The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

I talk with Chris Duffin, one of the most elite powerlifters in the world, about his absolutely inspiring journey from a childhood spent in poverty to becoming one of the strongest men on the planet. Learn what it's like to deadlift 1000 lbs and squat 900 lbs for reps! Some of the highlights of today's episode include Chris talking about overcoming an upbringing in complete poverty, powerlifting at the highest levels, struggling with addiction, the importance of escaping bad influences, dealing with with injuries, how less is more when it comes to achieving big goals, and much more. Follow Chris on Instagram at @mad_scientist_duffin and check out his training programs and unique training equipment at https://store.kabukistrength.net/ If you like today's chat with Chris Duffin please subscribe to The Strenuous Life Podcast so you don't miss any future episodes. And if you already subscribe then a rating or review would be super-appreciated because they really help! Thanks Stephan

You can train super hard and kick the crap out of your body but that doesn't make you stronger - it's only after you RECOVER from training that the benefits of training manifest themselves. Too many athletes focus entirely on the training component and neglect recovery, but ultimately you need to be as focussed and diligent on your recovery, recuperation and rehabilitation as you are on what you're doing in the gym! If you haven't done so already, check out the brand new instructional I just released with Rob Biernacki called 'The Submission Formula'. It's a conceptually based, scientific, and step-by-step approach to catching more people in submissions and then finishing them, even if they're much bigger and stronger than you. More info at https://www.grapplearts.com/submissionformula Good luck with your training and choke someone out for me! Stephan

You can train super hard and kick the crap out of your body but that doesn't make you stronger - it's only after you RECOVER from training that the benefits of training manifest themselves. Too many athletes focus entirely on the training component and neglect recovery, but ultimately you need to be as focussed and diligent on your recovery, recuperation and rehabilitation as you are on what you're doing in the gym! If you haven't done so already, check out the brand new instructional I just released with Rob Biernacki called 'The Submission Formula'. It's a conceptually based, scientific, and step-by-step approach to catching more people in submissions and then finishing them, even if they're much bigger and stronger than you. More info at https://www.grapplearts.com/submissionformula Good luck with your training and choke someone out for me! Stephan

How to get more chokes, armlocks and leglocks in BJJ with Rob Biernacki. We break down a 6 step submission formula that will allow you to hit more submissions on good people, even if they're bigger and stronger than you. Plus we talk about training submissions as positions, an incredibly important skill to develop if you want to get better at tapping people out. Check out The Submission Formula featuring Rob Biernacki and Stephan Kesting (that's me!) at https://www.grapplearts.com/submissionformula And, as always, good luck with your training! Stephan

Jessica is the yoga coach to the New Orleans Saints. She helps NFL players put themselves back together after the relentless abuse of games and training. And she also does BJJ which means she's doubly cool. In the last year, however, she's fought back from having cancer and came on the podcast to talk about it. I thought that her tips on how different types of breathing affect your central nervous system was fascinating! Check out our previous podcast together on episode 138 of The Strenuous Life Podcast And follow her on Instagram to see how yoga helps NFL players, @jessica.huneycutt or https://www.instagram.com/jessica.huneycutt/

BJJ is a fantastically fun sport that's also undeniably hard on the body. Here's my single biggest tip for people in their 30's and 40's who want to keep on training into their 50's and 60's If you're not already doing so then follow me on instagram where I post cool pics and informative videos quite regularly https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting And if you're thinking about starting BJJ, or have done it for less than 2 years, then grab my free guide to learning the art as fast as possible here: https://www.grapplearts.com/book Cheers! Stephan

If you're serious about jiu-jitsu then should you train everyday? In answering this question I also give some real life examples of how to achieve any large, hairy, audacious goal, be that getting your BJJ black belt, building your own business, getting good marks in school, etc. Many of the examples I used in this episode came from the 1000 Mile Solo which you can find out more about at https://www.grapplearts.com/solo Good luck with your training and achieving your goals, whatever they may be!! Stephan

You'll like this episode! In it I talk with 62 yr old BJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley (the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a heart attack, the horrors of the Eastern Front in World War 2, interpreting the Torah, being Leonard Cohen's Rabbi, and awarding Blue Belts in marriage counselling.

Stephan talks with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparring with sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express itself when you're trying to use it under stress. Jarlo Ilano is an instructor under Burton Richardson https://jkdunlimited.com/ in his Battlefield Kali system and a purple belt in BJJ. And as well as being a physical therapist since 1998 with a board specialty in orthopedics, he is a co-founder and Managing Director at GMB Fitness https://gmb.io/ which specializes in online training for improving strength, flexibility, and body control through bodyweight exercise.

This trip has been a looooong time in the making. Back in 1992 I had the crazy idea of doing a super long trip that would take me across Nueltin Lake and down the Thlewiaza river in Nunavut, north of 60 degrees latitude. This trip was originally planned for 2014 but life got in the way. I got divorced, lost my home and underwent a kidney transplant. 2014 came around and unfortunately I wasn't in a place where I could go on this trip I had been planning for over a decade. It took an additional 5 years of planning, strategising and building relationships to make the trip happen but it finally worked out. Big goals are, almost by definition, hard to achieve (if they were easy to then everyone would be doing them). To achieve them you need both patience and impatience, the willingness to wait for things to fall into place and relentless speed of implementation to maximise the chances that things will go your way.