what occurs with CrossFit. Even for those who’re not significantly sturdy, that zero talent goes to must be balanced out with some type of energy. So that you’re robotically stronger than your talent means that you can be. And that’s the place a very sensible and actually good coach goes that will help you get there.”
Maybe few different folks may clarify the challenges and disadvantages of CrossFit as eloquently as Hooper. His rationale as an elite energy sports activities athlete is sensible and is one any potential CrossFitter ought to heed.
Featured picture: Mitchell Hooper on YouTube
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