World’s Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper Says Bodybuilding Was the Hardest Thing He’s Ever Done as he Breaks Down 7,000 Cal Diet
Reigning World’s Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper recently joined Jay Cutler on the Cutler Cast podcast and offered a peek inside his 7,000-calorie diet, while making a surprising admission: Hooper says bodybuilding was the hardest sport he’s ever attempted, which may surprise many in the strength community.
That statement carries weight coming from Hooper. Before becoming one of the strongest men on the planet, he competed in endurance sports, including marathon running. He later transitioned into strength sports, climbed to the top of strongman, and even experimented with bodybuilding-style nutrition and physique-focused training along the way.
During the conversation, Hooper explained that eating for maximum strength looks very different from eating for aesthetics.
Mitchell Hooper’s Breakfast on a 7,000-Calorie Diet
When Cutler asked what breakfast looks like during a heavy training phase, Hooper rattled off a meal that would send most mortals back to bed.
Mitchell Hooper’s Breakfast
- Three packs of pre-made oatmeal
- Two scoops of protein powder
- Four hard-boiled eggs
- One cup of orange juice
- A small bowl of Greek yogurt with peanut butter and honey
According to Hooper, the goal is efficiency. Rather than spending hours preparing elaborate meals, he focuses on consuming large amounts of calories from foods that digest well and support performance.
For an athlete consuming roughly 7,000 calories per day, breakfast is only the beginning.
Check out Generation Iron’s exclusive interview with the two-time World’s Strongest Man here.
Why Strongman Nutrition Isn’t Just Pizza and Pasta
One of the more interesting parts of the discussion centered around a common misconception regarding strongman athletes.
Many fans assume elite strongmen simply eat massive amounts of junk food throughout the day. Hooper disagrees.
He explained that around demanding training sessions, especially events such as log press workouts, he prioritizes foods that digest quickly rather than sitting down to enormous meals.
Among the foods he mentioned:
- Rice Krispie treats
- Liquid carbohydrate drinks
- Easily digestible fast-acting carbs
Hooper explained that trying to train at maximum intensity with pounds of food sitting in the stomach can actually hurt performance. Instead, he prefers quick carbohydrates that provide energy without slowing him down.
That approach mirrors strategies used by many elite strength athletes, who often time carbohydrates around training sessions rather than relying solely on massive meals.
Hooper Says Bodybuilding was the Hardest Sport he’s ever Attempted
The conversation took an unexpected turn when Cutler and Hooper began discussing physique sports.
Cutler referenced the extreme dietary discipline required in bodybuilding, noting that former endurance athletes have often described contest prep as one of the most difficult challenges they have faced.
Hooper agreed.
“Cutler: What is the hardest sport you’ve ever done?
Hooper: bodybuilding…. Physique… it’s every single thing you put into your mouth is how you feel energetically every day. Every time you step in front of a mirror, you’re analyzing yourself on where we could go. You can’t get away from it… It takes you back to being an animal… It’s like, you know, when a lion hasn’t caught a gazelle in a month. That is all that you can think about. Your entire existence, your entire purpose is to find food.”
He explained that bodybuilding can consume every aspect of a person’s life because every food choice matters. Unlike World’s Strongest Man, where performance is the primary metric, bodybuilding requires athletes to constantly evaluate body composition, recovery, and visual progress.
Hooper recalled becoming obsessed with nutrition and physique improvements, admitting that it eventually occupied much of his daily attention. From tracking food intake to analyzing progress in the mirror, he described bodybuilding as an all-encompassing pursuit.
For someone who has trained and eaten for everything from marathons, to strength sports, and reached the pinnacle of strongman competition, that assessment is particularly noteworthy.
A Unique Perspective Across Every Type of Athlete
Few athletes can speak from firsthand experience about eating for endurance, physique development, and world-class strength.
Marathon runners often focus on efficiency and body weight. Bodybuilders chase muscularity and conditioning. Strongmen prioritize performance, recovery, and the ability to move enormous weights. And Hooper has lived all three.
His comments highlight why nutrition strategies are rarely one-size-fits-all. The foods and calories needed to build a championship physique are not necessarily the same foods needed to deadlift world-class weights or run long distances.
Yet despite consuming 7,000 calories per day and becoming the strongest man in the world, Hooper still believes bodybuilding demanded the greatest level of discipline.
Featured image via Instagram @mitchellhooper and YouTube @cutlercast
