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PODCAST

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

sports wrestling

All Episodes

24:24

422 - How to Condition Yourself to Deal with...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/04/24

The fight-or-flight reflex is always lurking just below the surface. When things get sufficiently stressful, our hormonal system dumps enormous amounts of adrenaline into our bloodstream, and—BOOM—suddenly we’re ready for action. That adrenaline serves a purpose: it elevates your heart rate, makes you much stronger, more pain tolerant, and able to ignore injury. If you ever have to lift a car off a child, you don’t want to be calm. Instead, you want to be mad, scared, enraged—whatever it takes to

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01:00:11

421 - BJJ Training and Conditioning Myths, with James...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/04/04

Three time IBJJ World medallist James Deirmendjian joins me to discuss optimal training methodologies and the science behind strength and conditioning for sport. We cover hacks to improve recovery, debunk common myths in the Jiu-Jitsu community, and go deep into the need for a more scientific approach to training and nutrition. Follow and get in touch with James via https://www.instagram.com/fight_fit_training/ on Instagram. And check out my best-selling book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the

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01:02:35

420 - Braving Polar Bears, Facing Off Against the...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/03/20

Frank Wolf is an explorer, a writer, and one hell of an adventurer. In this episode we cover what he learned about endurance and survival during his travels in the Arctic, Central America, and Antarctica. Check out his fantastic book Two Springs, One Summer anywhere you get books in including Indigo and Amazon. https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/two-springs-one-summer-a-year-inside-the-life-of-a-chronic-adventurer/9781771606844.html https://www.amazon.com/Two-Springs-One-Summer-Adventurer/dp/1771606843

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45:05

419 - Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/03/04

I've got something special for you today: a true adventure story set in the Far North featuring that I underwent a few years ago after a kidney transplant. I ended up learning a LOT about mental toughness, resilience, and strategies for making progress when I was absolutely at the end of my rope, lessons that I think are universally applicable. The book out today in hardcover, Kindle, and Audible audiobook formats. Since this is a podcast, I thought I'd give you the first three chapters in audio

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01:07:22

418 - Spartans, Samurai and Ninja with BJJ Black Belt...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/02/24

I was thrilled to have Jeff Nelson on the show to talk about Spartans, Samurai, Ninja, developing confidence through jiu-jitsu, fight scenes in movies that drive us crazy, and pro-training at some of the best BJJ schools in the world. Follow Jeff on Instagram (@thoughtandmindjj) and check out his book Ninja Punks, @*&% OFF! on Amazon! Also check out my new book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indigo, or your favorite local bookstore!

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01:25:42

417 - Can You Get Your BJJ Black Belt Without...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/02/11

Paul Kindzia describes himself as a "homeschooled, non-denominational, it takes a village black belt" and had a very unique route to getting his BJJ black belt. He was a ronin, training at different schools and did a lot of his training in his home dojo. This paid off because he was a top IBJJF Masters competitor at blue, purple, and brown belt, before being awarded his black belt by a coalition of other black belts (myself included) in October of 2024. In this episode we talk about so many things,

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36:43

416 - How to Climb Everest, with Extreme Alpinist...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/01/27

Jost Kobusch is just back from Everest, where he is doing a multi-year project to climb the tallest mountain in the world... by himself... without oxygen... up the incredibly difficult West Ridge route in the middle of winter. In winter, the effective altitude of Everest is over 9,000 meters, and the winds can reach 250 km/hour (155 mph). And - on top of that - the mountain was hit by a powerful earthquake while he was on it. Find out... How Jost Kobusch optimises his training The relative

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01:58:09

415 - BJJ and Self Defense, with Tyson 'The Warrior...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/01/16

Tyson Larone is a BJJ belt, a Muay Thai teacher, TEDx speaker, and a strongman competitor. In this episode he and I dive deep into exploring how BJJ can be used for self defense, including how context changes everything in self defense… adaptations that women and smaller people need to make… the problems with the one time self defense seminar model… the need for force-multipliers and whether guns can act as that force multiplier… the single biggest thing any man can do to keep the women in his

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54:30

414 - Optimized BJJ Training for Non-Athletic...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2025/01/01

The standard BJJ approach of throwing newcomers to the wolves may work for young and talented athletes, but it's definitely not optimal for most older, non-athletic, or female grapplers (otherwise known as the vast majority of people). In today's episode I'm joined by Jesse Walker from Rough Hands BJJ in Louisville, Kentucky, to discuss the training methods and school culture that'll make jiu-jitsu accessible to (almost) everyone. Check out Rough Hands BJJ training center in Louisville, Kentucky

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01:14:50

413 - Strongman Training Secrets, with Kalle Beck

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/11/25

Kalle Beck has competed, coached and commentated in Strongman events and has helped thousands of people become much, much stronger. Here's how some of the lessons learned from Strongman apply to other sports... Check out Kalle's site at https://startingstrongman.com/ and the Facebook group he runs (the biggest strongman community in the world) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/startingstrongman/ Check out Stephan Kesting's latest jiu-jitsu instructional, No Gi Pin Escapes at

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01:02:20

Eco-Adjacent Training and How to Do It Correctly,...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/11/13

One of the biggest trends in BJJ right now is the so-called "ecological approach." In episode 412 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm joined by renowned coach Rob Biernacki to discuss the do's and don'ts of game-based training. Check out Rob's instructional BJJ Games here https://www.grapplearts.com/bjj-games/ for more information.

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01:32:04

411 - Smashing the Mental Barriers Holding Back Your...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/10/22

Erin Herle is a BJJ black belt under Cobrinha and is a certified Mental Performance Consultant. In her work she uses an evidence-based approach and has a master's degree in sport and performance psychology. In this episode we cover overcoming the biggest barriers holding you back from performing to your potential, dealing with burnout and overtraining (and why they are different), hero worship in martial arts, and living the jiu-jitsu lifestyle. Find out more about Erin and her coaching programs at

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59:05

410: How B Team Prepared for ADCC and CJI, with Chris...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/09/23

Would you like a behind-the-scenes peek at what really goes on at one of the most successful grappling teams in the world as they get ready for ADCC and CJI, the Olympics of grappling? Today I'm joined by Chris Wojcik, a standout grappler and the author of The Grappler's Diary, and we cover... The qualifying process for ADCC, the Olympics of Grappling Training with a herniated disk How to go from enthusiastic amateur to dedicated professional What natural athletes need to do differently to compete

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59:19

409 - Denis Kang, From Underground Bareknuckle Fights...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/09/09

Denis was one of the top MMA fighters in the world with wins over Minoru Suzuki, Murilo 'Ninja' Rua, Akihiro Gono and Marvin Eastman. In this interview he opens up about the mindset shift that took him to a 22 fight undefeated streak... how he dealt with the death of his fiance while competing for the biggest MMA organisation in the world... how fighters should know when it's time to quit fighting... and how MMA training has changed since the early days. This episode is also available on Youtube

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01:30:57

408 - Ramsey Dewey on Effective Combat Sports and...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/08/26

Ramsey Dewey is an MMA coach now based in Shanghai, China. I really enjoyed our conversation which included... How wearing headgear in sparring actually makes things WORSE for your brain His controversey with Master Wong Why China could take over MMA What self defense 'experts' get wrong What happens to martial arts that don't spar Ramsey's experience on The Ultimate Self Defense Championship Check out Ramsey's very popular Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@RamseyDewey Find out more

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49:54

407 - 3 Big Lessons Learned During 19 Days of...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/08/05

I just did a 19-day solo canoe trip in the Canadian Arctic, and here are the 3 big lessons I learned! If you want to see photos and a day-by-day description of the trip please go here: https://essentialwilderness.com/lost-in-the-barrens-a-solo-canoe-trip-on-a-remote-arctic-river/ Order my book "Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic" at the following places: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612/ Barnes and

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33:02

406 - Goodbye - I Am Out of Here!

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/06/21

This podcast episode covers all the details and preparations for a long solo trip in the Arctic that I'm starting today! After 30 hours of driving and a 2 hour bush plane flight to Nueltin Lake I'll be heading north of the treeline direct into the Barren Lands of the Arctic. Once there, I'll be completely alone and out of touch for 30 days. The only written description of the river is a few pages in a book written by a missionary in the late 1800's. The trip spans the Thlewiaza, The-Tinne, Kognak

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01:09:48

404 - What the Hell Happened to MMA?

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/05/14

Luke Thomas is one of the most influential MMA analysts in the game and the host of The Morning Kombat Podcast. I was delighted to talk to him today about How the sport of MMA has changed The rise of Eastern European fighters Why is terrible behaviour of MMA fighters tolerated Can other MMA organisations ever rival the UFC Drug testing in the UFC Fighter unions and the Ali Expansion Act What Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson means for combat sports And more! Check out Luke Thomas's Youtube channel at

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27:18

403 - Is Bear Spray Better than Guns vs Aggressive...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/05/07

In this episode I put on my adventurer hat and use my biology background to look at four studies and 352 aggressive bear encounters in Alaska to see whether bear spray or firearms was more effective at deterring aggressive black, grizzly and polar bear behaviour. The results may surprise you, but data doesn't care about your feelings! TIMESTAMPS 01:28 - Introduction to bears spray vs guns 04:08 - Analysis of the first report, Bear Spray vs Bullets, Which Offers Better Protection, by the US Fish and

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07:36

402 - A BJJ Concept to Help You Through the Tough...

The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting ·

2024/04/12

There are times when it feels like life has you trapped on the bottom of mount against a vastly heavier, more experienced opponent intent on mauling you. The steps to deal with these two situations are the same. Pass this on to someone you think it might help, Stephan Kesting P.S. I made one little mistake in this podcast: Epictetus was a Greek (not Roman) stoic philosopher who lived in Rome for much of his youth serving the Emperor Nero, so he doubtless knew all about suffering.

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