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Home » Conditioning

Conditioning

Optimal Competition Mindset for BJJ Competition

June 9, 2025 by Stephan Kesting

BJJ Competition Mindset with Rob Biernacki

Rob Biernacki has some very impressive competition victories, including black belt masters gold at both No Gi Worlds and ADCC. In this podcast episode he reveals... Why people sometimes just don't perform up to their potential and how to fix it, How to reframe tournament nerves, The optimal state of arousal for competition, Building and executing on gameplans, Why some people … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Competition, Podcasts Tagged With: BJJ, BJJ Games, Competition, Conditioning, Gameplan, Gripfighting, IBJJF, No Gi, Rob Biernacki, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting

BJJ Training and Conditioning Myths

April 5, 2025 by Stephan Kesting

james deirmedjian interview

On episode 421 of The Strenuous Life Podcast, I'm joined by three-time IBJJ World medallist James Deirmendjian and elite personal trainer to discuss optimal training methodologies and the science behind strength and conditioning for sport. We cover hacks to improve recovery, debunk common myths in the Jiu-Jitsu community, and go deep into the need for a more scientific approach to training and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Competition, Conditioning, Interviews, Podcasts, Training Tagged With: BJJ, Competition, Conditioning, james deirmendjian, Podcast, Strength Training, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Training BJJ as an Older or Smaller Grappler

January 2, 2025 by Stephan Kesting

Jesse Walker, Episode 414 of The Strenuous Life Podcast

There are WAY too many injuries in jiu-jitsu, especially for older, smaller, and less athletic grapplers who end up going against young and explosive superathletes. The answer to minimising injuries and maximizing learning lies in having the correct training methods AND developing the right culture within a club. To help understand this better I had  Jesse Walker from Rough Hands BJJ in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcasts, Training Tagged With: Conditioning, Injuries, Kalle Beck, Strength Training, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting

The Secrets of Strongman Training, with Kalle Beck

November 25, 2024 by Stephan Kesting

Kalle Beck, Strongman

Fundamentally Strongman training is about lifting and moving heavy, ungainly objects, and when you think about it, that's not so different from what we do on the mats every single day. So, maybe we can learn a thing or two from the experts in applied strength! Kalle Beck has competed, coached and commentated in Strongman events and has helped thousands of people become much, much stronger. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conditioning, Podcasts, Training Tagged With: Conditioning, Kalle Beck, Strength Training, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Ecological Training in Jiu-Jitsu and How to Do It Properly

November 14, 2024 by Stephan Kesting

Rob Biernacki teaching ecologically-adjacent jiu-jitsu

One of the biggest trends in BJJ right now is the so-called "ecological approach", typically involving the use of constrained two-person games where each participant has one or several outcomes they are trying to achieve.  Some of the more severe interpretations of this approach essentially dispense with active instruction, In episode 412 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm joined by renowned … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interviews, Podcasts Tagged With: BJJ Games, Competition, Conditioning, Rob Biernacki, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training, Training Modalities, Video

Three Big BJJ Lessons Learned on a Solo Trip in the Arctic

August 5, 2024 by Stephan Kesting

Lessons Learned in the Arctic

Earlier this summer I completed a beautiful and difficult 19-day solo canoe trip in the Canadian Arctic. There's a lot of time to think on a trip like this, and here are the 3 big lessons I learned... You can order my new book "Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic" on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indigo/Chapters, or your local bookstore! Three Big BJJ Lessons Learned on a Solo … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Miscellaneous, Podcasts Tagged With: Canoeing, Conditioning, Fitness, Injuries, Outdoors, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training, Video

BJJ vs Bears – Lessons Learned on a Solo Expedition in the Arctic

July 21, 2024 by Stephan Kesting

Stephan Kesting Solo Canoe Trip

I just recently got home from a difficult solo canoe trip in the Canadian Arctic where I didn’t see anyone for weeks. Bears, storms, icebergs and exhaustion, this adventure had it all. Since I was alone, I had a lot of time to think. A big takeaway was how relevant some aspects of this wilderness stuff were to jiu-jitsu. Here are the three big lessons I learned from that trip, and how they … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conditioning, Health & Nutrition, Training Tagged With: BJJ, Canoeing, Conditioning, Injuries, Outdoors, The Mental Aspect, Training, Weightlifting

Breathing, Oxygen and Exhaustion

March 10, 2024 by Stephan Kesting

I've previously discussed breathing but have concentrated on unusual situations, like conscious hyperventilation and the Valsalva Maneuver. I should probably have started out by talking about something that is a bit more universally applicable. Let’s talk about this: no breathing equals no oxygen equals total exhaustion. Storytime: I once talked with a very frustrated and discouraged … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Competition, Conditioning, Featured, Podcasts Tagged With: Breathing, Competition, Conditioning, The Mental Aspect, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training

BJJ Competition Preparation and Training Camp Design with Rob Biernacki

December 16, 2023 by Stephan Kesting

Tournament preparation and training camp design

Rob Biernacki and his competition team are on a tear. Rob recently took gold in masters middleweight the Canadian ADCC Open, silver at the California ADCC Open, and gold in black belt M4 at the IBJJF No Gi Worlds. In episode 394 of The Strenuous Life Podcast we talk about Designing an effective training camp Dividing your conditioning and skills training Detaching emotionally from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Competition, Conditioning, Interviews, Podcasts Tagged With: ADCC, BJJ Games, Competition, Conditioning, Drills, Gameplan, IBJJF, No Gi, Rob Biernacki, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training, Video

Strength vs Endurance Training, with World Record Holder James Pieratt

August 15, 2023 by Stephan Kesting

Strength vs Endurance, with James Pieratt

James Pieratt is a hybrid athlete who does things like deadlifting 520 lbs in the morning and then running fifty miles in the afternoon. I caught up with him shortly after he completed a 500-mile, self-supported mountain run along the Pacific Crest Trail. In this interview, we went deep into... How to balance strength, endurance, and skill training, The role of prehabilitation and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conditioning, Health & Nutrition, Interviews, Podcasts, Training Tagged With: BJJ, Conditioning, James Pieratt, Strength Training, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Video

The Jiu-Jitsu Drills of of Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro

September 29, 2022 by Stephan Kesting

Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro BJJ Drills

When Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro started talking about the drills he uses I paid attention! Shaolin has won the World BJJ Championships 4 times, held the 140 to 155 lb belt in Shooto, and has a long list of other titles. He is an outstanding competitor in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission grappling and mixed martial arts, so he knows how to train effectively and efficiently! Shaolin uses a variety … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conditioning, Training Tagged With: Armbar, Conditioning, Drills, Guard Passes, Knee Mount, Toreando, Training, Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro

Physical Endurance and Mental Toughness with James ‘The Biking Viking’ Benson King

September 28, 2022 by Stephan Kesting

Physical Endurance and Mental Toughness with James Benson King

Physical Endurance and Mental Toughness with James Benson King (Video Version) James 'The Biking Viking' Benson King is cycling from Alaska at the very top of North America to Argentina at the very bottom of South America. He's covered thousands of miles, endured injuries, dealt with bears, and gone deep into the reservoirs of his endurance.  In this episode we talk about his mental and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Podcasts Tagged With: Conditioning, James Benson King, Outdoors, Podcast, The Mental Aspect, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training

Skill vs Athleticism in BJJ, with Rob Biernacki & Stephan Kesting

September 16, 2022 by Stephan Kesting

Skill vs Athleticism in BJJ

Rob Biernacki is back on The Strenuous Life Podcast to discuss the relative importance of technical skill vs physical athleticism in BJJ... Skill vs Athleticism in BJJ (Video Version) Here is the video of my conversation with Rob (click here to watch it on Youtube)... 00:20 - Can you succeed with just technique in Jiu-jitsu? 04:41 - Is Jiu-jitsu for everybody? 08:59 - Skill vs … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Podcasts Tagged With: BJJ, Competition, Conditioning, Physical Attributes, Podcast, Rob Biernacki, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training, Training Schedule, Video

How to Survive Training Layoffs from Grappling

August 4, 2022 by Stephan Kesting

Life is a balancing act, and most of us have multiple priorities. We have to juggle BJJ with work, family life, relaxation time, etc. A couple of days away from training never killed anybody. In fact, we're usually refreshed and eager to get back at 'er when we return! But sometimes the breaks are longer than a couple of days. Life intervenes, and before you know it weeks, or even months have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Podcasts, Training Tagged With: BJJ, Conditioning, Fitness, Inspiration, Podcast, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training

The 2021 Seal River Expedition

August 13, 2021 by Stephan Kesting

Seal River 2021: Tadoule Lake to Churchill MB

The two things I have enjoyed doing more than anything else in my life are training martial arts and spending time in the wilderness. A few years ago I undertook a 1,000 mile solo trip in the Canadian Subarctic and Arctic. Although I was way, Way, WAY out of cell phone range for that trip I did manage to upload pictures and stories from the field using a finicky satellite dish.  People really … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Canoeing, Conditioning, Outdoors, Seal River 2021, The Mental Aspect

Fixing Martial Arts Back Pain, with Dr Stuart McGill

June 18, 2021 by Stephan Kesting

My Podcast on Fixing Martial Arts Back Pain with Dr Stuart McGill

Back pain is incredibly common in sport, including all martial arts and combative sports. That's why I was thrilled to talk to Dr Stuart McGill, one of the world's leading experts on back pain. Dr.  McGill is considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on the spine, back pain and rehabilitation. He is an author, scientist, clinician and was a professor emeritus at the University of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conditioning, Health & Nutrition, Interviews, Podcasts Tagged With: Conditioning, Injuries, Interviews, Stuart McGill, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Video

The Limits of Human Endurance, with Endurance Athlete Mike McCastle

April 26, 2021 by Stephan Kesting

The Limits of Human Endurance, Ice Immersion with Mike McCastle

Mike McCastle set a new world record on Jan 23, 2021, immersing himself in ice for 2 hours and 40 minutes and surviving! He joined me on Episode 323 of The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about this absolutely insane challenge including, The physical preparation and mental strength required to it off, The limits of the human body, Tummo (inner fire) breathing and visualisation, How … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conditioning, Interviews, Podcasts, Training Tagged With: Breathing, Conditioning, Interviews, Mike McCastle, Strength Training, The Mental Aspect, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training, Video

Strength Training for BJJ

April 12, 2021 by Stephan Kesting

Brandon Morgan Strength Training for BJJ and MMA

Brandon Morgan is a high level powerlifter who trains, coaches and competes out of the Kabuki Strength gym with Chris Duffin in Portland Oregon. In this episode we go deep into strength training and conditioning for combat sports drawing on his personal experience as a wrestler and training MMA athletes to be bigger, stronger, faster, and more injury resistant. Strength Training for BJJ with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conditioning, Interviews, Podcasts Tagged With: Brandon Morgan, Chris Duffin, Conditioning, Injuries, Interviews, Strength Training, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Karl Gotch, the Godfather of Japanese MMA

March 22, 2021 by Stephan Kesting

An episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast about Karl Gotch, the Godfather of Japanese MMA

In this episode I'm joined by pro-wrestler Tad Murphy to talk about the legendary wrestler Karl Gotch. Karl Gotch was a German-Hungarian wrestler born in Belgium who trained at the infamous 'Snake Pit' in Wigan, England, then competed in the United States and then taught several generations of pro-wrestlers in Japan. His influence is the common link between just about every major Japanese … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcasts Tagged With: Catch Wrestling, Conditioning, History, Karl Gotch, MMA, Pro Wrestling, Tad Lincoln Murphy, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Wrestling

The Balance Between Stress and Recovery in Training

February 10, 2021 by Stephan Kesting

The balance between stress and recovery in training

Your health is like a credit card.. You can definitely put things onto your credit card once in a while.  You can even use a credit card to help bridge the gap when you're short on funds. But sooner or later you need to pay it off. But if you keep on making withdrawals against your card without ever putting money back into it then you're going to end up in serious trouble. Your health is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Podcasts, Training Tagged With: Conditioning, Injuries, Nutrition, Overtraining, The Mental Aspect, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training

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