Mitchell Hooper’s bulking weight loss program for the 2025 Arnold Strongman Basic.
Final up to date on March 4th, 2025
2023 World’s Strongest Man and reigning Strongest Man on Earth (SMoE) Mitchell Hooper shared his grocery haul earlier than successful the 2025 Arnold Strongman Basic (ASC) in Columbus, OH, on March 1, 2025. Right here’s how a lot meals — and the way a lot it prices — it takes to keep up the coaching quantity that converts 24 straight elite contest podiums.
Mitchell Hooper’s Week of Consuming
- Meat & Protein
- Hooper eats a steak and 6 ounces of floor beef twice every day. When bored with meat, Hooper opts for floor turkey and hen breasts. “It helps with palette fatigue.”
- Eggs & Dairy
- Hooper’s breakfast consists of six eggs, Greek yogurt blended with orange juice, avocado, banana, and a protein shake. He consumes 4 liters of milk weekly, which is a protein supply and water alternative. Food regimen Coke, milk, and orange juice are his core drinks.
I don’t drink water, ever.
—Mitchell Hooper
- Carbohydrates
- Hooper’s go-to carbs are whole-grain bread, rice, and pasta.
- Purposeful Snacks
- Hooper prefers rice chips — “literal pure carbs” — and Fortunate Charms to gas large lifts.
“Combine sugar with fats and complicated carbs” to steadiness the glycemic index. Cookie butter, chocolate hazelnut unfold, and Milo chocolate combine make it in Hooper’s grocery cart.
- Candy Indulgences
- Hooper isn’t shy about his love for ice cream. Halo Prime’s “mild” ice cream is his go-to. “4 tubs received’t final a complete week, however I fake I’m not going to eat ice cream every single day, after which I often eat two tubs,” Hooper shared. One other vice is Reese’s cookie dough.
The Science Behind Hooper’s Food regimen
Protein builds muscle. Carbs gas muscle efficiency and help post-workout restoration. “Carbohydrates are protein-sparing,” Hooper added, which means the physique makes use of carbs as power and preserves protein for muscle-building.
I want to keep up my power and fats shops as a result of, ultimately, being heavier helps you progress extra weight.
—Mitchell Hooper
Hooper weighed round 330 kilos earlier than the 2025 ASC — a lot lighter than a lot of his rivals, some weighing upwards of 400-plus kilos.
Hooper prefers more healthy fats sources like dairy and avocados, however they’re prioritized.
Unhealthy energy imply irritation, which implies much less productive power for restoration.
—Mitchell Hooper
Muscle mass & Blood Sugar
Having extra muscle helps the physique soak up sugar. Muscle mass deal with about 80% of this course of, which is sweet for metabolism. Power coaching additionally will increase insulin sensitivity and improves blood sugar management. (1)(2)(3)
The Value of Power
Upon trying out, Hooper’s grocery invoice amounted to $417 for per week’s price of meals, about $22,000 yearly. “Strongman isn’t probably the most worthwhile factor on the planet, so if you wish to develop into a strongman, assume twice about how a lot it should value to feed you,” Hooper suggested.
Extra Strongman Content material
References
- Merz KE, Thurmond DC. Function of Skeletal Muscle in Insulin Resistance and Glucose Uptake. Compr Physiol. 2020 Jul 8;10(3):785-809. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c190029. PMID: 32940941; PMCID: PMC8074531.
- Haines MS, Dichtel LE, Santoso Ok, Torriani M, Miller KK, Bredella MA. Affiliation between muscle mass and insulin sensitivity unbiased of detrimental adipose depots in younger adults with obese/weight problems. Int J Obes (Lond). 2020 Sep;44(9):1851-1858. doi: 10.1038/s41366-020-0590-y. Epub 2020 Could 13. PMID: 32404950; PMCID: PMC7483278.
- Holten, M. Ok., Zacho, M., Gaster, M., Juel, C., Wojtaszewski, J. F., & Dela, F. (2004). Power coaching will increase insulin-mediated glucose uptake, GLUT4 content material, and insulin signaling in skeletal muscle in sufferers with kind 2 diabetes. Diabetes, 53(2), 294–305. https://doi.org/10.2337/diabetes.53.2.294
Featured picture: @mitchellhooper on Instagram
Discussion about this post