The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

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**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.

Latest Episodes:

380 - What Do You Need to Know to Be a BJJ Blue Belt? Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

BJJ black belt Elliott Bayev and I discuss the minimum knowledge set required to be a competent blue belt, including...

The 8 basic positions in jiu-jitsu
A 3 phase strategy for beating a bigger person
The real purpose of the guard
The 2 types of submissions
The hierarchy of positions
How to stay safe in bad positions...and what to do next.
The importance of getting high up on your opponent's body
How do throws and takedowns fit into training
Competition vs self defense tactics
How many techniques do you actually need
Why sparring against real resistance makes jiu-jitsu special
When to begin sparring in your progression
How long does it take to make bluebelt
And more!

Click here to get the Roadmap for BJJ, my free PDF breakdown of the basic positions and strategies in jiu-jitsu.

Elliott runs the Openmat school in Toronto Ontario and also the BJJ101.tv learning site.

Check out Elliott's Spider Guard Masterclass, and/or his Self Defense Guard, and/or his 30 Second Fight Finishes instructionals. I've personally worked with him on all 3 of these products and I can say without hesitation that they are incredibly detailed and directly applicable to your training.

Stephan Kesting

379 - A Fascism Checklist, with Professor Daniele Bolleli Nov 06, 2022

Show notes

In episode 379 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with podcaster, martial artist, and history professor Daniele Bolelli about the characteristics of fascism.

This is a loaded topic for both of us, because both of our families lived in fascist states during World War 2 (mine in Germany, his in Italy). Which is why I almost went with an alternate title, namely A German and an Italian Walk Into a Bar...

The terms 'fascism' sure gets thrown around a lot these days. But words have meaning, and so you can't just use it as an insult to describe anything you don't like. S0 what is it?

As Daniele explains, there isn't a single definition of fascism; instead it's a checklist and the more items an ideology checks off then the closer they are to fascism. Here are some of the major items for Daniele...

Nostalgia for a mythic past
Reliance on an authority figure who will fix everything
Nationalism
A cult of masculinity and cracking down on anyone who doesn't embody traditional values
A hawkish desire for war against internal and external enemies
Strong alliances with traditional power structures like industry and religion
Anti-intellectualism and a distrust of expertise
Conservative values,
Subordination of women, anti-abortion, anti-birth control
Anti-democratic values
Emphasis on law and order

Other things we discuss are Giorgia Meloni (the Prime Minister of Italy), economic situations before the rise of fascism, horseshoe theory and the eventual convergence of extreme left and extreme right, and the danger of fascism in the world right now.

More Daniele Bolelli...

Here are some places you can get more Daniele Bolelli...

His History on Fire Podcast (highly recommended)
His History on Fire Patreon if you want more content and support good work
He's on Instagram @daniele_bolelli

More Definitions of Fascism

Fascism is a tricky word, and many different people have taken stabs at defining it. Here are a few of my favorites...

I found Jason Stanley's 10 traits of a fascist movement a very useful starting point.

Umberto Eco's essay Ur-Fascism, originally published in the New York Review, included a 14 point list of the features of fascism. He identified that, for fascists, the enemy must simultaneously be very weak and very strong, which I found fascinating because I see it so often in the discourse these days.

British political scientist Roger Griffin has defined the fascistic core as an ultranationalism focused on the idea of rebirth of a people or a nation (or palingenetic ultranationalism).

As is so often the case, the Wikipedia article on the definitions of fascism is a useful starting point if you want to go deeper into this topic.

378 - The 5 Most Common BJJ and Judo Injuries and What to Do About Them, with Joshua Arellano, Pt Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Joshua Arellano is a physiotherapist with a black belt in Judo and a brown belt in BJJ. He works with combat athletes on rehab, prehab, and injury prevention, and - since injury is the enemy of progress - I was thrilled to pick his brain on the podcast to help everyone have a healthier grappling career! 00:39 - Judo and jiu-jitsu damage on the body 09:37 - The 5 most common injuries that you see in judo and jiu-jitsu 10:43 - Knee injuries 24:51 - Neck injuries 40:42 - Elbow injuries 45:01 - Is Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation outdated? 59:16 - Shoulder Injuries 1:03:33 - Learning to fall 1:05:16 - Small joint injuries 1:11:55 - How to contact Joshua Arellano, Physiotherapist Related to this topic are the two volumes in the BJJ for Old F***s series. If you're worried about or working around an injury consider checking out 1) BJJ for Old F***s, the Guard at https://www.grapplearts.com/oldguard and 2) Guard Passing for Old F***s at https://www.grapplearts.com/oldpass Thank you! Stephan Kesting

377 - John Will, Member of BJJ's 'Dirty Dozen' on Sport vs Self Defense Jiu-Jitsu Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

John Will trained in Southern California in the late 80's, was one of the first 12 non-Brazilians to get a BJJ black belt, and then went on to create the largest jiu-jitsu association in Australasia.

We talked about how the art has changed, how to be 'centrist' in the sport vs self defense debate, teaching elite military personnel, how to create a curriculum, and much more.

I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation

Stephan Kesting

P.S. Check out the latest Grapplearts Instructional, Guard Passing for Old F***s, at https://www.grapplearts.com/oldpass

376 - Mental and Physical Endurance with James 'The Biking Viking' Benson King Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

James 'The Biking Viking' Benson King is cycling from Alaska at the very top of North America to Argentina at the very bottom of South America. He's covered thousands of miles, endured injuries, dealt with bears, and gone deep into the reservoirs of his endurance. In this episode we talk about his mental and physical preparations for the journey of a lifetime.

Follow James on instagram @bensonthebikingviking, his youtube channel, and/or his site at bensonthebikingviking.co.uk.

375 - How Skill, Athleticism and Rank Correlate in BJJ, with Rob Biernacki Sep 16, 2022

Show notes

00:29 - Is technique enough by itself? 04:47 - Is Jiu-jitsu for everybody? 09:59 - Skill vs athleticism vs rank 22:43 - The resurgence of guard passing 25:34 - Intensity in training and belt promotion 32:43 - Hobbyist vs competitor training. 37:47 - The most effective takedowns for jiu-jitsu 39:12 - Training strengths vs working on weaknesses BJJ FOR OLD F***S, THE GUARD PASSING GAME Check out the latest Grapplearts instructional featuring Stephan Kesting and Rob Biernacki here: https://www.grapplearts.com/bjj-for-old-fs-guard-passing/ Good luck with your training, Stephan

374 - Adam Shoalt's Amazing 3,400 km Solo Journey to the Arctic Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

Explorer Adam Shoalts is fresh off a 3 month, 3,400 km solo trip to the Arctic. It's an amazing story, and he shares a TON of tips for travelling in the wilderness 00:32 Adam's 3 month, 3,400 km solo journey to the Arctic 31:20 On Staying Safe in the Wilderness 38:42 On Food and Calories in the Wilderness 50:57 How to Run Whitewater Safely on an Expedition 53:07 Medical Emergencies and Safe Drinking Water 1:05:41 Dealing with Black Flies and Mosquitoes 1:11:57 Dealing with Bears in the Wilderness 1:20:51 Staying Warm in Wet and Cold Weather 1:27:45 Intuitive Navigation vs GPS Navigation 1:34:45 Trip Planning 1:39:10 Dealing with Loneliness on a Solo Trip 1:43:41 Adam's Books Follow Adam at Instagram @adam_shoalts and check out his website at adamshoalts.com

Please share this episode with a friend or two if you liked it - it's how we grow! And check out the video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/m3srgJEDZH0 on the Strenuous Life Podcast channel on Youtube!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

373 - Alex Jones, Alt Right Hippies with Guns, and More with Derek Beres from Conspirituality Aug 12, 2022

Show notes

Derek Beres is an author and co-host at the Conspirituality Podcast. He joined me today to talk about the recent Alex Jones verdict, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theories, conspirituality and his predictions for the future.

Check out Conspirituality on every podcast platform, hosted by Derek Beres, Julian Walker and Mathew Remski. It's amazing!

And if you want more of Derek and I check out Cults and Conspiracies in the Yoga, Wellness, and BJJ Communities which was episode 291 of The Strenuous Life Podcast and/or Conspiracy Dojo, episode 106 of Conspirituality.

Keep on fighting the good fight my friends!

Stephan

372 - How to Come Back After a Training Layoff! Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

0:37 Why layoffs are inevitable 1:39 Loss of endurance 3:36 Loss of sport-specific strength 5:46 Loss of timing 7:19 How to minimize the loss 7:40 How long does it take to come back

Please share this episode with a friend or two if you liked it - it's how we grow! And check out the video version of this podcast on the Strenuous Life Podcast channel on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxFCWZJbnlRyhw3vmDx0Rlg/videos

Cheers, Stephan Kesting

371 - Battling Bullshit in the Martial Arts and Everywhere Else, with Phrost from Bullshido Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

From Steven Segal getting choked out on set to health influencers and how to develop information literacy I think you'll like this conversation with Phrost.

Follow Bullshido on Twitter @bullshido, Phrost @@Phrost, and/or the original Bullshido site at Bullshido.net.

Please share this episode with a friend or two if you liked it - it's how we grow! And check out the video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/fwLPR7VJ8O8 on the Strenuous Life Podcast channel on Youtube!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

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