The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

Coronavirus has most of the BJJ world locked down and it sucks.  I get it: you desperately want to get back on the mats and train. Here are 5 strategies to keep your head in the game and prevent you from backsliding too much before that happy, happy day comes! Grab my free app for iOS and Android.  It's called The Grapplearts BJJ Master App and has more than 700 minutes of free black belt instruction.  Plus it now has links to every podcast episode and in depth article I write. Grab the app for free at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp Good luck! Stephan Kesting

In this episode I talk with BJJ brown belt and Joe Rogan approved professional comedian about how jiu-jitsu saved his life, ways to stay positive during the coronavirus lockdown, tribalism and much more. Follow Jamie on Instagram @thejamiekilstein, on the JamieKilstein podcast, on Rear Naked Radio and on his Youtube channel. Use the coupon code 'United' for 50% off on ANY of my instructionals at https://www.grapplearts.com/instructional-bjj-grappling-dvds/ for the duration of the corona crisis Here are some of my other social media links... Tiktok (NEW): https://vm.tiktok.com/QQDSBt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grapplearts Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/stephankesting Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/stephankesting

Dr Leif H. Smith is the author of 'Sports Psychology for Dummies' and in this episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast he shares his very best tips for developing mental toughness, managing fear, not choking at critical moments, and how to perform optimally in training, competition and life. I think you'll really like this one! Check out 'Sports Psychology for Dummies' anywhere books or ebooks are sold, follow Dr Leif H Smith on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrLeifSmith or check out his website at https://www.personalbestconsulting.com/ If you're enjoying these podcasts then please give it a rating or a review in the podcast platform you use most often.  That really helps! And check out the new and improved Grapplearts BJJ Master App - it now has a podcast player and all the blog material right in the app itself.   Cheers, Stephan  

Moments ago I recorded a podcast with Raf from The Verbal Tap Podcast about what grapplers and martial artists should do during the coronavirus and COVID 19 outbreak and I'm sharing that with you now.  Based on training in martial arts for 40 years, being a first responder, and also having a master's degree in biology my recommendation is that YOU DON'T TRAIN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS at least.  After that we'll have much better idea of what to do next. Read my detailed article here for more info: https://www.grapplearts.com/covid-19-bjj/ Flatten the curve folks, Stephan

What's your best strategy vs multiple opponents? Can Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu be part of that strategy. I gave my answer to this during an Instagram and Tiktok live session that I did recently. I'm sure it'll ruffle a few feathers, but then again, every martial artist has an opinion on this including those that have NEVER tested it. By the way, here's me on Tiktok (NEW): https://vm.tiktok.com/QQDSBt (@StephanKesting) And here's me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting (@stephan_kesting) Good luck with your training, Stephan

In today's episode I talk to Scott Loughney about an incredible 640 km ultrarunning challenge in the highest mountain range of the world.  Scott together with Ryan Wagner and Upendra Sunuwar successfully linked Katmandu, the capital of Nepal, with Everest Base Camp, a round trip distance of 640km. We really get down into the weeds with this one about the nuances of training for and then completing such a challenge. I hope you like it! 01:57 The Mount Everest Mailrun Challenge 07:54 Suffering and Type 1, 2 and 3 adventure 12:10 Hallucinations while pushing the limits of endurance  19:43 In-depth foot care and blister management for ultrarunning, 30:37 Risk evaluation and mitigation during the Everest Mailrun Challenge 39:19 Training to handle risks for the project 46:39 Oxygen levels and deprivation while running in the Himalayas 49:35 10 principles for achieving big projects  1:03:40 How to organise the rest of your life around training  1:07:40 How to prevent your body from breaking down and getting injuries

Oliver Taza trains at Tristar in Montreal with Firas Zahabi and at Renzo Gracie's in New York City with John Danaher.  With his impeccable technique and aggressive grappling style he has amassed an impressive array of wins at Polaris, Metamoris, the ADCC Trials, the No Gi Worlds, and many more competitions. In this episode we go deep into the training and technical development required to hang with the Danaher Death Squad monsters and win at the elite level.  I think you'll really like it! Also check out the new instructional I did with Oliver Taza called No Gi Leglocks at https://www.grapplearts.com/taza.  I guarantee that it'll immediately take your leglock game up to the next level and allow you to tap out your training partners more often! Cheers, Stephan

Peter Drucker, the godfather of modern business management, once said, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Now I don’t think that Peter Drucker did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (or any other form of martial arts) but the idea of measuring things in order to improve them applies to every field of athletic endeavour. So let’s look at some concrete ways that we might quantify our training and improve the results we are getting… Quantifying Your Nutrition Nutrition is a fairly complex field but there are certain tenets that most thoughtful people agree on. For example, almost everyone agrees that you should drink enough water but not too much water. But most athletes still drink way less water than they should be. For me the problem is even worse… I’m a kidney transplant recipient which means I only have one kidney that needs to remain well-flushed.  Furthermore I exercise a lot which means that I’m sweating out a lot of fluid. To stay well hydrated I have to drink about 4 to 5 litres of water a day, which is rough

In this conversation BJJ black belt Jon Thomas and I go deep into training and drilling methodologies that give you results as fast as possible. Jon is originally from the US but teaches at a school in Sweden. He still competes at a high level, so he has had to take extreme ownership over his results using reverse-engineering and a very analytical approach to his training. In this episode we go deep into how everyone learns BJJ differently and how therefore the optimal learning environment is also different for everyone.  We also cover training methodologies you can use to get better at a smaller gym without a world class talent pool of sparring partners (hint: basically it involves turning your gym into a scientific laboratory for developing techniques). You'll also learn how to increase your mat time without incurring more injuries, methods to develop attack systems from different positions, tournament strategies vs training strategies, and our thoughts on how many top level competitors are on steroids Foll

Rory Van Vliet and I go deep into the 12 most important concepts to make your guard very hard to pass.  Counterintuitively these concepts will also help your guard passing, because now you'll understand what your opponent is doing to try and stop your pass.  Grab our Guard Retention Formula in DVD, online streaming, and app form at https://www.grapplearts.com/guardretetention

There’s an old saying that goes… “Don’t do what’s best for you.  Instead do what’s worst for your opponent.” There’s a lot of truth there.  In a competition your odds of victory go way up if you can prevent your opponent doing the things that he is best at. Optimal Sparring Strategy Rolling in training is different from rolling in competition. In training, during sparring, you actually WANT to spend at least some time in your sparring partner’s strongest areas. This way you can get the highest quality training possible. This is especially true if you’re bigger or better than the other guy.  You WANT to let him into the game so that you can get a good training session in and learn something. So figure out what any given sparring partner is really good at and occasionally let them do it to you! Here’s a concrete example… A few days ago I sparred with someone who was 50 lbs lighter than me.  Had I just passed his guard and played crush the bug for the rest of the session this  would have been good for my ego but

A deep dive into designing and running MMA fight camps, how to mix striking with wrestling and jiu-jitsu, conditioning for fights, and much more with Greg Nelson.  Greg has trained many MMA and UFC fighters including Brock Lesnar, Dave Menne, Sean Sherk and Thug Rose Namajunas.  I really enjoyed this conversation and I think you will too! Grab my free downloadable guide to learning BJJ fast at https://www.grapplearts.com/book Check out the huge archive of techniques and detailed training tips at https://www.grapplearts.com/articles/ ----------------------------------- Grab the "Grapplearts BJJ Master App" with more than 500 minutes of free black belt instruction here: iPhone and iPad: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bjj-master-app-by-grapplearts/id1308072068 Android phones and tablets: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.grappleartcontainer ----------------------------------- Here are some of my social media links... Tiktok (NEW): https://vm.tiktok.com/QQDSBt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s

Here are the 5 most important skills you can learn from BJJ that'll keep you safer in real confrontations against bigger, stronger, and adrenalized opponents! Download this rant as an illustrated PDF for free at https://selfdefensetutorials.com/get-free-self-defense-tips-by-email/

In this Q&A I cover gameplan development, what to do about training partners figuring out your game, how to find a good gym, whether loyalty to your instructor always a good thing, how sparring is the secret sauce of any effective martial art, and taking time off from jiu-jitsu! These questions came from an Instagram Live session I did.  Follow me on Instagram @stephan_kesting or click here: https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting/ And while I have your attention, here are some of my other social media links... Tiktok (NEW): https://vm.tiktok.com/QQDSBt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grapplearts Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/stephankesting Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/stephankesting Good luck with your training! Stephan Some of the highlights I recent

Rory is a corrections officer with a ton of experience in other branches of law enforcement.  He's also a very skilled BJJ black belt at Island Top Team under Rob Biernacki.  In this chat we go into depth about how BJJ can be applied in law enforcement situations as well as talking about Rory's latest BJJ instructional, The Guard Retention Formula, which you can find out more about at https://www.grapplearts.com/guardretention. If you've read down this far then you're probably a fan of the podcast.  And if that's the case can I ask you for a rating or a review of The Strenuous Life Podcast on whichever platform you use to consume your content?  I can't emphasize enough how much that helps. And if you're looking for more from me and my guests then please check out some of my other social media links... Tiktok (NEW): https://vm.tiktok.com/QQDSBt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grapplearts Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/stephankesting Twitter: https:/

Sticking points and plateaus are inevitable if you train - here are 3 strategies you can use to smash on through to the other side in 2020. Have a great Christmas and New Year's! Stephan

A fun conversation with BJJ black belt Thomas Lisboa about why testing yourself occasionally in competition gives you things that you just can't get from regular training, how Brazilian black belts use their skills on the mat to emigrate to North America, how to develop your weakest positions, why even advanced students should attend the beginner's class, and much more. If you enjoy the podcast then a rating or a review would be super-useful! If you're not sick of me yet then here are some of my social media links... Tiktok (NEW): https://vm.tiktok.com/QQDSBt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grapplearts Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/stephankesting Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/stephankesting And, most importantly, good luck with your training! Stephan

The guard is the most important position in BJJ, and if you understand the multiple ranges and range battles that occur within this position then your ability to both pass the guard and defend against guard passes will improve exponentially.  In this episode Rory Van Vliet explains the different ranges within guard and how you can use them to your advantage.  If you found this useful then check out The Guard Retention Formula at https://www.grapplearts.com/guardretention Also if you get the chance please rate, review, or pass this podcast on to friends. That kind of stuff really helps! Cheers, Stephan

The days of learning from just one instructor if you're a serious martial artist are over.  Nowadays you need at least four different coaches... Check out my latest BJJ instructional, The Guard Retention Formula, at https://www.grapplearts.com/guardretention

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