The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Latest Episodes:

420 - Braving Polar Bears, Facing Off Against the Columbian Military, and Team Dynamics with Frank Wolf Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

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

Please feel free to share this episode with that one crazy outdoor enthusiast in your life because that's how the show grows!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

P.S. Also check out my own book Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic - links available at https://www.stephankesting.com/perseverance-book

419 - Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic (Audiobook Format) Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

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 form, including an incident so embarrassing that I almost didn't include it in the book at all.

If you grab the hardcover this week, I'll make sure you get a signed copy! If you get the Kindle or audiobook format, then you'll get my thanks and undying gratitude. You can get it at your local bookstore but you also get it at ALL the big online sites, including these links here at Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com,

In Canada you can get it at Amazon.ca or Indigo.ca. In the UK it comes out a little later, but you can still preorder it at any of the links on simonandschuster.co.uk. I hope you enjoy consuming this book in your favorite format it as much as I enjoyed writing it for you! Thanks so much, Stephan Kesting

P.S. You can see some very kind early reviews of the book at stephankesting.com/perseverance-book

418 - Spartans, Samurai and Ninja with BJJ Black Belt Jeff Nelson Feb 24, 2025

Show notes

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!

417 - Can You Get Your BJJ Black Belt Without Affiliating with a Specific School? Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

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, including - How to get really good if you don't train at a top-tier school - Key aspects of training safely - How to say no to training with people who don't have your best interests at heart - What you need to do to calibrate your skills if you mainly train one-on-one - Cult-like dynamics at some BJJ schools - What professional BJJ competitors do that sets them apart - How to get promoted if you train independently - How jiu-jitsu training has changed in the last 10 years - And so much more.

For more about Paul's jiu-jitsu journey check out his site, The Balanced Grappler (https://www.thebalancedgrappler.com/) and his book, Master Jiu-Jitsu, Master Life (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Jiu-Jitsu-Life-Extraordinary-Through/dp/069216197X)

Please give this episode a thumbs up and share it with someone else you think might enjoy it.

Thanks so much, Stephan Kesting

P.S. Check out my own book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic at https://www.stephankesting.com/perseverance-book

416 - How to Climb Everest, with Extreme Alpinist Jost Kobusch Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

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 importance of physical vs mental attributes in extreme sport
How he overcame a potentially career-ending injury
The dichotomy of fitness vs experience for maximum performance
What it's like to be a full-time athlete
Jost's best advice for someone who is considering an Everest climb!
And more

Check out Jost's Altitude Academy https://jostkobusch.de/en/akademie/ and/or follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jostkobusch

Finally, if you've read down this far, you must like adventure stories, so check out my new book, "Perseverance, Live and Death in the Subarctic" available everywhere you can get books, including https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612/

Please share this episode with somone who you think will like it!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

415 - BJJ and Self Defense, with Tyson 'The Warrior Philosopher' Larone Jan 16, 2025

Show notes

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 life safe and more. We also perceptions and expressions of masculinity, conservative-appearing privilege, and much more. As always, Tyson brings receipts for everything he says.

IMPORTANT: This podcast was recorded in early December 2024 but only released in early January 2025. Therefore some of the dates referenced are incorrect. Tyson's flashlight course IS currently available (at gethomesafe.online), Stephan STILL wants his Christmas presents, and his William Shirer Kindle offer is valid until the end of January 2025

LINKS

Flashlight self defense: https://www.gethomesafe.online/courses
School: Ironside Martial Arts: https://ironsidemartialarts.ca/
Tyson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarriorphilosopherig
Tyson on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarriorphilosopher

Cheers, Stephan Kesting

P.S. Check out my @EssentialWilderness Youtube Channel - I'm putting lots of footage from my adventures in the North on it.

414 - Optimized BJJ Training for Non-Athletic Grapplers, with Jesse Walker Jan 01, 2025

Show notes

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 at https://roughhandsbjj.com/ and/or get in touch with Jesse on most social media platforms at @roughhandsbjj.

If you want to delve deeper into training methods that maximize results and minimize injuries check out the ground-breaking BJJ Games instructional I did with Rob Biernacki at https://www.grapplearts.com/bjjgames

And for specific techniques and strategies applicable to the older grappler check out the two BJJ for Old F***s instructionals at https://www.grapplearts.com/2-for-1-sale-on-bjj-for-old-fs/

Good luck with your training! Stephan Kesting

413 - Strongman Training Secrets, with Kalle Beck Nov 25, 2024

Show notes

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 https://www.grapplearts.com/PinEscapes and also his book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic, with links for more information here: https://essentialwilderness.com/book/

Cheers, Stephan Kesting

412 - Eco-Adjacent Training and How to Do It Correctly, with Rob Biernacki Nov 13, 2024

Show notes

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.

411 - Smashing the Mental Barriers Holding Back Your Jiu-Jitsu Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

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 https://www.erinherle.com/

Check out No Gi Pin Escapes, your masterclass at getting out from the bottom and getting your jiu-jitsu confidence back, at https://www.grapplearts.com/no-gi-pin-escapes/

Cheers, Stephan Kesting

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