PLEASE LIKE THIS TO GET TOP COMMENT SO HOOPER RESPONS: HOOPER: Can you answer this one, or make a video with suggestions to this fantasy event? Would be super fun to see a mix of all the strongest freaks on earth, with different kinds of strength to compete in a hybrid competition like this: Day 1: Fullbody strongman based Deadlift: 320kg(1 point per rep) for reps OR 400kg for reps (5 points per rep) Loglift clean and press: 145kg for reps (1 point per rep) 185kg for reps (5 points per rep) Frontsquat: Increase 25kg per attempt, starting from 200kg until people fall of - last man standing wins. (If its only a few ppl left and the last rep was very very heavy, they can start jumping less kilo if everyone agree, to seperate the last one). Keg over bar for height: Max height (This to include the shot putter and explosive athletes) Day 2: Calisthenics max strength based + Moving events Pull ups for max total weight w/neutral grip (for less shoulder stress): Same style as frontsquat, last man standing. (strict rules like max pull-up competitions) Dips for max total weight: Last man standing (same style) Zercher walk for distance / time: 200-250kg, 30-50 meter. (custom made suited bar and weights for viewer effect) Medley: Anchor drag =} Farmers walk =} Power stairs Competitors suggestions: Joe kovacz Mountain Man Mitchell Hooper Andrey Smaev Larry Wheels Olekssi Novikov Pavlo Kordyaka Ivan macarov
Steroid users are like little kids wearing a costume and wanting you to believe it's really them! If you don't go along with it, they throw a tantrum! Stay natural buddy!
Steroid users are like little kids wearing a costume and wanting you to believe it's really them! If you don't go along with it, they throw a tantrum! Stay natural buddy!
The tragedy of Joe's career is that he is the clear-cut second greatest shot putter of all time. He just so happens to be in the same generation as the GOAT of the sport, Ryan Crouser: - Kovacs is a three time Olympic silver medalist, in Rio, Tokyo and Paris. Every single time he lost the gold to Crouser. As far as I know there is no other instance of that kind in any olympic event. - Kovacs has thrown 5 of the 25 longest throws of all time in the sport. Crouser has thrown 15 of them - Only four men in the history of the sport have ever thrown over 23 meters. Kovacs did it twice, Crouser did it 9 times. Had Crouser not been there, or even been born a few years later, Kovacs could have made history as the one who finally broke through the records that had remained unchallenged since the late 80s and one of the greatest track and field athletes of all time. Instead he'll most likely always be stuck as the second best ever.
Rai Benjamin and Femke Bol are two current athletes that would be world record holders and in the GOAT conversation of their events if they weren't competing in the same generation as Karsten Warholm and Sydney Mclaughlin respectively. In the case of Rai and Karsten there is even a third athlete Alison Dos Santos who would be the world record holder and GOAT potential if not for the other two. Between Rai, Karsten and Alison they hold 28 of the 30 fastest times ever ran in the event. Before these 3 the world record was held by Kevin Young for almost 30 years and now they run faster than Kevin's time almost every time they face each other.
Elite throwers have INSANE gym lifts. Can bench like powerlifters, press like strongmen and squat like weightlifters, with a side of reactive/plyometric power to put us all to shame
I can’t stress enough that Joe Kovacs and Ryan Crouser are the two greatest Shot-putters of all time. If you feel so inclined go look up video of the Doha 2019 world Championships. Joe’s throw to win that competition is the single greatest shot-put throw of all time, not the farthest but the greatest, all things considered. The only knock on Joe’s career as a shot-putter is he existed the same time as Crouser. The old World record stood from 1990( no drug tests )until 2021 when Crouser broke it then the next year Joe threw past the old WR. Joe and Crouser throwing together has been the golden age of Shot-put. Watching Joe compete over the years has truly be a pleasure.
As a former thrower and current high school throwing coach, I don't think a lot of people realize the power a track and field can have. Thank you for seeing that in Joe.
Geoff Capes twice world's strongest man was a shot putter before he moved over to strongman. Lots of transferable skills and those guys as Mitchell says in the video are athletic and really strong.
As a former thrower myself (shot, discus), I love the fact that you are highlighting Joe Kovacs. Throwers are the most explosive athletes around since they have to produce all that force within an 8ft (discus) or a 7ft (shot) circle/ring. Some top throwers can do standing long jumps close to 12ft (3.7m) and high jump 2m. Being 5'8" (91kg), I could do a standing jump of 9.5ft (2.9m) and dead squat 300kg (660lb) from 1in below parallel. 30m sprint 3.58sec.
I love this. I've been saying for years that Shot putters are some of the most well rounded strength athletes in professional sports. I would like nothing more than to see Joe Kovacs enter into the world of strength sports.
I met Joe at the NCAA regional meet a few years ago. Super nice guy. I was amazed at how short he was, but his hand felt like I was shaking a double cut pork chop. His strength is incredible, but he has unbelievable gymnastics as well. I've seen videos of him doing high bar giants in straps...
I'm always surprised when people suggest that you are arrogant or conceited. You seem not only humble to me, but incredibly respectful (perhaps more than necessary) to other athletes. I think sometimes people misinterpret your confidence and cerebral approach to training and competition as being cocky or narcissistic. They couldn't be any more wrong. You're a class act and a credit to the sport!
Mitch has a mindset of achieving what he expects and is confident in doing so. If he fails, he will figure out the shortcomings and know how to execute better. He seems arrogant, but he just comes from a mindset of wanting to achieve greatness. Sometimes he is even apprehensive but decides on the spot to complete a fear of strength. It’s like his mind wills it. Seems arrogant to others, it’s a very powerful psychological tool. Learned about it in an advanced sports psychology class. Mark Guadagnoli at UNLV.
Watching Mitch at the 2023 Strongest on Earth, he was truly a class act when he had maxed his position in the final event and stopped and cheered Shaw on to his final career win. That is what made me a fan!
Kovacs is a beast. I've heard some high squat and bench numbers from Ryan Crouser as well, though not near what Kovacs is messing with in these lifts. A lot of these guys also have a very fast sprint time and great standing long-jump distances from what I've seen and heard. These shotput guys are some bad dudes - strong as a train and extremely athletic to boot. Very impressive. Not sure if it could happen but it would be cool to see you have a sit-down with Kovacs or other extremely strong athletes from other disciplines to discuss their strength development and focuses.
@@crabb9966 I'm not well-versed in many of the track and field sports, so thanks for the correction. The video I saw of Crouser was from a dead stop so that would make sense, and I edited my comment.
I was a collegiate thrower (shot put, hammer, weight throw) in 2018-2022 so I absolutely love when the throwers get more mainstream love. Always my favorite part of the Olympics alongside basketball. Thrower strength is serious - I was a decent thrower at a mid major D1 school and a 315 x 3 bench press put me at just about ‘okay’ for our league😂
I love strength and power sports but the major thing to consider when comparing athlete records in comps and training is who is taking drugs and how much are they taking. Of course, we never know these details. 315 x 3 really needs to be considered in the context of who is doing it drug free and who isn't.
I am a huge fan of track and field and also strongman. Always wondered how strong these shot putters are. Glad you put this video together. I would love to see you and Kovacs collaborate on both competitions and maybe something else too.
So then who's actually "stronger," the guy who could feasibly be #1 in powerlifting with 3-4 weeks of training, or the powerlifting guy who couldn't even dream of competing with the throwers with 10 years of training?
How humble of Mitchell to prop up others that can in his eyes step up to be world stage competitors. Must be great motivation for all to lift their game and step it up a notch!
I knew Joe was strong, but never realized exactly HOW strong until a few months ago when I was watching videos of him lifting! I couldn’t believe it. I figured he HAD to be one of the strongest dudes alive. I was stoked to see you do this video about him.
What makes it even crazier is, that the Olympics are tested. Dunno how good the testing is in the US, but he at least has to be clean for the competitions.
@@ZuFFuLuZ My understanding is that usada is prettyyy prettyyy serious and tests top athletes constantly. Icarus is about the Russian doping system isn't it?
@@ZuFFuLuZ Well, I'm German and I can tell you every German participating in the Olympics is clean. You have more than 20 tests a year, even twice a week sometimes and the testers have to know your exact location at any time (you have to track it in an app). If a tester won't find you at the location you said in the app, you get one strike. Three strikes and you count as "uses PEDs". Again, that's the German system. Iran or Russia probably won't test at all. For the US, I don't know. I imagine it's somewhere in between, making it impossible to be on a shitload of gear like a strongman or bodybuilder.
Shot putters are the absolute most explosive athletes in the world. The way these SHW move around while being so strong and the power they can generate is just insane.
Having thrown shot on high school and college (poorly I might say) it’s not just strength it’s explosive speed. What’s always fascinated me is watching the actual out portion of the event. The hand speed of these athletes is off the charts. You’re putting a 16 pound ball 75 feet with 2-3 feet of applied force. Crazy stuff! Thanks for putting this out, and really all your videos. They are refreshing indeed.
I love Joe Kovacs. I was a thrower in high school and college and loved watching his throwing and training videos. His wife is also his throwing coach which is think is cool. There are a ton of throwers that I think could translate in other strength sports very well. Ryan crouser (World Shot Put record holder) is also a very very strong Individual.
This style of sportsmanship is why I ADORE this sport so much. Men's and womens. Yes occasionally athletes don't get along. For the vast majority of the top athletes the camaraderie is just through the roof and it's blatantly obvious it isn't a ruse. Also on the women's side of the sport the online chatter is about as rude as it can be, however, I love how regardless of appearance many of those athletes are completely girly. Donna Moore and Andrea Thompson specifically seem almost preteenage in attitude. I don't know how to describe it. Fully embracing their girly side. (not even female side) I don't know if the word exists. ..............nevermind was trying to think of a male equivalent and thought of Eddie Hall........the word is "juvenile". In women I guess I view it as a good thing.
I absolutely love hearing the same "this guy might be able to beat me, and I desperately want him to compete" refrain from the top guys in the sport that I hear from friends in the local scene.
Seriously, elite lifters are shockingly strong and insanely explosive, even the javelin guys. Seppo Räty benched 500lbs and deadlifted 660lbs back in the day, at a bodyweight of 200-ish.
Such an interesting point about meaty hands shortening fingers! It applies to me. I have unintentionally hurt people when shaking hands and two guys who beat me at an arm wrestling competition nevertheless said my grip freaked them out. But I could never do a hook grip when weightlifting. I'd never understood why before. Thanks!
Back in the seventies there was a yearly contest called the Superstars which tested a wide range of athletes in a variety of events to determine who was the best overall athlete. I used to watch those contests ( along with WSM) and remembered there 😊was a shot putter named Brian Oldfield who was capable of some pretty awesome athletic feats. So I agree with your assessment of shot putters. I think they are underrated athletes.
Geoff Capes GB Olympic Shot putter, transitioned and won World Strongest two times. I believe you are right, Shot Putters (top ones) have the base strenght to be Strong men athletes. On top of that they wave incredible agility for their size. If you look at Ryan Crouser agility you would be amazed what a 2,01 m tall 145 Kg can do. In the 1980's there was also an athlete (shot putter) that i would have loved to see in strong man competition because he was out of this world in Phisical terms Werner Gunthor. Great video
Joe is the best shout so far ! I’ve always wondered what brock lesnar could have done if he had given strength sports a try . His athleticism at around 300lbs was insane in his prime .
The Olympics has 4 of the most explosive events in the world- Weightlifting, Shot Put, Hammer Throw and the Javelin- these men and women are crazy, crazy explosive. MITCH OUR CANADA HAS THE TWO OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS IN THE HAMMER THROW- should try to go to BC and try it out. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 You might want to think about taking up shot put in a few years and try to Get on the Canadian team and get to the LA summer Olympics.
Kovacs has fascinated me for 10 years. He's a beast who happens to be #2 to Ryan Crouser in his sport. Crouser happens to be the 6'7" guy you refer to. Another activity more suitable to Joe's size and power curve, he'd be even more dangerous.
Yes!! I've been saying for years he could walk into wsm tomorrow and do very well! He's a beast of a man and an incredible athlete. Well done for this one Mitch!
Joe would most def be a top dog. Another field athlete I think would do good is Swedish Olympic and 2x World champion discus thrower Daniel Ståhl. He is a massive 202cm and 160-170kg. And has done 5 reps of 350kg deadlift raw on a Olympic bar.
I heard of Joe Kovacs years before I knew of Mitchell Hooper. I guess it's just which sport you follow. Been following track for 10 plus years and strongman for one.
Joe is an absolute beast. He’s a freak and alongside his strength he’s also incredibly explosive. A big fan of him, Ryan Crouser and Tommy Walsh. Ryan being the current record holder and Olympic champion in Paris.
Once saw an former olympic shot puter or discuss thrower compete in strongman first try with 420kg yoke easy and he won the truck pull against experienced strongman
One of the earliest GOAT WSM (at the time when I was young, impressionable and really getting into the sport) winners was Geoff Capes, a shot putter. It has always translated well.
Kovacs is a great shout for insane strength. Shot Putters are elite strength athletes. In terms of other athletes, you mentioned rugby at the end and I think rugby props are a shout since they have to be insanely powerful. I remember seeing a video of Andrew Porter squating 230kg for 8 reps pretty comfortably with minimal gear and he's also 6ft. I reckon there are some props who have insane numbers, and rugby players have to be agile and stuff so that would work well on movement based events.
Curt Jensen (another world class shot putter) competed at a local comp (western Wisconsin’s Strongest man) a few years back. Won the open class easy having never touched a log, atlas stone, sand bag, or farmers. He beat out pro 105 strongman Mike Congdon. He was learning how to do most of the events during the warm up time. These dudes are freakin athletes.
Bruce Wilhelm 2x WSM was a shot putter and Olympic lifter. Others too competed in WSM and were good. Olympic lifters too as was Bruce. I’m not doing the research but there were a few. Generally they aren’t interested by the time they retired. Shot putters often were sprinters in high school. I’ve known a couple, one a good friend, who crushed the grip machines and a very good arm wrestler. Eddie Hall messed around with a shot put one video and it looked like he put 63’. I believe strong man competitors often could be good shotputters. There was an Olympic lifter, a Russian, who did very well in WSM his first try. Like I stated, Olympic lifters and shotputters are likely done by the time they’d crossover.
@@jameschantler4292 that’s him. He was done with Olympic lifting and was looking to make a name for his personal success/income. He was amazing at WSM. One strongman mentioned that Mikhail seemed to be growing larger during the competition. Thanks
Shot Putters are another breed. Werner Günthör (Switserland) SHOT PUT TRAINING is amazing. Not so much about the weights he is lifting, but how athletic this 2m and 135kg athlete is moving....
![ILLSLICK X YOUNGOHM - We're The same [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yUJNkobYR0E/mqdefault.jpg)
Get a program written by me!
moosecoaching.com
Pick up your Lift Heavy, Be Kind merch!
www.lhbk.shop/
PLEASE LIKE THIS TO GET TOP COMMENT SO HOOPER RESPONS:
HOOPER:
Can you answer this one, or make a video with suggestions to this fantasy event?
Would be super fun to see a mix of all the strongest freaks on earth, with different kinds of strength to compete in a hybrid competition like this:
Day 1: Fullbody strongman based
Deadlift: 320kg(1 point per rep) for reps OR 400kg for reps (5 points per rep)
Loglift clean and press: 145kg for reps (1 point per rep) 185kg for reps (5 points per rep)
Frontsquat: Increase 25kg per attempt, starting from 200kg until people fall of - last man standing wins.
(If its only a few ppl left and the last rep was very very heavy, they can start jumping less kilo if everyone agree, to seperate the last one).
Keg over bar for height: Max height (This to include the shot putter and explosive athletes)
Day 2: Calisthenics max strength based + Moving events
Pull ups for max total weight w/neutral grip (for less shoulder stress): Same style as frontsquat, last man standing. (strict rules like max pull-up competitions)
Dips for max total weight: Last man standing (same style)
Zercher walk for distance / time: 200-250kg, 30-50 meter. (custom made suited bar and weights for viewer effect)
Medley: Anchor drag =} Farmers walk =} Power stairs
Competitors suggestions:
Joe kovacz
Mountain Man
Mitchell Hooper
Andrey Smaev
Larry Wheels
Olekssi Novikov
Pavlo Kordyaka
Ivan macarov
@@wernerbro3208 stone throwing or maybe a tire throw like the old school world's strongest man competition had, something for distance though
MITCHEL ! You should react to ANDREY SMAEV....... absolutely ridicoulus😱😱😱😱
Steroid users are like little kids wearing a costume and wanting you to believe it's really them! If you don't go along with it, they throw a tantrum!
Stay natural buddy!
Steroid users are like little kids wearing a costume and wanting you to believe it's really them! If you don't go along with it, they throw a tantrum!
Stay natural buddy!
The tragedy of Joe's career is that he is the clear-cut second greatest shot putter of all time. He just so happens to be in the same generation as the GOAT of the sport, Ryan Crouser:
- Kovacs is a three time Olympic silver medalist, in Rio, Tokyo and Paris. Every single time he lost the gold to Crouser. As far as I know there is no other instance of that kind in any olympic event.
- Kovacs has thrown 5 of the 25 longest throws of all time in the sport. Crouser has thrown 15 of them
- Only four men in the history of the sport have ever thrown over 23 meters. Kovacs did it twice, Crouser did it 9 times.
Had Crouser not been there, or even been born a few years later, Kovacs could have made history as the one who finally broke through the records that had remained unchallenged since the late 80s and one of the greatest track and field athletes of all time.
Instead he'll most likely always be stuck as the second best ever.
Great stats and very well said.
Second best ever is still damn impressive. Who knows maybe he’ll finish even stronger than Crouser does and jump into first for a bit. We will see.
@@larrytate1657 you know a competitor of his level hates being 2nd
kinda like bolt and blake
Rai Benjamin and Femke Bol are two current athletes that would be world record holders and in the GOAT conversation of their events if they weren't competing in the same generation as Karsten Warholm and Sydney Mclaughlin respectively. In the case of Rai and Karsten there is even a third athlete Alison Dos Santos who would be the world record holder and GOAT potential if not for the other two. Between Rai, Karsten and Alison they hold 28 of the 30 fastest times ever ran in the event. Before these 3 the world record was held by Kevin Young for almost 30 years and now they run faster than Kevin's time almost every time they face each other.
Mitch, the direction is clear. You need to reach out to Joe for a collaboration.
I bet his circus dumbbell would be something ridiculous.
Circus worthy
Elite throwers have INSANE gym lifts. Can bench like powerlifters, press like strongmen and squat like weightlifters, with a side of reactive/plyometric power to put us all to shame
And all that while being big like a house..
Joe is so strong and athletic he competes with crowser while 7 inches shorter. Crazy
Yeah, he isnt as tall either!
Shot putters can do very well in strongman. WSM winners Virastyuk and Geoff Capes were shot putters before strongman.
Geoff Capes was my favorite growing up.
U know ur history sir. Did not know Vasil was. This thrower athlets are under rated streng aint they.
Exactly this!
@@etharalali There are also elite competitor from Poland - he's name is Sebastian Wenta
@@gooru20 that takes me back! I remember watching him in the 2000s
I can’t stress enough that Joe Kovacs and Ryan Crouser are the two greatest Shot-putters of all time. If you feel so inclined go look up video of the Doha 2019 world Championships. Joe’s throw to win that competition is the single greatest shot-put throw of all time, not the farthest but the greatest, all things considered.
The only knock on Joe’s career as a shot-putter is he existed the same time as Crouser. The old World record stood from 1990( no drug tests )until 2021 when Crouser broke it then the next year Joe threw past the old WR. Joe and Crouser throwing together has been the golden age of Shot-put. Watching Joe compete over the years has truly be a pleasure.
Incredible competition.
As a former thrower and current high school throwing coach, I don't think a lot of people realize the power a track and field can have. Thank you for seeing that in Joe.
Bishop Dolegewicz from Canada showed this in Worlds Strongest Man over 40 years ago
Let's not forget Geoff Capes
You should train with him on your channel!
His last throw in 2024 Olympics was the highlight of the Olympics for me! All on the line in the rain and he crushed it
Geoff Capes twice world's strongest man was a shot putter before he moved over to strongman. Lots of transferable skills and those guys as Mitchell says in the video are athletic and really strong.
Long forgotten champ.
@@paulshort1027 RIP 🙏
Shot putters are crazy i have said this for some years now, they are super underrated strength/power athletes
As a former thrower myself (shot, discus), I love the fact that you are highlighting Joe Kovacs. Throwers are the most explosive athletes around since they have to produce all that force within an 8ft (discus) or a 7ft (shot) circle/ring. Some top throwers can do standing long jumps close to 12ft (3.7m) and high jump 2m. Being 5'8" (91kg), I could do a standing jump of 9.5ft (2.9m) and dead squat 300kg (660lb) from 1in below parallel. 30m sprint 3.58sec.
I love this. I've been saying for years that Shot putters are some of the most well rounded strength athletes in professional sports. I would like nothing more than to see Joe Kovacs enter into the world of strength sports.
I met Joe at the NCAA regional meet a few years ago. Super nice guy. I was amazed at how short he was, but his hand felt like I was shaking a double cut pork chop. His strength is incredible, but he has unbelievable gymnastics as well. I've seen videos of him doing high bar giants in straps...
Mitch .love the way you analyse strength and conditioning.not only do you make it enjoyable but also so very informative.
Keep doing what you do
I'm always surprised when people suggest that you are arrogant or conceited. You seem not only humble to me, but incredibly respectful (perhaps more than necessary) to other athletes.
I think sometimes people misinterpret your confidence and cerebral approach to training and competition as being cocky or narcissistic. They couldn't be any more wrong. You're a class act and a credit to the sport!
I think there are many idiots in the world. Mitch is smart and appeals to an intelligent audience
Mitch has a mindset of achieving what he expects and is confident in doing so. If he fails, he will figure out the shortcomings and know how to execute better. He seems arrogant, but he just comes from a mindset of wanting to achieve greatness. Sometimes he is even apprehensive but decides on the spot to complete a fear of strength. It’s like his mind wills it. Seems arrogant to others, it’s a very powerful psychological tool. Learned about it in an advanced sports psychology class. Mark Guadagnoli at UNLV.
Watching Mitch at the 2023 Strongest on Earth, he was truly a class act when he had maxed his position in the final event and stopped and cheered Shaw on to his final career win. That is what made me a fan!
You seem arrogant, maybe even conceited 😢
Never met a shotputter that couldn't be a walk on at a powerlifting meet and not be a threat. Crazy combination of strength and power.
Check out Daniel Ståhl, Swedish discus thrower. Also not a weak guy.
🥇
Also cool that his last name translates to Steel😎💪
I went to high school with Joe! It's awesome to see how well he's done.
Kovacs is a beast. I've heard some high squat and bench numbers from Ryan Crouser as well, though not near what Kovacs is messing with in these lifts. A lot of these guys also have a very fast sprint time and great standing long-jump distances from what I've seen and heard. These shotput guys are some bad dudes - strong as a train and extremely athletic to boot. Very impressive.
Not sure if it could happen but it would be cool to see you have a sit-down with Kovacs or other extremely strong athletes from other disciplines to discuss their strength development and focuses.
Yes please!
Standing long jump
@@crabb9966 I'm not well-versed in many of the track and field sports, so thanks for the correction. The video I saw of Crouser was from a dead stop so that would make sense, and I edited my comment.
@@StephenCarlockVO Ryan Crouser has a 34 inch standing vert I believe, and he weights 320lbs, insane power
@user-ki4xw2rb8q and have you seen how fast his 315 hip snatch is?
I was a collegiate thrower (shot put, hammer, weight throw) in 2018-2022 so I absolutely love when the throwers get more mainstream love. Always my favorite part of the Olympics alongside basketball. Thrower strength is serious - I was a decent thrower at a mid major D1 school and a 315 x 3 bench press put me at just about ‘okay’ for our league😂
I love strength and power sports but the major thing to consider when comparing athlete records in comps and training is who is taking drugs and how much are they taking. Of course, we never know these details. 315 x 3 really needs to be considered in the context of who is doing it drug free and who isn't.
What is weight throw? You mean discus or javelin?
I am a huge fan of track and field and also strongman. Always wondered how strong these shot putters are. Glad you put this video together. I would love to see you and Kovacs collaborate on both competitions and maybe something else too.
So then who's actually "stronger," the guy who could feasibly be #1 in powerlifting with 3-4 weeks of training, or the powerlifting guy who couldn't even dream of competing with the throwers with 10 years of training?
How humble of Mitchell to prop up others that can in his eyes step up to be world stage competitors. Must be great motivation for all to lift their game and step it up a notch!
I knew Joe was strong, but never realized exactly HOW strong until a few months ago when I was watching videos of him lifting! I couldn’t believe it. I figured he HAD to be one of the strongest dudes alive. I was stoked to see you do this video about him.
I absolutely love this video. No gatekeeping of a sport. Come across and let’s tangle. I love it
What makes it even crazier is, that the Olympics are tested. Dunno how good the testing is in the US, but he at least has to be clean for the competitions.
Go watch the Icarus documentary by Bryan Fogel. The testing at the Olympics is an absolute joke. This guy is on as much gear as any strongman.
@@ZuFFuLuZ My understanding is that usada is prettyyy prettyyy serious and tests top athletes constantly. Icarus is about the Russian doping system isn't it?
Probably cleaner than most, but that's not saying much. Most countries state sponsor their athletes drugs.
@@andersonhirtnot steriods but hes def insulin spiking many other shot putters do that too
@@ZuFFuLuZ Well, I'm German and I can tell you every German participating in the Olympics is clean.
You have more than 20 tests a year, even twice a week sometimes and the testers have to know your exact location at any time (you have to track it in an app).
If a tester won't find you at the location you said in the app, you get one strike. Three strikes and you count as "uses PEDs".
Again, that's the German system. Iran or Russia probably won't test at all. For the US, I don't know. I imagine it's somewhere in between, making it impossible to be on a shitload of gear like a strongman or bodybuilder.
Your assessment of Kovacs is spot on. I would love to see him compete in strongman events.
Shot putters are the absolute most explosive athletes in the world.
The way these SHW move around while being so strong and the power they can generate is just insane.
Mitch, your open-mindedness, humility, and enthusiasm are a great credit to strongman and to sports in general. Keep up the good work!
As an ex thrower, I appreciate that you highlighted Kovacs. He's a beast and a great guy.
Shot Put Throwers are famous for their strength. Vertical jump, bench press, pull ups with weights. its very known in the athletic community.
I the shot and disc in HS and College and these guys being so strong is what got me into strength sports!
you know if this beast Mitchell says there’s someone that can be world’s strongest man you can trust him
Throwers are seriously some of the strongest and most explosive athletes out there
Been a big fan of Joe for a few years now and have always thought he'd do well in strongman! Would absolutely love to see it.
Having thrown shot on high school and college (poorly I might say) it’s not just strength it’s explosive speed. What’s always fascinated me is watching the actual out portion of the event. The hand speed of these athletes is off the charts. You’re putting a 16 pound ball 75 feet with 2-3 feet of applied force. Crazy stuff!
Thanks for putting this out, and really all your videos. They are refreshing indeed.
I love Joe Kovacs. I was a thrower in high school and college and loved watching his throwing and training videos. His wife is also his throwing coach which is think is cool. There are a ton of throwers that I think could translate in other strength sports very well. Ryan crouser (World Shot Put record holder) is also a very very strong Individual.
My coach is boys with Joe. Might be able to send him your way
bruh
Your passion for the sport is incredible dude you definitely represent the number one spot in the best light possible
This style of sportsmanship is why I ADORE this sport so much. Men's and womens. Yes occasionally athletes don't get along. For the vast majority of the top athletes the camaraderie is just through the roof and it's blatantly obvious it isn't a ruse. Also on the women's side of the sport the online chatter is about as rude as it can be, however, I love how regardless of appearance many of those athletes are completely girly. Donna Moore and Andrea Thompson specifically seem almost preteenage in attitude. I don't know how to describe it. Fully embracing their girly side. (not even female side) I don't know if the word exists. ..............nevermind was trying to think of a male equivalent and thought of Eddie Hall........the word is "juvenile". In women I guess I view it as a good thing.
I absolutely love hearing the same "this guy might be able to beat me, and I desperately want him to compete" refrain from the top guys in the sport that I hear from friends in the local scene.
No ego, always giving out props to other athletes - Mitchell Hopper, we salute you.
Great analysis, respect sir
Seriously, elite lifters are shockingly strong and insanely explosive, even the javelin guys. Seppo Räty benched 500lbs and deadlifted 660lbs back in the day, at a bodyweight of 200-ish.
Jan Zelezny @87kg clean&jerk 180kg and back squat 270kg no belt or wraps
He is from very close to where I grew up in Pennsylvania. I heard about him long before the Olympics, and I am so happy he got on the podium ❤
Before which Olympics? Dudes been famous for almost 10 years…
Such an interesting point about meaty hands shortening fingers! It applies to me. I have unintentionally hurt people when shaking hands and two guys who beat me at an arm wrestling competition nevertheless said my grip freaked them out. But I could never do a hook grip when weightlifting.
I'd never understood why before. Thanks!
Thanks for the video Mitch
I love the pattern cross-pollinating recruiting with Brian and arm wrestling and now here Mitchell Hooper is recruiting too! this is a good pattern!
So good to see Hungaryan people get notice people like you i love you mitchell :)
Great breakdown and analysis again Mitchell. Got me hooked.
So cool to see Joe Kovacs getting some shine 🎉
You got this Moose!!
Back in the seventies there was a yearly contest called the Superstars which tested a wide range of athletes in a variety of events to determine who was the best overall athlete. I used to watch those contests ( along with WSM) and remembered there 😊was a shot putter named Brian Oldfield who was capable of some pretty awesome athletic feats. So I agree with your assessment of shot putters. I think they are underrated athletes.
Geoff Capes GB Olympic Shot putter, transitioned and won World Strongest two times. I believe you are right, Shot Putters (top ones) have the base strenght to be Strong men athletes. On top of that they wave incredible agility for their size. If you look at Ryan Crouser agility you would be amazed what a 2,01 m tall 145 Kg can do.
In the 1980's there was also an athlete (shot putter) that i would have loved to see in strong man competition because he was out of this world in Phisical terms Werner Gunthor.
Great video
Everyone should look up Kovacs’s hands. It’s gnarly.
Good stuff Mitch. Looks like you are enjoying your room in Colorado
Ive heard him say on video like 5 years ago he could squat 1000+ and bench 700+. He wasnt lying.
Joe is the best shout so far ! I’ve always wondered what brock lesnar could have done if he had given strength sports a try . His athleticism at around 300lbs was insane in his prime .
Brock Lesnar's daughter is a up-and-coming shot putter and already a very good one.
Thank you for bringing these incredible athletes to light! Most people have no idea how strong (and how fast, explosive) track and field athletes are.
The Olympics has 4 of the most explosive events in the world- Weightlifting, Shot Put, Hammer Throw and the Javelin- these men and women are crazy, crazy explosive. MITCH OUR CANADA HAS THE TWO OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS IN THE HAMMER THROW- should try to go to BC and try it out. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 You might want to think about taking up shot put in a few years and try to Get on the Canadian team and get to the LA summer Olympics.
Kovacs has fascinated me for 10 years. He's a beast who happens to be #2 to Ryan Crouser in his sport. Crouser happens to be the 6'7" guy you refer to. Another activity more suitable to Joe's size and power curve, he'd be even more dangerous.
Great content champ.
Yes!! I've been saying for years he could walk into wsm tomorrow and do very well! He's a beast of a man and an incredible athlete.
Well done for this one Mitch!
fantastic content
Love that your out there looking for monsters to bring into the sport, good stuff.
Joe would most def be a top dog. Another field athlete I think would do good is Swedish Olympic and 2x World champion discus thrower Daniel Ståhl. He is a massive 202cm and 160-170kg. And has done 5 reps of 350kg deadlift raw on a Olympic bar.
I heard of Joe Kovacs years before I knew of Mitchell Hooper. I guess it's just which sport you follow. Been following track for 10 plus years and strongman for one.
I love your passion for all strength sports 🏋
A lot of the old time discus throwers had elite powerlifting numbers also
A video on Larry Allen would be very cool if you could find enough data
There is a title Mitch has earned that is more important than WSM or ASC champ. The Cerebral Strongman.
Now Think about if he started taking copious amounts of gear… bro would be an absolute strongman MONSTER
Ryan Crouser has the height and the strength. And 3 time Olympic gold medalist in the shot put. He also broke his world record 3 times.
I couldn't see him give up his chase for the gold but a collab video would be amazing! Surely you'd have to be able to make that work..
If Joe is truly Natural and I believe his participation in the Olympics shows this......This man could break all the Power Lifting Records.
Mitchell you could definitely be a prop in rugby allot of people around the world will watch you play and no doubt dominate 💪🏿💪🏿
Joe is an absolute beast. He’s a freak and alongside his strength he’s also incredibly explosive. A big fan of him, Ryan Crouser and Tommy Walsh. Ryan being the current record holder and Olympic champion in Paris.
This is a good conversation as to what other sports transfer to the strongman talent pool. Geoff Capes was also a shot putter.
And Virastyuk
Also the fact that he's clean and tested ..... really impressive.
This is JOE KOVACS the second greatest shot putter of all time. Would be the greatest at any other time in the world
Once saw an former olympic shot puter or discuss thrower compete in strongman first try with 420kg yoke easy and he won the truck pull against experienced strongman
A video where you compete in the NFL combine events (especially bench + 40 yard dash) would be amazing
Doing all out 40 yard dash when you don't regularly sprint is a good way to get a hamstring injury.
One of the earliest GOAT WSM (at the time when I was young, impressionable and really getting into the sport) winners was Geoff Capes, a shot putter. It has always translated well.
Consider also evaluating Ryan Crouser, the gold medal winner of the 2024 Olympics for the Shot Put, would he be competitive as a strongman athlete?
I dont think his gym lifts are as inpressive while they’re still really good.
@@Maltetren 550 bench and 725 squat
@@isaacwittinger8617 yea. But kovacs has benched in the 750’s for reps haha
Crouser would be a natural WWE star. He doesn’t even need to change his appearance.
“He’s only 300lbs” strongman reference points are wild
Love the passion in this vid
Kovacs is a great shout for insane strength. Shot Putters are elite strength athletes.
In terms of other athletes, you mentioned rugby at the end and I think rugby props are a shout since they have to be insanely powerful. I remember seeing a video of Andrew Porter squating 230kg for 8 reps pretty comfortably with minimal gear and he's also 6ft. I reckon there are some props who have insane numbers, and rugby players have to be agile and stuff so that would work well on movement based events.
Curt Jensen (another world class shot putter) competed at a local comp (western Wisconsin’s Strongest man) a few years back. Won the open class easy having never touched a log, atlas stone, sand bag, or farmers. He beat out pro 105 strongman Mike Congdon. He was learning how to do most of the events during the warm up time. These dudes are freakin athletes.
We know Joe!!
Thank you for shouting out a thrower!
Bruce Wilhelm 2x WSM was a shot putter and Olympic lifter. Others too competed in WSM and were good. Olympic lifters too as was Bruce. I’m not doing the research but there were a few. Generally they aren’t interested by the time they retired.
Shot putters often were sprinters in high school. I’ve known a couple, one a good friend, who crushed the grip machines and a very good arm wrestler.
Eddie Hall messed around with a shot put one video and it looked like he put 63’. I believe strong man competitors often could be good shotputters. There was an Olympic lifter, a Russian, who did very well in WSM his first try. Like I stated, Olympic lifters and shotputters are likely done by the time they’d crossover.
Probably Mikhail Koklyaev….
@@jameschantler4292 that’s him. He was done with Olympic lifting and was looking to make a name for his personal success/income.
He was amazing at WSM. One strongman mentioned that Mikhail seemed to be growing larger during the competition. Thanks
All shot putters have always been ridiculously strong and powerful. I'm sure this guy snatches 150kg for breakfast.
Good sportsmanship Mitchell!
Once every 4 years, people remember throwers still exist
Shot Putters are another breed.
Werner Günthör (Switserland) SHOT PUT TRAINING is amazing.
Not so much about the weights he is lifting, but how athletic this 2m and 135kg athlete is moving....
That Aussie named Tom was definitely my guest
Thanks Mitch
Check out that discus guy with 400+ deadlifts