The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Mike McCastle has accomplished some of the most amazing tasks of endurance I've ever heard of. In this episode we go deep into developing mental strength, maintaining commitment in the face of adversity, and dealing with physical and emotional pain. This is an amazing episode and I hope you really like it!

Mike's feats of endurance are part of the 12 Labors Project and include setting the world 24 hour pull-up record while wearing a 30 lb pack (5804 pull-ups), pulling an F150 pickup truck for 22 miles through Death Valley, climbing the height of Mount Everest (29,029 feet) by going up and down a 20-foot rope 1,450 times, flipping a 250 lb tire for 13 miles the day after he lost his father to Parkinson's disease, running 20 miles a day for 100 days straight, and more.

Follow Mike on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mikemccastle/?hl=en or check out his website at http://www.twelvelaborsproject.com

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Grab my free downloadable guide to learning BJJ fast at https://www.grapplearts.com/book

Check out the huge archive of techniques and detailed training tips at https://www.grapplearts.com/articles/

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Grab the "Grapplearts BJJ Master App" with more than 500 minutes of free black belt instruction here: iPhone and iPad: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bjj-master-app-by-grapplearts/id1308072068 Android phones and tablets: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.grappleartcontainer

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Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting

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And, most importantly, good luck with your training!

Stephan

Tristan Connelly, fresh off his absolutely amazing underdog win over Michel Pereira in the UFC, talks with Stephan Kesting on The Strenuous Life Podcast. We went into detail about mindset, strategy and training. I think you'll find this a great episode!

Specific topics included, 00:14 A detailed breakdown of his fight with Michel Pereira, 07:00 Weight control for MMA Fighters, 09:23 What quitting fighting will look like, 11:10 On being a chronic trainer, 12:09 Developing fight strategies, 15:10 Taking a fight on short notice, 18:14 What he does for recovery after hard training, 19:46 What the average week of training looks like, 21:56 The factor that set off Tristan's winning streak, 24:07 The effect of your win to loss ratio on your MMA career, 25:00 How to figure out if MMA isn't for you, 29:25 Amateur mistakes Tristan made in pro fights, 37:02 Fighting MMA in Japan, 38:43 Why cornering guys is more stressful than fighting yourself, 41:40 Working as a motion capture model for the UFC game with Electronic Art, 47:37 How to find Tristan on social media.

Follow Tristan on Instagram @mmatristan or here: https://www.instagram.com/mmatristan/

Check out his Youtube video on how to set up and finish the guillotine choke at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHrevZDt_4g&feature=youtu.be

-----------------------------------

Grab my free downloadable guide to learning BJJ fast at https://www.grapplearts.com/book

Check out the huge archive of techniques and detailed training tips at https://www.grapplearts.com/articles/

-----------------------------------

Grab the "Grapplearts BJJ Master App" with more than 500 minutes of free black belt instruction here: iPhone and iPad: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bjj-master-app-by-grapplearts/id1308072068 Android phones and tablets: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.grappleartcontainer

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Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting

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And, most importantly, good luck with your training!

Stephan

Sparring is just as essential in the striking arts as it is in the grappling arts, but the addition of percussive trauma raises the stakes and makes safety the single most important consideration. In this short episode I talk with Ritchie Yip from The Precision Kickboxing Masterclass (http://www.selfdefensetutorials.com/kickboxing) about sparring in boxing and kickboxing and his top tips for doing it safely!

Enjoy your training,

Stephan

"Survive first, win later" was one of the very first pieces of advice I ever received in jiu-jitsu. It helped me then and it still helps me now, both on and off the mat. I hope this mentality helps you too!

And just a quick reminder that a rating or a review of the podcast is the easiest thing you can do to help out, so thank you for that in advance.

Good luck with your training,

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