elitefts LIVE with Swede Burns: Q&A on 5th Set, Training for Powerlifting, and More
elitefts LIVE with Swede Burns: Q&A on 5th Set, Training for Powerli...
  Join Sam Brown as we sit down with Swede Burns of 5thSet fame to talk training, life, and more! This elitefts Livestream was originally broadcast on March 16, 2021.
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More recently, as a result of various social media platforms, some things seem to have gained popularity because one or two highly esteemed lifters or coaches with powerful spheres of influence begin to do them.
Optimizing My Travel Training Efficiency
Optimizing My Travel Training Efficiency
With this training-while-traveling program, keep in mind I’ve been in 6 cities in 5 different states in the last 5 weekends and on the road for 20 of the last 35 days. My needs and resources in terms of time, help, equipment, recovery, and a host of other factors may vary from yours.
Instagramification
Instagramification
Try to keep an open mind when trying a new, proactive approach to anything, even if it doesn’t quite feel right at first — whether it be your job, social media, or a new program. Just because it doesn’t feel good right away doesn’t mean it won’t later on.
Training for Strongman in a Commercial Gym
Training for Strongman in a Commercial Gym
Most strongman competitors I work with don’t have a strongman gym nearby — but they do have a commercial gym. This 4-week program will help just about anyone in that all-too-common situation.
Meet Report: 5thSet at the Kern US Open
Meet Report: 5thSet at the Kern US Open
Now that I had the trip paid for thanks to a seminar event, I could focus on helping my lifters at the US Kern Open: the reason I’d flown all the way from the East Coast to begin with.
Training and Competition
Training and Competition
It is crucial to delineate these training and competition as separate but mutually impactful things. I’d wager that the majority of lifters who had a bad meet were doing a whole bunch of competition in training, leading up to the actual competition.
How I Trained for a 600-Pound Bench
How I Trained for a 600-Pound Bench
I’d been using the same blueprint that goes to 500 to get me to 585, and that’s where I went wrong. I had to analyze everything in order to customize a new plan to break that 600-pound barrier. This is how I did that.
Your First Meet Cycle — How to Lay the Program's Foundation
Your First Meet Cycle — How to Lay the Program's Foundation
Don’t be the newbie lifter who falls into the tiger pit traps during your training cycle. That’ll only hurt you in the long run — or at least in those first competitions. Don’t be afraid to start training too light and save your attempts for the platform. Not enough advice? I’ve got six other tips, so read on…
Powerlifting Meet Manual (with Formula for Selecting Attempts)
Powerlifting Meet Manual (with Formula for Selecting Attempts)
For those of you who’ve never done a meet, save this, and read it again before your first. And for those of you who just can’t finesse attempt selection, here’s a formula I developed to make attempt selection as close to fool-proof as it’ll get.
CBD for Lifters — My Experience
CBD for Lifters — My Experience
I’m almost scared to type this, but both my hip and spine are functioning at…
How Not to Suck as a Training Partner
How Not to Suck as a Training Partner
Having the right crew or partner to rely on, and to train with, can make or break a lifter. It’s one of the most sought-after and difficult-to-find things for competitors and hobby lifters alike.
The 5thSet Black Meet and Women's Pro Am Weekend: Back-to-Back Wins
The 5thSet Black Meet and Women's Pro Am Weekend: Back-to-Back Wins
After the inaugural 5th Set Black Meet on Saturday, I drove all night to Cincinnati for the Women’s Pro Am. My motivation for a weekend short on rest and long on PRs can be summed up in a single sentence: I love powerlifting.
Training Terminology
Training Terminology
Trying to understand programming without knowing the terminology is similar to navigating a country without knowing the language: you can do it, but it won’t be easy.
5thSet Trial and Error — The Failed Experiments
5thSet Trial and Error — The Failed Experiments
Are you thinking about adding a second AMRAP to the program? What about extending the Very High Rep Protocol to squats and deadlifts? If you’re thinking of it, I’ve probably already thought of it.
Sequencing Assistance Work
Sequencing Assistance Work
How and when should you perform assistance exercises? What protocols are used for assistance work? Should exercises be changed or rotated? What about bands, chains, and specialty bars?
What Inspires You?
What Inspires You?
The world records, the surgeries, the comebacks, the nights alone in motels, the tears, the blood, and everything in between needs to have a purpose. This is what I want to leave.
WATCH: Table Talk with Swede Burns and JP Carroll — Bodybuilding and Powerlifting Carryover
WATCH: Table Talk with Swede Burns and JP Carroll — Bodybuilding and Pow...
Despite many similarities and differences between bodybuilding and powerlifting, there’s one key aspect of bodybuilding that powerlifters need most.
WATCH: Table Talk with Swede Burns and JP Carroll — Why an Advanced Powerlifter Needs a Coach
WATCH: Table Talk with Swede Burns and JP Carroll — Why an Advanced Powe...
Even the strongest lifters in the world can’t figure everything out themselves.
30-Pound Total PR at 2017 UPA Iron Battle on the Mississippi
30-Pound Total PR at 2017 UPA Iron Battle on the Mississippi
Some days you go yard and sometimes the pitcher gets you reaching. You take what you can get and learn from your time in the batter’s box.
WATCH: Table Talk with Swede Burns and JP Carroll — Keeping Good Form Through Every Rep
WATCH: Table Talk with Swede Burns and JP Carroll — Keeping Good Form Th...
Learning proper lifting technique may be a challenge, but being able to recreate it rep after rep is even more difficult.
Keep Me Accountable
Keep Me Accountable
Use these tools to hold yourself accountable. My hope is that you can use these ideas to take the helm of your own affairs in training, business, and your personal life.
WATCH: Table Talk with Swede Burns and JP Carroll — Sequencing Assistance Work
WATCH: Table Talk with Swede Burns and JP Carroll — Sequencing Assistanc...
Would it be wise to follow the same percentage for a given workout for both the main lift and the assistance work? Or should the assistance work be planned differently?
Training Advice Worth Repeating
Training Advice Worth Repeating
If I could go back in time to when I first started in this industry, I’d force myself to follow these five rules of training. Those of you starting now should listen.
2017 XPC Finals — JP Carroll Secures 1st Place
2017 XPC Finals — JP Carroll Secures 1st Place
It’s about fucking time.
16 Week 5thSet/Conjugate Mash Up
16 Week 5thSet/Conjugate Mash Up
Rather than explain, in great detail, when and how I think it would make sense for you to do this, I’m simply going to recount how I did it while coming back from a pec injury.
A (Battle) Cry for Help
A (Battle) Cry for Help
Is it a bad decision to stop performing lifts that cause an axial load on the spine when the back is injured?
How to Wrap and Why — A Guide to Wrist and Knee Wraps
How to Wrap and Why — A Guide to Wrist and Knee Wraps
If you show up on day one of your wrapped training and start off in the strongest wraps on the market, things are probably not going to go as well as they could.
5 Keys to Fixing Your Hip
5 Keys to Fixing Your Hip
Three days before my heaviest deadlift of the meet training program and I couldn’t even bend down to grab the bar. Here are the techniques I used to mitigate my issues and make it to Boss of Bosses 3.
Wish They Could All Be California Meets
Wish They Could All Be California Meets
The whole point of the US Open was to show Tarra and instill some confidence in what I already knew: that she would still be able to perform well at a lighter bodyweight.
Are You Willing to Be Wrong?
Are You Willing to Be Wrong?
I was unwilling, to my core, to be corrected. I would rather get hurt than admit I was wrong. And I did, many times. Once that character defect changed, so did everything else.
WATCH: Tarra Oravec Joins Team Elitefts
WATCH: Tarra Oravec Joins Team Elitefts
If Tarra never lifted more than her current best 1200-pound raw total at 181, she would still be one of the greatest. The scary thing? She’s just starting.
The Obstacles You'll Face Becoming A Great Powerlifter
The Obstacles You'll Face Becoming A Great Powerlifter
You can be the best in the world or a complete beginner — you’re going to deal with many of the same challenges either way.
elitefts Welcomes Newest Team Member — Tarra Oravec
elitefts Welcomes Newest Team Member — Tarra Oravec
"Today probably comes in top 5 for one of the best days of my life."
WATCH: Table Talk — Do Some Training Programs Only Work If You Take Steroids?
WATCH: Table Talk — Do Some Training Programs Only Work If You Take Ster...
I hear lifters say this shit all the time. It’s ludicrous.
Beyond the Barbell
Beyond the Barbell
For most powerlifters, exercise begins and ends with the barbell. What if I told you there were ways to get better without it?
An Unconventional Motive for Muscularity
An Unconventional Motive for Muscularity
There are a whole shitload of really good reasons you should get as jacked as you possibly can.
Training Solo vs With A Team (or Partner)
Training Solo vs With A Team (or Partner)
There are benefits to having a crew and there are benefits to relying on only yourself. Which are most important for you?
Fixing Your 'Fail at the Chest' Bench Press
Fixing Your 'Fail at the Chest' Bench Press
For correcting weaknesses in a given portion of a lift, you need to use what I call Mechanically Similar Movements.
Getting the Most Out of Online Coaching
Getting the Most Out of Online Coaching
There are obstacles to overcome for effective online coaching. If you’ve considered working with a coach from a distance, here are the things you’ll need to do for an optimal working relationship.
PowerNorth.ca Podcast: Episode 2 with Swede Burns
PowerNorth.ca Podcast: Episode 2 with Swede Burns
Where did 5thSet come from? Why did he make it? How sexy is his beard?
0-1200 in 5 Sets
0-1200 in 5 Sets
Using sustainable methods, Tarra has been able to grow from wobbly softball player to unstoppable powerlifter. This is her story.
Mountain Dog Diet: Interview with Swede Burns
Mountain Dog Diet: Interview with Swede Burns
Get to know Swede Burns, as the teenager, bodybuilder, powerlifter, coach, author, and more...
How the Mighty Fall: Pride Comes First
How the Mighty Fall: Pride Comes First
Illness didn’t stop me from competing, and dropping 525 pounds on my chest didn’t stop me from finishing the meet. But later that night, I realized I was in more serious pain than it seemed at first.
Elitefts Welcomes Swede Burns as Newest Team Member and Columnist
Elitefts Welcomes Swede Burns as Newest Team Member and Columnist
After several months of regular contributions, the owner of Keyholl Barbell and author of '5th Set' has officially joined team elitefts.
Learning Things the Hard Way
Learning Things the Hard Way
Learning not to do stupid things will take you further in this sport than any training method.
5thSet: Swede’s Jedi Mind Trick
5thSet: Swede’s Jedi Mind Trick
You can expect a good program to make you stronger. What I didn’t expect was a program to overhaul my neural network and solve every training problem I encountered.
Mistakes 101: Schedule Inflexibility
Mistakes 101: Schedule Inflexibility
Part of being an adult is learning to prioritize; If training is important to you, you won’t have to tell anyone.

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