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The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting - Podcast

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

What is it that allows some people to push themselves beyond their limitations? Why can some people survive situations others do not? On this podcast we try to find out the answers. Stephan Kesting, is a lifelong martial artist, BJJ black belt, career firefighter, and outdoorsman. Join us as he talks to fighters, adventurers, competitors, coaches, firefighters, trainers and other people living the strenuous life.

Stephan also runs Grapplearts.com, where he has published many hundreds of martial arts videos, articles and tutorials.

His free guide to learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, A Roadmap for BJJ, has been downloaded more than 10,000 times and has become a foundational text for the art.

Psychology Wrestling Training Sports Sport
Update frequency
every 12 days
Average duration
47 minutes
Episodes
427
Years Active
2009 - 2025
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431 - Hybrid Training 3: Mixing Ultramarathon and Strength Training with James Pieratt

431 - Hybrid Training 3: Mixing Ultramarathon and Strength Training with James Pieratt

James Pieratt from Wild Hunt Conditioning joins us to share what he learned on an expedition in which he ran 802 miles through nearly the entire state of California.  James is unique in the ultrarunn…

00:53:41  |   Mon 01 Sep 2025
430 - Hybrid Training 2: The Science of Strength, Power and Endurance with Chris Duffin

430 - Hybrid Training 2: The Science of Strength, Power and Endurance with Chris Duffin

Record-setting powerlifter and freak athlete Chris Duffin discusses the intricacies of hybrid training, focusing on the balance between strength and endurance. He shares his unique qualifications, in…

01:02:26  |   Mon 18 Aug 2025
429 - Hybrid Training 1: Peaking for Power, Endurance, and Mental Strength with Mike McCastle

429 - Hybrid Training 1: Peaking for Power, Endurance, and Mental Strength with Mike McCastle

Mike McCastle smashed David Goggins' pullup record by doing 5,804 pull-ups in 24 hours while wearing a 30-pound backpack... and pulled an F-150 pickup truck 22 miles through Death Valley... and flipp…

01:02:05  |   Mon 04 Aug 2025
428 - Tom Callos, A Black Belt and Gentleman

428 - Tom Callos, A Black Belt and Gentleman

Martial arts pioneer Tom Callos came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to discuss the California martial arts scene in the wake of Bruce Lee, the importance of taking your training out of the dojo and …

01:15:32  |   Wed 23 Jul 2025
427 - Overcoming Doubt and Anxiety in Competition, with Sports Psychologist Haley Perlis

427 - Overcoming Doubt and Anxiety in Competition, with Sports Psychologist Haley Perlis

Today let's learn from sports psychologist Dr. Haley Perlis, who delves into the competition mindset, developing mental toughness, managing stress, avoiding burnout, the psychology of extreme sports,…

00:53:39  |   Tue 08 Jul 2025
426 - What Needs to Change to Do Jiu-Jitsu after Age 35

426 - What Needs to Change to Do Jiu-Jitsu after Age 35

Today I'm joined by wrestler, jiu-jitsuka, and author Chris Jessulat (https://www.thewrongsideof35.com/) to discuss the best practices for staying relevant on the mats as you enter your fourth decade…

00:56:22  |   Tue 24 Jun 2025
425 - Optimal BJJ Competition Mindset, with Rob Biernacki

425 - Optimal BJJ Competition Mindset, with Rob Biernacki

Rob Biernacki has some very impressive competition victories, including black belt masters gold at both No Gi Worlds and ADCC.

In this podcast episode he reveals...

  • Why people sometimes just don't p…
01:00:29  |   Mon 09 Jun 2025
424 - Writing the Ultimate BJJ Book, with Meerkatsu and Graham Barlow

424 - Writing the Ultimate BJJ Book, with Meerkatsu and Graham Barlow

It started as an April Fool's joke and then morphed into a BEAST of a book complete with 967 illustrations called "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Ultimate Illustrated Guidebook".  In episode 424 I chat wit…

00:50:53  |   Thu 29 May 2025
423 - BJJ, Science, and D&D with Bryan Rumble

423 - BJJ, Science, and D&D with Bryan Rumble

Bryan Rumble is a 2nd degree belt and a working scientist.  In this episode we start out by talking about BJJ traditions, the depth of the art, and how the scientific method might be applied in jiu-j…

00:48:20  |   Tue 06 May 2025
422 - How to Condition Yourself to Deal with Adrenaline in Stressful Situations

422 - How to Condition Yourself to Deal with Adrenaline in Stressful Situations

The fight-or-flight reflex is always lurking just below the surface. When things get sufficiently stressful, our hormonal system dumps enormous amounts of adrenaline into our bloodstream, and—BOOM—su…

00:24:24  |   Thu 24 Apr 2025
421 - BJJ Training and Conditioning Myths, with James Deirmendjian from Fit Fight Training

421 - BJJ Training and Conditioning Myths, with James Deirmendjian from Fit Fight Training

Three time IBJJ World medallist James Deirmendjian joins me to discuss optimal training methodologies and the science behind strength and conditioning for sport.  We cover hacks to improve recovery, …

01:00:11  |   Fri 04 Apr 2025
420 - Braving Polar Bears, Facing Off Against the Columbian Military, and Team Dynamics with Frank Wolf

420 - Braving Polar Bears, Facing Off Against the Columbian Military, and Team Dynamics with Frank Wolf

Frank Wolf is an explorer, a writer, and one hell of an adventurer.  In this episode we cover what he learned about endurance and survival during his travels in the Arctic, Central America, and Antar…

01:02:35  |   Thu 20 Mar 2025
419 - Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic (Audiobook Format)

419 - Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic (Audiobook Format)

I've got something special for you today: a true adventure story set in the Far North featuring that I underwent a few years ago after a kidney transplant.  I ended up learning a LOT about mental tou…

00:45:05  |   Tue 04 Mar 2025
418 - Spartans, Samurai and Ninja with BJJ Black Belt Jeff Nelson

418 - Spartans, Samurai and Ninja with BJJ Black Belt Jeff Nelson

I was thrilled to have Jeff Nelson on the show to talk about Spartans, Samurai, Ninja, developing confidence through jiu-jitsu, fight scenes in movies that drive us crazy, and pro-training at some of…

01:07:22  |   Mon 24 Feb 2025
417 - Can You Get Your BJJ Black Belt Without Affiliating with a Specific School?

417 - Can You Get Your BJJ Black Belt Without Affiliating with a Specific School?

Paul Kindzia describes himself as a "homeschooled, non-denominational, it takes a village black belt" and had a very unique route to getting his BJJ black belt.  He was a ronin, training at different…

01:25:42  |   Tue 11 Feb 2025
416 - How to Climb Everest, with Extreme Alpinist Jost Kobusch

416 - How to Climb Everest, with Extreme Alpinist Jost Kobusch

Jost Kobusch is just back from Everest, where he is doing a multi-year project to climb the tallest mountain in the world... by himself... without oxygen... up the incredibly difficult West Ridge rou…

00:36:43  |   Mon 27 Jan 2025
415 - BJJ and Self Defense, with Tyson 'The Warrior Philosopher' Larone

415 - BJJ and Self Defense, with Tyson 'The Warrior Philosopher' Larone

Tyson Larone is a BJJ belt, a Muay Thai teacher, TEDx speaker, and a strongman competitor. In this episode he and I dive  deep into exploring how BJJ can be used for self defense, including how conte…

01:58:09  |   Thu 16 Jan 2025
414 - Optimized BJJ Training for Non-Athletic Grapplers, with Jesse Walker

414 - Optimized BJJ Training for Non-Athletic Grapplers, with Jesse Walker

The standard BJJ approach of throwing newcomers to the wolves may work for young and talented athletes, but it's definitely not optimal for most older, non-athletic, or female grapplers (otherwise kn…

00:54:30  |   Wed 01 Jan 2025
413 - Strongman Training Secrets, with Kalle Beck

413 - Strongman Training Secrets, with Kalle Beck

Kalle Beck has competed, coached and commentated in Strongman events and has helped thousands of people become much, much stronger. Here's how some of the lessons learned from Strongman apply to othe…

01:14:50  |   Mon 25 Nov 2024
412 - Eco-Adjacent Training and How to Do It Correctly, with Rob Biernacki

412 - Eco-Adjacent Training and How to Do It Correctly, with Rob Biernacki

One of the biggest trends in BJJ right now is the so-called "ecological approach."  In episode 412 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm joined by renowned coach Rob Biernacki to discuss the do's and don…

01:02:20  |   Wed 13 Nov 2024
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