Former World’s Strongest Man champ Mitchell Hooper has five suggestions to building strength.
Mitchell Hooper has turned into one of the best Strongmen in the world over the last two years. He has done this using many factors in the gym and this includes avoiding plateaus. Recently, Hooper shared his five tips to avoid plateauing in the gym.
It was quite a year for Hooper in 2023. He began with a victory at the Arnold Strongman Classic. Hooper followed it up with a win during the Rogue Invitational and highlighted the season by being crowned World’s Strongest Man.
Mitchell Hooper’s 5 Tips To Avoid Plateaus
- Periodization
- Referencing Plateaus
- Exceeding Mental Limits
- Surrounding Yourself With Strong Lifters
- Consistency
Periodization
There are training programs that can last anywhere from one week at a time to a full year. Mitchell Hooper began by discussing a misconception about periodization. He believes the training does not need to change during this but it should focus on being well-constructed.
“Effective periodization is the art of changing things enough that it’s a different stimulus but keeping them similar enough that we build on top of what we did last block.”
Referencing Plateaus
It is important for weightlifters to be able to acknowledge when you are in the midst of a plateau. To identify this, Hooper suggests testing your strength event 6-12 weeks with a one-rep max lift.
“You have to measure what you’re going to plateau in. If you think you’re plateauing in strength, we need to measure strength over a long period of time. If you think you’re plateauing in aesthetics, measure aesthetics in some quantitative way over time.”
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Exceeding Mental Limits
Of course, mentality is a major contributor in all sports. This includes weightlifting. Mitchell Hooper wants you to overcome mental barriers and take yourself to the next level. During this discussion, Hooper recommended a one-rep max calculator, which are available online to keep yourself accountable.
Surrounding Yourself With Strong Lifters
It is important for gym goers to surround themselves with other elite lifters. This allows you to take yourself out of your comfort zone and attempt heaver lifts that you believe you can achieve. hooper suggests hitting a strength gym to get a sense of what other strong lifters are doing.
“I got out of my own way and realized I could do what these guys are doing. Get to a strength gym and you’ll achieve point number four and never hit another plateau.”
Consistency
Finally, it is all about consistency. This is where Hooper has shined, sharing that he has not missed a scheduled training session in over a decade. It can be difficult for some to find a consistent routine as other factors get in the way at times. Mitchell Hooper believes that there are ways to find that consistency in the gym.
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