Overcoming Chronic Pain Through Scaled Movements

Nsima Inyang (@nsimainyang) is a strength athlete, movement coach, and co-host of Mark Bell’s Power Project, one of the top fitness podcasts in the world. He is also one of the most freakishly athletic humans I’ve ever met. He’s a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a professional natural bodybuilder (placed top five in the world), and an elite-level powerlifter (750-plus-pound deadlift, etc.)—but what sets him apart is how he blends all those worlds with unconventional training tools like kettlebells, maces, sandbags, and rope flow. Nsima is also the founder of The Stronger Human, a growing online community focused on strength, movement, and resilience.

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Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mLGqrlxofXA

Nsima's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/nsimaInyang

The Stronger Human: https://www.skool.com/thestrongerhuman/about

The Stronger Human Store: https://thestrongerhuman.store/

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Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Start.

[00:07:57] Defining powerlifting and Nsima’s elite totals.

[00:10:30] Nsima’s first video that grabbed my attention.

[00:11:26] Serge Gracovetsky and The Spinal Engine.

[00:12:18] How Nsima avoids the distinctive plane-bound movement of many bodybuilders.

[00:16:45] My tango struggles and coping with the “waist of a chicken.”

[00:18:12] Intro to rope flow and David Weck.

[00:20:15] Rope flow benefits, mechanics, and efficacy as an internal martial art.

[00:35:21] Minimum effective dose rope flow.

[00:37:37] Rope flow equipment and costs.

[00:39:31] Bill Maeda and movement as daily practice.

[00:42:38] How my three years of chronic pain and movement limitations might have been solved by breathing properly.

[00:48:53] Lower body training: unilateral before bilateral, sandbags vs. barbells.

[00:52:29] Box squats and safety: managing compression sensitivity and range of motion.

[00:58:37] Set rep programming for non-elite powerlifters.

[01:05:12] Eschew the monotonous. Embrace the exercise that inspires you.

[01:09:39] Caution: don’t train your way into adopting a sub-optimal gait.

[01:12:04] Sumo deadlifting technique, Colton Engelbrecht, and Nsima’s meaty hands.

[01:20:49] Ed Coan: the greatest powerlifter and his anatomical advantages.

[01:24:31] Staggered stance deadlifts: alternative approach relating to natural movement patterns.

[01:26:08] Bang-for-buck exercises: kettlebell swings and sandbag training benefits.

[01:29:54] Cossack squats and adductor training: addressing weak links in movement.

[01:33:27] Ankle mobility, Ben Patrick, and ATG methods.

[01:38:18] How regression solved Nsima’s chronic knee injury pain.

[01:40:19] “Scale it down” philosophy: the importance of ego-free progression.

[01:47:37] Microdosing movement: small daily doses vs. intensive sessions.

[01:52:12] Placing equipment strategically for daily use.

[01:58:41] Calisthenics and body weight strength: why barbells don’t equal body control.

[02:05:27] Rock climbing inspiration: 70-year-olds outperforming younger athletes.

[02:08:20] Non-negotiable lifts: sled work as the foundation movement.

[02:21:42] Kelly Starrett and soft tissue work fundamentals.

[02:26:28] Self-massage tools and techniques: from Gua Sha to Body Lever to tennis balls.

[02:33:38] Evidence-based fitness limitations: not waiting for papers to validate effective practices.

[02:38:13] Nightly protocols, acupressure, and Andrii Bondarenko.

[02:45:17] Learning to heal yourself: developing internal reference points for soft tissue work.

[02:46:15] Back buddies and medicine balls.

[02:49:11] Nordic curls challenge: beating Tyreek Hill’s record through systematic progression.

[02:55:26] Bone density fundamentals: compression, tension, impact, and rotation stressors.

[02:58:02] Jumping and rebounding: why we stop jumping and how to regress back to it.

[03:06:02] What Nsima hopes to convey to his audience online and where he can be found.

[03:07:53] Gratitude: how this podcast influenced Nsima’s learning journey from age 20.

[03:09:00] Micro-progressions, sustainable movement practice, and parting thoughts.

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