Best Stephan Kesting Podcasts (2024)

1
411 - Smashing the Mental Barriers Holding Back Your Jiu-Jitsu 1:32:04

8d ago1:32:04

1:32:04

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 overtrain…

1
410: How B Team Prepared for ADCC and CJI, with Chris Wojcik 59:05

1M ago59:05

59:05

Would you like a behind-the-scenes peek at what really goes on at one of the most successful grappling teams in the world as they get ready for ADCC and CJI, the Olympics of grappling? Today I'm joined by Chris Wojcik, a standout grappler and the author of The Grappler's Diary, and we cover... The qualifying process for ADCC, the Olympics of Grappl…

1
409 - Denis Kang, From Underground Bareknuckle Fights to the Biggest MMA Stage in the World 59:19

2M ago59:19

59:19

Denis was one of the top MMA fighters in the world with wins over Minoru Suzuki, Murilo 'Ninja' Rua, Akihiro Gono and Marvin Eastman. In this interview he opens up about the mindset shift that took him to a 22 fight undefeated streak... how he dealt with the death of his fiance while competing for the biggest MMA organisation in the world... how fi…

1
408 - Ramsey Dewey on Effective Combat Sports and What Self Defense Experts Get Wrong 1:30:57

2M ago1:30:57

1:30:57

Ramsey Dewey is an MMA coach now based in Shanghai, China. I really enjoyed our conversation which included... How wearing headgear in sparring actually makes things WORSE for your brain His controversey with Master Wong Why China could take over MMA What self defense 'experts' get wrong What happens to martial arts that don't spar Ramsey's experie…

1
407 - 3 Big Lessons Learned During 19 Days of Isolation in the Arctic 49:54

3M ago49:54

49:54

I just did a 19-day solo canoe trip in the Canadian Arctic, and here are the 3 big lessons I learned! If you want to see photos and a day-by-day description of the trip please go here: https://essentialwilderness.com/lost-in-the-barrens-a-solo-canoe-trip-on-a-remote-arctic-river/ Order my book "Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic" at the …

1
406 - Goodbye - I Am Out of Here! 33:02

5M ago33:02

33:02

This podcast episode covers all the details and preparations for a long solo trip in the Arctic that I'm starting today! After 30 hours of driving and a 2 hour bush plane flight to Nueltin Lake I'll be heading north of the treeline direct into the Barren Lands of the Arctic. Once there, I'll be completely alone and out of touch for 30 days. The onl…

1
405 - Three Ways that Training for MMA Fights Has Changed Since the Early UFC 7:25

5M ago7:25

7:25

Short episode today with my friend Denis Kang sharing three ways that fighters have improved their training methods to get ready for MMA fights. Denis fought for the first time in 1998 (in an event without gloves) and went on to fight a total of 55 times in events like the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Impact FC, M-1 Global, K-1 HERO'S, ROAD FC, and Pancrase.…

1
404 - What the Hell Happened to MMA? 1:09:48

6M ago1:09:48

1:09:48

Luke Thomas is one of the most influential MMA analysts in the game and the host of The Morning Kombat Podcast. I was delighted to talk to him today about How the sport of MMA has changed The rise of Eastern European fighters Why is terrible behaviour of MMA fighters tolerated Can other MMA organisations ever rival the UFC Drug testing in the UFC F…

1
403 - Is Bear Spray Better than Guns vs Aggressive Bears? Here's What the Data from 352 Bear Encounters Says... 27:18

6M ago27:18

27:18

In this episode I put on my adventurer hat and use my biology background to look at four studies and 352 aggressive bear encounters in Alaska to see whether bear spray or firearms was more effective at deterring aggressive black, grizzly and polar bear behaviour. The results may surprise you, but data doesn't care about your feelings! TIMESTAMPS 01…

1
402 - A BJJ Concept to Help You Through the Tough Times in Life 7:36

7M ago7:36

7:36

There are times when it feels like life has you trapped on the bottom of mount against a vastly heavier, more experienced opponent intent on mauling you. The steps to deal with these two situations are the same. Pass this on to someone you think it might help, Stephan Kesting P.S. I made one little mistake in this podcast: Epictetus was a Greek (no…

1
401 - Modifying BJJ for Self Defense, with Rachel Honeyman 1:05:06

7M ago1:05:06

1:05:06

I really enjoyed talking with Rachel Honeyman about modifying BJJ for self defense, which techniques to focus on and which positions to avoid. Rachel has trained in BJJ, the Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai, and many other martial arts and runs https://www.fearlessfemmes.com/By Stephan Kesting

1
400 - How to Use Injuries to Actually Refine and Improve Your Jiu-Jitsu Game 42:04

8M ago42:04

42:04

Rob Biernacki is my guest today to talk about how injury and physical limitations have led to some of the fastest technical development of his career and the refinement of entirely new techniques like the Roadhouse Choke. Since some form of injury is inevitable there are a LOT of takeaways in this episode. We also discuss the concepts of risk vs re…

1
399 - Breathing for Endurance during Sparring in BJJ and Other Martial Arts 9:30

8M ago9:30

9:30

Many people completely run out of gas when they're sparring, and often this is because they are inadvertently holding their breath. In this short podcast I share four very specific ways that I've coached people past this problem and hugely improved their endurance. Please share this episode with someone you think it will help. Cheers, Stephan Kesti…

1
398 - Building the Skills to Do Amazing Things, with Matt Pycroft 1:10:19

8M ago1:10:19

1:10:19

From war-torn Africa to climbing remote peaks in Greenland with Alex Honnold, Matt Pycroft has built a very impressive career working as a journalist and filmmaker. In our conversation he goes into detail how he gradually acquired the skills to achieve his goals and the lessons he's learned working with extreme athletes in inhospitable settings all…

1
397 - How to Get Maximum Results in Minimum Time in Jiu-Jitsu 51:42

8M ago51:42

51:42

The traditional class structure of doing a warmup, learning a couple of new techniques, and followed by sparring is NOT an efficient way to learn jiu-jitsu. We can do much better if we use insights from research on coaching and learning. Today's guest is Cal MacDonald, a BJJ black belt and competitor who has dedicated himself to developing his teac…

1
396 - Longevity in Jiu-Jitsu with Mike "The Old Bastard" Mahaffey 1:08:19

8M ago1:08:19

1:08:19

In this episode I talk BJJ longevity, weight training, home gyms and training methods with BJJ old-timer Mike Mahaffey. I think there are a TON of valuable takehome lessons here for anyone who trains jiu-jitsu, and ESPECIALLY the over-40 crowd! Also check out BJJ Foundations, the brand new Grapplearts instructional that gives you the best jiu-jitsu…

1
395 - The English Roots of Catchwrestling, with Oz Austwick 1:12:20

9M ago1:12:20

1:12:20

Did you know that the England had many different wrestling systems including Cornish, Lancashire, Devonshire, Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling and catchwrestling? In this conversation Oz Austwick and I go into the history of these arts including the influence of Japanese Judo and Jiu-Jitsu on English Wrestling... the great Billy Robinson and h…

1
394 - The Anatomy of a BJJ Training Camp 1:24:46

11M ago1:24:46

1:24:46

Rob Biernacki and his competition team are on a tear. Rob recently took gold in masters middleweight the Canadian ADCC Open, silver at the California ADCC Open, and gold in black belt M4 at the IBJJF No Gi Worlds. In this episode we talk about designing an effective training camp, dividing your conditioning and skills training, detaching emotionall…

1
393 - Historical Bareknuckle Boxing and European Swordfighting, with Oz Austwick 1:01:04

11M ago1:01:04

1:01:04

In episode 393 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk to Oz Austwick, who has extensively studied armed and unarmed combat systems in Europe. Topics we cover include the origins of boxing in England, historical training and conditioning methods, reconstructing and testing techniques shown in swordfighting manuals, fighting with live blades, the role …

1
392 - Everest, Alone, In Winter, and Without Oxygen, with Mountaineer Jost Kobusch 1:11:19

1y ago1:11:19

1:11:19

Today I pick the brain of the amazing Jost Kobusch is a German mountaineer who spent two seasons on Everest trying to ascend the legendarily difficult West Ridge route and the Hornbein Couloir alone. And did I mention that he wasn't using supplemental oxygen and attempting this in the middle of the brutal Himalayan winter? We covered a TON of inter…

1
391 - The Most Important Mental Models in BJJ, with Steve Kwan 1:10:56

1y ago1:10:56

1:10:56

Today I'm joined by Steve Kwan, the host and creator of the wildly popular BJJ Mental Models podcast. We discuss the most important mental models in the art and how they can improve your ability to perform on the mat! Check out https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/ for Steve's podcast and https://www.grapplearts.com/rollingbacktakes for my newest BJJ in…

1
390 - UFOs, UAPs, and Alien Bodies with Skeptical Investigator Mick West 1:07:28

1y ago1:07:28

1:07:28

With eyewitness testimony in the US Congress and purported alien bodies being wheeled into the Mexican Congress, it looks like we're in another UFO craze right now. It was great to have science writer and sceptical investigator Mick West on the podcast to make sense of this evidence and evaluate what the odds are that aliens truly walk among us. Ch…

1
389 - How to Train for Strength, Endurance and Jiu-Jitsu Simultaneously, with World Record holder James Pieratt of Wild Hunt Conditioning 1:14:05

1y ago1:14:05

1:14:05

I caught up with world record holder James Pieratt shortly after he completed a 500-mile, self-supported mountain run along the Pacific Crest Trail. But James isn't just an ultrarunner - he's also a serious weightlifter who also trains in jiu-jitsu. In this interview we went deep into how to balance strength, endurance, and skill training, the role…

1
388 - The Ultimate Self Defense Championship with Rokas Leo 1:05:57

1+ y ago1:05:57

1:05:57

The Ultimate Self-Defense Championship was a competition in which six martial arts YouTubers competed against each other in seven self-defense challenges to find out what works, what doesn't and who would become the ultimate self-defense champion. The organizer of this event was Rokas Leo who trained Aikido for 14 years and eventually realised that…

1
387 - The Most Successful Gracie Fighter Of All Time, with Robert Drysdale 1:39:10

1+ y ago1:39:10

1:39:10

Not only is Robert Drysdale a BJJ and ADCC World Champion, he has also conducted extensive research into the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In this interview, he reveals some of what he's discovered, including... 01:54 - The first wave of jiu-jitsu in Brazil - Helio Gracie and Carlos Gracie 04:35 - Exhibition and carnival fighting in Brazil 06:55 …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Stephan Kesting Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Stephan Kesting

1
411 - Smashing the Mental Barriers Holding Back Your Jiu-Jitsu 1:32:04

1
410: How B Team Prepared for ADCC and CJI, with Chris Wojcik 59:05

1
409 - Denis Kang, From Underground Bareknuckle Fights to the Biggest MMA Stage in the World 59:19

1
408 - Ramsey Dewey on Effective Combat Sports and What Self Defense Experts Get Wrong 1:30:57

1
407 - 3 Big Lessons Learned During 19 Days of Isolation in the Arctic 49:54

1
406 - Goodbye - I Am Out of Here! 33:02

1
405 - Three Ways that Training for MMA Fights Has Changed Since the Early UFC 7:25

1
404 - What the Hell Happened to MMA? 1:09:48

1
403 - Is Bear Spray Better than Guns vs Aggressive Bears? Here's What the Data from 352 Bear Encounters Says... 27:18

1
402 - A BJJ Concept to Help You Through the Tough Times in Life 7:36

1
401 - Modifying BJJ for Self Defense, with Rachel Honeyman 1:05:06

1
400 - How to Use Injuries to Actually Refine and Improve Your Jiu-Jitsu Game 42:04

1
399 - Breathing for Endurance during Sparring in BJJ and Other Martial Arts 9:30

1
398 - Building the Skills to Do Amazing Things, with Matt Pycroft 1:10:19

1
397 - How to Get Maximum Results in Minimum Time in Jiu-Jitsu 51:42

1
396 - Longevity in Jiu-Jitsu with Mike "The Old Bastard" Mahaffey 1:08:19

1
395 - The English Roots of Catchwrestling, with Oz Austwick 1:12:20

1
394 - The Anatomy of a BJJ Training Camp 1:24:46

1
393 - Historical Bareknuckle Boxing and European Swordfighting, with Oz Austwick 1:01:04

1
392 - Everest, Alone, In Winter, and Without Oxygen, with Mountaineer Jost Kobusch 1:11:19

1
391 - The Most Important Mental Models in BJJ, with Steve Kwan 1:10:56

1
390 - UFOs, UAPs, and Alien Bodies with Skeptical Investigator Mick West 1:07:28

1
389 - How to Train for Strength, Endurance and Jiu-Jitsu Simultaneously, with World Record holder James Pieratt of Wild Hunt Conditioning 1:14:05

1
388 - The Ultimate Self Defense Championship with Rokas Leo 1:05:57

1
387 - The Most Successful Gracie Fighter Of All Time, with Robert Drysdale 1:39:10

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