The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Today I chat with Liz Beaver. She's a fitness writer, BJJ practitioner, adventurer, mental health advocate and self-described 'cantankerous bitch'. It's a wide-ranging yet deeply personal conversation in which we go right for the jugular in many important topics including Workout design Balancing work and workouts using time management Are there people who shouldn't train in martial arts Mental health, depression, anxiety and fitness Suggestions to help overcome mental health issues The critical role that getting outside plays Dealing with injuries And much more Follow Liz on Instagram at @ironbeaverfitness

Today's episode is PURE GOLD for BJJ practitioners and No Gi grapplers. Fabio Gurgel - 4 time BJJ Black Belt World Champion (and trainer of more than 50 other world champions) - talks about his approach to passing the guard, including how to connect your moves, the evolution of guard passing, advice for older grapplers, when you should stop halfway through a guard pass to tire the other guy out, and alternatives to the modern styles of guard passing that rely on mobility, athleticism and floating from side to side above your opponent. Check out Fabio's instructional, The Pressure Passing System, available on DVD, online streaming and in app form at https://www.grapplearts.com/pressure

Eliot Marshall is BJJ black belt and a former professional mixed MMA fighter who also appeared in Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter show. In today's podcast we talk about how to run a successful BJJ school, the financial incentive structures in MMA fight teams, the physical and mental attributes you need to be a good fighter, making a living off of jiu-jitsu, Elliot's experience with anxiety and depression, his rules for raising kids, and his Gospel of Fire book coming out soon. Find out more about Eliot, his teaching, his podcast and his book at https://eliotmarshall.com/

Red Sullivan is a strength and conditioning expert who has worked with athletes in many different sports to help them realise their athletic potential. In this podcast we go deep into skill vs physical attributes, how body types influence sport, insane underwater workouts with Laird Hamilton, and the difference between improving as a person and improving in training. Find out more about Red and his training services at https://www.theredgimen.com/, or follow him on Instagram at @strictlyred —————————————————— OFFICIAL STEPHAN KESTING LINKS —————————————————— YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/stephankesting INSTAGRAM @Stephan_Kesting https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/grapplearts TWITTER: @stephankesting or https://www.twitter.com/stephankesting ————————————————— STEPHAN'S FREE PDF CHECKLIST OF BJJ POSITIONS https://www.grapplearts.com/book ————————————————— STEPHAN'S MAIN WEBSITE - GRAPPLEARTS.COM Home page: https://www.grapplearts.com/ Stephan's Free BJJ Tips by Email: https://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter Articles, Tips & Techniques: https://www.grapplearts.com/articles —————————————————— STEPHAN'S FREE iOS & ANDROID APPS FOR LEARNING BJJ ON YOUR PHONE The Roadmap for BJJ (Free): https://www.grapplearts.com/roadmap The Grapplearts BJJ Master App (Free): https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp —————————————————— STEPHAN'S SELF DEFENSE TUTORIALS WEBSITE https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com/

Are you flailing around in your guard, trying to react to your opponent, without a clear plan of what to do? If so then this episode is for you! In it Rob Biernacki and I talk about the 3 step order of operations to make sure that you're dominating the guard battle every step of the way. This is from a video shot to support the launch of the 'No Gi de la Riva Formula' in online streaming, DVD and app form. More info about this step-by-step gameplan for the open guard here: www.grapplearts.com/DLR

Daniel Strauss (aka The Raspberry Ape) is a BJJ black belt under 10x World Champion Roger Gracie. But he's also a very serious advocate of strongman training including the development of crazy levels of grip strength. In today's podcast we start with Daniel's victory over Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii at Polaris and BJJ competition strategy and then do a deep dive into strength training for grappling and for its own sake. I think you'll really like this one! Also make sure to check out Daniel's 'Raspberry Ape' podcast on iTunes and wherever fine podcasts are distributed

Rosi Sexton is a true renaissance woman. She fought in BodogFight, EliteXC, Cage Warriors and was the first British Woman to fight in the UFC. But she's also Cambridge educated with a PhD in Theoretical Computer Science, a musician, a writer and a physical therapist. So she knows a thing or two... In this episode we talk about learning new skills, improving in combat sports, and overcoming injuries. From about 38 minutes on we concentrate on neck injuries and the role of neck strengthening in minimising concussion in combat sports. This is an extremely important episode for all martial artists! Check out the "Safe Neck Strengthening for BJJ, with UFC Fighter Rosi Sexton" video that Rosi shot for my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04ff_tgZGI0 And check out her site at https://www.combatsportsclinic.net/

Does training with grappling dummies actually work to improve your skills? And what else can you do to get better when training time is limited and it's difficult to make it to class as often as you like? This podcast rant is also available in written and video form as an in-depth blog post at https://www.grapplearts.com/will-grappling-dummy-drills-help-bjj/ Regardless of how you decide to solve the problem I wish you good luck with both your time management and your training! Stephan Kesting

Daniel Bohigian is a Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Dave Camarillo, competes actively, and also teaches 'Philosophy of Sport' at San Jose State. In this episode we discussed philosophy vs jiu-jitsu, work vs play, mind vs body, teaching people how to think, why 'leaving your ego at the door' is a bad idea, and much more. Follow Daniel on Instagram at @philosograppler And download my FREE app for iOS and Android devices with more than 457 minutes of black belt BJJ technique at Grapplearts.com/masterapp

Paul Kindzia was immersed in the world of marathon and triathalon for many years before immersing himself in BJJ, even going so far as to write a book on the topic called 'Master Jiu-Jitsu, Master Life'. In this episode we focus on the lessons that can be brought into BJJ training from the endurance sports world, including efficient training, effective recovery, minimisation of injuries and maximising your time on the mat. I really think you'll like this episode and come away with some good 'Aha' moments! Also, I'm releasing the 'Self Defense Guard' as a module in the Grapplearts BJJ Master App right now. This app allows you to take BJJ with you in your pocket wherever you go. Download the app for free at Grapplearts.com/masterapp and then look for the 'Self Defense Guard' module within it!!