The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

This is the Stephan Kesting's Grapplearts Radio Podcast where we discuss BJJ, Grappling, MMA, and all manner of martial arts training.

Stephan 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. Click here to download that book for free as well.

Stephan has a lengthy career in martial arts, spanning more than 3 decades. He has dedicated many years to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and you can find his accessible and practical expertise on all BJJ matters at Grapplearts.com

A black belt in multiple martial art systems, he brings a range of approaches to self defense, and a critical eye for what works in the street.

Stephan has been featured in Black Belt Magazine, Ultimate Grappling, Tapout Magazine and Ultimate Athlete.

He is also a frequent guest on martial arts related podcasts, including The Fightworks Podcast, Atlantic MMA, Combatives Corner, The Warrior’s Den, The Spartan Underground and many more.

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

Oct 20, 2022

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...

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

Oct 3, 2022

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...

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

Sep 16, 2022

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...

372 - How to Come Back After a Training Layoff!

Aug 4, 2022

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...

370 - Inclusive Jiu-Jitsu, with Erin Wedekind

Jul 15, 2022

Erin teaches jiu-jitsu in Appleton Jiu-Jitsu. In this episode we have a great discussion of trans athetes in jiu-jitsu and a little bit of polite debate about trans athletes competing in elite sport. I found this a very informative conversation and gained some valuable perspective on the science of transition.

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