The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

In this short episode we talk about why training plateaus are actually more frustrating than training slumps, plus I share 3 concrete steps to bust out of a plateau and get back to getting better!

I really like this episode because we got the chance to go DEEP into the training routine of the world's fastest firefighter, Jamie McGarva.  Jamie has held numerous titles for the Firefighter Combat Challenge both in the team and individual category, including breaking the world record twice in two days. Even now he continues to push himself harder in a single workout than most normal human beings do in a month.  Hope you like this and come away inspired for your next training session!

In this episode I talk with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki about gratitude and how that has shaped his visiting student program where people can train with him for free.  And, because it's Rob and I, we go off on some major tangents including the weirdos who have hit us up on the internet, how to identify fake martial arts, and why it's sometimes good to be the dumbest guy in the room.

In this episode Eva Schubert and I discuss our semi-annual 30 horizontal mile and 3 vertical mile 'Deathmarch' through the British Columbia mountains on the 'Kneeknacker Route' and why four was just not our magic number this time...

What belt level should you start training leg locks at?  It depends a little bit on what your goals are and whether you're doing gi or no gi, but it's a lot sooner than you think EVEN if you're competing only in the IBJJF rule set.  This podcast episode is excerpted from a 17 minute long Youtube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GQZPtpsg_U which takes you through how to do the actual leglocks and demonstrates some of the techniques that will instantly get you disqualified from an IBJJF tournament.  

There is so much information (and misinformation) about knives out there that it's easy to get confused.  In this episode I talk with metal professional and knife collector Zoltan Schubert and we break down the different types of steel used in knives, optimal Rockwell hardnesses, as well as the characteristics that make knives better for different purposes.

In this episode I give The Grapplearts Radio Podcast a new dimension.  In addition to talking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts and Submission Grappling we're also going to start featuring people who push the limits in different fields of human endeavour.  This new format of show is going to be called "The Strenuous Life Podcast".  In this episode I tell the story of two mountains and two different mountaineers, including one of the most inspiring and talented climbers of the modern generation, Ueli 'The Swiss Machine' Steck.  I hope you enjoy it and if you do then a rating or a review on iTunes would be super appreciated!   

I trained BJJ today despite being fresh off the plane, jet lagged and exhausted, so it seemed like a good day to tackle today's topic, namely whether you should train on those days when you're so tired you can't see straight.  Also I cover some examples of how to modify your workout on those lower-energy days so you don't get injured.  Hope this helps all you busy people trying to juggle life and work and training!

In this mini-episode I talk Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor with Ritchie Yip, and we both come to the same conclusion about betting on this fight. Listen to this episode before you put money down on Conor McGregor

You want to train martial arts but there isn't a good school anywhere nearby, so what are your options?  Here is my best advice on how you can still learn, still train, and still get good!

An 80/20 analysis of the leglocking game based on high level no gi competition, leglock safety, how to learn BJJ efficiently, best practises when teaching jiu-jitsu, and a ton more with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki, my co-author of The Modern Leglock Formula available now at Grapplearts.com/leglocks

If you could only do one which would be better for self defense: striking or grappling?  The answer is grappling of course, but the reasons why might surprise you...

Longtime bouncer Chad Skands talks about managing multiple attacker scenarios, continuing to think and use your brain in a critical situation, the right way to deescalate situations, and why ripping someone's throat out Roadhouse-style is frowned upon in the security industry.

What would I do different as a white belt if I could go back in time?  What are the best guards that go together with the butterfly guard?  Can you become an elite level grappler if you have both a job and a family?  And you've choked someone out in a streetfight... what now?  All this and more in today's Q&A episode. In this episode I make reference to articles on Grapplearts which can be found here: http://www.grapplearts.com/articles and also to my main youtube channel which is here: http://www.youtube.com/stephankesting But I also make reference to my second website (http://www.selfdefensetutorials.com) and to my second youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/selfdefensetutorials). So there, now you've got all the urls you need for additional info on the topics we discussed.

This is an important episode because in it I talk about how to find a  BJJ instructor and school that'll work for you and how to avoid ending up at a school where you'll end up getting hurt or wasting your time. And yes, this same information applies directly to finding good schools in any sort of martial art and not just Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

In this episode I talk about the concrete steps you can take to control your fear and harness the power of the adrenaline dump that comes with the fight of flight reflex.  Properly used this power turns you into a superhero rather than a gibbering idiot!  Also check out my second site http://www.selfdefensetutorials.com and make sure that you subscribe to my self-defense oriented youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj4JOZ3jvgkHPYew0ksfDZw  

Regardless of whether you train BJJ, MMA or a self-defense oriented martial art you're faced with the same dilemma: how do you take a technique you're shown in class and actually make it work against someone who is resisting you 100%?  The key is progressive resistance, and in this episode I go into the 5 training modalities you should use to functionalise your techniques. 

I think you'll like this one: in this episode I speak with Ando Mierzwa (Sensei Ando) who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu San Soo with extensive experience in BJJ, Aikido, and Shotokan Karate.  We talk about levels of realism in training, tribalism in the martial arts, the fighting arts as a tool to feel some control in a chaotic universe and much more.  Ando's website is http://www.senseiando.com and you can also follow him on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndoMierzwa/videos 

In this rant I take on the myth perpetuated in many martial arts and by many martial arts instructors, namely that they are the source of all the knowledge you'll ever need.  The truth is that everyone has holes in their knowledge and that the good instructors will admit that they don't know everything.

You'll really like this sit down I had with UFC star Alan Belcher, a man who has had some of the most exciting, edge-of-your-seat fights in UFC history.  Alan shared lessons learned from his 26 MMA fights including details of cutting major amounts of weight pre-competition, his mindset while fighting Rousimar Palhares (one of the dirtiest and scariest fighter in MMA), lifting weights as physical therapy to hold his body together, how he structured his UFC training camps and preventing overtraining by modulating the intensity and volume of your training sessions, the crazy treatments he did to repair his detached retina, and much more.  Enjoy!