The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

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....

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 N...

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...

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: Cyber...

Averi is a BJJ brown belt who has written extensively for the Jiu-Jitsu Times.  Together we go deep into why jiu-jitsu is popular for women, coming back from injuries, some recent high profile sexual assault cases in the sport, and much more.     Follow Averi on Instagram @bjjaveri , on Twitter @BJJaveri , and/or at the Jiu-Jitsu Times .   And while you're here, have you downloaded my reference gu...

I had a hip replacement to fix a joint worn out by 40 years of martial arts training, conditioning and fitness activities. This video details the first 4 weeks of my recovery, going from barely being able to stand up to climbing a mountain. As they say, this presentation contains powerful visuals, so if you're interested check out the video version of this podcast on Youtube at https://www.youtube...

Canadian explorer Adam Shoalts is back to talk about some of his recent expeditions, including a search for a mythical beast in the wilds of Northern Labrador.  We also discussed balancing family and adventure, the early explorers, his approach to selecting gear, food and travelling companions, and much more!   Find out more about Adam at https://adamshoalts.com/ , follow him on Instagram at @adam...

Dr Hanan Buskin is a clinical psychologist specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  In this episode we go deep into the benefits conspiracy theorist get from believing and sharing their crazy ideas and the long, difficult process required to gently wean them off conspiratorial thinking.  Follow Dr Hanan on Instagram @drhananbushkin and check out his clinic at areallygoodtherapist.co.za

After 4 decades of training Jiu-jitsu, MMA, Judo, Kajukenbo, Muay Thai, Karate and Kickboxing my right hip is worn out.  Here's how I became aware that it needed replacing, what the surgery is going to look like, and what I've done to prepare for it! I'll post updates about my post-surgical recovery on my podcast, my youtube channel and my Instagram.   And while I've got your attention, go grab my...

Steph Gaudreau is a strength coach, nutritionist, podcaster, author and BJJ practitioner.  I was thrilled to have her on the podcast today to discuss the overlap between strength training and jiu-jitsu. I think you'll get a lot out of it! Check out https://www.stephgaudreau.com/ or follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/steph_gaudreau/ And while you're reading this... Check out The Grap...

In this rant I go off about conspiracism, Ivermectin, Joe Rogan, anti-vaxxers, elk meat diets and more.  This is from an Instagram Live session I did with Dr Hanan Bushkin ( @drhananbushkin ) - Dr Bushkin is a psychologist so he really knew how to wind me up and set me loose!

Jeff Shaw runs Bellingham BJJ and despite coming to jiu-jitsu late in life fell in love with competition and eventually competed 8 divisions in a single tournament with pretty good results. I particularly love his pre-match psych up routine which you'll learn all about in this episode! 00:55 - 5 Minute Covid Checkin at Bellingham BJJ 13:53 - Starting competitive jiu-jitsu at age 35 17:34 - Should...

Julian Walker has researched, written, and podcasted about cults and gurus, spiritual bypass and quantum woo in New Age circles extensively.  He is also a cohost of the (amazing) Conspirituality Podcast. Today's episode is really important, and we discuss w hy certain groups (like BJJ, MMA and Yoga circles) are more into conspiracy theories (starting roughly at 4:46), the tendency for some people...

In episode 335 of The Strenuous Life Podcast Stephan Kesting talks to cult expert, cult survivor and cult deprogrammer Joeseph Szimhart. We go into depth about QAnon, New Age cults, Theosophy, cult recruitment tactics, and people escape them. I think this is a fascinating and very topical conversation. Find out more about Joe at https://www.jszimhart.com/ And if you enjoyed this episode then pleas...

Dr Dr Chris Kavanagh is an Oxford trained evolutionary & cognitive anthropologist who co-hosts the 'Decoding the Gurus' podcast with Mathew Browne. Together they tackle the secular gurus propagating their ideas, grievances, and conspiracies on the internet. In today's episode we look at the 10 factors that go into their 'gurometer', a highly scientific measure that takes the signature characterist...

From the cheekiest triangle choke counter I've ever used to Khabib slamming the crap out of his opponents in the UFC, here's a short episode about the times you simply have to move the fight to a new location!  Hope you enjoy this, and if you do then a review or rating on the podcast platform of your choice would be super appreciated! Stephan

Walter Masterson trolls anti-vaxx and pro-conspiracy rallies. He's brave, funny and insightful, and I was honored to have him as a guest on episode 332 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. Follow Walter on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/waltermasterson On TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@waltermasterson On Twitter at https://twitter.com/waltermasterson On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com...

Jon Thomas is a BJJ master strategician with an uncanny ability to connect grips, sweeps, submissions and positions together to create a seamless attack gameplan.  In this episode we do a deep dive into the closed guard position and I think your jiu-jitsu will definitely improve if you implement his training methods and organisational concepts. Check out The Closed Guard System in video format at...

How to learn from instructionals, avoid bad seminars, improve BJJ training methods, the Australian MMA scene, trends in grappling, and much more with the eloquent Sonny Brown from the Sonny Brown Breakdown!   And check out the latest Grapplearts instructional on the Closed Guard at https://www.grapplearts.com/closedguard

Steve Koepfer is a Master of Sport in Russian Sambo, and has translated his skills on the mat into a busy career as a stuntman appearing in the John Wick movies, Ray Donovan, The Blacklist, The Punisher and more.  In this conversation we go into depth about what doing stuntwork is really like, how fight scenes get choreographed, and Steve's best advice for people wanting to step into the industry....

Steve Koepfer is a Master of Sport of Russia in Combat Sambo and the head coach of New York Combat Sambo. In episode 328 we talk about the impending wave of combat sambo specialists coming to the UFC and other MMA events, the differences between training in Russia and North America, the prevalence of leglocks, and much more.  I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Here's a story about the first time I 'won' a streetfight when I realised that the other guy - an older, shabbily dressed, homeless man - was almost certainly mentally ill. A good streetfight is one that you walk away from or de-escalate, because even if you KO the other guy you could still lose (as I discussed in detail in this article here: https://selfdefensetutorials.com/death-after-the-knocko...

Dom Hoskins is a BJJ black belt, coach and fierce competitor who is helping bring the lessons of jiu-jitsu to public schools in California's East Bay. Follow Dom Hoskins on Instagram @dominat10n Check out his school at @dominat10nma And follow the Youth Jiu-Jitsu Collective at @yjcbjj

Ami Palmer is a wrestler, judoka, and an adjunct professor of philosophy at Ohio Northern University.  The topics he researches include how widespread conspiracism and science denialism affect democratic policy making. I was thrilled to have him on the podcast and I think it's a very important conversation!   00:51 - Introduction 02:17 - Wrestling, judo and philosophy 11:15 - Why the BJJ community...