Tag: stefi cohen
Larry Wheels Cranks Out 405 Lbs Bench Press In A Joint Training Session With Stefi Cohen
Larry Wheels and Stefi Cohen are renowned athletes recognized for their exceptional accomplishments across various sports disciplines. They recently teamed up for a weight training session. However, Stefi Cohen introduced Wheels to agility and strength training and he did quite well in spite of being relatively inexperienced in that area.
Larry Wheels is a multi-talented individual that has a presence in strength sports like bodybuilding, powerlifting as well as arm wrestling. He is best known for wrecking powerlifting records in the gym and routinely posts his feats of incredible strength on the YouTube channel that has garnered 2.78 million followers at the time of this article’s publishing.
Wheels is one of the rare individuals in the fitness industry that have openly admitted to using PEDs. The 28-year-old started using steroids at 17 years of age and continued to use it until recently. While steroids did help him elevate his performance and achieve new heights of athletic ability, they also took a toll on his quality of life.
After suffering a back injury ahead of the 2022 Middle-East’s Strongest Man, Wheels decided to stop the steroid abuse. He has switched to using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) instead. The effects of this change are clearly visible on Wheels’ body. He has considerably downsized and admitted that the quality of his training and everyday life has improved significantly after chucking steroids. Earlier this year, he announced the plan to compete in bodybuilding.
Recently, Wheels partnered with Stefi Cohen. The 31-year-old has achieved success in several athletic endeavors like boxing, and powerlifting. The duo primarily tackled bench press in this training session. So without further delay, let’s check out how much weight they managed to lift.
Larry Wheels and Stefi Cohen train together
Larry Wheels and Stefi Cohen started the exercise with a few warm-up sets using an empty bar without plates. After sufficiently warming up the joints and muscles, the duo did a few working sets of bench press with progressive overload.
While Wheels performed the first working set with 135 lbs weight, Cohen started out slow and did the set with 95 lbs weight. Wheels and Cohen took a significant jump in weight and performed the second working set with 225 lbs and 135 lbs weight, respectively.
The amount of weight Larry Wheels has lifted in recent times is significantly lighter than what he used to pull off while being on PEDs. So was the case in this training session as well. Stefi Cohen casually asked the 28-year-old if it hurts his ego now that he does not lift as heavy. Wheels answered:
“If I was doing this a few years ago, I would say absolutely! But now that I am burned out doing powerlifting, for now, hitting PRs isn’t what drives me anymore anyway. So I’m not concerned about how much weight I am lifting…”
After performing the subsequent sets with incrementally heavier weights, Larry Wheels wrapped up the exercise after a top set of 405 lbs while Stefi Cohen capped at 175 lbs.
The weight lifted by Wheels and Cohen in each set was:
Larry Wheels
1st set – 135 lbs (61.2 kg)
2nd set – 225 lbs (102.1 kg)
3rd set – 315 lbs (142.9 kg)
4th set – 405 lbs (183.7 kg)
Stefi Cohen
1st Set – 95 lbs (43.1 kg)
2nd set – 135 lbs (61.2 kg)
3rd set – 155 lbs (70.3 kg)
4th set – 175 lbs (79.4 kg)
The aspiring bodybuilder tries his hand at agility training and explosive strength workout
Wheels and Cohen then went on to do agility training drills. They started with warm-up drills like running, high knee running, toe touch running, and lateral running, etc. They proceeded to perform exercises like box jumps. Following the agility drills, Wheels accompanied Cohen for an explosive strength training drill. This method of training is necessary for combat sports athletes. It improves the ability to generate power in a short amount of time which is needed for punching, kicking, dodging opponents’ strikes, etc.
Landmine Push Press
The duo started explosive strength training with this compound movement. Stefi Cohen explained to Larry Wheels that the movement has to be done with an explosive motion and not like a bodybuilding lift where the muscle has to be kept under tension for a longer duration. She then instructed the 28-year-old to do five reps per arm to build explosive strength and he followed the suit.
Band Assisted Plyometric Push-ups
Cohen next took to this effective exercise for building upper body power and explosiveness. Although it can be performed without the resistance band, using it decreases the amount of load, allowing faster and more explosive movements. After doing a few sets of this exercises, Cohen took to the final one.
Band assisted high jumps
This exercise was not included in the training session for any specific benefit of it. However, Cohen experimented with it for her personal entertainment and enjoyment. She did a set of five reps and wrapped up the training session.
Overall, the session included:
Landmine Push Press
Band Assisted Plyometric Push-ups
Band Assisted High Jumps
“I don’t want to go to that extreme” – Larry Wheels explains why he will not compete in the Men’s Open division
Larry Wheels is getting ready for competing in the Classic Physique division for his return to bodybuilding competition. While he does have a large frame that can be more suited for the Men’s Open division, Wheels has a very specific reason for not taking that route. He explained:
“I’m having that approach because doing Open bodybuilding at my height, I’d have to be a mass monster and take drugs that’ll probably end up killing me. I don’t want to go to that extreme anymore.”
Wheels explained that the weight cut-off in the Classic Physique division at his height is 230 lbs for amateur competitors and 240 lbs for professional competitors. It is not a drastic change from his walk-around weight.
“So I can comfortably hold where I’m at right now – 255 lbs – no problem! We’ve got to work on my symmetry, conditioning and of course, posing!”
Although Wheels used to have a thick midsection, which is not really appreciated in the Classic Physique division that demands a perfect X-frame, he is fixing that problem by not doing heavy deadlifts or squats.
Larry Wheels added that his body is developed like a powerlifter and not like a Classic Physique bodybuilder. For instance, he stated that his lower pecs are overdeveloped from doing flat bench press more than any other chest exercise variation. Wheels even admitted that he had not addressed any of these issues at the time of his bodybuilding debut in 2018.
“This overall symmetry, conditioning, gracefully posing on stage, charisma… These things are super important in bodybuilding. When I was on stage in 2018, I wasn’t addressing! Lifting heavy… Basically, going on stage as a powerlifter. Getting lean… Following the diet but my posing and training, it wasn’t as a bodybuilder’s training. So that’s where I am making up ground now and I’m lovin’ it,” Wheels stated.
Larry Wheels has been quite successful in the sports he has explored. It will be interesting to see how his bodybuilding debut plays out.
You can watch the full video here, courtesy of Larry Wheels’ personal YouTube channel:
Published: 7 July, 2023 | 10:27 PM EDT
Stefi Cohen on Growing Weaker Body Parts: “9/10 Times You’re Not Performing the Exercise Correctly”
Stefi Cohen has proven herself to be a force inside the gym, having taken part in a number of different sports over the years. In a recent Instagram post, Cohen said genetics aren’t to blame for weaker body parts and shared that stubborn muscles require correct form and proper technique.
“We all have body parts that are harder to grow, but to blame it on genetics is lame. More often than not it’s a product of poor exercise selection, inadequate volume, intensity and most importantly poor execution. The moment you take accountability is the moment you’ll be able to start making progress,” Cohen shared.
From boxing, arm-wrestling, bodybuilding, powerlifting (25-time record holder), strongman, and CrossFit, there are very few athletic mountains Stefi hasn’t climbed. Far from average, she has tested her physique, strength, and endurance for years. She’s also rubbed shoulders with some of the best athletes of their respective disciplines, like former 2017 World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall. They teamed up for a shoulder workout and Stefi proved herself lifting alongside the legendary strongman.
As for her CrossFit skills, Cohen doesn’t shy away from a workout challenge. She recently joined Brent Fikowski, the 2017 CrossFit Games silver medalist, for a savage workout that featured intense exercises like Plyo-push-ups, kettlebell deck squats, and burpee-dumbbell snatches.
During her time in the squared circle, Stefi built a commendable combat sports record. In her Pro boxing debut, she knocked her opponent out but recently suffered the first defeat of her career last August when she lost to Devany Cuevas by unanimous decision. Given her competitive history and knack for athletics, Stefi Cohen’s knowledge of fitness makes her especially qualified to offer training advice.
‘We Tend to Blame Sub-Optimal Genectics Instead of Us Not Working Hard Enough,’ Stefi Cohen On Weaker Body Parts
According to Stefi Cohen, people are quick to blame genetics rather than their technique and intensity.
“You don’t have shit genetics. Your hamstrings don’t grow because you don’t know how to train them. And it’s not only when we’re talking about our hamstrings, it’s often the case when we’re talking about a stubborn or weak body part that we’re trying to grow, that we tend to blame it on our less-than-optimal genetics instead of admitting the simple fact which is we don’t know what we’re doing and we’re not working hard enough.
9 times out of 10 the main reason why you can’t grow that specific body part is because you are not performing the exercise correctly and you’re not choosing the right exercise either. It’s so obvious but it’s often overlooked at the expense of hyperfocusing on progressive overload, which is the notion of continuously adding more weight to the exercise that you’re performing.
Oftentimes, lifters focus on getting through the reps instead of the quality of the contraction, which compromises form, Cohen says.
“Take for example the prone hamstring curl exercise. In this exercise the goal is to stabilize our hips as much as possible so that we can stress and apply as much tension to the hamstring muscle as possible. What most people tend to do is focusing on how much weight they’re lifting with this exercise and they compromise their form,” Stefi Cohen explained.
Having made a name for herself in the fitness industry, Cohen has been subjected to a fair amount of fan animosity. So much so that Stefi has openly discussed how she handles haters online who have taken issue with muscular women. She called it ‘fit shaming’ and she highlighted that strong muscular women are common victims of this type of social injustice.
In one of her latest ventures, Cohen teamed up with fitness influencer Will Tennyson. They took part in a boxing/agility-themed workout and played a game of exercise HORSE, with the loser forced to wear a horse mask and take a punch from the winner.
This isn’t Stefi Cohen’s first time offering fans valuable workout advice. Cohen shared her most effective strategies for sculpting a six-pack of abs recently. While she accepts everyone is different, she stressed the importance of dieting and maintaining a sufficient fitness level, adding that, ‘you don’t need to do endless crunches.’ Cohen also said common movements like the deadlift and squat help build the core muscles as well.
Growing weaker body parts can be a daunting task for some, but Cohen is confident that with correct technique and proper intensity, even with bad genetics, substantial gains can still be made inside the gym.
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Published: 5 July, 2023 | 5:58 PM EDT
Stefi Cohen Wins Her Boxing Debut By Knockout
Stefi Cohen impressed in her pro boxing debut.
Stefi Cohen just scored a knockout victory in her professional boxing debut. The powerlifter has made the transition well to the squared circle and is just getting her boxing journey started.
It seems that everyone is getting into boxing these days. Logan and Jake Paul have made the transition over to the squared circle fairly well. Their presence there isn’t without its criticism though. Much of their exposure and notoriety comes from the fact that they’re social media personalities. But not everyone entering boxing is created equal.
Powerlifter Stefi Cohen has made the leap over to boxing herself, but she’s doing things the old fashioned way. Rather than face off against another powerlifter, Stefi has chosen to fight other women boxers with some experience and boxing knowledge under their belt.
At a recent boxing event in the Dominican Republic, Mundo Boxing’s “Night of Knockouts”, Stefi made her pro boxing debut. Stefi has decided to forgo amateur boxing and get right into the nitty gritty. She faced off with an experienced boxer in Haydee Zapa who had a 4-3 record heading into their contest.
A Successful Debut
Stefi Cohen would prove that she belongs in the ring.
After three rounds of battle, Stefi Cohen would close the show with a wild flurry of punches, bringing her opponent down and forcing her corner to throw in the towel. Below you can see how the end unfolded.
Stefi Cohen will next do battle in the undercard of Hafthor Bjornsson vs Eddie Hall. There she will face off against undefeated boxer Avril Mathie who holds a 5-0-1 record.
Stefi Cohen will have her work cut out for her in this match. The confidence of an undefeated fighter with six bouts under their belt cannot be underestimated. If Stefi isn’t prepared she could face some serious consequences against Mathie. That said, it’s great to see that Stefi is taking her boxing journey seriously and doing things the right what.
Will you be tuning in to see Stefi Cohen fight on the Hafthor Bjornsson vs Eddie Hall undercard?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.