The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

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What is it that allows some people to push themselves beyond their limitations? Why can some people survive situations others do not? On this podcast we try to find out the answers. Stephan Kesting, is a lifelong martial artist, BJJ black belt, career firefighter, and outdoorsman. Join us as he talks to fighters, adventurers, competitors, coaches, firefighters, trainers and other people living the strenuous life.Stephan also runs Grapplearts.com, where he has published many hundreds of martial arts videos, articles and tutorials.His free guide to learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, A Roadmap for BJJ, has been downloaded more than 10,000 times and has become a foundational text for the art.

421 - BJJ Training and Conditioning Myths, with James Deirmendjian from Fit Fight Training
Apr 4, 2025 – 01:00:11
420 - Braving Polar Bears, Facing Off Against the Columbian Military, and Team Dynamics with Frank Wolf
Mar 20, 2025 – 01:02:35
419 - Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic (Audiobook Format)
Mar 4, 2025 – 45:05
418 - Spartans, Samurai and Ninja with BJJ Black Belt Jeff Nelson
Feb 24, 2025 – 01:07:22
417 - Can You Get Your BJJ Black Belt Without Affiliating with a Specific School?
Feb 11, 2025 – 01:25:42
416 - How to Climb Everest, with Extreme Alpinist Jost Kobusch
Jan 27, 2025 – 36:43
415 - BJJ and Self Defense, with Tyson 'The Warrior Philosopher' Larone
Jan 16, 2025 – 01:58:09
414 - Optimized BJJ Training for Non-Athletic Grapplers, with Jesse Walker
Jan 1, 2025 – 54:30
413 - Strongman Training Secrets, with Kalle Beck
Nov 25, 2024 – 01:14:50
412 - Eco-Adjacent Training and How to Do It Correctly, with Rob Biernacki
Nov 13, 2024 – 01:02:20
411 - Smashing the Mental Barriers Holding Back Your Jiu-Jitsu
Oct 22, 2024 – 01:32:04
410: How B Team Prepared for ADCC and CJI, with Chris Wojcik
Sep 23, 2024 – 59:05
409 - Denis Kang, From Underground Bareknuckle Fights to the Biggest MMA Stage in the World
Sep 9, 2024 – 59:19
408 - Ramsey Dewey on Effective Combat Sports and What Self Defense Experts Get Wrong
Aug 26, 2024 – 01:30:57
407 - 3 Big Lessons Learned During 19 Days of Isolation in the Arctic
Aug 5, 2024 – 49:54
406 - Goodbye - I Am Out of Here!
Jun 21, 2024 – 33:02
405 - Three Ways that Training for MMA Fights Has Changed Since the Early UFC
Jun 14, 2024 – 07:25
404 - What the Hell Happened to MMA?
May 14, 2024 – 01:09:48
403 - Is Bear Spray Better than Guns vs Aggressive Bears? Here's What the Data from 352 Bear Encounters Says...
May 7, 2024 – 27:18
402 - A BJJ Concept to Help You Through the Tough Times in Life
Apr 12, 2024 – 07:36
401 - Modifying BJJ for Self Defense, with Rachel Honeyman
Mar 29, 2024 – 01:05:06
400 - How to Use Injuries to Actually Refine and Improve Your Jiu-Jitsu Game
Mar 13, 2024 – 42:04
399 - Breathing for Endurance during Sparring in BJJ and Other Martial Arts
Mar 11, 2024 – 09:30
398 - Building the Skills to Do Amazing Things, with Matt Pycroft
Mar 6, 2024 – 01:10:19
397 - How to Get Maximum Results in Minimum Time in Jiu-Jitsu
Mar 2, 2024 – 51:42
396 - Longevity in Jiu-Jitsu with Mike "The Old Bastard" Mahaffey
Feb 28, 2024 – 01:08:19
395 - The English Roots of Catchwrestling, with Oz Austwick
Feb 12, 2024 – 01:12:20
394 - The Anatomy of a BJJ Training Camp
Dec 16, 2023 – 01:24:46
393 - Historical Bareknuckle Boxing and European Swordfighting, with Oz Austwick
Dec 8, 2023 – 01:01:04
392 - Everest, Alone, In Winter, and Without Oxygen, with Mountaineer Jost Kobusch
Nov 3, 2023 – 01:11:19
391 - The Most Important Mental Models in BJJ, with Steve Kwan
Oct 22, 2023 – 01:10:56
390 - UFOs, UAPs, and Alien Bodies with Skeptical Investigator Mick West
Sep 27, 2023 – 01:07:28
389 - How to Train for Strength, Endurance and Jiu-Jitsu Simultaneously, with World Record holder James Pieratt of Wild Hunt Conditioning
Aug 14, 2023 – 01:14:05
388 - The Ultimate Self Defense Championship with Rokas Leo
Aug 4, 2023 – 01:05:57
387 - The Most Successful Gracie Fighter Of All Time, with Robert Drysdale
May 26, 2023 – 01:39:10
386 - Seven Reasons Why Carlson Gracie Was The First Modern MMA Fighter
May 23, 2023 – 06:02
385 - Grappling with the Implications of the 46 Million Dollar Lawsuit for Jiu-Jitsu, with Dan Lukeheart, Alex Kask and Stephan Kesting
May 6, 2023 – 02:12:18
384 - Neopagan Vegetarian Authoritarian Heavy Metal Nature Lovers with Jesse Bryant
Mar 30, 2023 – 01:24:07
383 - Amanda Bruse on Storming the Medals Podium at No Gi Pans
Feb 10, 2023 – 57:58
382 - On Learning Jiu-Jitsu with 100% Live Training and No Formal Technical Instruction, with Greg Souders
Feb 1, 2023 – 01:11:00
381 - The Battle Against Disinformation and Information Nihilism, with Brooke Binowski
Dec 21, 2022 – 01:09:44
380 - What Do You Need to Know to Be a BJJ Blue Belt?
Nov 21, 2022 – 27:49
379 - A Fascism Checklist, with Professor Daniele Bolleli
Nov 6, 2022 – 01:12:12
378 - The 5 Most Common BJJ and Judo Injuries and What to Do About Them, with Joshua Arellano, Pt
Oct 20, 2022 – 01:15:31
377 - John Will, Member of BJJ's 'Dirty Dozen' on Sport vs Self Defense Jiu-Jitsu
Oct 3, 2022 – 01:10:48
376 - Mental and Physical Endurance with James 'The Biking Viking' Benson King
Sep 28, 2022 – 53:01
375 - How Skill, Athleticism and Rank Correlate in BJJ, with Rob Biernacki
Sep 16, 2022 – 51:14
374 - Adam Shoalt’s Amazing 3,400 km Solo Journey to the Arctic
Aug 25, 2022 – 01:47:42
373 - Alex Jones, Alt Right Hippies with Guns, and More with Derek Beres from Conspirituality
Aug 12, 2022 – 01:06:29
372 - How to Come Back After a Training Layoff!
Aug 4, 2022 – 09:11

Recent Reviews

Apollo Kidlat

Big fan boy of Kesting

Good find and enjoying this podcast concerning BJJ, FMA, comic books, martial Arts. Great guests, topics and insights. Entertaining, educational. Non political, informative, interesting and lively. Going thru list from oldest to newest. Thank you, Stephan.
Dmillls

Koral- worthy

Stephan deserves high praise for producing really great content, making it available to all, and being well informed on public health and science. Plus he’s a rugged outdoorsman who doesn’t shill supplements!
ktc sd van

Talk about a diverse portfolio!

Came for the bjj content stayed for the outdoor adventure, medical, and conspiracy busting interviews. A must listen when the episodes pop.
111117249

A Breath of Fresh Air

A guy whose willing to break ranks and just say how it is. That’s a breath of fresh air Very interesting takes and excellent guests
Jay the Mountain Man

Kind of a Whackjob

..
canudoa

so good!

best around
Lap pinky

Lacking expertise in subject matter

The host clearly does not have a good grasp of what they speak. I do not recommend. Only follow the guidance of experts.
Numidia124

The Strenuous Woke Podcast

Use to be great to listen to for self defense, Stephen is deciding to push his Liberal/Socialist agenda
giggghb

Negativity

I used to listen to this podcast to get away from politics and negativity.
Herplnator

Fantastic!

Exactly what the title says!
DudeOnRun

A master

Great athlete, great martial artist, great communicator who clearly puts a lot of effort into this
HOUSE DDS

A Great Show About Life (Disguised as BJJ/Grappling)

I’ve been a follower of Stephan’s for years but only recently have a started listening to the show. Many BJJ-centric are similar in that it’s overly enthusiastic jocks cussing profusely and just BSing, with a very high noise to signal ratio...not much information is transmitted to the listener. Stephan’s work is quite the opposite; high-yield information while being both engrossing and entertaining. The topics and areas of discussion are vast, and very useful for anyone interested in the grappling arts, or stoicism in action. And Stephan’s voice/accent reminds me of home, so that’s a nice touch. Very highly recommended!
Hfgorange

Not what it used to be

There is still some good content but it has become difficult to avoid his COVID rants. I’ve listened through the podcasts where he says he’s probably lost half of his audience. I wanted to turn off but wanted to hear him out. Whether his theories are right or wrong there are plenty of experts in the same field as his guests who would have opposing view points. It’s become a bit of an echo chamber. I still make use of the instructional videos I have purchased over the years. The quality there has not changed.
doknt

A varied look at life in general

I started listening to Stephan’s podcast because of Jiu Jitsu. However, his other guests offer a wonderful mix perspectives and experiences. In this age of covid the bjj community is hurting. Stephan is doing a wonderful job trying to balance the science with safely getting people back to training.
Headmetal Comics

Learn, Laugh, Lapel Choke

Listen to Stephan. Get smarter. Go on a canoe trip. Choke your buddy. Change the world.
Gustav_Mauler

A voice of reason in a sea of bros

Not only does Professor Kesting consistently have some of the best content related to BJJ, grappling, completion mindset, etc, he also posts great content about the broader context these things exist in with knowledgeable, interesting, and engaging guests.
Goodstff

Stop with the Politics

I used to love this podcast and had listened to every episode. Lately though, Stephan has been on a tangent about COVID and has been making broad comments about political ideologies that are uncharacteristically judgmental of him. It’s not even that I disagree, but it is extremely distasteful to hear him making political judgments about Americans in general, and half the American population, in gross terms that aren’t even fair. Long story short, Stephan needs to quit making ideological judgments and leave American politics alone. It has nothing to do with Jiu jitsu anyway. What a disappointment.
Jackrabbit2.2

Great discussions and information

Wonderful for all Martial Arts Practitioners. I cannot recommend enough. I am primarily TKD and I have found this invaluable. I do a bit of BJJ also.
jiujitsudriver

Awesome

I never met him but I feel like I know him bc he puts out so much good content and also shares a lot of his personal stories. He covers so many aspects of BJJ and self defense. Another cool thing is that he is always seeking knowledge from top level practitioners and sharing that directly with us.
Mythicmadmax

Kesting

This is one of the if not the best Jiu jitsu podcasts on the market. I’ve learned a lot from listening to Kesting speak and am usually very entertained by his guests. Do yourself a favor if you train and download his podcasts and for the love of god use his apps. By far the best instructional as on the market!!! I have a wife, 2 kids, 2 jobs, and take care of parents. I don’t have the time to train as much as I would like and I’ve literally lost count of the number of techniques I’ve learned and actually used on the mats. Be safe out there and go train
Dakota8football

Great podcast for BJJ addicts

Been listening to Stephan for years through both YouTube and his podcasts. If you’re like me and are constantly thinking about jiu jitsu or another martial art, this is a must-add to your podcast rotation
Aummann58

Growth

This podcast is for the one looking for the journey and awesome ways to help grow into a better person. The level of topics, guests and rabbit holes are intensely formative. Aum
jacmarch

Great!

Enjoyable for sure !
The Davil

Great Podcast

Podcast is very informative, really enjoy listening.
Jodsters12

You Rock

I love watching your IG videos and pictures!! I like that your guests are martial artists and it inspires me to go train!!
Nati_jitsu

Jiu Jitsu Life Style

I love the fact that Stephan Kesting is a detail-oriented person. Took me a while to figure out what a podcast is. Thank you Mr. Kesting! :)
allidb85*

Great

I love everything Stephen produces and didn’t even know he had a podcast until just recently.
Johnny B Well

Mindset

This podcast is extremely helpful for Jiu Jitsu and MMA. Stephan is a terrific and knowledgeable host and he has a ton of great guests on the show. All combined this makes this a must listen for any BJJ practitioner. Stephan puts out a ton of great content ( and many times free) outside of this podcast as well. I love listening to this podcast on my way to Jiu Jitsu class. Even on days when I don’t train, it leads me to research and improve my game plan. My mental approach to training has improved as well and I attribute much of it to this podcast and the content Stephan puts out there every day. Thank you Stephan.
Fish.Hound

Stephan is doing amazing work all the way around.

I started my BJJ journey very recently (3 months). And I have been just trying to gain as much knowledge and perspective around the sport and lifestyle as possible. It seems as if he has insight on nearly all aspects an entry level practitioner can have thoughts and questions on. I found his work by watching a ton of YouTube (where he has many great tutorials), and now I am listening to his podcasts also. He has a natural way to captivate and portray his information to his audiences, which is great for beginners such as myself, since it can be very easy to get overwhelmed and lost on certain subjects. Keep up the great work, it’s greatly appreciated.
duzzi.nf

Stephan earned this review!

When you live in a remote area of Saskatchewan and you jones so much for the jits that you train on a kitchen floor then you are Stephan Kestings. Really well produced!
SerenityHelp

Great podcast!!

Stephan has interesting and informative guests covering many topics. His interviewing style brings out the best in his guests. Keep them coming Stephan.
drewjutsu

Phenomenal podcast

Been doing Jujutsu of various types since about 1996. The scope of this podcast is amazing in that it covers not only the ne-Waza of BJJ but also aspects of some top tier Judo and JJJ people. Very good overall, and spot on personal protection advice. Covering the gamut of hand to hand ranges Mr Kesting is approaching what might be the most comprehensive podcast of martial arts on the internet today.
pacmanwellness

Great podcast

I love listening to this podcast. I just recently discovered it but have been following you on YouTube and Instagram. It’s great to hear your insight on jiu jitsu and you bring the best guests to help address some of the things on/off the mat that helps me as an instructor and competitor. Thank you and hope to meet you one day. Osss!
duckmanager77

Worth the time to listen

Stephen Kesting and Grapplearts produce great content to develop your bjj game. This podcast is another example. While more for entertainment than direct tips (like their youtube channels and apps), it rounds out their bjj information offering. I enjoy the interviews and find them worth the time!
educateddummi

must listen

real knowledge humble and homest information love this guy subscribe and never look back listen to this everyday
Martial Arts Student

This WILL Work on the Street

A martial arts show for the “show me” generation. You won’t hear nonsense like “that’s sport martial arts”, “we don’t have rules”, or “stay off the ground”. Stephen shows more concern for students than many instructors who confuse style purity with fraud.
Momacko

Awesome

This is a great podcast. Tons of information about all different aspects of martial arts.
jimmydiaz626

Best jiu jitsu podcast

Not just jiu jitsu topics but always a great listen
Paul11b

Good podcast

If you like BJJ you’ll like this podcast! Always enjoyable!
Reviewer05327

Kesting gives it away.

Stephan Kesting is a man that has created some of the most and best content for BJJ/grappling and martial arts in general. This content has something for newbies, veterans and everyone in between. The majority of Kesting’s contributions are available for free with the podcast being just one facet. He also produces videos and writes articles (also freely available) that has a tremendous amount to offer. As someone who’s also purchased several apps, from the App Store; I can safely say that his payed products are top notch as well and a bargain.
Mike13lea

Great podcast!

I love the interviews and the rants both. Even the cheesy sense of humor is hilarious. But please, Stephan, please move away from the mic when your eating soup or drinking coffee during interviews haha.
Rich Goesinya

Highly informative

He’s got tons and tons of great information, it’s nice to be able to go back and listen to things as well.
Brian (NY)

Great Variety of Guests

I love the discussions/interviews. The guests have a variety of careers and backgrounds. All (or most) have some connection with grappling. I like that it is not limited to super high level competitors. My favorite interviews were a rabbi and rescue swimmer. I like Stephan’s interview style - smart and fun questions that reflect a lifetime in the arts and he also has a good sense of humor. He seems to enjoy doing the interviews as much as I like hearing them.
WhozyWhatsit

Excellent Podcast

Stephan Kesting is credit to all of Martial Arts.
Doodle jumperistic

Great podcast

Whether you are new to BJJ or a veteran, I highly recommend this podcast. I just discovered it and find it both informative and entertaining. Stephan knows what he’s talking about and has some great guests.
phobowl

First rate

As a lifelong martial artist who came to bjj later in life, I find Stephan to be an invaluable source of knowledge. If you’re a serious martial artist you need to listen to this podcast and if you want to investigate further buy the many DVDs that he has put out on various martial arts/ bjj topics. Thank you Stephan.
Billy Ramjet

A true martial artist

To me Stephan is one of the unsung greats of modern martial arts. With an intelligent but very understandable, relatable, and digestible way of communicating complex ideas and positions, he shares his love and knowledge of a wide range of martial art, self defense, sport, community, and life. Many, many, many thanks for all the episodes, the Roadmap App, and informative emails. Much respect and gratitude. Please keep up the solid work. Aaron
B. Buckley

B. Buckley

Thank you for providing such interesting and content-filled episodes. I travel often for work, and your show helps me keep my "head in the game" when I cannot physically be on the mat. Best of luck!
Big Daddy MD in PA

Fantastic podcast

I’ve been watching Stephan Kesting’s YouTube channel for BJJ tips and discovered this fantastic podcast. I love the long form interviews with martial arts and fitness experts. He asks great questions with his unique aloof/scientific approach. Highly recommend for anyone into martial arts, BJJ, or fitness.
Love q8

Awesome info

Stephen is awesome. I learn so much from him and his friends that he brings on. Absolutely get his BJJ apps!!