Powerlifter Stefanie Cohen in Two-Piece Workout Gear Shares "Key Rule"

Stefanie Cohen, a world-record-holding powerlifter, knows the importance of balancing intense workouts with proper rest. Recently on Instagram, Cohen emphasized that rest between sets is just as crucial as the reps you’re doing. "The more intense or heavier the set, the longer your rest should be," she explained. Beyond powerlifting, Cohen is also a professional boxer and incorporates a strict strength training routine, focusing on core work and sticking to a consistent set of exercises for maximum results. She stresses the importance of repetition and progression in her training to achieve muscle growth and strength, sharing that sticking to a monotonous routine helps quantify progress and see real results.

1. She Rests Between Sets

As you can see from her Instagram post’s caption, Cohen makes sure to rest between different exercise sets. She also says that her rest time is dependent on the workouts she’s doing. “One key rule? The more intense or heavier the set, the longer your rest should be so you can continue matching the intensity for all of your working sets.”

2. She Strength Trains

Stefanie Cohen/Instagram

In her Instagram video, Cohen is seen doing strength training exercises like tricep pushdowns. Strength training has a lot of benefits. ACE Fitness states, “Strength training with heavy weights improves muscle definition. Muscle definition occurs as the result of muscles remaining in a state of semi-contraction and heavy strength training recruits the larger type II muscle fibers responsible for a muscle’s appearance.”

3. She Boxes

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In addition to being a powerlifter, Cohen is also a professional boxer. She shared this video on Instagram of herself fighting in the ring. Cohen captioned the post, “I started boxing because I felt weak. Not physically- I am the strongest lb for lb on the planet. But I was weak of spirit. Thanks to boxing, that’s changed 🖤”

4. She Sticks To A Set Of Exercises

When it comes to working out, Cohen believes in sticking to her favorite exercises. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “If you ask any of the greats you’ll realize that one of the main things all their training programs have in common is little exercise variation, and a very short list of exercises on rotation. Why? Because it works. Muscle growth and strength comes from repetition and logical weight progression. The better you get at a movement, the better you get at recruiting specific muscles and thus, the more weight you can add to an exercise, the more reps and set you can do. So instead of randomly changing your workouts daily, stick to a more monotonous routine and you’ll be able to better quantify progress and see results.”

5. She Works Her Core

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Cohen makes sure to work her core muscles. She shared her tips for doing so in the caption of this Instagram video. “The ‘core’ is more than the muscles you show off at the beach, it’s the foundation of your body. It is also often overlooked by iron athletes due to the misconception that the squat, bench, deadlift, press already involve the core therefore they think there is no need for extra exercises. Beside the ‘abs’ the core involves the diaphragm, transverse abdominis, multifidus, pelvic floor, erectors and rectus abdominis. That’s why doing crunches alone isn’t going to cut it. Some of the benefits of having a stronger/resilient core include lower recurrence of low back injuries, improved running efficiency and weight lifting due to minimizing the leakage of power from the trunk and better transfer of power to the extremities, and finally improved balance, coordination and body awareness. By spending just a few minutes a day doing a core routine designated to target each of these muscles you can improve your performance as well as reduce your injury risk.”

Katie Crewe is sharing a core workout – in her two-piece workout gear. In a new social media post, the trainer shows off her amazing body in a belly-baring set. “How many months or years did you start working out postpartum? I’ve been thinking of sharing a week of 10 min and under daily workouts that are appropriate for postpartum. Drop me a ⭐️ if this would be helpful for you! If you can fit in 20 minutes, or 10 min twice a day, give this a go!” she captioned the Instagram video. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. Focus on Building Strength

“My whole view on training and relationship with myself changed when I stopped trying to use my workouts as a way to get smaller and started trying to be more powerful. Your workouts shouldn’t be a way to punish yourself or to “earn” food. Your workout isn’t more successful because you burned the most calories possible. Lift weights to be stronger and more powerful, to feel more confident, and to make your everyday life easier. Lift weights so elderly you thanks you for the strong bones and increased capabilities. It’s a tough but extremely empowering mindset shift that I’m so grateful I made,” Katie wrote in a post.

2. Do a Warm Up Set

Katie recently shared “tips for when you’re short on time but don’t want to compromise on your workout.” One of them is not skipping workouts. “Last time I posted about warm-ups, a surprising number of people said that they do a dynamic warm-up but no warm-up sets (maybe it was only surprising to me). Let me know below what your warm-ups usually look like (please, for research :p),” she says. “If you’re short on time I’d still recommend doing some warm-up sets. I cut down on some of my dynamic warm-up but not much on my warm-up sets because I really need these to acclimate to the weight and feel prepared.”

3. Agonist-Antagonist Paired Sets

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She also recommends agonist-antagonist paired sets. “This is the one I will use most frequently when trying to save time. Pairing opposite muscle groups (e.g. hamstring curls and quad extensions) allows one to rest while you’re performing the other exercise. I still usually rest in between but 30 sec-1 min vs 90 sec-2 min. As long as you’re not still puffing from your last set, your strength shouldn’t be compromised,” she wrote.

4. Always Do Something

“The most important tip is that going and doing something, even if it’s 1/3 of what you planned for, is still benefiting you. You still moved your body, it helped you maintain the habit, and it helps get you out of an ‘all or nothing’ mentality when it comes to working out – which can really work against you in the long run,” she added.

5. Her Core Workout

Here is Katie’s full core workout:

🔺360 degree breathing - 2 min

🔺Pull-in pulses - 3x10 pulses, 3 times per set

🔺Side plank pull-ins - 3x10-15

🔺Heel drops - 3x16

🔺Glute bridges with adductor squeeze - 3x15

🔺Bear hovers - 3x10-15

🔺Kneeling to tall kneeling - 3x10-15

Chloe Lansing is bench pressing in her two-piece workout gear. In a new social media post the powerlifter shows off her amazing body and strength while lifting heavy weights at the gym. “Easy secondary bench day was…easy,” she captioned the Instagram Stories video. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. Consistency

Chloe Lansing/Instagram

“Consistency over a long time is your best friend in powerlifting. New lifters need this reminder,” Chloe says in a post. “I remember when I began competing & I placed other competitors on a pedestal. I was amazed at the numbers they were putting up, but what I didn’t grasp then was the years & sacrifices they had already put into the sport. Many of those women have since left powerlifting & the numbers they hit have been beat. Some of you know me because of my current status, but this has taken nearly a decade of consistent work. Instagram wasn’t what it is now when I first started & in hindsight, I realize that was a blessing. It’s so easy to scroll & see people hitting numbers you can’t currently fathom getting under. And there’s the key word. ✨Currently✨. Some of your goals may feel unrealistic *right now*, but if you continue to put in the time & work, you’re unstoppable.”

2. Correct Form

Chloe Lansing/Instagram

Chloe stresses the importance of having correct form while lifting. “Beginners, I’m (mostly) looking at you 👀You should be intentionally setting up from your feet all the way to your hands or else you’re probably leaving pounds off your total. This isn’t a comfortable position to be in, but it’s powerful when done right,” she writes in a post.

3. Squat Bar Position Is Also Important

In a “Squat glow up,” video, Chloe demonstrates the perfect squat. “237lb competition squat ➡️ repping 225lb,” she writes in the caption. “Edit: apparently it’s not common sense that not everyone’s high bar & low bar will look the same. Lifters are individuals, you can not force a certain bar position. This particular athlete has the bar as high as she can comfortably hold atm & as a stranger, you don’t know the athlete’s limitations.”

4. Don’t Manipulate Your Arch

Another piece of advice Chloe has? “I’ve noticed this trend with newer lifters (& yes, this was once me as well).You are focusing on the minutia when you try to hack your way to a bigger bench by overly manipulating your arch. A bigger arch doesn’t necessarily 🟰 a bigger bench,” she writes. “Your time is better spent doing the following,” she continues, listing the following:

• ingraining a position on bench that feels stable & strong for your body
• pushing accessories that will help your bench
• putting on size

5. Hire a Coach

Chloe, who has been coaching for one year, stresses the importance of working with a professional. “You are likely leaving pounds on the table if you only hire a coach for the duration of a meet prep. ‘Off season’ is where you build the foundation for meet prep. The longer you work with a competent coach, the more data they have on what works for you,” she writes. “Your coach can give you the best program, but it’s meaningless unless you execute it & control your outside variables. Your coach isn’t responsible for your lack of nutrition or sleep, etc.” she continues. She suggests “carefully” considering who you hire. “Don’t be afraid to ‘interview’ multiple coaches when looking. Your coach should have *considerable experience* in the sport &/or education.”

Amanda Lawrence, a powerhouse in the powerlifting world, keeps her followers motivated with intense training updates on Instagram. Recently, she posted videos of herself bench pressing and deadlifting, captioned, “Happy Saturday! We still out here training hard 💪🏼 12 weeks until @sbdsheffield 👀.” With her unwavering commitment, Lawrence demonstrates the grit and preparation required for competitive lifting.

1. She Lifts Weights

Weightlifting is the main way Lawrence stays in shape. ACE Fitness states that lifting weights has a lot of benefits. “Lifting heavy weights elevates levels of anabolic hormones—specifically testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)—which are used to repair muscle fibers damaged during exercise. This helps the muscle fibers to become thicker and capable of generating higher levels of force.”

2. She Does Squats

Lawrence is seen doing squats in this Instagram video. Squats are a great exercise to do. Allina Health reports, “The squat is one of the all-around best exercises to do for your lower body. It strengthens and tones muscles in your thighs, butt and calves and improves posture, balance, flexibility and inner core strength. Squatting also improves bone mineral density to keep your bones strong.”

3. She Works With A Coach

Lawrence shared her training secrets with Muscle & Fitness. She says that she works with a coach to help her train correctly. “I was training with straps all the time and with non-calibrated plates, on incorrect bench heights. It made things hard when you actually had to train on standard equipment on game day. I had a lot of changes I wanted to make from the Grand Prix in March of this year to Worlds. I hired a new coach, Joey Flexx, and he changed everything for me. I purchased calibrated plates, got a rack and everything, and started training on the correct equipment. Now, I have a different perspective on what I can improve upon.”

4. She Eats A Lot Of Protein

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Lawrence shared her typical diet with Muscle & Fitness. She says that she eats a lot of protein. “I eat the same things a lot, over and over. That’s just what works for me. I like a high protein diet—at least one gram per pound of body weight—because you need that just to perform and fuel. I go a little bit lower carbs, but make sure I get enough to fuel my performance. I follow a Renaissance Periodization diet, and they have an app you can use to track macronutrients in a plan that’s customized to your goals. It has set food choices that you can pick from. For example, if you need to get 30 grams of protein in and you want to eat specific foods, the app will tell you exactly how much to eat of specific foods to hit the nutritional value of 30 grams, or whatever fits your needs.”

5. She Protects Her Muscles

Lawrence makes sure to protect her muscles from injury. She shared how she does so with Muscle & Fitness. “I know my body’s limits, and I’ll purposefully not go through with a rep if something feels funny. Of course, I always have spotters, but knowing my limits has allowed me to continually push weight faster than others without getting injured. Before a lift, I’ll stretch a lot, use rollers, and do hip circles to loosen up my hips for both squats and deadlifts. I don’t do a ton of post-lift stretching, but I use recovery creams and make sure to eat a healthy diet. When it comes down to it, if you’re going to get injured, you’re going to get injured. There’s no way to prevent it, but just don’t be stupid and know when to stop.”