The Strenuous Life Podcast with 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.

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Episodes

005 - A Woman's Perspective on the Journey to Black Belt - Emily Kwok

Emily Kwok is a BJJ black belt, a decorated BJJ competitor and runs her own school in Princeton, New Jersey. In this interview she talks about how and why she abandoned a conventional white collar lifestyle to pursue her BJJ dreams, as well as sharing lots of great information about choosing BJJ schools, gender etiquette on the mats, and how to survive and thrive when you're always the smallest person at your school. She has also collaborated with Stephan Kesting on a series of instructional app...

May 12, 2011•39 min•Ep. 5

004 - Old School BJJ - Marcus Soares on training with Carlson Gracie back in the day

7th degree black belt Marcus Soares takes us to Rio in the 70's and 80's on a narrated stroll through BJJ history. Find out about the legendary Carlson Gracie, the fighter, the teacher and founder of the strongest BJJ team of the era. Get the inside scoop on the toughest tournament in town, and the friendly rivalry between Carlson and Rolls Gracie students.

Feb 03, 2011•36 min•Ep. 4

003 - MMA Training and Coaching - Erik Paulson

Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach. He's trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts. And he also held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years. In this interview with Stephan Kesting from www.grapplearts.com, Erik reveals • What training with the Gracies in their 'garage days' was like • How wrestling can improve your BJJ, and visa versa • The theory of the jiu-jitsu wheel • The strategic and tactical differences between catchwrestling and BJJ ...

Dec 22, 2010•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 3

002 - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About BJJ Competition - David Meyer

Learn the best BJJ competition strategies. Today I have a long chat with David Meyer, the author of "Training for Competition; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling." We cover WHO should compete, WHEN to use certain strategies, HOW to prepare for a competition, WHAT your mindset should be, WHY put all this stress on yourself in the first place, and much, much more. It's one of the best interviews I've done, and if you practice any grappling art then I really think that you'll enjoy it....

Aug 26, 2009•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 2

001 - George St Pierre's MMA Conditioning Coach - John Chaimberg

Want to find out how UFC champion George St. Pierre's gets in shape? Let's ask his conditioning coach, Jon Chaimberg. Find out about the training program that's helped GSP stay at the top of his game and retain his UFC belt. Jon has worked with many top Mixed Martial Arts fighters, including Georges St-Pierre, Denis Kang, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, David Loiseau, Keith Jardine and many others. This is a very detailed and specific discussion about MMA conditioning. Jon pulls no punches and sha...

Jun 19, 2009•50 min•Ep. 1

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