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
331 - A Gameplan for the Closed Guard with Jon Thomas
Jon Thomas is a BJJ master strategician with an uncanny ability to connect grips, sweeps, submissions and positions together to create a seamless attack gameplan. In this episode we do a deep dive i…
330 - Beating BJJ Instructional Overwhelm, with Sonny Brown
329 - How to Break into Stuntwork from Martial Arts with Steve Koepfer
327 - A Revelation That's Helped Me Win More Than 10 Streetfights
Here's a story about the first time I 'won' a streetfight when I realised that the other guy - an older, shabbily dressed, homeless man - was almost certainly mentally ill.
A good streetfight is one …
326 - Bringing Jiu-Jitsu into Public Schools, with Dom Hoskins
Dom Hoskins is a BJJ black belt, coach and fierce competitor who is helping bring the lessons of jiu-jitsu to public schools in California's East Bay.
Follow Dom Hoskins on Instagram @dominat10n
Chec…
325 - Wrestling with Trust, Propaganda, and Conspiracies, with Ami Palmer
324 - Evolutionary Theory and BJJ, with Brazilian Biologist Marcio Pie
Today's conversation with Marcio Pie was a blend of two of my favorite topics: the science of biology and the science of BJJ. Marcio is a professor of zoology at UFPR and practices Jiu-Jitsu in Curi…
323 - The Limits of Human Endurance with Mike McCastle
Mike McCastle set a new world record on Jan 23, 2021, immersing himself in ice for 2 hours and 40 minutes and surviving! He joined me on Episode 323 of The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about this a…
322 - Epidemiology 101, with Colin Furness
What exactly is herd immunity? How can we be sure that the vaccine companies aren't lying to us? What is this 'R0' value and why does it matter? What are the proven methods to stop outbreaks? Are w…
321 - Improving on Outdated BJJ Training Methods with Priit Mihkelson
320 - OK, So You've Been Vaccinated, Can You Return to Training?
Today I talk with Dr Nicholas Tyau, a BJJ Black Belt and internal medicine specialist who was working in NYC hospitals during Covid Ground Zero in 2020. We discuss the 5 key factors you need to cons…
319 - Strength Training for BJJ and MMA with Brandon Morgan
Brandon Morgan is a high level powerlifter who trains, coaches and competes out of the Kabuki Strength gym in Portland Oregon. In this episode we go deep into strength training and conditioning for …
318 - For the Love of Data; Risk, Science, and Who to Believe, with Nini Muñoz
Nini Munoz PhD has a very strong background in risk and failure analysis, and statistical process. She has used these skills and a background in biology to make the science around the Covid-19 pande…
317 - Karl Gotch, the Godfather of the Japanese MMA Scene, with Tad Murphy
316 - Dissecting the Fight or Flight Reaction, with Police Trainer Jeff Quail MSc
315 - Gripfighting and Kuzushi, 2 Critical Skills That Almost Everyone Misses
Two of the best ways to develop your guard are gripfighting and kuzushi. Today I talk with Rob Biernacki about these rarely taught critical skills and how to develop them. Go to https://www.grapplear…
314 - Why Some Competitors Excel at Competition and Others Don't, with Andrew 'Goatfury' Smith
313 - Covid Safe BJJ, Improving During Layoffs, and Tournament Strategy with Dan 'TrumpetDan' Lukeheart
Today I chat with Dan "TrumpetDan" Lukeheart from Brea Jiu-Jitsu in Orange County about the steps he's taken to keep his school open in a responsible manner during the Covid-19 pandemic, how to impro…
312 - Three Steps to Improve Your Post-Training Recovery
Your health is like a credit card..
You can definitely put things onto your credit card once in a while. You can even use a credit card to help bridge the gap when you’re short on funds. But sooner …
311 - The Covid Vaccines and BJJ with Dr Chris Moriarty
Dr Chris Moriarty is a medical doctor and a former high level black belt BJJ competitor. In this episode we talk about the rapidly evolving situation of covid vaccines, viral variants, and what it me…