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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