Dr. Stefi Cohen — 25 World Records, Power Training, Deadlifting 4.4x Bodyweight, Sports Psychology, Overcoming Pain, and More (#491)
Illustration via 99designs[Visualize] a negative outcome. We don’t want to plan for it, but we need to prepare for it so we know how to react. Can you keep it together and try again, or will you crumble under pressure?
— Dr. Stefi Cohen
Stefi Cohen (@steficohen) is a 25x world-record-holding powerlifter and the first woman in the history of the sport to deadlift 4.4x her body weight. She is a doctor of physical therapy, author, co-host of the Hybrid Unlimited podcast, and business owner passionately educating people with her NO BS, evidence-based view on all things training and nutrition.
Stefi is the co-owner of Hybrid Performance Method, where hundreds of thousands of strength seekers go monthly to find progressive strength training and nutrition programs plus tons of free articles and videos. Stefi is a creative mind and loves collaborating with the Hybrid team and partners to develop powerful content, inspired fashion, and both fitness and nutrition tools for a stronger life.
Stefi is also the co-author (with Ian Kaplan) of Back in Motion, now available for pre-order.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Brought to you by Tonal smart home gym, LMNT electrolyte supplement, and Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement. More on all three below.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify
[image error]Listen onOvercast
#491: Dr. Stefi Cohen — 25 World Records, Power Training, Deadlifting 4.4x Bodyweight, Sports Psychology, Overcoming Pain, and More
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/8e5d0e3b-56fa-4da7-bf1c-d53cb2d7c2a7.mp3Download
This episode is brought to you by Tonal! Tonal is the world’s most intelligent home gym and personal trainer. It is precision engineered and designed to be the world’s most advanced strength studio. Tonal uses breakthrough technology—like adaptive digital weights and A.I. learning—together with the best experts in resistance training so you get stronger, faster. Every program is personalized to your body using A.I., and smart features check your form in real time, just like a personal trainer.
Try Tonal, the world’s smartest home gym, for 30 days in your home, and if you don’t love it, you can return it for a full refund. Visit Tonal.com for $100 off their smart accessories when you use promo code TIM at checkout.
This episode is brought to you by LMNT! What is LMNT? It’s a delicious, sugar-free electrolyte drink-mix. I’ve stocked up on boxes and boxes of this and usually use it 1–2 times per day. LMNT is formulated to help anyone with their electrolyte needs and perfectly suited to folks following a keto, low-carb, or Paleo diet. If you are on a low-carb diet or fasting, electrolytes play a key role in relieving hunger, cramps, headaches, tiredness, and dizziness.
LMNT came up with a very special offer for you, my dear listeners. For a limited time, you can claim a free LMNT Sample Pack—you only cover the cost of shipping. For US customers, this means you can receive an 8-count sample pack for only $5. Simply go to DrinkLMNT.com/Tim to claim your free 8-count sample pack.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
Want to hear another episode with a world-class powerlifter? Listen to my conversation with Mark Bell in which we discuss exercises for the new and aspiring powerlifter, idiot-proofing the bench press, using the warmup as a diagnostic tool, why it’s sometimes dangerous to emulate techniques of top performers, and much more.
#252: Inside the World of SuperTraining – Mark Bellhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/647d8b72-9739-4310-bb9b-832215e77016.mp3Download
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Dr. Stefi Cohen:
Hybrid Performance Method | Hybrid Unlimited Podcast | YouTube | Instagram
Back In Motion by Stefanie Cohen and Ian KaplanCaracas, Venezuela, South America | Lonely Planet6 Things You Need to Know About Venezuela’s Political and Economic Crisis | The Washington Post66 Years Ago, Roger Bannister Became a Legend | Runner’s WorldStefi Cohen Just Broke 3 More Powerlifting World Records Like It Was No Big Deal | Men’s HealthThe Revenant | Prime VideoTribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Tim FerrissAnts Can Lift Up to 5,000 Times Their Own Body Weight | Entomological Society of AmericaHow to Deadlift: The Complete Guide | The Art of ManlinessSumo Versus Conventional Deadlift: Your Definitive Guide | BarBendUSA PowerliftingFamous Sayings: #26: ‘Hard Work Beats Talent…’ | Shmaltz and MenudoJesse DiCocco Pulls 475 Lbs. in the Trap Bar Deadlift | John AlvinoTrain to Failure in Weight Training | Verywell FitEverything You Should Know About the Bulgarian Method | Muscle & FitnessTop 10 Things to Know Before BUD/S | Military.comSacroiliitis Symptoms and Causes | Mayo ClinicEvidence-Based Medicine: A Science of Uncertainty and an Art of Probability | Journal of EthicsReplication Crisis | WikipediaMRI Findings of Disc Degeneration Are More Prevalent in Adults with Low Back Pain than in Asymptomatic Controls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | American Journal of NeuroradiologyFlexion vs. Extension Intolerant Back Pain | Ruthless PerformanceForces on Bone – Compression, Tension, and Shear | Bone and SpineLoad Tolerance: Reduce Your Risk of Injury | Never Too Old to LiftHealing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John E. SarnoKetamine: NMDA Receptors and Beyond | Journal of NeuroscienceTrunk Muscle Strength and Back Muscle Endurance in Construction Workers with and without Low Back Disorders | Journal of Rehabilitation Research and DevelopmentBack Extension Hold | Catalyst AthleticsA Defense of Round-Backed Deadlifting | MyosynthesisStable or Robust? What’s the Difference? | Santa Fe InstituteFunctional Movement SystemsGray Cook on the Turkish Get-Up | On Target PublicationsSingle-Leg Deadlift | CrossFitGray Cook: Chop and Lift Basics | On Target PublicationsMovement Variability: Connecting Strategies, Errors, and Interventions | SimpliFasterWhy Is General Physical Preparedness (GPP) Important for Long-Term Success? | BarBendThe McGill Big 3 For Core Stability | Squat UniversityHow I Dealt With Lower Back Injuries: 3 Drills I Used To Recover | Stefi Cohen5 Tips To Avoid Any Injury | Stefi CohenExercise-Induced Analgesia | Better MovementStefi Cohen’s Tips for Shattering Your Personal Records | Muscle & FitnessKern US OpenThe Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan HolidayWith Winning in Mind: The Mental Management System by Lanny BasshamExtreme Ownership (How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win) by Jocko Willink and Leif BabinMindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. DweckHenry Ford Quotes | The Henry FordThe Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth GodinThe Sunk Cost Fallacy Is Ruining Your Decisions. Here’s How | TimeThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. CoveyThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy FerrissShould You Go to Physical Therapy School? | Stefi Cohen
SHOW NOTES
What was Stefi’s childhood in Venezuela like, why did she eventually move to the United States, and how did she feel about it at the time? [08:38]Where did Stefi arrive when she first moved to the US? [14:04]As a 25x world-record-holding powerlifter and the first woman in the history of the sport to deadlift 4.4x her body weight, Stefi shares the details of these epic feats of strength. [15:01]Who is Ed Coan, and what does Stefi find most impressive about him? [18:05]What are the differences in how the deadlift is approached, and how does someone cross the chasm into being able to defy gravity with weight that physics might suggest is impossible? [22:12]If hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard, how much do genetics factor into the success of an aspiring powerlifting juggernaut? What might someone with average physical attributes do to improve their deadlifting potential? [25:54]What goes into a competition training split, and what a typical week of training looks like for Stefi. [35:13]How do rehab and prehab figure into Stefi’s training? What is the question we should really be asking? [38:58]What has Stefi done to recover from an injury that might differ from more common approaches, and what was the wake-up call that directed this course of action? [43:50]You always need to consider the sources of your research because, as Dr. William Osler famously said, “Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability.” [50:54]Because, as Stefi says, “pain isn’t a reliable sign of damage,” she lays out the problem with the question “What can we do to fix it?” and what we might ask instead. [54:07]Taking the first steps in trying to pinpoint what might be causing back pain and what form its relief might take. [57:52]My own experience with ketamine infusion and its effects on the pain from a long-term back injury, and Stefi’s thoughts on what may have transpired behind the scenes. [1:01:23]How someone might develop greater resilience to prevent injuries from happening in the first place or at least diminish their likelihood, and why the concept of “bad” versus “good” form is relative. [1:04:44]The benefits of adding certain exercises to our routine that extend our range of movement variability, and why Stefi believes it’s crucial to have a general physical preparedness (GPP) regimen if we’re training — especially in overspecialized sports like powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting, but really in any arena prone to repetitive motions, whether it’s playing tennis or sitting at a desk for hours every day. [1:12:02]While she stresses that there’s no such thing as a magical exercise, Stefi shares her thoughts on The McGill Big Three — bird dog, dead bug, and side plank — and why they’re particularly efficacious in decreasing back pain. [1:15:50]Stefi addresses the value of visualization — for positive and negative outcomes — and how she’s put this into practice. [1:19:27]What were the benefits Stefi gained by spending a year with a sports psychologist? [1:25:53]Books Stefi has gifted or recommended most. [1:29:21]Describing herself as someone who doesn’t really memorize well, how did Stefi manage to pull off a doctorate in physical therapy, and why did she choose not to follow through with taking the licensing exam? [1:31:26]In the realm of physical therapy, what is it about Greg Lehman’s approach that stands out for Stefi? [1:37:40]Winners never quit and quitters never win: false, in the life experience of Stefi Cohen. Bonus: what Stefi, in hindsight, wishes she hadn’t quit. [1:40:41]As someone who completed her doctorate while training to break 25 world records and simultaneously creating a successful business, how does Stefi approach time management — and how did she wrangle the complication of scoring less than 75 on a test at a school that kicked people out for such infractions? [1:47:31]Favorite failures that opened the door to unforeseen opportunities, and how pandemic and pain collaborated to nudge Stefi in the direction of a new sport. [1:57:04]Six things you should do for any injury [2:03:38]: Stop doing what hurts. [2:04:16]Don’t underestimate isometric exercises. [2:04:33]Increase aerobic activity. [2:04:48]Use pain to optimize your movement. [2:05:17]Turn off the pain alarm. [2:05:35]Understand that tissue adaptation takes time. [2:05:55]Parting thoughts. [2:06:30]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Matt VincentKelly StarrettJason SilvaHugo ChavezMaria PopovaRoger BannisterLeonardo DiCaprioEd CoanBarry RossCamilo GarciaMark BellSherlock HolmesWilliam OslerGoldilocksJohn E. SarnoKonstantīns KonstantinovsGray CookStuart McGillHayden BoweRyan HolidayJocko WillinkCarol DweckLanny BasshamHenry FordGreg LehmanSeth GodinAdee CazayouxIra FiebertKarim Aun
