The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

I sit down with Japanese ju-jutsu black belt Alex Kask to discuss the benefits, pitfalls and procedures for training in traditional systems and in modern BJJ at the same time.  Both Alex and I have extensive backgrounds in both approaches, although I've done more BJJ and he's done more classical jujutsu, aikido and hapkido.  I hope you find this an informative and entertaining chat! Also while I have your attention can I remind you to download the BJJ Master App for iOS and Android?  There are more than 500 minutes of free black belt instruction on that app.  You can grab it free at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp Good luck with your training, Stephan

This was a fascinating conversation with Nick Hiebert who has done a ton of research into the nutrient density of different foods.  In this talk we look at the all time greatest, most nutrient dense foods, the ketogenic diet, fats vs carbs vs proteins, and much more. Check out Nick's blog at https://thenutrivore.blogspot.com/ or follow him on Twitter @The_Nutrivore where he spends a ton of time debunking bad nutritional science https://twitter.com/The_Nutrivore And if you're on Twitter anyway why not follow me @stephankesting https://twitter.com/StephanKesting because I'm reasonably active on there and share cool stuff all the time Peace, Stephan

I think you'll like this one, because I share a fighting strategy that comes from Roberto Leitão, the godfather of Luta Livre who has trained fighters like Jose Aldo, Pedro Rizzo and Marco Ruas.   I also discuss times when you should use the exact opposite strategy to develop your game! Check out The Guard Retention Formula at https://www.grapplearts.com/guardretention.  It's an absolutely amazing instructional that will make your guard much, much, MUCH harder to pass or your money back! Cheers Stephan

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) can seem incredibly complicated when you're first exposed to it. In this episode I explain the positional hierarchy, the underlying logic, and the method behind the madness of what happens when two people are rolling on the ground.  I think this'll really help you and I hope you share it with your friends!   Download 'The Roadmap for BJJ' in PDF form for free at https://www.grapplearts.com/book And grab 'The Roadmap for BJJ App' for Apple and Android devices for free at https://www.grapplearts.com/roadmap Good luck with your training! Stephan Kesting

In this podcast I answer a question I received on an Instagram Live Q&A about a boxing beating jiu-jitsu in a real streetfight.  Then I go on an epic rant about the three specific things most BJJ guys need to do first to make their martial art streetworthy.  Follow me on Instagram (@stephan_kesting) and maybe a future podcast episode will be devoted to answering one of your questions! Also go to https://www.grapplearts.com/guardretention to find out more about the upcoming step-by-step formula for stopping your guard from getting passed.  I guarantee this instructional will completely change your jiu-jitsu And, as always, good luck with your training! Stephan

Mike McCastle has accomplished some of the most amazing tasks of endurance I've ever heard of. In this episode we go deep into developing mental strength, maintaining commitment in the face of adversity, and dealing with physical and emotional pain. This is an amazing episode and I hope you really like it!  Mike's feats of endurance are part of the 12 Labors Project and include  setting the world 24 hour pull-up record while wearing a 30 lb pack (5804 pull-ups), pulling an F150 pickup truck for 22 miles through Death Valley, climbing the height of Mount Everest (29,029 feet) by going up and down a 20-foot rope 1,450 times, flipping a 250 lb tire for 13 miles the day after he lost his father to Parkinson's disease, running 20 miles a day for 100 days straight, and more. Follow Mike on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mikemccastle/?hl=en or check out his website at http://www.twelvelaborsproject.com -----------------------------------   Grab my free downloadable guide to learning BJJ fast at https://www.g

Tristan Connelly, fresh off his absolutely amazing underdog win over Michel Pereira in the UFC, talks with Stephan Kesting on The Strenuous Life Podcast. We went into detail about mindset, strategy and training. I think you'll find this a great episode! Specific topics included, 00:14 A detailed breakdown of his fight with Michel Pereira, 07:00 Weight control for MMA Fighters, 09:23 What quitting fighting will look like, 11:10 On being a chronic trainer, 12:09 Developing fight strategies, 15:10 Taking a fight on short notice, 18:14 What he does for recovery after hard training, 19:46 What the average week of training looks like, 21:56 The factor that set off Tristan's winning streak, 24:07 The effect of your win to loss ratio on your MMA career, 25:00 How to figure out if MMA isn't for you, 29:25 Amateur mistakes Tristan made in pro fights, 37:02 Fighting MMA in Japan, 38:43 Why cornering guys is more stressful than fighting yourself, 41:40 Working as a motion capture model for the UFC game with Electronic Ar

Sparring is just as essential in the striking arts as it is in the grappling arts, but the addition of percussive trauma raises the stakes and makes safety the single most important consideration.  In this short episode I talk with Ritchie Yip from The Precision Kickboxing Masterclass (http://www.selfdefensetutorials.com/kickboxing) about sparring in boxing and kickboxing and his top tips for doing it safely! Enjoy your training, Stephan

"Survive first, win later" was one of the very first pieces of advice I ever received in jiu-jitsu. It helped me then and it still helps me now, both on and off the mat. I hope this mentality helps you too! And just a quick reminder that a rating or a review of the podcast is the easiest thing you can do to help out, so thank you for that in advance. Good luck with your training, Stephan Kesting

I talk with Chris Duffin, one of the most elite powerlifters in the world, about his absolutely inspiring journey from a childhood spent in poverty to becoming one of the strongest men on the planet. Learn what it's like to deadlift 1000 lbs and squat 900 lbs for reps! Some of the highlights of today's episode include Chris talking about overcoming an upbringing in complete poverty, powerlifting at the highest levels, struggling with addiction, the importance of escaping bad influences, dealing with with injuries, how less is more when it comes to achieving big goals, and much more. Follow Chris on Instagram at @mad_scientist_duffin and check out his training programs and unique training equipment at https://store.kabukistrength.net/ If you like today's chat with Chris Duffin please subscribe to The Strenuous Life Podcast so you don't miss any future episodes. And if you already subscribe then a rating or review would be super-appreciated because they really help! Thanks Stephan    

You can train super hard and kick the crap out of your body but that doesn't make you stronger - it's only after you RECOVER from training that the benefits of training manifest themselves.  Too many athletes focus entirely on the training component and neglect recovery, but ultimately you need to be as focussed and diligent on your recovery, recuperation and rehabilitation as you are on what you're doing in the gym! If you haven't done so already, check out the brand new instructional I just released with Rob Biernacki called 'The Submission Formula'.  It's a conceptually based, scientific, and step-by-step approach to catching more people in submissions and then finishing them, even if they're much bigger and stronger than you.  More info at https://www.grapplearts.com/submissionformula Good luck with your training and choke someone out for me! Stephan

How to get more chokes, armlocks and leglocks in BJJ with Rob Biernacki.  We break down a 6 step submission formula that will allow you to hit more submissions on good people, even if they're bigger and stronger than you.  Plus we talk about training submissions as positions, an incredibly important skill to develop if you want to get better at tapping people out. Check out The Submission Formula featuring Rob Biernacki and Stephan Kesting (that's me!) at https://www.grapplearts.com/submissionformula And, as always, good luck with your training! Stephan

Jessica is the yoga coach to the New Orleans Saints.  She helps NFL players put themselves back together after the relentless abuse of games and training. And she also does BJJ which means she's doubly cool. In the last year, however, she's fought back from having cancer and came on the podcast to talk about it.  I thought that her tips on how different types of breathing affect your central nervous system was fascinating! Check out our previous podcast together on episode 138 of The Strenuous Life Podcast And follow her on Instagram to see how yoga helps NFL players, @jessica.huneycutt or https://www.instagram.com/jessica.huneycutt/

BJJ is a fantastically fun sport that's also undeniably hard on the body. Here's my single biggest tip for people in their 30's and 40's who want to keep on training into their 50's and 60's If you're not already doing so then follow me on instagram where I post cool pics and informative videos quite regularly https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting And if you're thinking about starting BJJ, or have done it for less than 2 years, then grab my free guide to learning the art as fast as possible here: https://www.grapplearts.com/book Cheers! Stephan

If you're serious about jiu-jitsu then should you train everyday?  In answering this question I also give some real life examples of how to achieve any large, hairy, audacious goal, be that getting your BJJ black belt, building your own business, getting good marks in school, etc. Many of the examples I used in this episode came from the 1000 Mile Solo which you can find out more about at https://www.grapplearts.com/solo Good luck with your training and achieving your goals, whatever they may be!! Stephan

You'll like this episode!  In it I talk with 62 yr old BJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley (the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a heart attack, the horrors of the Eastern Front in World War 2, interpreting the Torah, being Leonard Cohen's Rabbi, and awarding Blue Belts in marriage counselling.  

Stephan talks with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparring with sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express itself when you're trying to use it under stress. Jarlo Ilano is an instructor under Burton Richardson https://jkdunlimited.com/ in his Battlefield Kali system and a purple belt in BJJ. And as well as being a physical therapist since 1998 with a board specialty in orthopedics, he is a co-founder and Managing Director at GMB Fitness https://gmb.io/ which specializes in online training for improving strength, flexibility, and body control through bodyweight exercise.

This trip has been a looooong time in the making. Back in 1992 I had the crazy idea of doing a super long trip that would take me across Nueltin Lake and down the Thlewiaza river in Nunavut, north of 60 degrees latitude.   This trip was originally planned for 2014 but life got in the way. I got divorced, lost my home and underwent a kidney transplant. 2014 came around and unfortunately I wasn't in a place where I could go on this trip I had been planning for over a decade. It took an additional 5 years of planning, strategising and building relationships to make the trip happen but it finally worked out.  Big goals are, almost by definition, hard to achieve (if they were easy to then everyone would be doing them).  To achieve them you need both patience and impatience, the willingness to wait for things to fall into place and relentless speed of implementation to maximise the chances that things will go your way.

Today was a very interesting day. I had just arrived at Nuelton lake. It is a huge lake that expands over 100km. I had heard there were some abandoned cabins along this lake. Every thing was left there, from motors to gas to batteries and of course, some garbage. This left me in a pretty sketchy scenario when some company came along...

Do you ever find yourself struggling to start a task that you have been excited to do for so long? That is completely normal! We all have moments where we just cannot seem to find any motivation. In my case, its waking up knowing that I am going to be paddling for the next 8 hours... Here are 7 tips you can use right now to help get you on track and stay motivated so that you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to!