How Mitchell Hooper Uses Strongman Training to Master Real World Movements

The 2026 World's Strongest Man took place this weekend in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with none other than Mitchell Hooper coming out on top. The 30-year-old Canadian reclaimed his title from 2023 after a couple of close podium finishes in the years between.

If you’ve ever tuned into these events or caught a clip on social media, you’ve likely seen the range of impressive challenges these athletes grind through, from truck pulls to fridge carries. And with such unique events, it raises a fair question: how do strongmen train?

"The cool thing about strongman is that it really is the fundamental human movement patterns," Hooper said in an interview with Men's Journal when asked about his training protocol. "I find strongman is one of the most functional things that you can do. Because it really is a test of your ability to push, pull, overhead press, squat, hinge, and carry, and those are really the six things that you do in life."

If you can look past the pure spectacle of strongman events, they're still movements that mimic activities we do in everyday life. Think about trying to haul all of your groceries inside in one trip, lifting a suitcase into an overhead bin on a busy flight, or picking a heavy box up off the floor.

Related: Mitchell Hooper Reclaims the Throne, Winning the 2026 World’s Strongest Man

"On top of that, you don't have every movement with a barbell...Oftentimes, we'll go to World's Strongest Man and, on the spot, they show us what we're about to lift, and we have to figure it out and go for it. So it forces you to be functional and forces you to be really adaptable, which is fantastic," Hooper adds.

Take the Atlas Stones event, for example. Strongman athletes are tasked with carrying five heavy, spherical stones, which increase in weight from 100 to 160 kg. They must then place the stones on top of five high platforms, spanning across a 16 to 33-foot-long course. Many of the objects seen in strongman competitions are often uneven and awkward, so training for them builds functional strength, control, and stability.

Strongman events still demand high levels of maximal strength, but the variety is much wider, and the ability to adapt and move well—key pillars of functional training—are just as important. So even if you aren't breaking records, training like a strongman by focusing on mastering movements like deadlifts and overhead presses, adding functional work like farmer’s carries, and building explosive power through lifts like squats and cleans can benefit you in a big way.

Related: Inside The 7,000 Calorie Diet That Powers World's Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper