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.

This episode is brought to you by:

Pique premium pu’er tea crystals: https://piquelife.com/tim (20% off—valid for the lifetime of your subscription—plus a free Starter Kit, which includes a rechargeable frother and glass beaker)

Momentous high-quality supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for up to 35% off)

Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.)

*

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/

*

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.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss

Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss

YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kelly Kienzle: Self-Care Through Loss & Challenge