Barrie man quickly becoming one of the world's strongest

Canadian strong man Mitchell Hooper earned first place at 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus Ohio in March.

A Barrie man is quickly growing a name for himself on the international stage as one of the strongest men in the world.

Mitchell Hooper owns Longevity Nexum, a kinesiology clinic in Barrie's downtown that works towards helping various people achieve their personal fitness goals. For Hooper himself, his goals broadened a few years ago when he developed an interest in Strongman competitions.

"A Strongman competition is traditionally push, pull, squat, hinge, overhead press and carry and coincidentally, or not so coincidentally, those are also the fundamental movement patterns of life," Hooper says. "So whether you aspire to be a Strongman or not, if you are someone who aspires to live a long, independent, healthy life, going back to those fundamental movement patterns, making sure you can do all of them, do them pain-free and do them for a long time should be at the forefront of your mind."

Since first developing an interest in the growing sport Hooper, a lifelong athlete, has developed a strong reputation with numerous wins under his belt. His most recent was at the Arnold Strongman Classic in Ohio on March 3 and 4.

While he's received a positive response since his latest victory, he says his mission is about far more than winning tournaments.

"I just want people to know that even to become the best in the world at something that, the predominant quality is consistency and just simply getting in here," he says. "My motto for myself when it comes to athletic performance is good enough every day, which is relative to the day that you're having, and some days that means getting out of bed, some days that means coming in here and hitting a personal best."

Hooper plans to continue to compete at the highest levels in the Strongman sport. He also hopes to expand his business throughout Canada.