"Survive first, win later" was one of the very first pieces of advice I ever received in jiu-jitsu. This lesson was driven home when I watched the early MMA and NHB events including Rickson Gracie vs Zulu and Royce Gracie vs Dan Severn. To defeat bigger, stronger opponents like that takes time, and before Rickson and Royce could win they first had to not lose. This advice resonated with me … [Read more...]
In-Depth Interview with Chris Duffin, The Mad Scientist of Strength
Chris Duffin is a super-smart, analytical, and incredibly dedicated BEAST of a human being. He's an ultra-elite powerlifter who has deadlifted 1000 lbs for reps and is now closing in on his grand goal of also squatting over 1000 lbs. I spent almost 1 1/2 hours chatting with him about his insane feats of strength at his gym and manufacturing facility and got a ton of insights into his … [Read more...]
Recovery from BJJ Training
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 … [Read more...]
The 6 Steps of a Good Submission
Did you know that there's an actual physics and biomechanics-based procedure that'll definitely help you tap out many more people in BJJ? At a high level there's so much more more to getting a choke or an armlock than simply seeing an opportunity and jumping on it. That approach rarely works against good people. Instead it's about gradually manoeuvring your opponent into worse and worse … [Read more...]
How to Achieve Giant Goals
Big goals take a long time and a lot of work to accomplish, otherwise everyone would do them! The 1000 Mile Solo trip that I pulled off in the summer of 2019 had actually been a looooong time in the making. It was actually in 1992 that I first heard of Nueltin Lake and the Thlewiaza River and thought that someday, somehow, I would like to do that journey. (I came across this route while … [Read more...]
The Realities of Wilderness Travel
In the Instagram lifestyle you only see people's highlight reels. That one perfect photo of someone doing something much cooler than you. But this is a heavily edited and curated version of that person's life. What that perfect photo doesn't convey is all the blood, sweat and tears that went into setting up the situation in which that photo could be taken. This topic of reality vs … [Read more...]
Why Do a Major Wilderness Trip Alone?
When I told people I would be going on a canoe expedition in the arctic for 6 to 7 weeks alone (The 1000 Mile Solo), most thought it was a strange thing to be traveling in complete solitude for so long. Here's the thing... as a species we are mostly pack animals, but I also think it's an important part of the human experience to be able to do things on your own once in a while. If you are … [Read more...]
ABT, or “Always Be Thinking” (Podcast Episode 224)
When the going gets tough then the tough get thinking! This episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast was recorded by me in a tent on the 1000 Mile Solo. Nominally it's about the difficulties of navigating across some of the biggest and most complex lakes in North America, but the larger concept of not shutting off your mind when things get difficult definitely applies to many different kinds of … [Read more...]
Follow Your Dreams? Yes, Absolutely, But It’s Not As Simple As Some Would Lead You to Believe…
People tend to believe that to chase a dream, one must keep working on it at full speed and total intensity until they achieve it. And while you DEFINITELY need commitment and consistency to get anywhere having a super-hardcore approach all the time can be a giant mistake. For example, the physically intense 1000 mile solo canoe trip that I did in the summer of 2019 took years to organise, and … [Read more...]
Do This Now To Ensure You’ll Still Be Training BJJ in 10 Years
BJJ is a fantastically fun sport that's also undeniably hard on the body. The key to getting better is to train consistently. To train consistently you need to avoid injuries as much as possible. And in this video (and podcast) you'll learn 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 Check it out - I'm sure it'll help you in … [Read more...]
How Often Should You Train BJJ to Get Really Good?
Historically I've always said that doing something is better than doing nothing, and that training BJJ one day a week is a million times better than not training at all. But we're NOT talking about bare minimums today... Let's say that you're super serious about jiu-jitsu, a competitor or super dedicated student. Then how often should you train to get really good? 4 days a week? 5 days a … [Read more...]
A Close Call with a Bear (Podcast Episode 227)
Today's podcast episode was recorded a few hours after a close call with a bear in Canada's far north. I was on Nueltin lake, a gigantic body of water straddling Manitoba and Nunavut. The southern portions of this lake are in the boreal forest but as you travel north you get into barren lands tundra. Paddling from forest to tundra on Nueltin Lake was stage 6 of 7 on my 1000 Mile Solo in … [Read more...]
7 Tips for Maintaining Motivation
Do you ever find yourself struggling to stay on track and complete a task that you've wanted to do for a long time? Of course you have, and it's completely normal! We all have moments where we just can't seem to find any motivation. Let's talk about how to maintain motivation over the long haul. How to Achieve Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals Here's the truth of the matter... Achieving any … [Read more...]
How to Find a Good BJJ School (Podcast Episode 216)
One of the most common questions I get is how to find a good BJJ school. This is a REALLY important issue, given that in your martial arts journey you'll potentially be spending thousands of hours training and placing your health in the hands of total strangers. In episode 216 of my podcast (The Strenuous Life Podcast) I give you some of my very best tips for picking the best BJJ school for … [Read more...]
Why You MUST Regularly Calibrate Your Skills Against People Better Than You!
This is a short rant about the dichotomy of individuality in the martial arts. On the one hand you absolutely have to take responsibility for finding techniques and strategies that fit your body, your physical attributes, and your personality. On the other hand if you spend too much time training in a small group without the opportunity to calibrate your skills against people much better … [Read more...]
“Jiu-Jitsu Nowadays Is Much More Effective”, Fabio Gurgel on Old vs Modern Jiu-Jitsu
In this clip of my epic talk with BJJ black belt legend Fabio Gurgel on The Strenuous Life Podcast he talks about whether old school or modern BJJ is more effective in competition, MMA, and in a real fight. He argues quite convincingly that new school jiu-jitsu is now MORE effective than it's ever been, that there are now MORE submissions in competition, and that reminiscing about the good old … [Read more...]
BJJ and Bodyguarding with Jamie Flynn, Former British Special Forces Operator
Jamie Flynn - former British Special Forces Operator turned BJJ practitioner and bodyguard - breaks down the keys to successful bodyguarding and how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helps with that. Check it out below! https://youtu.be/1uU0UDdiMhM More Jamie Flynn If you enjoyed the little snippet above you may enjoy the entire interview I did with Jamie. In audio form it's episode 199 of The … [Read more...]
1000 Miles by Canoe in the Arctic, Alone
In this episode I talk about a 1,000 mile solo trip through Canada's arctic that I'm planning to do from July 1st to mid August 2019. This trip is both to celebrate having survived a kidney transplant and to bring awareness to organ donation (click here for the full story on that). If f you have Google Earth installed on your computer then here's a Google Drive link for the kmz file for … [Read more...]
Mindset and Motivation in the Martial Arts and the Rest of Life
Brett Piperni has spoken about mindset and motivation on the TED stage and I was very happy to get him on my podcast because he shared some great tips! I particularly his approach to creating 'have-to' situations in life. His story is that he was a nationally ranked Taekwondo competitor when he came down very serious illness that threatened his life and left him crippled. Multiple … [Read more...]
A Detailed Account of my Kidney Transplant and Recovery
In 2015 I was dying of a kidney disease. I was down to 12% of normal kidney function, my blood pressure was soaring out of control, and my electrolytes were completely haywire. But then on June 8th I had a major, life-saving surgery. The red bag in the picture above was sitting on the shelf as I was rolled into the operating room. It contained my brother's kidney which had been cut out of … [Read more...]