Strength and conditioning by Cody Lefever.
"But Mike!" says the natty zealots, who in the next breath say that high volume only works for enhanced lifters. Guess the same isn't true for their prime example. Ten-minute abs used to be popular among the general population. It fell out of popularity when people realized it was only a marketing scheme. Defined abs, it turned out, requires more. This same marketing tactic has been dusted off and…
Fresco in the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella showing Saint Dominic with a discipline in his hand, kneeling before a crucifix. In the gym, some treat the barbell as a whip while their eyes are fixed on an icon looking down on them from behind a glass screen rather than plaster. The words we use matter. When we speak, we tell others who we are. Words communicate our perception of the world and…
For seven years, I've been tinkering with a novel framework. At last, I've published General Gainz. You can purchase it on Amazon in either eBook or Paperback by following this link . Thank you for your support, trust, and encouragement all these years. I wouldn't be where I am without all of my readers and those of you using my training programs in the gym. If it weren't for your efforts, I…
Originally posted on my Substack , where all new content is moving. Please like, share, and subscribe! Optimization is trending. In the name of efficiency, the unnecessary is pruned, leaving only what is needed. Later, when the tree has died, the unskilled arborist learns their mistakes. The same happens in the gym. When the fruit is poor results, suboptimal training is the assumed problem. Doing…
Buy P-Zero here! Originally posted on my Substack , the new home of Swole at Every Height. Please subscribe there to catch all new content. Paid subscribers receive early access and chat support. Born from years of feedback on the GZCL Method and its many evolutions, P-Zero refines and expands that legacy into a flexible training framework. Whether you're a novice or have decades under the bar,…
The act of weight training is governed by a multitude of factors. Of great importance is the biological factor: our physical response to training. Within this factor are multitudes of smaller factors, each contributing to the goal of getting bigger and stronger. Understanding these small factors and knowing how to manipulate them is how we grow. So we are told by the science-based advocates in the…
P lease support free content by donating! PayPal: PayPal.Me Venmo: @CodyTheFever Introduction Over 2,000 days ago I started training without rest days. This means I am working out every day. Nearly all my workouts have been with weights. Few have been bodyweight only, such as when travelling and without gym access. Nearly all my workouts have been guided by my General Gainz training framework. Few…
On the 1,729th workout without a rest day I completed a personal record squat set of 185 pounds for 76 reps. This post describes the process I employed to achieve that set and many others along the way. I hope you find this post helpful so that you too can achieve rep max personal records in any lift of your choosing. Watch it now if you haven't seen it. One of my favorite movies is "The Edge.”…
Working out without rest days changed how I view training. At one point, my physical fitness was about being better at my job. At another point, it was simply about being better at lifting. Now, after 14 years of serious training, my training has become a way of life – instead of being a means to an end, it is the end. Because of this change in perspective I have grown to value my minimums more…
My 1,300 th workout without a rest day came and went. The workout was straightforward and demanding. It was: Hit a 1RM bench. I had been training for 300 pounds. I got it. Though this is 80 pounds less than my all-time best, it is more than I have benched in several years; for two reasons: injury and liking the press more. However, my bench is again heading in the right direction. After that, I…
This blog is a decade old. The name, Swole at Every Height, was not created to foreshadow the eventual opening of my new gym located in Alma, Colorado. However, that is how things fell into place – and I couldn’t be happier. Grand opening. Friends. Family. Fitness. Located at 10,361 feet elevation, Alma’s Gym is two hours outside of Denver, high in the Rocky Mountains. The town of Alma is the…
"By my calculations, you're not lifting optimally." I encounter with increasing frequency the attitude that “less is more” when it comes to physical training. This sentiment about physicality seems to originate from two sources: time management and risk mitigation. Those with this conception of training figure backwards from their goal, but in doing so are unable to observe the process that will…
Intro For nearly three years I have trained every day without a rest day. During this period, I used General Gainz to construct and guide my progression. At various points in the previous 1,000+ days I have had different goals. At one point that was improving my heavier T1 rep maxes on chosen lifts, like the press and squat. For 2021 I focused on gaining size, or in two words: body building.…
Prologue I have surpassed 1,000 consecutive workouts without a rest day. I have become bigger and stronger. Was it difficult? Some days, yes. But for the most part, it was enjoyable and deeply gratifying. “You are so disciplined,” some said. “It is because you’re a Marine,” said others. “I wish I had your motivation and discipline,” said still more. I assure you, it was not motivation, and…
A Guest Post About Training Without Rest Days. FOREWORD My client Ben has been training without rest days for over a year and has seen noteworthy improvements to his strength, stamina, and muscularity. What follows is his review of my coaching, methods, and his results. He produced what I consider to be one of the best personal insights about physical training on the internet. This post is…
“So when you attain the power of the way, it becomes easy to handle.” – Miyamoto Musashi. The Book of Five Rings. Few understand what it takes to fight and win. Fewer understand that our first win is versus ourselves; an internal fight precedes the external. Victory inside births glory outside. Achievement comes after the long internal march, where steps themselves become a battle against the…
Monotony sinks. Withers as workouts continue. Erodes as endurance fails. Sweat rusting will, doubt drowning spirit. Initially, the never-ending ocean seems all consuming, but its crashing waves reward. The first is learning how to swim. Children survive after being thrown into water by their parents. Forced to learn how to swim by both nature and nurture. Do mother and father standby and watch…
I have been lifting weights for over a decade. Let’s assume the average was four times per week, however five times would be fair. I am dedicated to the hobby. More now than in years past. Changes in focus brought about greater appreciation for the physicality I deeply enjoy. Early on it was only to be a stronger, better Marine. Later growing into powerlifting competitions. Recently, my approach…
Summary Reflection: To see if I can. Because I must. Two phrases I have said repeatedly since starting to lift without a rest day over six months ago. Thankfully friends and family understand who I am; how I am . Not that further justification has been denied to them. Rather, they know the value I hold in such phrases. Our words say a lot and amount to more than we could ever imagine. I told…
The story of my first dedicated bulk requires grit because hurting is the first step to bulking. A time machine brings us back to my early days of training… Then a motivated young Corporal newly promoted, meritoriously. The board was not a phony “paper” one where they simply review our records. No, this was a full Marine Corps review: Junk on the bunk and wall locker inspection, close order drill,…
The last one hundred days have gone by fast. Life moves quickly. At times so fast we can hardly keep up. In these periodic maelstroms our will can be washed away; quitting is easy in the chaos. The storm exists when we are surrounded by things: big and small, real or imagined, tangible, abstract and ethereal. Something petty or vain and seemingly insignificant as a single workout can then be…
This was a few years after I got really into lifting, around late 2010 to early 2011. At this point I was one enlistment in the US Marines and had reenlisted with a lateral move into a new job field. By request, for what you’ll soon understand as obvious reasons. I no longer wanted to hold the primary Military Occupational Specialty 0311 Infantry Rifleman. It was a great time being a grunt, don’t…
Preface: This post discusses relatable benefits of my past experience to training as an adult today. Whether this adds pounds to the bar or builds a more resilient head space the goal is to make risk taking produce advancement, not derailment. Risk taking should be measured and considered within reason. Besides advancement, risk is a large component of ‘fun’ in the gym, at least for me. So, bear…
Years ago while at sea I was chatting with a fellow Marine. He was a senior staff noncommissioned officer, or SNCO, but I cannot recall if it was the gunny or sergeant major as I had great conversations with each. The topic of discussion was waste in the US military. One imagines $10,000 bullet-proof hammers. Our conversation was about other kinds of waste though, that which is deemed acceptable,…
Summary: About 7,550 words legitimizing fuckarounditis. Estimated 30 minute read time. Listen to the narration on YouTube here . Some may call it hazing, but we just called it training. A dozen years ago I was a young Marine newly assigned to the Security Forces Company at the submarine base in Bangor, Washington. The duty wasn’t much. Stand post. Endure boredom and long hours on your feet, or…