The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

Julie Kedzie is a retired MMA fighter who now works as a fight commentator, interviewer and matchmaker for Invicta Fighting Championships. In this episode she shares her experience of meeting Vladimir Putin, unaffiliating yourself from bad people (like Vladimir Putin), the importance of role models, what drove her to start MMA and how she finally made the decision to retire. As a special bonus you'll learn why from this point forward I want to be referred to as Reverend, Master, Saint, Professor Kesting! "The richer your life is outside of fighting the more meaningful the fighting can become" - Julie Kedzie

To celebrate the launch of the new BJJ for Old F***s instructional (available at grapplearts.com/oldguard) here are some of the most important takeaways for the older grappler. In this episode Rob Biernacki (age 46) and I (age 52) discuss... The two things that change most about your training as you get older How to improve as fast as possible by limiting your training Why base, posture and structure are even more important for older grapplers How to select for techniques that are high percentage at the high level but still work on young whippersnappers How to stay safe on the mat and not get injured Reducing unnecessary movement so you don't get tired How gripfighting and range management will dramatically improve your abilities on the mat  And much more. Honestly, if you're beginning to creep up on the wrong side of 40 then this is a must-listen. If you're interested in the actual BJJ for Old F***s instructional you can check that out at grapplearts.com/oldguard

Lance Gibson Sr made a HUGE impression on me when he KO'd Jermaine Andre in the UFC while partially blind in one eye. That fight was a masterclass in both grit and strategy, so I was thrilled to have him on the podcast.   We talked at length about how training for MMA has changed since the early days, whether you can operate a gym and fight professionally at the same time, what really happened at all those Big Bear training camps back in the day, how to mitigate brain damage and CTE in training, and much more.   Follow Lance Gibson on Instagram, instagram.com/lancegibsonsr and on Twitter twitter.com/lancegibsonsr.   And check out the upcoming Grapplearts instructional 'BJJ for Old F***s" at grapplearts.com/oldguard - it's really good and is currently available for pre-order.   Cheers, Stephan Kesting Grapplearts.com        

Kevin Bass has a background in medical anthropology, is both a medical and a PhD student, a grappler, and a weightlifter who has been deep in the trenches of the diet wars.  In this episode we discuss the evidence for keto and carnivore diets, the seed oil controversy, and a tentative protocol to help minimize brain damage from concussive trauma.   Follow Kevin on Twitter at @kevinnbass and check out his informative site at thedietwars.com. Cheers, Stephan Kesting    

I really enjoyed talking with Tyson Larone today.  He's a badass Jiu-jitsu black belt who also teaches Muay Thai and is a certified strength and conditioning coach.     We went deep into effective training methods, how to avoid injury, which experts we should listen to, training against resistance, and how to build a good mix of strength, endurance and flexibility   Follow Tyson on Instagram where is is @stalbertarashido and on Tiktok where he is @thewarriorphilosopher.   Also download my free app The Grapplearts BJJ Masterapp where you can get extensive free samples of all my instructionals. Cheers, Stephan Kesting  

Multiple time World and European champion Margot Ciccarelli joins us take us through travelling and training at different gyms while competing at the highest level, how to feel invincible on the mats, tempo changes, transitioning through different guards, and learning faster vs staying in your comfort zone. Follow Margot on Instagram @thenomadicmars And check out my latest instructional, Omoplata 2.0. It's your step-by-step system for adding the most versatile submission in jiu-jitsu to your game! Cheers, Stephan Kesting

Lowering the cost of failure in your training is the best way to get more reps in against a resisting opponent.  And getting more reps in against a resisting opponent is the best way to get better faster! Check out the Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu book published by Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins and myself, now available on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Non-Stop-Jiu-Jitsu-Champions-Aggressive/dp/B08CPNPNDD/

How to find the high percentage techniques in jiu-jitsu, false positives and standards of jiu-jitsu evidence, MMA vs gi BJJ vs submission grappling, attribute based techniques, and how to know what the next big thing is in jiu-jitsu, with Rob Biernacki.   Check out Rob's amazing and highly detailed 'Arm Drag Formula' instructional (which is DEFINITELY a high percentage technique) at: https://www.grapplearts.com/armdrag   Check out his online training at: https://www.bjjconcepts.net   And check out his school at: https://www.islandtopteam.com    And finally, the video version of this episode is available here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mshC7cuL3_k   Cheers, Stephan  

I'll make some new enemies with this one for sure! Thanks to Rob Biernacki for helping witih this project, and to everyone who contributed to the "If armbar deniers used anti-vaxxer and covid-denier logic to “prove” the armbar doesn’t work" thread on my Twitter. Back to regular programming soon, I promise...   Stephan

Paul Mason is one of Canada's foremost whitewater instructors and the son of Paul Mason, the man who introduced canoeing to the world with the "Path of the Paddle" films and book. I was thrilled to talk to him about  extreme bigwater canoeing, steep creeking, quantifiable repeated practice, the most common whitewater hazards, and how to get better at difficult sports as fast as possible.   Find out more about Paul (including the courses he teaches) at https://www.canoeinstruction.co/ And sign up for free jiu-jitsu tips, tricks, and training methods at https://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter Cheers, Stephan Kesting

Mikaela Ferguson has been introducing people to the outdoors for years with her guiding and with her writing.  In this episode we cover how to get started in the outdoors, paddling safety, dealing with bears, gear choice, surviving thunderstorms and more! Check out Mikaela's blog  https://www.voyageurtripper.com/ as well as her premium trip reports site https://tripreports.voyageurtripper.com/ Also follow her on Instagram where she shares a ton of great stuff. https://www.instagram.com/voyageurtripper/ Finally check out the outdoor skills site I'm currently developing at https://www.essentialwilderness.com Let me know if you liked this episode, OK? Stephan Kesting

My conversation with Troy Schott about martial arts, recovering from back injuries, and living healthy.  In a world full of woo I really appreciate his thoughtful, skeptical and scientifically informed approach to health. Troy's site is here: https://schottchiropractic.com/ And check out his Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/schott_chiropractic/ Cheers, Stephan Kesting

Dr Nicholas Tyau is a BJJ Black Belt and an internal medicine specialist who worked in NYC hospitals during Covid Ground Zero in 2020. Today we discuss the Omicron variant, therapeutics, long covid, hospital capacity, vaccine vs infection-induced immunity, booster shots, and whether you should train during the case spike.

Ami Palmer has been on the podcast before (ep 325) and I was thrilled to have him back.  He's a wrestler, judoka, jiu-jitsuka and teaches at the University of Texas.  The focus of today's conversation was how to talk to the vaccine hesitant, combat conspiracy theories, and how to figure out who to believe. Check out the 3 articles Ami wrote to accompany this episode: https://wrestling-with-philosophy.com/2020/05/26/anti-vaxxers-are-pro-vaccine-moral-arguments/ https://wrestling-with-philosophy.com/2020/06/15/vaccine-skeptics-are-pro-vaccine-moral-arguments-part-2/ https://wrestling-with-philosophy.com/2021/01/18/the-rational-the-reasonable-and-covid-19-vaccine-policy/ Thanks Stephan

I know people mean well but here's why I don't like them calling me 'Professor' or 'Sifu' or 'Sensei' or 'Guru' or 'Master' or 'Shihan' or 'Kru' or 'Sabom' Or 'Kwisatz Haderach'... So if we ever meet on the street, at an airport or in a gym please call me 'Stephan'! There's an inherent danger when lofty titles are used to amplify an already reflexive obedience towards the instructor in a martial arts setting, which is often a hierarchical environment with pseudo-spiritual overtones. Remember, everybody poops, including your professor grandmaster sifu instructor! If you have the inclination I'd be honored if you check out my latest instructional, The Omoplata 2.0 at https://www.grapplearts.com/omoplata.

Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Models joined me today to share some guidelines that'll immediately improve your jiu-jitsu defensive skills. Check out the BJJ Mental Models Podcast wherever fine podcasts are distributed https://bjjmentalmodels.com/ And check out my latest instructional, The Omoplata 2.0, which is my complete system for mastering the most versatile submission in jiu-jitsu.  https://www.grapplearts.com/omloplata Take care! Stephan

I was thrilled to have MMA fighter Nate 'The Rock' Quarry on the podcast where we talked about being raised in a cult, his comeback to the UFC after a serious back surgery, his biggest loss in MMA, the UFC monopoly, and staying in shape after retirement.  Nate is active on Twitter where he can be found @NateRockQuarry; please let him know if you enjoyed our conversation! Also check out my BRAND NEW step-by-step guide to the most versatile submission in jiu-jitsu at https://www.grapplearts.com/omoplata.  And if you felt compelled to jump on Twitter to tell me how great it is include me (@StephanKesting) and I'll be indebted to you! Cheers, Stephan Kesting

Burton Richardson is BJJ black belt and has an incredible lineage in the Filipino Martial Arts as well, having trained with many of the top instructors in the world.  I was thrilled to have him on the podcast to talk about pressure tested self defense in the real world. Please check out my step-by-step guide to the Omoplata, the most versatile submission in jiu-jitsu at https://www.grapplearts.com/omoplata

In this episode Steve Kwan from the BJJ Mental Models podcast grills me about the omoplata, the most versatile submission in all of jiu-jitsu. Check out my latest instructional, Omoplata 2.0, at https://www.grapplearts.com/omoplata  Cheers, Stephan Kesting

00:37: Richard Bejtlich's background in martial arts 08:39: Where does fascination with martial arts history comes from 18:08: What research on historical martial arts looks like 20:10: Preservation of antiquated methods in the present martial arts 26:15: The Ninja myth!!! 33:22: Cybersecurity 37:47: How hackers attack large corporations and the military 51:36: Craziest hacker attacks 57:52: Cyberwarfare 1:09:08: Answer to conspiration and desinformation fueling 1:13:38: How can people contact Richard?