The atmosphere and energy surrounding The Cage hosted by Animal Pak at the 2019 Arnold Sports Festival was absolutely ecstatic as Stefi Cohen made her appearance.
Cohen, a seasoned veteran to The Cage, was doing an exhibition for her squats. If you recall, last year Cohen performed deadlifts in The Cage and pulled an absolutely massive PR with 247kg/545 lbs. So needless to say, the fans and strength athletes that surrounded the cage had absolutely no doubt that they’d be witnessing something special once again.
As Cohen breezed through her warm-ups, she was assisted by Hybrid Performance Coaches Alex Uslar and Marcus Leoni. One, two, and three plates all moved very quickly. As Uslar helped Cohen with her knee wraps, with 405 lbs loaded and ready on the bar, you could even see her mouth, “That was easy.”
With over four plates on the bar, the fans roared for Cohen, shaking the cage in encouragement. After smoking a 206kg/455 lb squat, Cohen called for the legendary 5-plate milestone, aka 225kg/495 lbs.
This weight would not only serve as a 45 lb personal PR for Cohen, but it also unofficially tops the current 123 lb weight class all-time squat (with & without wraps) world record currently held by powerlifting legend Marianna Gasparyan. For just a moment, the crowd fell silent as Uslar wrapped Cohen’s knees, but then erupted with cheers as she stood. The Animal Pak athletes shook the cage walls in excitement for one of the The Cage’s most anticipated lifts .
Check out the epic squat PR and unofficial world record below!
After watching Cohen hit a massive squat PR in The Cage, you have to wonder, what will she do in competition as the year progresses? Will Cohen officially take down Gasparyan’s all-time squat (with & without wraps) world record by the end of 2019? Time will tell!
Feature image from @hayden.bowe Instagram page.
