Stephi Cohen doesn’t have to be introduced among serious powerlifters. Since becoming a professional, the legend of strength has set more than 25 world records. This includes CV, the first person in history to break three records on the same day and deadlift 4.4 times his weight.
Still, that doesn’t mean that Cohen is immune to some of the more common Jim’s struggles that afflict just humans trying to stay healthy. For example, when moving from powerlifting to competitive boxing, she admits that she had problems with basic conditioning exercises such as jumping and running. However, unlike most people, Cohen was in her unique position to solve these problems, taking advantage of her extensive experience as a physiotherapy doctor.
She is currently undefeated in her boxing career and is working with other elite athletes to help her overcome common training-related pains as part of her “Hybrid Performance Method” training program. Before starting a new routine, she asks one simple question. “Will this help me or get me back?” After years of trial and error at the gym, she got many good answers to that question. .. And thank us and she was happy to share them.
Part of this interview has been edited and summarized for clarity.
What made you start strength training at such an elite level?
Fitness has always been a part of my life. I started playing soccer at the age of eight and always had an ambitious goal. For me, being in the best possible condition was a prerequisite for the bigger goal I had. Strength was something I found long after my life, and even if I created a national team in Venezuela, it wasn’t progressing. We trained in the dirt field, but the strength was actually something I wasn’t good at. That’s what made me crazy about it. It was the area of fitness that I was most lacking.
What was the biggest mistake you made as a beginner?
The main mistake I made was that I was impatient during the trip. When you start lifting, you benefit from those beginners. You are excited and have a great training session. Many people want to go into this PR mode and set a record for each workout. Not only was it unrealistic, it turned out not to be a very effective way to attack training. The real key is not how fast you can get stronger, but how long you can avoid getting hurt. That approach ultimately helped me. I noticed it later in my career, but it was too late because I was already injured.
Courtesy of Hybrid Performance Method Co., Ltd.
How do you advise people not to make the same mistakes?
What I thought worked was that I set smaller goals and started shaving them over a longer period of time. This gave my body the time needed to adapt to the demands I had placed on it. Those small goals allowed me to approach the big ones.
Once you have identified these small goals, what is the balance between staying consistent and setting new challenges?
It really reminds me of another mistake I made. It worked once, so I thought it would work again. It actually ignores the effect of time on your body. Every year, you are one year older, and that’s important. It’s another year of exhaustion that your body has experienced and another year of work that you need to recover.
I looked up the old journals and tried repeating those blocks to the weights, but it didn’t work. One of my friends who set a world record tried to duplicate a program he had done in the past, and he continued to be hurt. As you grow older, your body needs more tenderness and time to recover.
Do most people need to focus on warming up if they don’t have enough time?
I think warming up is important for everyone, regardless of their level of sport or training. The method of warming up varies from person to person. To increase muscle strength, it is important to increase your heart rate and body temperature. How you do that is up to you. It could be a skipping rope, a treadmill, or a skipping rope. The important thing is that your heart rate goes up and your body is warm before the set arrives.
How do people suggest getting ready for the workset?
They should take their time as they enter under the bar. Make sure you are dialing your technique and know the approach you are taking. Give each person importance and pay worthy respect. Then the top lift or top set is ready.
As the person who set numerous world records, what is your dependable supportive movement to help people grow stronger in squats, bench presses and deadlifts?
For squats, lunge and Bulgarian split squats are the best choice. For bench presses, we recommend shoulder presses and pull-ups. Yes, the pull-up is for the back, but having a large back with a strong fascia that can keep you tense makes the bench press more stable. Second, in the case of deadlift, doing a shortage deadlift and good morning works very well.
Courtesy of Hybrid Performance Method Co., Ltd.
You had to recover from an injury before, and you are also a physiotherapist. Is there anything people can do to improve the recovery and rehabilitation process and improve it faster?
I think working with the idea of speeding up the process is already the wrong approach. Everyone heals at different times and at different speeds. Everyone wants to have a clear diagnosis, treatment, and timeline, but we are humans and do not always work that way. As a therapist, we can tell you what we have seen from our experience, but each person’s experience with injury and recovery is slightly different. It makes no difference if you worry about running more or less or working faster. Working with someone you can trust and listening to that person and that person’s body will make the biggest difference.
What was the transition from such intense powerlifting training to boxing training?
It actually started during the blockade, and it was the perfect time for me to take my foot off the gas with powerlifting. I was the strongest I’ve ever had, but I was very ineligible in other aspects of my life. I couldn’t jump high or run fast and couldn’t move. So it was a great time to start something new. After making that decision, I stopped lifting altogether and started everything to improve my conditioning. I hired a coach and started boxing training once a week, then twice, then three times, and so on. I really had to work hard to improve the conditioning and drop the technique. As a reminder, I told myself at that time that I really didn’t intend to fight. Then I got into a fight and got hooked, and now it’s another of my obsessions.
Why do you think “taking your feet off the gas” is so important? People tend to think that taking a break “damages” their profits.
I hope the readers of this don’t offend, but to be honest, I don’t feel that many are training hard enough to justify it. If so, and if I mean to beat my body, maybe I’ll have two sessions a day, do my best every time for sports or something serious to them, or slow down. It is important to change the focus. After competing, or whatever it is, if you take two days off and get it back, you’ll burn out, get injured, and eventually don’t like it anymore.
Many people find that dialing their nutrition is the most difficult part of getting fit. What advice do you need to help people stay consistent?
I’ve been doing this for so long that it seems to me a second nature and I know how I feel if I have a particular food. After sticking for a while, many will feel the same. What I’ve found is that the priority is to choose foods that are useful for performance. Sometimes I don’t have desserts or burgers, but I think about how they can help and choose what to eat. When I sit down and eat, I literally ask myself, “Does this improve me or help me suffer?” That helps me keep it simple. Some readers of this may find it useful.
Courtesy of Hybrid Performance Method Co., Ltd.
Many beginners are trying to find a way to stay motivated when they have days to eat what they like or skip the gym. What can you share that helps them stay consistent when such a day comes?
I believe it is an expectation of how fitness should feel. They think it should be fun or you should do things just for joy and fun. In reality, training is not one of those things for many. Life, stress, and responsibility occur, and sometimes, or most of the time, you don’t want to do it.
For me, I remember that the mundane things I have to do accumulate over time. I learned how to turn to autopilot, and I can just get the job done. When I go to the gym, I’m not sad or angry. I am neither happy nor excited. It has no emotions, I go to do it. It will develop over time for many who continue to push forward.
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