World’s Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper Roasted Our Favorite Deadlift Accessories. So We Argued With Him About It

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Hooper is probably the biggest nerd of all time. We were not happy with some of our choices.(This is not sarcasm. Of the £1,000 pullers with master’s degrees, you know?)

So we sent him an email like, “Pistols. At dawn.” He accepted our challenge.Here is what the 2023 WSM winner had to say:

Bar Bend vs. Mitchell Hooper: Deadlift Accessories

Our original list consisted of 15 exercises that we believe are accessory movements that will help you build strength in your deadlift. Below, not necessarily in order, are our favorite deadlift accessory exercises:

• Deficit Deadlift
• Barbell Good Morning
• Romanian Deadlift with Horizontal Band Resistance
• Bent Over Row
• Rack Pull
• Kettlebell Swing
• Hip Thrust
• Landmine Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
• Meadows Row
• Barbell Back Squat
• Barbell Romanian Deadlift
• Front Rack Bulgarian Split Squat
• Band assisted long jump
• TRX Body Saw
• One-sided TRX low

In his video, Hooper omits six exercises – the deficit deadlift, rack pull, two variations of the Romanian deadlift, the standard exercise, and the banded long jump – and lists most of them as variations, not assistance, of the deadlift. So we asked him, “What is the practical difference?”

• Hooper“Deadlift variations are [the technique] “Accessory movements for the deadlift itself, such as paused deadlifts and tempo deadlifts. Accessory movements are movements that engage or strengthen the muscles needed to perform the deadlift, such as leg curls and back extensions.”

There are no official or universally accepted definitions for these labels—this is the world of strength-based gaming—but I think Hooper’s description is compelling.

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One thing kept bothering us while listening to Hooper on YouTube and during our conversations with him: Great athletes don’t necessarily make great coaches. As a top athlete and one of the best deadlifters on the planet, is Hooper’s perspective inherently biased or just out of touch with the average gym-goer?

• Hooper“No. I have the education to back up my claims and the experience working with people at all ability levels. That’s what you should look for when seeking reliable advice.”

It’s hard to argue with him on that point. Not only is Hooper a full-time strongman competitor, he’s also a clinical exercise physiologist and CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist). His academic background, and his unusual rise to the top of strongman competition, show that Hooper is committed to being the best deadlifter there is.

This raises a question.Is Hooper’s lens too narrow?“We see value in the supplemental training being, as we told him, ‘intentionally non-specific.'” He said:

• Hooper“I don’t want to say they’re all “bad,” as every movement has a purpose and benefit. Being strong and toned in general is a great foundation for building strength, but that doesn’t make it a good accessory movement for the deadlift.”

Case closed? It’s not completely closed yet (we’ll get to that later), but Hooper makes a valid point.

Round 2: Fight!

Hooper wasn’t too keen on the movements that assist the deadlift, specifically the long jump and TRX exercises, and after listening to him, we agreed that those movements might not be worthy of inclusion on a “best” list.

But we flagged three moves he condemned. — Rack pulls, hip thrusts, kettlebell swings — An accessory worth fighting for.

Rack Pull

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Hooper considers the rack pull to be a variation of the deadlift, not a supplemental one. Fair enough. He puts the rack pull in the “B” category, The technique is slightly different compared to the floor deadlift. It reduces relevance.

Our take: Amateur or novice athletes may struggle to accurately replicate a deadlift position during a rack pull, but this is irrelevant to competent pulling athletes. And if technical ingenuity diminishes the value of deadlift aids, why doesn’t that logic apply to, say, the deficit deadlift, which Hooper places high on his tier list?

• Hooper“Athletes at all levels vary their technique when performing rack pulls. It doesn’t provide the return on investment that people think it does, it just makes you better at racking.Deficit deadlifts, on the other hand, are great because they reinforce a strong bottom position, which is the most important variable when trying to improve your deadlift lockout.”

summary: While partial range of motion training is fine, Hooper argues that a strong deadlift should be built from the bottom up, not the top.

Hip Thrust

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Hooper does hip thrusts back and forth, which he classifies as a “B” level in the video. His theory is that you need more than just your glutes to lock out the deadlift. We disagree. After all, the glutes are the largest and most powerful hip extensors. Hip thrusts specifically target the glutes and hip extension.

• Hooper“Hip extension doesn’t just depend on the glutes. Research has shown that the adductor magnus is also a major contributor, and training one muscle at the expense of multiple others is the same as wasting a muscle.”
• continuation: “At lockout, hip extension strength needs to match thoracic spine extension. [which the hip thrust doesn’t address]”You’d be hard pressed to find someone with a stronger upper back than their hip extensors.”

Editor’s note: While Hooper doesn’t cite specific references, we’re happy to support his claim. A 2010 paper on hip kinematics states, “As the hip flexes, the adductor muscles are mechanically primed to augment the other extensor muscles.”1)

summary: There is consensus that hip thrusts are effective at strengthening both the gluteus maximus and lower gluteus maximus. and It’s important to perform hip extension movements, especially without putting too much strain on your lower back, but Hooper argues that thoracic extension is more important than hip strength for locking out a heavy deadlift.

Kettlebell Swing

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Hooper says the go-to kettlebell swing is an “F-level” accessory movement for the deadlift, which, by his standards, is as close to low-resistance as you can get. He argues that most kettlebells are too light for heavy deadlifts.

We agree, but we also think the swing is a great teaching tool to help beginners understand both the hip hinge and the explosive power needed to excel in strength sports.

• Hooper“I agree that it’s a great teaching tool, but if you don’t know how to deadlift, you shouldn’t confuse yourself with all the different accessories.”

We’re not convinced on this point. Some research supports the idea that variable practice — that is, practicing different aspects of the same skill — tends to promote long-term learning.2) It’s important to note that this study wasn’t done on the “skill” of strength training.

summary: Hooper generally believes that the swing is too light to be relevant for deadlift strength development, and we agree, but we do support the swing as a complementary and novel technique tool.

Split Decision

in Bar BendWe pride ourselves on providing our readers with best in class strength training content. Admit that you are wrong about somethingWas Hooper being too hard on us?

No, naturally, Moose continues to adhere to his motto: “Lift heavy (check), be kind (check).” We concluded this exchange by providing an updated and shortened list of the best accessory exercises for the deadlift. Below are each of our picks:

Bar Bend

Mitchell Hooper

Side barWe asked Hooper about one surprising, and perhaps unlikely, benefit of deadlift training. The lighter you are the better you are at deadlifting“The starting position feels much more natural and I think readers should take that into consideration,” he replied. When it comes to building muscle, there is a law of diminishing returns This is to increase the strength of the deadlift.”

At the end of our conversation with Hooper, we asked him what his plans were for the rest of 2024. When he’s not creating amazing training content on social media or arguing with the news media, Hooper is hard at work preparing for his next event.

• July 13th: Axle Clean & Press World Record Attempt
• August 17th and 18th: The Strongest Man on Earth 2024
• September 7: Giants Live Birmingham & World Log Lift Championships
• September 28: Giants Live Las Vegas & World Deadlift Championships
• October 19: Giants Live World Tour Final
• November 8-10: 2024 Rogue Invitational

We wish him the best of luck and hope he never misses a kettlebell swing.

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References

1. Neumann DA (2010). Hip kinematics: focus on muscle action. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physiotherapy, 40(2), 82-94.
2. Willey, C. R., & Liu, Z. (2018). Long-term motor learning: Effects of varied and specific practice. Vision Research, 152, 10–16.

Featured Image: Mitchell Hooper/YouTube