Could Strongman Be Healthy???

Just before I left for Australia's Strongest, Fabian and I sat down to discuss long-term health in strongman. Curious to know what you think.
Leave a moose dropping below and comment on what other topics you'd like us to cover!
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#strongman #powerlifting #fitness #bodybuilding #gym #strength #deadlift #crossfit #workout #motivation #squats #strengthtraining #training #power #vegan #health

[@runezachariassen8478]

I'm glad (as a student of physical therapy) that someone talks about the misunderstanding on the fundamentals of arthritis. Very happy to hear someone with a large reach give information like this 💪🏼

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@leonardhpls6]

14k subs is a large reach ?

[@runezachariassen8478]

@@leonardhpls6 being one of the strongest men right now is

[@ChronikSpartan]

​@leonardhpls6 78k is

[@Ibedaman6]

Mitch is my new favorite athlete. I’m a gastroenterologist and nutritionist who is obsessed with optimizing healthspan. I’m a big fan of strong man, but never found an athlete who was deeply aware of the scientific literature and could speak this cogently about training and health. This is incredibly high quality content. Congratulations Mitch on your win and to all of us for you getting a bigger audience to educate.

[@joemacleod-iredale2888]

I suspect that a lot of them are more aware of the effects of their training then they let on, but this is not consistent with their public persona so they keep quiet about it.

[@coshmolat]

This is probably one of my favorite videos of yours. I keep thinking.. it's so easy for most people to look at football or hockey players, or marathon runners, or strongmen, and judge their performance and every aspect of their training/nutrition/etc but they don't realize how much one has to sacrifice physically AND mentally to perform at the highest levels. Being an athlete and going to that extreme isn't healthy. But this is what I admire so much about you. You seem to be very self-aware of what your body and mind can accomplish, and you are open to discussing it, and educating other people about it. I can't even begin to imagine how mentally tough it can be at times. I've been following your journey ever since World's and you have been a huge inspiration to me this year. Keep up the good work 😊

[@mitchellhooperstrongman]

Thanks Pam ❤️ I appreciate you

[@hardway1746]

20yrs in a stressful career dealing with death, destruction and chaos. Weight, health and life have been a roller coaster

[@MrScottyT21]

No surprise your progressing so well Mitch, real smart athlete & cant wait to see you podium at WSM this year

[@michaelarthur8417]

Comment aged like fine wine.

[@gui20266]

​@@michaelarthur8417yes😂

[@unknownstrongman]

I'm 40. I began training about 2 years ago. For almost all if it, it's been outdoors. Natural stones, logs, running hills. Lifting very heavy, but a lot of movement and cardio. It felt amazing most days, and the added benefit of looking better was definitely a plus. For me, and my wife lol. I signed up for a competition in March. Began training in a gym in December. Since then, I haven't felt as healthy. Training at Night, indoors, very heavy. I have such huge respect for what you strongman go through now. I can totally see why retirement is always on a strongman mind. I'm also 40 though! So that could definitely be worsening the issue. I still love the sport, and I love the challenge and becoming stronger. I just have to start training outdoors more again. Loved this video, Mitch!

[@jesscavazos886]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video it’s very honest and comprehensive

[@andrewgilbertson5356]

To be great at anything one has to take risks.

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@kaepsele0711]

Thanks for sharing! Very inspirational! I had some similar experiences with success and how much mental pressure it can build up. Not comparable to your scale of 'being out there' and being a celebrity. But still I can relate to your 'being under pressure'. Specifically the time aspect of being all the time under stress wasn't great. Wish you all the best and your journey and hopefully for more videos with so many insights!

[@andrewchisholm3665]

Thanks for this and for being so open and helpful, especially to us oldies🤪. I haven't been able to do much training since before Christmas as I fell on ice and buggered my right hand. As I am right handed it seriously affected what I could do, also being partially sighted I use a white cane to get around and well let's just say the pavements are not smooth surfaces. Anyway thanks again for your videos, definitely kept me sane during my layoff, and really glad you are in the strongman community and helping us all. Oh and it was great to see you in Glasgow winning the Giants Live there

[@mitchellhooperstrongman]

Thank you Andrew ❤️

[@septembersilvers]

I always like to hear your take on different topics. You're always going to get people who don't agree or take things you say incorrectly. Keep doing what you are doing! ❤

[@mitchellhooperstrongman]

Thanks September! 😄

[@spikeyspike79]

Thank you so much for this material, treasure.

[@MrMiki300]

You're quickly becoming one of my favourites atm. Keep killing it Hooper 💪💪

[@darkstorm3050]

Great chat - love your work in strongman and as a new subscriber looking forward to seeing more of you in youtube. Best of luck going forward.

[@plaqq373]

Great video! But I think it would have been appropriate to talk about PED use here. You somewhat indirectly talked about the effects of it talking about blood pressure, cardiovascular health and increased weight, but it would be very interesting to hear your take on PED use in strongman and how it can affect health / minimize its effects on health.

[@bruuhhhh]

Yeah I think sponsors are the reason for not but I agree would be nice to hear his opinion

[@Llama_charmer]

@@bruuhhhh Yeah they cant really talk about that. If they admitted to PED usage they would be banned from competition which is absolutely stupid. The organizers turn a blind eye to it but if someone comes right out and says it they cant really ignore it anymore.

[@andyadkins7593]

This is some of the most honest contact about extreme nothing. Thanks for the video.

[@irish7395]

Great video Mitch... forget the naysayers and stay focused on " your vision". People's opinion are just that..." they're opinion" ... love watching you competing, can't wait to see your accomplishments for 2023 !!

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@zcddrew]

Looking forward to your 2023 year. It's gonna be fantastic

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@MisterBoy316]

Apart from being blown away at WSM 2022 I knew nothing about Mitch until I found this video recommended from following Brian... What a smart and articulate professional athlete, fascinating stuff. Great video full of insight.

[@BruceWayne-nf5wo]

Can you talk about P. E. D. use and how that is detrimental to health, consequences of long term use, reversible and irreversible changes that occurs in your body after use?

[@alcole1k178]

Loaded question. P.E.D.s can be helpful (they are prescribed by M.D.s for recovery). Abuse can be detrimental. So, what is use, and what is abuse? Talk to your doctor...

[@charlesrooke3946]

refreshingly honest, intelligent video. Thank you.

[@robthompson9486]

I think PEDS is the number 1 thing that has the potential to make strongman unhealthy especially if they are uneducated in using them. And for all of you that want to think some of these guys are natural I hate to disappoint you. There are a lot of young Men and women out there that will really hurt themselves without proper guidance from intelligent athletes like you Mitch. I do understand the taboo behind talking candidly about these things, and I get why it’s not mentioned but it is the elephant in the room.

[@gsftbeast9761]

Not really it’s more the bodyweight they go up to that unhealthy

[@jtf2dan]

@@gsftbeast9761 there is a direct relationship to using PEDS and gaining weight....the more PEDS you take, the more muscle weight you put on.

[@gsftbeast9761]

@@jtf2dan u can take all the peds in the world but if you don’t eat your not gonna get big. The bigger u get the more gear u can tolerate

[@ZombroESOGod]

@gsftbeast9761 my guy, have you ever used PEDs? I powerlift and do strongman at an amateur level and I got sucked into using PEDs. Got really strong, got really big, and my body suffered for it. Not because of my weight. Even before all the weight, I started to get negative markers on my blood work rapidly. Liver enzymes, cholesterol, blood pressure went up a ton, etc. So yeah, I ended up with worse blood work than my morbidly obese brother.

[@gsftbeast9761]

@@ZombroESOGod bro I’ve taken gear for 7yr blast and cruise and everything is fine I check bloodwork every 3month. What I’m trying to say is that being high bodyweight eating 7000calories a day is far more unhealthy that taking a moderate amount of gear.

[@Fitin10nation]

We love your content Mitchell! Please keep it up! 🙏🏻

[@Ont785]

Your content is perfect. It’s well formatted and educational with the conceit that the viewer has some education and common sense. Obviously I’m not gonna be a competitive strongman at 57 and weighing in at 190 pounds ! I enjoy the training routines and the way I feel. If I can improve upon that, then that is my current goal.. I am certainly as strong as I’ve ever been, and now I’m in an area where I’m actually stronger I could use better advice, if that makes sense . Hope you have a chance to read some of these comments!

[@peterjohnson1495]

Great work! Essentially, as far as KZbin is concerned, you're an influencer. I think you're a fine example of what an influencer should be: open, honest, insightful, knowledgeable. I hope your fellow strongmen watch this and take it onboard. I wish you every success. p.s. I began watching and intended to simply add a.

[@ericmurphy8264]

Really enjoy the thought you appear put into your content, and the variety. You mentioned a strongwoman reacting to your discussion with Ant; not sure if you're specifically talking about Chloe, I remember her leaving a comment...in the end it doesn't really matter who you're talking about, I just remember thinking I would really enjoy hearing the two of you have a discussion about the topic in one of your Beyond Strong episodes if that's something you plan to continue.

[@davidharrison36]

Great stuff. Been a fan since seeing you at the Shaw Classic. Keep moving forward!!!

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@steves4856]

It's certainly important to know that we all face challenges in our lives and those challenges will vary depending on the structure of our life. How we address and face those challenges is key. Also, understanding the challenges others face can make all the difference in the world, even if there's nothing you can do to assist other than lending an understanding ear. The goal is to simple be the best version of you that you can be, whether you choose to do that on your own or accept assistance from others.

[@codyryanlifts]

Refreshing convo, I've been struggling recently with not feeling healthy due to pursuing my strongman goals. Taking a step back from competitions and working on living a healthier life for my new daughter.

[@dyl1818]

Hey bro, just wanted to reach out and say thanks for what you’ve done for the sport and showing us all how it’s done! One day, I’d like to buy you a beer mate 🍺

[@daniel_soderberg]

Love your content! :)

[@wombatpuppy4436]

I needed to hear this... thank you guys. Gonna start getting fit not just permabulking chasing big lifts. Im not an elite competitor in a power sport lol

[@xmathx123]

Im usually the lurker on youtube who doesnt sub or comment ( im not sure why ) but i made a effort to show some support here because i really enjoy the videos where you share your opinion on the different aspect of strongman, Its a nice change from all the "trainning session" on youtube

[@OfficialStrongmancom]

More great content from a top contender, for title of the worlds smartest strongman!

[@ShayanGivehchian]

Nice to see how methodical you are about your craft.

[@baldymagoo]

You are a definite plus to the strongman world Mitch. One thing that always gets left out is the PEDs . Most people suspect that Strongmen & women take steroids but its never really opened up about it. I personally feel it would be a beneficial next move for the sport to open up more on this subject ( and the health risks) I understand Sponsors wont like it but a change needs to become acceptable. Love watching your progress buddy, keep up the amazing work.

[@volterslam664]

Multiple strongmen have talked about the subject in the past. Not saying it shouldnt be talked about more, but it is not unspoken.

[@a-a-rondavis9438]

@@volterslam664 mostly unspoken for sure. Oberst beat around the bush about it to gain traction because he's irrelevant in the Strongman world now, and Loz spoke about it because he's retired and it doesn't matter anymore. An active Strongman with sponsors will NEVER speak about it because no one in that space has the integrity to really speak on the truth despite a little blowback. Powerlifters are currently the frontrunners of PED talk.

[@Nelarsen]

I don't think steroid discussion has any place in any sport. There are many, many sources of information available on the internet now for these things specifically, there's no reason nor incentive for athletes to get into it.

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@a-a-rondavis9438]

@@Nelarsen many sources? Where? The athletes are the ones taking it. We have to know from them. It's the absolute norm in strength sports. I think it should have a major discussion in these circles.

[@kenknuppel3067]

Going to go for a one hour walk now.

[@johannesgruber9050]

Great video!

[@beefxcake2523]

I only recently started in strongman, I love having it in my routine and it's done wonders for my mental and physical health. don't know where it'll take me but for right now it's good, i feel healthier, i think that's enough for me to continue.

[@torringtonstonekeeper]

Hooper is smart fit an strong asf. He is gonna have a incredible year. Cant stop the moose

[@samjerbs]

Quickly becoming my absolute favourite strength athlete and maybe just athlete full stop

[@user-hx6vh5xh1m]

Mitch - you're a class act! I saw you at WSM23, hope you keep true to yourself, wish you only the best, and look forward to watching your journey.

[@jakewalker412]

More long form videos! Perfect for working a desk job! Also, you all reading should try out Mitch Hoopers coaching. It was a great learning experience, not just a program!

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

.

[@chrisantho]

Great video 👍

[@danielsavery4480]

Mitch, thank you for your clear discussion on this. However, without discussing how prolonged PED use impacts life span and/or health span, is this not merely a partial discussion of this topic? I doubt you will respond to this but if Strongman is ever going to be a mainstream sport held in similar esteem to football, basketball and so on, the role PED's play in athlete performance and the possible negative health consequences of this deserve to be discussed. If not, it will probably continue to remain a fringe sport alongside powerlifting. Big fan of strongman BTW and your meteoric rise.

[@nembor]

Thank you for saying this! I wish strongmen would be a bit more honest with the use of PEDs.

[@shankar6308]

Very eloquently put my friend, you are absolutely right. I myself am a big strongman fan and would like to start competing but PEDs are my barrier of entry into the sport.

[@macewindont9922]

I feel like the necessity of PEDs to be an elite strength athlete is one reason they aren't mainstream. No parent would want their kids to grow up to be 400 pounds blasting steroids.

[@secretariatslew]

PED harm is a part of strongman. It is a part of many other sports as well.

[@rybald1973]

Every pro athlete is taking something not just strength sports.

[@ScottSRR]

this was great!

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@AlanCain_Caintech]

Great info 💪

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@Thefunwayhome]

I like camera guy. He's a good wrangler for you lol.

[@fabianmalette8325]

I support this comment 👏🏽😉

[@simonkueng]

Great Content Mitch

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@crytz1587]

Awesome video Mitch, wait I mean TERRIBLE VIDEO MEAN COMMENTS!! But for real love this background knowledge and touching on the unspoken sides of the sport

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@williamjones1337]

WOOOOW! I can't believe you said this. Now I'm engaging!

[@garyfrench2401]

Thank Mitchell for winning wsm. It shows to never underestimate anyone, and if want you do something it is possible .

[@timothyhicks376]

Stress is your response to a given situation and from afar you seem to manage it pretty well. You remind me of the young version of Brian Shaw. He (along with Big Loz) can be great mentors to you for both competition and professional/business and how to balance them. Keep up the great work, you have the potential to be right there with greatest strongmen by the end of your career!

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@mortonxdd]

Hahah farout I hear the aussie stained in your accent 😂 love it.

[@nikk666]

Gotta leave a mean comment then. My dude lookin like the wizard's orb, informative as one too. All the love Mitch.

[@daraghobrienart]

I really like your attitude mitch but Id like to see you touch on PED use would be refreshing, Loz is making the move of being more open and it would be cool if you led the way of being open about PEDs, ( obviously we are not asking for your cycle but just saying “ strongman use PEDs for performance - they aren’t it healthy etc )

[@aixasanchez4172]

Buddy your the future of strongman

[@richedwards4590]

something mean... love your stuff mitch

[@BigSinsley]

Approved ✅ but no seriously you're doing great Mitch really enjoyed the video as always #moosedroppings

[@Gajargon]

What's your take on cell senescence? Aside from excess calories leading to weight gain, I've read that the oxidative effect of total calories consumed (processed/burned) over a lifetime is the most evidence-supported cause of being "old." Strongmen might also have more cell turnover and decrease their telomeres earlier. Great vid, although notably lacking a discussion of PEDs, I'd love to see more on the science of extreme sports and longevity! ... ... ...

[@mrlopezsbrother4373]

Strongman is obviously not for everyone. It is an extreme sport for giants. I am super impressed with the young guys coming up. Records will fall!

[@henrikmamsen1142]

Thank you, for being you 8)

[@highviewbarbell]

i think competing in it at an international level is less-than-healthy because of the pharmaceutical component and stress of the maxes and weights generally, BUT I think doing strongman movements at a lower intensity is some of the best all-around training a person can do, period

[@TL13579]

Exactly. The PEDs, plus constantly competing at top level shows, will take away from general health. But as a recreational strongman, can't think of a better way to train for general health and quality of life.

[@tomprice1900]

Genuine reason for me not competing in powerlifting and strongman is because of the health implication from the requirement to take PEDs to make it to the top. I think this should be discussed in this topic. Still good content, big fan.

[@bryanrodriguez9226]

I rmeber I was looking at a interview Martin licis was doing and the interviewer was asking is their steroids use in his sport and he said something I forgot but Yeah Martin was respectful and I guess didn’t want to say too much on that but yeah it’s crazy I’m still trying to find videos on strong man on steroids but you barely find it Even if it’s obvious still there isn’t a lot of videos

[@Llama_charmer]

@@bryanrodriguez9226 Because PED's are illegal in strongman (ironic and hilarious i know), anyone who admits to usage would be banned from competing

[@bryanrodriguez9226]

@@Llama_charmer but that’s crazy bro like I remember Martin said Something along the line He said it hesitantly but said mmmm I’m sure some do but idk soemthing like that and Martin I love the guy and your right I guess he doesn’t really want to expose people usage of it But I thought even though I guess steroids are not legal I thought they didn’t have a rule on it so hence i thought it was legal lol but that’s crazy

[@hardway1746]

To the average Human Health is Subjective. To the average Medical professional Health is Objective. Somewhere in the middle is where the truth lies. I was 185lbs working out 6 days a week on multiple meds for blood pressure and cholesterol @21yrs old. Blew up to 240lbs and was still on meds @42yrs old. Lost down to 175lbs and Off all meds now @44yrs old.

[@TheKnutzor]

Great video Mitch, you sound like a really smart individual and you will help this sport massively. But I find it a bit strange not to talk about steroid use, everybody knows it’s happening, doesn’t make it less impressive. And it would be educational, especially for the younger generation.

[@MB-ob6ye]

Some guys choose not to talk about it because they feel that it will encourage younger athletes to start using gear when they don’t need to or much earlier than they should. I’m sure if he was coaching an athlete one on one he would have those conversations.

[@baggaz167]

Wow, I'm 7 minutes in and I feel like I've already learned a lot! When you say deloading or lifting heavy too quickly can cause injury, do you think that's what's behind Luke Richardson's lat tear?? He was deloading, which I would have thought would have been safer, but if deloading too fast can cause injury, it would be interesting to see his programme, surely?

[@TL13579]

In his case, I think he got insanely strong a bit too fast. He was pulling 400 kilos in his early 20s. Surely that would have come at the cost of some structural integrity of the body. As for the deload, you would have stress built up over weeks and months; the deload session would have been just the trigger.

[@84stevencorbett]

Probably one of the smartest perspectives in the strongman world.

[@andrewgilbertson5356]

Thanks Mitch

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@AlasdairThompson]

You're a good dude Mitch, I was going to try and write a mean comment to get the thread going for people to defend you, but I just can't do it!

[@AlasdairThompson]

You talking about how literally put your health on the line whilst having visible CPAP marks on your face really helped to hammer the point home for me, bet you didn't need that when you were running marathons.

[@brunomartins3680]

Would love for you to speak about PEDs since no one does

[@tiaanjansenvanrensburg6732]

Moose droppings! ,,,,,

[@weedermann]

Gosh, you (and Luke Stoltman) have the most beautiful voices in Strongman.

[@djrmonix]

No expert but you think they would have made some synthetic cartilage by now they can inject into joints lol. So overall would you say doing some relatively light strongman training exercises (basically what i do) is beneficial long term? Maybe 2 or 3 hours a week

[@intuitivehomebrew3199]

When you had the mustache, you looked like Del Griffith from Planes, Trains and Automobiles. #meancomment jokes aside, great content sir. Very informative.

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

.

[@williamjones1337]

WOOOOW! I can't believe you said this. Now I'm engaging!

[@thebodybeatdownDiTi]

All lifting is healthy and safe as long as you do it safely rather weekend warrior or 7 days a week warrior. It's all better than sitting around doing nothing.

[@maxwelljackson9226]

Hooper you need to work on your yoke! YOU ARE WAY TOO SLOW!

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@daftpunk1988]

You must be yoking?

[@saintvino1772]

@@daftpunk1988 He must be stoned

[@aidanpelletier946]

😂😂

[@chriswilliams2865]

🤣🤣🤣

[@petermarshall878]

Ah, I don't have it in me to say something mean. I LOVE YOU MAN! 😊

[@BeardOfPower7]

Never go without a mustache ever again.

[@jee64jtb]

You have a great personality. That's my comment. You are welcome :)

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@Bobbzorzen]

I tried to think of a mean comment to write but it just feels wrong.. You seem like such a nice genuine person, hope a positive comment is fine too!

[@ur-inannak9565]

Is it possible that you could, perhaps in an indirect way, talk about the health implications of some of the more taboo elements of sport?

[@paolodenning4723]

Good

[@cromdevotee449]

there's a saying about chess that I think also applies to competitive sports. Being good at chess is the mark of a gentleman, being exceptional at chess is the mark of a wasted life. Being a competitive athlete is not healthy, but doing strongman training naturally (not enhanced), building muscle, work capacity and mobility is going to be great for your health. On a different note, when you were talking about volume as setsxrepsxload, the convention I usually see is to refer to that as tonnage and to keep volume as just sets, just to avoid confusion.

[@mikemoore2791]

Yeah. So Im going to buy a sandbag and a sled. Cos work etc and a commercial gym means i dont get to use the sled etc as often as i want/need.

[@PetonIsVeryBloody]

Nice

[@michaelcrookes1350]

19:16 I'd love to see your backside 😂. Very insightful video. I remember Eddie talking about his retirement from Strongman before his WSM win due to the health impacts of the sport. Good that you are actively discussing and acknowledging this - its the way all sports are going.

[@simondean5227]

I'm going to WSM this year and I'm gonna bring a poster of buzz light-year with ur face on it

[@Big.Mac.1999]

Thanks for sharing with us. You better yourself while inspiring us. Good freaking way to go! 🫶🏻

[@tabascojoe77]

👍👍👍

[@coldenhaulfield5998]

Hi Mitch do you have any videos of you doing pull ups?

[@thierrydupont3177]

the first time i saw you compete i head a lot of booing and was wondering why until i learned that your nickname was the moose at the next competition i saw u in xD

[@seanwhitehall4652]

What are the PED controls like? Is that a factor?

[@alcole1k178]

WSM doesn't test for PEDs

[@the_snowball3718]

It will be and that’s one of the things which is detrimental to the health of top level strongman. Mitch probably not gonna talk about it in much if any details due to sponsorship reasons

[@hairyape_8103]

Def a factor but I understand why he didn't mention

[@Natefirethemagnets]

The controls are don't talk about it.

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@barryoshea429]

Im surprised by how smart you are. You are a jack of all traits

[@Ezratal]

What about inguinal hernias? I just got one and it sort of has me panicked.

[@bonniebryan6216]

❤

[@deanfawcett1409]

Any sport is healthy to a limit but when you add peds it’s definitely not healthy

[@jeremiahgriffin9428]

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[@smbrumbaugh]

It would be interesting to hear how you land on your larger athletic goals. Meaning, it seems like a pretty wild swing to go from marathon running to pro strongman, then back to an intense endurance sport like ironman.

[@spencermackay9020]

I have a suspicion that if Mitch puts himself into any pursuit, especially physical ones, he could take it to infinity, but actually he goes beyond..

[@oobenshlabenspielen]

Volume being measured Sets X Reps X Weight has something missing when looking at its impact on the body. Think of doing your max bench say 120kg, and warmed up with 60KG for 5 nothing else, you've accumulated 300 units of volume in the easy warmup and less than half the volume in the max effort 120 unit lift. Intuitively when you're below a certain % 1RM the volume becomes basically irrelevant. This measure basically implies warmups are more high risk high stress than max effort singles in all cases.

[@DobyDuke]

in short: do what makes you happy