The reigning World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Mitchell Hooper is adding Olympic weightlifting to his repertoire to remain ahead of his competitive opposition entering the 2024 season. During an exhibition at the 2024 TYR Wodapalooza in Miami, FL, on Jan. 11-14, 2024, Hooper locked out a personal best 211-kilogram (465-pound) split jerk.
On Jan. 22, 2024, 2022 British Senior Weightlifting champion and content creator Craig Richey published a video on his YouTube channel sharing the tips he gave Hooper to refine his power clean technique. Check it out below:
Drilling the power clean can prove especially helpful in the axle clean and press that is often featured in competitive strongman contests. Most strongmen employ a continental clean, which involves moving the axle from the ground to the shoulders in two or three movements.
The continental clean usually features a mixed grip. It involves shelving the axle on the stomach atop the lifting belt before popping it to the shoulders prior to locking it out overhead.
“I’d love to experience going from the ground to the shoulders in one motion,” said Hooper. “It will save heaps of energy and be more efficient.”
Hooper opened with four sets of six reps with 265 pounds (120 kilograms) of push presses and followed with push jerking from blocks. Hooper admitted his struggles with effectively utilizing his lower body during the Olympic lifts.
Richey pointed out Hooper’s tendency to drive the knees forward during the dip and over-arch the back during the drive — a commonality among strongman competitors. However, during the Olympic lifts, power should be generated by dipping at the hips and staying upright.
Push Jerk Technique
Richey emphasized keeping the barbell close to the shins with knuckles pointed down in the power-clean starting position. This setup ensures a tight, controlled lift-off, crucial for maintaining the bar’s close proximity to the body throughout the lift. A tighter bar path allows for more efficient energy transfer and reduces injury risk.
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Instead of pulling the bar up, Richey cued Hooper to clean as though pushing the ground away so as to generate power from the legs. This cue shifts focus to using leg strength and hip drive, rather than arm pull, to move the weight. Richey advised keeping the chest proud and maintaining a neutral back:
Thinking chest toward the wall, not the floor.
After trying the power clean with an empty barbell, Hooper progressed to 61 kilograms (135 pounds) and then to 102.2 kilograms (225 pounds). Hooper performed two 125-kilogram (275-pound) singles, and his confidence soared with each subsequent set.
Hooper power cleaned 143 kilograms (315 pounds) for the fifth set, 152 kilograms (335 pounds) for the sixth set, and 161.3 kilograms (355 pounds) for the seventh set.
Although Richey initially set a goal of 170 kilograms (375 pounds) for the final set, Hooper wanted to attempt 184 kilograms (405 pounds).
“In learning something, I feel like you have to go heavy enough that you have to get it right,” Hooper said. “The risk with [a heavy power clean] is that it turns into a continental clean, which I do all the time.”
On his first attempt with 184 kilograms, Hooper raised the bar to chest level but couldn’t rack it. During the second attempt, he rested the bar on his stomach and attempted to readjust his grip in a manner akin to a continental clean, but couldn’t maintain his grip to finish the lift.
Hooper is set to make his mixed martial arts MMA debut against 2017 WSM champ Eddie Hall on Feb. 17, 2024, in Qatar. He will then defend his Arnold Strongman Classic title on March 1-2, 2024, in Columbus, OH. If an axle clean and press is featured in that contest, Hooper could attempt to power clean the early round, lighter weights.
Featured image: @carrichey on Instagram
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