The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

In this episode I answer questions and share some tips and tricks for training in BJJ as an older grappler. How often should you train? How can you recover faster? Should you also do weight training as an older athlete and more! The questions came from an Instagram Live broadcast I did; follow me on Instagram @stephan_kesting and maybe next time I'll be answering YOUR question on one of these Q&A sessions.

In this episode BJJ and Judo black belt shares some of the lessons, commonalities, and differences he's seen from working one-on-one with 19 BJJ, Judo and ADCC world champions. Do they all train the same way? Eat healthy food or junk? Drill, spar or do lots of conditioning? Listen and find out! In addition we also talk about CTE and brain damage in the combat sports, MMA, boxing and grappling betting tips, the toughest guy that Mike has ever rolled with, the differences in BJJ training between Brazil and North America, whether the USA can ever catch up in BJJ, and Mike's secret plan for building a future world champion! I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did - it was a lot of fun with lots of great information.

Some quick thoughts about improving the different forms of 'mobility' for jiu-jitsu, both in terms of movement on the ground, and joint mobility, from a recent Instagram Live Q&A. You can find me on Instagram at @stephan_kesting and I'd be thrilled if you followed me because I'm releasing pics and videos there all the time!

WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and is definitely not suitable for children. In this episode I talk with boxing and BJJ coach Rodney King about the epidemic of violence in modern day South Africa, how training helps you prepare for confrontations, and how dangerous a 'romantic' notion of fighting is. Some of the topics we covered include: 00:17 - Who is Rodney King? 01:16 - Growing up in South Africa 08:47 - Bouncing at nightclubs 13:57 - Johannesburg today 26:42 - Some reasons for the South African crime epidemic 33:10 - How much does training help? 40:09 - Prevalence of techniques 46:52 - Self defence and conflict de-escalation 54:21 - Training vs real life 64:03 - Ventures outside martial arts

In this rant I go off about the importance of critical thinking, and include examples from the martial arts, business and life. Somehow I try to wrap things up by bringing the Heaven's Gate cult and the biggest mass suicide on US soil into the discussion. Let me know if this podcast worked on you on Twitter (where I'm @stephankesting), OK?

I love this episode where I talked with historian Daniele Bolelli. In it we talked about a huge number of topics including... His process of researching and producing History on Fire, one of the leading history podcasts How to get rid of weight cutting in mixed martial arts competition The evidence for and against an ultra-violent human past vs a peaceful noble savage model of our hunter-gatherer past. The rise of MMA in Asia. Daniele's proposed 'Gladiators for World Peace' program and how it's going to get him the Nobel Peace Prize His return to Italy as a tourist Is it too soon to tell whether we're moving towards a more peaceful future? Ötzi the iceman, Neanderthal DNA in our genomes, and a mass murder that occurred 430,000 years ago (http://bit.ly/1JYX91M) And much more!

It's amazing how many high level entrepreneurs also enjoy the challenge of jiu-jitsu! In this episode Jack Wilkinson and I explore this connection, as well as going down many other rabbit holes... 00:25 - Jiujitsu and entrepreneurship parallels 05:12 - Dealing with tough guys 09:20 - Toxic people 12:56 - Story time 18:30 - Addiction 23:05 - Adversity 28:29 - Grips 37:24 - Teaching vs testing 41:26 - Marketing BJJ schools

In this episode I argue that you should start by teaching and learning the most effective, most proven, highest percentage techniques first. And I share a useful thought experiment that should quickly allow you to identify what those techniques might be (hint: it involves a hypothetical death match).

In this episode I talk with the amazing Clinton Davies, the blind wrestler who is a 10 time New Zealand national champion who competes against sighted opponents. Clinton has also had a very successful submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition career, and has travelled the world. Listen to this episode to find out how he does it!

In this episode Travis Stevens, 3 x Judo Olympian, Olympic silver medalist, and BJJ black belt goes deep into his training regimen. You'll learn why and how he does 5 or 6 workouts a day, what the strength benchmarks are for effective judo, the differences between his BJJ and Judo training, and much more. It's an amazing episode that I'm sure you'll find very interesting.

In this episode I try to answer as many questions as possible from my email newsletter readers, including whether BJJ gameplans really are for everyone (3:30), how to pace yourself against the young guys when you're 52 years old (8:36), the best stretches for grappling flexibility (13:12), what are the best drills for developing a specific position (15:30), what's my hypothetical plan for creating a BJJ world champion if I had a young clone of myself (18:41), when will the single leg X guard and modern leg lock formula instructionals be released as apps (28:28), what should your focus be if you're training purely for self defense (29:35), ranking physical attributes in order of importance for BJJ competition (32:22), bodyweight fitness routines (38:00), tips for dealing with knuckle and joint pain (40:50), what's a good balance between weight training and BJJ for healthy joints (44:30), is 5' 9" too small to do BJJ (50:10), training around knee pain (52:05), post training nutrition tips (55:35), flexibility for older grapplers (57:05), are you being rude to your partners when you want to go light because of injury concerns (59:25), and how can you deal with getting promoted to blue belt but not thinking that you deserve it (1:03:54)? Please subscribe and give this podcast a rating and/or a review if you find it useful - it's really helping us produce more episodes!

I LOVED talking to Bernardo Faria, 5 time BJJ world champion, about his getting 'kidnapped' in the Philippines, reflections on ADCC 2017, the toughest guys he has ever rolled with, whether you can get your BJJ black belt without competing, the connection between jiu-jitsu and entrepreneurship, building a BJJ school, if North America will ever catch up to Brazil in jiu-jitsu, and much more. Check it out! You can find out more about Bernardo on his website at https://bernardofaria.com and/or his Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/bernardorochajf

No gi grappling is very popular these days, and a lot of people find making the transition from training with the gi to training without it tricky and difficult. In this episode Ritchie Yip and I go over some tricks and tips to make this an easier transition and to give you a fighting chance when you can't grip cloth to control your opponent.

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

Recorded right after my hotel room workout, this episode talks about the 3 things you need to do to stay in jiu-jitsu shape when you're travelling so you don't suck as bad when you get back to your regular training schedule.

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!

I'm on fire for this one because it really gets under my skin when people focus on the wrong thing in their martial arts training. Boys and girls, it's about skill acquisition and NOT about the color of your belt. Get this wrong and it will destroy your relationship to the martial arts!

Unfortunately injuries are just part of the game, and getting back to training after recuperating from an injury is always a tricky business. In this episode I give some of my best advice about exactly how your return to the mats should be structured. This is advice I've learned the hard way so take my advice - for the longest time I didn't use it myself and I wish I had!

This is for everyone - beginner and experienced martial artist - with a very tight schedule who can't train more than once a week. Can you still make progress? What are some tips for getting as good as you can when time is limited? How do you not lose hope, momentum and confidence during these inevitable training slowdowns? Of course my main site is Grapplearts.com, but also check out my other site SelfDefenseTutorials.com where I'm posting a TON of martial arts and self defense tactics, techniques and training methods.

Endurance is the most important physical attribute in combat sport, but it can be time consuming to develop. In this short episode I talk about some of the most efficient cardio protocols that I've used during periods of my life when I had no time for long, leisurely cardio.

I'm thrilled to bring you guys Pshemek Drabczynski who was my first BJJ teacher. Pshemek is a BJJ black belt, a WKA North American kickboxing champion, and a physical conditioning guru. In this episode we talk about martial arts specific fitness, getting stronger, improving endurance, eating properly preventing injuries, fasting and much more. If you're in the Orange County area and are looking for a personal trainer make sure to check out Pshemek at http://www.besthometrainer.com

A few days ago I had a great training session, and then today I had a bad one. Here's why I didn't get too excited or bothered by either one, and why you shouldn't either!

This is a really good episode in which I talk to my friend, BJJ black belt, and world traveller Budo Jake. We cover a ton of topics including the evolution of Japanese ju-jutsu into BJJ, getting choked unconscious, the effectiveness of wrist locks in grappling, brain damage from striking, yoga and other recover methods, training at different academies, and advice for newbies. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed being on James '300' Foster's podcast where we talked about figuring out grappling from scratch, why fighters fight injured, PEDs in the MMA, how jiu-jitsu will always be there for you after a long layoff, and a lot more! I hope you enjoy it too! Check out Jame's podcast on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spartan-underground/id1070092297?mt=2

Here's a quick rant about whether you should still train if you're beginning to come down with something. The lessons in this particular podcast have repeated themselves many times until learned...

This is a fantastic episode. I chat with historian Daniele Bolelli about everything from rough and tumble frontier wrestling, Theodore Roosevelt sparring in the White House, what it's like to be a historian lecturing with bruises and black eyes, how martial arts helps people survive tough times, and much more. Check out Daniele's amazing History on Fire podcast at http://historyonfirepodcast.com Check out Daniele Bolelli teaching an strange technique for MMA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaELw7GWvlw and getting elbow speared in the face at http://historyonfirepodcast.com The central page for this podcast if you want to share it is here: http://www.grapplearts.com/eye-gouging-hair-pulling-theodore-roosevelt-historian-daniele-bolelli/ Thank so much! Enjoy!!

It's a HUGE mistake to focus on techniques like biting, finger breaks and eye-gouging and avoiding techniques you can try out under pressure and against resistance in sparring. Here's why that's the case, and why most martial sports participants are actually far deadlier than most martial artists.

You'll like this episode! In it I talk with 62 yr old BJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley (the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a heart attack, the horrors of the Eastern Front in World War 2, interpreting the Torah, being Leonard Cohen's Rabbi, and awarding Blue Belts in marriage counselling.

In this episode I go into depth about why you (and everyone else) should train in martial arts. Hint: it's not about self defense, fitness or socialising; those things are definitely benefits, but they're not the core reason that martial arts training is so transformative. For more on this topic you can also check out a blog post I wrote on Grapplearts called Blood, Sweat and... Sparta!

I think you'll like this one! In this episode I talk to 280 lb BJJ Masters World Champion James '300' Foster, fresh back from a pre Pan-Ams California training trip. We discuss getting kicked our of Karate after starting BJJ, the process of finding the correct mix of training that works best for you, cutting weight in BJJ, how to train successfully with smaller and/or less skilled students, 'modern' BJJ techniques appearing in old Judo, the movie Logan and our favourite comic books.

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 itself when you're trying to use it under stress. Jarlo Ilano is an instructor under Burton Richardson https://jkdunlimited.com/ in his Battlefield Kali system and a purple belt in BJJ. And as well as being a physical therapist since 1998 with a board specialty in orthopedics, he is a co-founder and Managing Director at GMB Fitness https://gmb.io/ which specializes in online training for improving strength, flexibility, and body control through bodyweight exercise.

Stephan rants about the ethics and legal consquences of smashing someone's head in with a piece of concrete, otherwise known as the pavement coup de grace. Check out the video version of this rant at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RF-J1M5QJs