The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Rob from McDojoLife has been relentless in his attempts to expose martial arts frauds, exposing everyone from from chi-based knockout masters to ninjas who practise bending joints in the direction they are designed to bend. Honestly some of the videos he's shared with people over the years have been hilarious for all the wrong reasons!

In this episode we talk about his favourite frauds, where he gets the biggest hate and pushback from, his own martial arts training history, and his big plans for the future.

Follow McDojoLife on Instagram (@mcdojolife), Twitter (@mcdojolife) and his Youtube channel (youtube.com/mcdojolife)

If you're interested in self defense then how do you train techniques that are too deadly to spar realistically, like eye gouges and groin punches, and combine that with the safer sportive techniques that you can learn to apply to against resistance and get really good at? This rant should give you some answers to this perpetual dilemma.

Check out my two sites:

https://www.grapplearts.com and

https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com

And if you're a grappler (or interested in grappling) then make sure to download my free app with more than 457 minutes of free video instruction for iOS and android at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp

Thanks!

Stephan

My guest is the science advocate generally known as The Genetically Modified Skeptic. In this hard-hitting (and likely controversial) discussion he discusses magical thinking in the martial arts, essential oils, alternative medicine, cult leaders, Jordan Peterson, religion, the anti-vaccine movement, fake cancer cures and much more. I hope you find it interesting and though provoking.

Check out Drew's popular youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/geneticallymodifiedskeptic

Iain Abernathy is an author, a 7th degree black belt, and an expert in the application of traditional karate techniques. He joined me on the podcast today to talk about kata as a training method, techniques advancing over time, ancient martial arts training methods, "freezing" between moves in kata, pushback from the traditional karate community, drills to make the application of moves instinctive, and more.

Find out more about about Iain, his books, articles, and apps at https://iainabernethy.co.uk

Leadership is easy when things are going well,but is considerably more difficult when all hell is breaking loose and the s**t is hitting the fan. In this episode we look at a common denominator of great leadership in difficult situations, the optimal state of arousal, and a few examples of good and bad leadership in the fire department.

If you enjoyed this episode then please subscribe, rate, and review the show. I can't tell you how much that helps and encourages me to pump out episodes more frequently!

JP Dinnell spent nearly a decade in the SEAL teams, including serving with Task Unit Bruiser in Ramadi, Iraq, where he was a point man, machine gunner, and lead sniper for Delta Platoon. He worked with his officers Jocko Willink and Leif Babin on many combat operations, and then used the knowledge he had gained in the field to train the next generation of SEALS.

In this conversation we talk about what made JP want to become a Navy SEAL, surviving BUDS and Hell Week, becoming a sniper, managing the risk of killing civilians accidentally, and how principles learned in combat can be applied to civilian life, business, and achieving team goals.

More about JP at https://www.echelonfront.com/jeremiah-dinnell

This discussion with multiple time BJJ world champion Fabio Gurgel was amazing. He talked about coming up under Jacare, being trained by Carlson Gracie to fight in Vale Tudo, and then battling Mark 'The Smashing Machine' Kerr in his prime under the old school, no gloves, no rounds, style Brazilian No Holds Barred rules.

We also talked about the traditional vs modern jiu-jitsu debate, why the level of BJJ right now is the highest it's ever been, how stalling in matches was worse in the old days, what all world champions have in common, how to create world champions (and keep them on your team), making a living off of jiu-jitsu, and much more.

I think you'll love it!

If you want to support the podcast then please make sure to rate and review it in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud or wherever you listen to it. That's hugely important and it's really helping!

Thanks

Stephan

I'm thrilled to have Ando Mierzwa back on the podcast to discuss dealing with fear, overcoming claustrophobia, whether martial arts lessons can be life lessons, training differently based on your age, fitness, and goals, and much more!

Find out more about Ando at http://www.senseiando.com

And if you do BJJ (or are interested in finding out more about it) make sure you download the Grapplearts BJJ Master App for iOS and Android with more than 457 minutes of FREE black belt instruction at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp

I LOVED talking to Will Gadd, champion ice climber, X games gold medalist, and extreme adventurer. In this episode we covered his epic climb up Niagara Falls in the winter, organising big climbs, climbing up icebergs and down ice caves in Greenland, dealing with risk and unknowns, close calls, the 25 people he's known who have died in the mountains, fear of loss vs hope of gain, and how to execute on audacious goals.

Check out my "Grapplearts Minimum Profile Ear Guard for BJJ and Wrestling" on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/Grapplearts-Wrestling-Cauliflower-Construction-Protection/dp/B01DAYR9ZG

Weight cutting is a fact of life in modern MMA and also in many jiu-jitsu and submission grappling competitions. In this episode Ben Zhuang and I talk about how to cut weight safely, effectively replenishing your body after a weight cut, the differences between cutting weight for day-of vs next-day events, and more.

We also talked about strength training, and if you're interested in the exercises, article, or PDF guide that Ben and I talk about then go to https://www.grapplearts.com/bjj-strength-training-the-top-6-exercises/ where it's all free!

Also Follow Ben Zhuang on Instagram as @coachbz or by clicking https://www.instagram.com/coachbz/