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: