A grasp of his craft, Hooper determined to cross alongside some strongman knowledge.
Amongst present elite strongman rivals, Mitchell Hooper may be the subsequent massive factor. After storming onto the scene in 2022 — notching a podium end in six of seven contests and profitable two of his final three, together with the 2022 Arnold Strongman Basic UK — many understandably anticipate much more from Hooper in 2023. Nevertheless, earlier than he tries to construct on a terrific debut 12 months that noticed him captivate the game, the Canadian athlete is first shelling out some worthwhile coaching suggestions.
On Jan. 11, 2023, Hooper posted a video to his YouTube channel the place he gave a bunch of athletes a walkthrough on learn how to elevate Atlas stones correctly. The session isn’t essentially new for Hooper, who sometimes shares comparable method coaching movies in between moments of refining his personal energy.
Hooper wastes no time diving into his de facto lecture on Atlas stones.
Set Your Stance Mid-Stone
He first diagrams how one begins from a high quality lifting stance, noting that the balls of an athlete’s ft must be even with the middle of the stone when organising. One other vital issue is making certain that the ft have huge sufficient positioning.
“You wish to be in a spot the place you may see your ft [on either side of the stone]. See your ft on the perimeters of the stone.”
If an individual’s ft are too near the Atlas stone, Hooper maintains that it might negatively change the arms’ positioning as they grip the stone. As well as, with the stone in hand, the knees may rub up in opposition to an athlete’s elbows, making for a non-ideal setup whereas lifting.
Cup the Stone with Palms and Forearms
With regard to particular notes about an athlete’s arms whereas attempting to elevate an Atlas Stone, Hooper clarifies that the arms ought to by no means be immediately beneath as a result of that can pressure the comparatively weaker biceps muscle tissue to help the load.
“The secret is creating friction by creating as a lot floor contact as potential. You need your hand and as a lot of your forearm to be on the stone as potential.”
As a substitute, the goal must be about having as a lot of 1’s arms touching the stone as potential, virtually “cupping” the massive trademark strongman implement by inserting your arms barely ahead of the load’s middle.
“Straight arm, arms ahead, arms locked in. That means, we’re utilizing our chest and our lat to squeeze the stone. We’re not utilizing our biceps to choose up the stone.”
Deadlift Excessive and Lap the Stone
Hooper maintains that after an athlete is in a correct place, their objective must be to elevate the stone to their lap by placing it as far above their knees as potential. Then, as soon as prepared, the hips can sink again, and the stone can naturally be rolled into the lap.
“What you need to goal to do is deadlift the stone as excessive as potential. You don’t wish to simply get to your knee and instantly sit it in.” Hooper mentioned. ” … Take into consideration how muscle tissue oppose pressure and the place that pressure goes.”
A standard method precept for strongmen and strongwomen, lapping the stone helps the athlete seamlessly re-grip for improved leverage earlier than standing.
“The primary objective is to get the stone from the bottom to your lap … As soon as the stone passes your knee, you may sit and roll. You substitute your arms, and you may deliver it up [to a standing position].”
Get Hips Underneath the Stone to Stand Up
Per Hooper, as soon as somebody is ready to alter their grip for the hip motion, the stone ought to “sit on the sternum” with the physique as tight as potential to the stone. The stone ought to then transfer straight up because the athlete stands up.
Hooper clarifies that some make the error of really attempting to elevate the stone greater when it’s in opposition to their sternum. To fight this overcorrection, the strongman advises making a stringent effort to maintain the stone tight to the chest and easily extending the hips beneath for improved leverage and full extension.
“In the case of extending [into a standing position], you shouldn’t take into consideration bringing the stone up … Your thought must be to shoot your hips beneath the stone, after which it’ll roll up.”
Particular Method for Excessive Platforms
If a strongman or strongwoman competitor has the duty of lifting the stone onto a taller podium, Hooper mentioned they need to attempt to guarantee their arms aren’t immediately across the middle of the stone when repositioning grip. This type of “hugging” leaves restricted flexibility for energy maneuverability with the stone at a better place and has a better probability of a failed elevate.
As a substitute, when an athlete is working for his or her re-grip, the arms must be positioned at a 45-degree angle excessive of the stone, leaving extra room to work the stone onto a better platform.
In the end, Hooper supplied a reminder that the balls of the ft point out the place the middle of the stone is. As such, the arms ought to nonetheless be in lockstep with the balls of the ft on preliminary positioning. Whereas reviewing a number of video members’ pattern performances, Hooper supplied one ultimate correction to a typical mistake being made within the early section of the elevate.
“The movement off the bottom isn’t a squat, it’s a stiff-legged deadlift. Hips actually excessive.”
Already a longtime famous person, Hooper, the trainer, will quickly seamlessly shift to Hooper, the strongman. The athlete is ready to compete on the 2023 Australia’s Strongest Worldwide (ASI) on Jan. 21, 2023, in Yapeen, Australia. If his exploits there go wherever near his success from 2022, Hooper simply may begin the brand new aggressive 12 months with a bang.
Featured picture: Mitchell Hooper on YouTube
