A look inside Hadi Choopan’s elite training with coach Hany Rambod that brought him to Mr. Olympia champion.
Generation Iron Persia is just a day away, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Pro bodybuilder Hadi Choopan has just become the first Iranian bodybuilder to become Mr. Olympia earlier this month. It was a historic moment – but one that came only after years of preparation, hardship, and improvements for the elite athlete.
Hadi Choopan is also heavily featured in Generation Iron Persia, chronicling his rise from the Men’s 212 into Men’s Open and showcasing the hardships he faced earning the ability to compete in the United States. The film provides an inside look into his 2019 Mr. Olympia training. It also showcases what happened behind the scenes to get Choopan a visa in time to compete.
That’s why we are releasing this exclusive clip from the film showcasing an intense training session with Hadi Choopan and legendary trainer Hany Rambod. The clip provides an inside look into the machine-like consistency and intensity Rambod required from Choopan in order to bring him to Top 5 Olympia status. It’s this kind of intensity that would eventually bring Choopan to Mr. Olympia victory in 2022.
However, the training is only half of the mental battle Hadi Choopan had to face. In 2019, Choopan’s visa approval came at the very last minute. Having previously being unable to compete in the US – this last minute decision allowed Choopan to compete at the 2019 Mr. Olympia.
Yet before this decision was made, Choopan had to continue to train as if he was 100% competing. There was no room for error, yet mentally Choopan knew this might all be for nothing. At the time, there was an incredibly good chance that the visa would not be approved, or not approved in time. Choopan was literally bringing himself into competition shape the week of Mr. Olympia – not knowing if he would even compete.
The rest, as they say, is now history. Hadi Choopan did compete in the 2019 Mr. Olympia and placed impressively in the top five despite being smaller in stature than most of his peers. He would go on to compete in every Olympia moving forward and always placed in the top five. Then, in a miraculous upset, Choopan won the Mr. Olympia this year, defeating Big Ramy (by a whole five places) and his fellow competitors who brought in much bigger mass comparatively.
It’s a truly inspiration and impressive story. And one that Generation Iron Persia is able to show the origins of with a bevy of behind the scenes footage during his earlier Olympia competitions.
You can check out the full exclusive clip above.
