Mitchell Hooper took on a squat challenge and bested a standard set by Tom Platz in 1992.
Mitchell Hooper won his first World’s Strongest Man competition this year and decided to take on another strength challenge. On Tuesday, Hooper shared a video where he was able to break Tom Platz’s legendary squat record with 24 reps of 525 pounds.
In 1992, Tom Platz was part of a head-to-head competition against Fred Hatfield in Essen, Germany. The two loaded up 525 pounds on the bar to take part in what became known as the “Great American Squat-Off.” Hatfield completed 11 reps and Platz was able to go far beyond with 23 reps of 525 pounds.
Recently, Hooper decided to take on the challenge and completed 24 reps of this weight.
“???? well, that sucked. Tom Platz squat record ✅”
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Mitchell Hooper Breaks Tom Platz’s Squat Record
Mitchell Hooper continues to climb up the rankings in Strongman. He took a big step forward in 2022 with two third-plan finishes during the Rogue Invitational and Shaw Classic. This year, he won the Australia’s Strongest International competition before his first WSM title.
During a YouTube video, Hooper discussed his process of accomplishing this record. Last week, he completed 20 reps of 465-pound squats to prepare. He stepped up to the weight with knee sleeves and a lifting belt.
“It’s going to be difficult. There’s a lot of anxiety around doing that many reps that heavy. It gets really challenging at first to squat due to my shoulder mobility. It actually got to a point where just standing with the weight was the challenge. I was losing my balance just trying to stay upright.”
Mitchell Hooper has been dealing with a shoulder injury and discussed it more in his video. Once the weight was on his back, Hooper began the challenge. The first 10 reps were simple before he began strategizing to get to 24. He would bang out five more before taking a quick break. The final five reps is where he began to shake a little but ultimately used his insane strength to set a new mark.
Mitchell Hooper continues to build his resume in Strongman and will be one of the competitors to beat in future competitions. Now, he has added another record to his ledger.
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