{"id":22835,"date":"2026-06-19T21:18:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T21:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=22835"},"modified":"2026-06-19T21:18:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T21:18:35","slug":"mitchell-hooper-wants-a-bigger-conversation-than-just-performance-enhancement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=22835","title":{"rendered":"Mitchell Hooper Wants a Bigger Conversation Than Just Performance Enhancement"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For most fans, Mitchell Hooper is known simply as \u201cThe Moose,\u201d the reigning World\u2019s Strongest Man<\/a> capable of lifting weights that seem almost impossible for the average person to comprehend.<\/span><\/p>\n

But long before he stood atop the strongman world, Hooper was an entirely different type of athlete: He tried golf, marathon running, football, even endurance sports, but nothing that would signal any indications that he would one day become one of the strongest humans on the planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

That perspective may be what makes Hooper one of the most compelling voices in strength sports today.<\/span><\/p>\n

While many athletes define themselves solely by their accomplishments, Hooper speaks openly about his own mental health struggles, along with fatherhood and the evolving purpose behind his pursuit of greatness. It\u2019s a mindset that was on full display following his appearance at the Enhanced Games, where he narrowly missed a historic 505kg deadlift, but emerged as one of the event\u2019s most thoughtful ambassadors.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Insecurity Behind the World\u2019s Strongest Man<\/b><\/h2>\n

Despite standing at the pinnacle of strength sports, Hooper admits that confidence wasn\u2019t always part of his identity.<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked which version of his younger self would be most surprised by his success, Hooper didn\u2019t point to his teenage years or athletic prime. Instead, he reflected on his childhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think myself at five to 10 years old would be the most shocked,\u201d Hooper says.<\/span><\/p>\n

While many future professional athletes grow up believing they\u2019re destined for greatness, Hooper remembers being unusually self-aware as a child. The dreams of playing in the NFL or NHL never felt realistic to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ironically, it was later in adolescence, while battling insecurity and other mental health challenges, that he developed the confidence that would eventually propel him to elite competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

What were his biggest moments of self doubt? <\/span>\u201cBeing fat,\u201d he admits without hesitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The confession feels almost jarring coming from a man who regularly dominates international strongman competitions. Yet Hooper says those feelings lingered for years and were often accompanied by severe social anxiety and panic attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

He recalls wearing hoodies to school daily, not for style, but to hide excessive sweating caused by anxiety during one-on-one conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even today, he believes many men silently struggle with similar thoughts but rarely discuss them publicly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why He Refuses to Pretend He\u2019s \u2018Cured\u2019<\/b><\/h2>\n

As Father\u2019s Day approaches, conversations surrounding men\u2019s mental health continue to gain momentum. Hooper has become one of the rare elite athletes willing to discuss his ongoing struggles with complete honesty.<\/span><\/p>\n

What separates his message from many others is that he doesn\u2019t position himself as someone who has figured everything out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not cured, and I still struggle a lot,\u201d Hooper says. \u201cI manage to put one foot in front of the other.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Hooper, that\u2019s an important distinction. Too often, he believes mental health conversations are framed by people looking back from the finish line, offering advice from a place of recovery. But for many people, the battle isn\u2019t something that simply disappears.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost people and influencers I hear talk about it, talk about it in a way where they\u2019re cured, and this is how you can get better,\u201d he explains. \u201cIf I can say, \u2018I\u2019m not cured, and I still struggle a lot,\u2019 maybe that helps somebody.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The two-time World\u2019s Strongest Man says he has never found much personal relief from talking publicly about his own mental health. Instead, he views those conversations as a way to connect with people who may feel isolated in their struggles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt really doesn\u2019t help me to talk about it. It never has,\u201d Hooper admits. \u201cBut I think it could help some other people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on his teenage years, Hooper recalls using ambition as a way to overcome those feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe mental health difficulties coincided with me also believing that I could do anything,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s my justification to overcome feelings of inadequacy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, he feels a responsibility to use his platform to show a more realistic version of success, one where personal struggles can coexist alongside professional accomplishments.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs I grew more of a following, and I feel like I\u2019ve been blessed by so many gifts. Having an audience, being the World\u2019s Strongest Man, all these things that I really didn\u2019t intend to do. I feel like I have to match that blessing with some sort of good on the other side.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Hooper, that \u201cgood\u201d isn\u2019t offering a miracle solution. It\u2019s extending what he calls an olive branch to anyone who may still be struggling and reminding them that progress doesn\u2019t require perfection.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe honest conversation could help other people,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s worth it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fatherhood Changed Everything<\/b><\/h2>\n

The shift became even more apparent recently when Hooper filmed content with fitness creator <\/span>Jesse James West<\/span><\/a>, who is preparing to become a father himself. When asked what advice he would give a new dad, Hooper shared a reality that many fathers quietly experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Enhanced Games<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAs a new dad, you have to be ready that the first six months are not very fun for you,\u201d Hooper says. \u201cNot that it\u2019s fun for mom, it\u2019s less fun for mom, but I had an expectation that we\u2019d have a baby and immediately our family would be enriched by this beautiful life, and we\u2019d all be pulled together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The reality, he explains, is much different.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe baby wants mom, and mom needs to tend to the baby, and oftentimes you can\u2019t do a whole lot,\u201d he says. \u201cYou add a family member, and you\u2019re kind of less useful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While that adjustment can be challenging, Hooper says it also forces fathers to develop a new perspective on responsibility. Suddenly, success isn\u2019t measured solely by personal achievements, prize money, or podium finishes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think about the world differently,\u201d he explains. \u201cNow I have to provide. If things go bad, it\u2019s not me or my wife figuring it out. It\u2019s now a dependent who you have to make sure everything\u2019s OK.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That realization brought a new kind of anxiety into Hooper\u2019s life, but it also reinforced a lesson he believes every father needs to learn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge is appreciating the moment without thinking about what\u2019s happened in the past and what could be in the future,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, with the kind of practical advice only an experienced dad can deliver, Hooper offered one final recommendation to West during their time at the Enhanced Games.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChange the diapers,\u201d he says. \u201cChange all the diapers that you can, because you\u2019re not needed for anything else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The comment drew laughs, but it also reflected the broader philosophy behind Hooper\u2019s \u201cDad Strong\u201d message. Real strength, he says, isn\u2019t just about lifting weights; it\u2019s about carrying responsibility, showing up consistently, and doing the work that often goes unnoticed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Enhanced Games Experiment<\/b><\/h2>\n

While much of the public discussion surrounding the Enhanced Games has centered on controversy, Hooper views the project through a different lens. In his eyes, the event serves two purposes:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, it creates a controlled environment to study medically supervised performance enhancement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, it challenges assumptions about aging and human performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Mitchell<\/div>
Enhanced Games<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the observations Hooper found most compelling was how close several athletes came to matching personal bests years after the traditional peak of their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe average age of a personal best there was around 30,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Hooper, that\u2019s evidence that performance potential may extend much further than conventional sports science has historically suggested.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just as importantly, he points out that the event was largely free of the catastrophic injuries many critics predicted.<\/span><\/p>\n

The broader conversation, he argues, should focus less on fear and more on data.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why His 505-Kilo Attempt Matters More Than People Realize<\/b><\/h2>\n

To casual observers, Hooper\u2019s failed 505kg deadlift attempt may have looked like a disappointment.<\/span><\/p>\n

To Hooper, it represented something entirely different.<\/span><\/p>\n