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.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 427
- Years Active
- 2009 - 2025
229 - The Filipino Martial Arts, Self Defense and Jarlo Ilano
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 …
228 - Patience vs Speed of Implementation for Achieving Giant Dreams
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…
227 - A Scary Bear Encounter
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 the…
226 - 7 Tips For Maintaining Motivation
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 …
225 - The Key to Pushing Yourself Harder
I am on day 12 of my 1000 miles solo journey and my body is starting to feel it. My mind is feeling foggier and my urges to rest are stronger.
It is at this point where I need to remind myself of how…
224 - Never Stop Thinking, Even When You're Only Slogging Through a Lake
If you ever find yourself slogging through a lake like I did, here are some helpful tips and tricks on safety and navigation.
223 - Why Go Alone?
When I told people I would be going on a solo expedition for a few weeks, most thought it was a strange thing to be traveling in complete solitude for so long. However, I think it is an important par…
222 - The Realities of Wilderness Travel
If you are watching someone document their expedition, you are likely only seeing their highlight reel. They would document their trekking over beautiful landscapes, setting up camp for the evening a…
221 - Brazil, BJJ and MMA with Jeff Meszaros
In this blast from the past, I have a fun conversation about BJJ, Judo and MMA with Jeff MEszaros, one of the guy si started training with 25 years ago! Self defense applications of BJJ, Russian team…
220 - What People Misunderstand About Following Your Dreams
It is day one of my canoe trip, and so far so good. Although some things were different than what I thought, my preparedness for this trip has left me feeling ready for almost any situation. People t…
219 - The Most Dangerous Part of MMA
On the one hand, I am a huge fan. I have been watching the UFC since its inauguration in 1993, and have enjoyed fights in Pride FC, Shooto, WEC and many other organizations. I have nothing but respec…
218 - One Easy Way to GUARANTEE Failure!
If you fail to plan, plan to fail. I am just about ready to leave for my 1000 mile journey to Hudson Bay. This is just a small glimpse at some of the planning I have had to do in order to survive all…
217 - Why I'm Planning to do a 1,000 Mile Trip in the Arctic by Myself this Summer
This summer I am attempting to travel 1,000 miles in a canoe by myself in Canada's northern boreal forest and the barren lands of the eastern arctic. In this episode I talk about why I would ever wa…
216 - How to Find a Good School to Train At
One of the most common questions I get is how to find a good school. This is a REALLY important issue, given that in your martial arts journey you'll potentially be spending thousands of hours train…
215 - Making Jiu Jitsu Smooth with Brandon "Wolverine" Mullins
This blast from the past podcast brings back a good friend of mine, Brandon Mullins. In our time together, we discussed Life and Death on the seminar circuit, transitioning from gi to no-gi, the evol…
216 - Aikido vs BJJ with Roy Dean
Roy Dean is a martial arts pro. In this podcast, he explains the fundamental differences between the different martial arts, including Aikido and how he translates it over to other martial arts. He a…
214 - Why You MUST Regularly Calibrate Your Skills Against People Better Than You!
This is a short rant about the dichotomy of individuality in the martial arts.
On the one hand you absolutely have to take responsibility for finding techniques and strategies that fit your body, yo…
213 - How I Survived a Kidney Transplant and Came Back Stronger
Not many people know that in 2015 I was dying of kidney failure and had to have a lifesaving kidney transplant surgery to save my life. Here is the story of that transplant from my brother (eternal …
212 - Scotty Nelson, the Original Gangster of Online BJJ Resources
Scotty Nelson is one of the original gangsters of North American BJJ. From training at the Ralph Gracie Academy back in the day, to training jiu-jitsu in Brazil, to developing one of the first onlin…
211 - Discipline and Leveraging the 'Have To' State with Brett Piperni
TEDx speaker Brett Piperni joins us on The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about discipline, decision making, and deliberately putting yourself into situations where you have no options other than goi…