The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 5, 2019 • 1h 6min
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 evolution of Jiu Jitsu and some ways to help manage training, conditioning and sparring.
Jun 5, 2019 • 57min
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 also talks about what kind of markers and skill differences he looks out for when bringing people up to the next belt and whether the belt should be used as motivation or if it disrupts the learning process. To check out his apps or instructional DVD's, go to his website at: roydeanacademy.com
Jun 5, 2019 • 10min
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, your physical attributes, and your personality. On the other hand if you spend too much time training in a small group without the opportunity to calibrate your skills against people much better than you then you can end up king of your local hill and never make it up the slopes of the higher mountains around you! Stephan Kesting
Jun 3, 2019 • 1h 4min
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 thanks to https://www.instagram.com/christophkesting/), the recovery process, and getting back to normal. IMPORTANT: Listen to the end of the podcasts to get the details on how I'll give you a complete BJJ instructional just for signing your organ donor card!!! Don't you love it when people bribe you to do the right thing?
May 31, 2019 • 47min
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 online BJJ technique resources, to his adventures in Pakistan sourcing gi's for On The Mat, Scotty shares some incredible stories with us today! Grab my app for learning high level BJJ for FREE at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp
May 18, 2019 • 1h 12min
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 going forward. Brett was a nationally ranked Taekwondo competitor who was diagnosed with an illness that crippled him which specialists told him was incurable. He fought through it, returned to competition, and even managed to medal at a national championship again. This is a great example of the power of the human mind and how martial arts training can literally save your life. Find out more about Brett at https://vancitybrett.ca
May 13, 2019 • 9min
210 - It's the Ego, Stupid! How My Last BJJ Injury Was Totally Preventable
I'm just getting over an injury that was completely, utterly, absolutely my own fault. The fastest way to stall your BJJ progress is to get injured. It's true that some injuries are unavoidable, but so many of them can be avoided by KEEPING YOUR EGO IN CHECK! Also, have you downloaded my free BJJ Master App yet? Even if you never buy anything on it you still get more than 457 minutes of completely free instruction including a complete back attacks instructional! https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp
May 5, 2019 • 40min
209 - Fighting Through Injury to Win Pan Am Gold with Vanessa Wexler
Vanessa Wexler is a BJJ black belt and a multiple no-gi world champion, PanAm champion, and Masters champion. I caught up with her shortly after she won Gold in the Pan Ams competing with a completely destroyed ankle. We talked dealing with injuries, pre-competition visualisation, how running a school does NOT give you unlimited training time, and her modelling career(!).
May 4, 2019 • 7min
208 - Should Martial Artists Condition Their Knuckles?
Knuckle conditioning is a two-edged sword in martial arts. On the one hand hard knuckles and a conditioned fist make for a much more powerful punch in a streetfight and make it less likely you'll break your hand or sprain your wrist. On the other hand it increases the risk of arthritis and non-functional hands as you get older. What should martial artists do? If you're interested in more information like this then check out the 3 free self defense PDFs I have available at http://selfdefensetutorials.com/get-free-self-defense-tips-by-email/
Apr 23, 2019 • 1h 18min
207 - Monty Collier, Technical Judo Instructor for John Wick 3
Monty Collier is a black belt Judoka who worked with Keanu Reeves to get him ready for the amazing fight sequences in the movie John Wick 3 Parabellum. This conversation was a fun one and we started with how Judo has evolved from combat art to Olympic sport, how he taught Keanu highly technical moves, breakfalling on concrete vs mats, and how to fix Judo. Follow Monty's work and see some amazing Judo on Instagram @collierjudomethod And, as always, please leave a rating or a review for this podcast - it really helps!
