In 1992 at a FIBO expo in Essen, Germany, bodybuilder Tom Platz squatted 525 kilos for 23 reps in a head-to-head problem towards Dr. Fred Hatfield, who locked out 11 reps, in what’s now often called “The Great American Squat-Off.” Since then, power athletes have tried to match or exceed Platz’s iconic 23-rep set.
On Could 23, 2023, the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Mitchell Hooper of Canada took the problem and bested the feat achieved by the legendary bodybuilder. On his Instagram web page, Hooper posted a reel whereby he squatted 525 kilos for a staggering 24 reps. Test it out beneath:
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The reigning WSM champion had a blunt thought in regards to the Tom Platz problem that he relayed in his submit’s caption:
Effectively, that sucked.
Hooper wore a lifting belt and knee sleeves for the problem and darted his approach by way of the primary 10 reps at a tempo that was sooner than a rep per second. After reaching double digits, he paused briefly to catch his breath before bracing and banging out reps 11 by way of 15. A shorter breath break earlier than re-bracing between particular person reps.
At rep 18, Hooper’s legs visibly shook with the information that exceeding 23 reps was the objective. Regardless of heavier breathing between reps, the velocity of every rep out of the opening remained practically similar to the sooner reps. The twenty second and twenty third reps had been the primary to indicate indicators that Hooper was, the truth is, contending against gravity.
After matching Platz’s twenty third rep, Hooper endured by way of his physique quaking and dug deep to lock out a twenty fourth rep to eclipse Platz’s 1992 efficiency. With the objective achieved, Hooper tried a twenty fifth rep, however his momentum was stunted the second he tried to depart the opening, and he let the barbell fall to the protection helps on the aspect of the squat rack.
Hooper’s phenomenal squat set is a testomony to why he’s the present WSM. The power and cardio capacity wanted to realize that many reps are world-class, and his quads are doubtless going to want some vital recovery time. Moreover, Hooper’s show can be a testomony to only how robust Platz was in ’92 and why the Tom Platz Problem stays a threshold check for the strongest athletes on the planet.
Featured picture: @mitchellhooper on Instagram
