Today, Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Models picks my brain about the benefits of training your submissions as positions first, and submissions second. I promise this will make perfect sense by the end of the episode, and may change how you approach your training. Episode 436 with Steve was a rare audio-only episode and is available on all audio podcast platforms, including Apple … [Read more...]
The Mental Aspect
Roy Dean History of BJJ in North America
Renowned BJJ blackbelt Roy Dean came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about his research into how BJJ got started in North America, martial arts culture in Japan, the power of Judo in self defense situations, the importance of role models in shaping one's conception of masculinity and more. In addition to the video above you can also check out Episode 436 of The Strenuous Life … [Read more...]
These are the athletes I respect
There's a mountain close to my home that I sometimes climb for cardio. I go on an established route known as the Grouse Grind with 800 meters (2,620 feet) of stairs. It’s a beast of a climb. Now there are elite cardio freaks who fly up this trail. The current record is 23 minutes and 48 seconds, set by a professional cyclist, which is nuts. But professional endurance athletes made of lungs … [Read more...]
On Standing Up to Bullies
I was 16 when I first became disillusioned with one of my martial arts teachers. Not because of something he did, but because of something he didn't do. At the time I was deep into Kung Fu training. Legs shaking in low horse stances, punishing the air with punches, hopping around like a monkey, pouncing like a tiger, pecking like a crane. (At the time everyone knew that Kung fu was the … [Read more...]
Growing Self Confidence with BJJ
Alicia Reitz and I dive deep into how BJJ can be used to develop a strong sense of self confidence for everyone, and how that self confidence can then be put to good use in self defense and the the rest of your life. We also digress a little into specifics of the social media drama that I was involved in recently, which certainly raised my blood pressure just a little. You can also catch … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with James Deirmendjian: Strength and Conditioning for BJJ
James Deirmendjian a strength and conditioning coach specialising in combat and tactical athletes who ALSO competes in BJJ, fighting against much younger opponents. As such he was the perfect choice to finish our 4-part series on hybrid training and the science of developing strength and endurance at the same time. In this episode James and I touch on many topics, including… - The most … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with James Pieratt: How to Mix Marathon and Strength Training
James Pieratt from Wild Hunt Conditioning first came to the public attention when he deadlifted 520 lbs and then immediately set out on a 50 mile ultramarathon. Today James joins us to share what he learned on an expedition in which he ran 802 miles through nearly the entire state of California. James is unique in the ultrarunning community because he also lifts heavy weights and trains in … [Read more...]
Hybrid Training with Mike McCastle: Peaking for Power, Endurance, and Mental Strength with Mike McCastle
There are strength sports like powerlifting and Olympic lifting, and there are endurance sports like marathoning and biking in the Tour de France... And then there are sports like BJJ that require a hybrid approach - optimising strength and endurance at the same time. This gets really tricky, so over the next four episodes of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm going to be exploring hybrid … [Read more...]
Balancing Risk and Reward in Training
Training the chokes, locks, sweeps and throws of jiu-jitsu is an inherently dangerous activity, and for every dangerous activity there's always a delicate balancing of risk and reward. You need to learn when to keep on pushing, and when to back off. Never go 100% in training. And even in competition, you should always leave a little in reserve. Sometimes it helps to have examples from other … [Read more...]
A BJJ Match is a Zero-Sum Game
When I was filming the BJJ Foundations instructional with Cal MacDonald he brought up a really interesting point... He said that if you're in a serious match - a competition or a deathroll at the club - then at a tactical level, jiu-jitsu becomes a zero-sum game. That means every grip, every hook, and every adjustment of position becomes win-lose. If you win that exchange, your opponent … [Read more...]
How to Deal with Doubt and Stress in Competition
In episode 427 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I pick the brain of sports psychologist Dr. Haley Perlis, who delves into the competition mindset, developing mental toughness, managing stress, avoiding burnout, the psychology of extreme sports, and how your core values shape your life and sport. Episode 427 is available right now in audio and video formats here: Apple Podcasts … [Read more...]
Black Belts Have Shitty Days on the Mat Too
Before training today I had a suspicion that it would be a tough day on the mats and I wasn't wrong. I mean, things went OK at the beginning with the drilling and workshopping. But when it came to sparring - well, damn. The neurons took forever to fire, and the muscles moved in slow motion. My responses were predictable, and I blundered into the same bad situations again and again. (Yes, … [Read more...]
Training Your Techniques in Chunks for Faster Learning
Mastering a new technique can seem overwhelming. There are so many steps, and for every action you take, your opponent might have 10 different reactions. But there's a relatively simple solution to the paralysing amount of material you need to internalise... A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and so does adding a new technique to your game. Start by mastering the first … [Read more...]
How to Deal with Adrenaline in Stressful Situations
On the most difficult adventure of my life I learned a lot about dealing with stress and adrenaline. That trip was deep in the wilderness, but it turns out that many of these lessons apply directly to many aspects of life, including jiu-jitsu. That's why I thought I'd share one of the more important sections of my book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic that addresses this topic … [Read more...]
Don’t Be a One Trick Jiu-Jitsu Pony
When I was coming up in jiu-jitsu, there was a guy in class who only went for kneebars. He was only a whitebelt but in this one move he was a purple belt. In the closed guard he went for kneebars… In someone’s guard, he went for a kneebar… if he was in the turtle position, or on top, or in a scramble: kneebar, kneebar, kneebar. The problem was, he soon became predictable. All you had to do … [Read more...]
Training to Deal with Adrenaline and Emergency Situations
The fight-or-flight reflex is always lurking just below the surface. When things get sufficiently stressful, our hormonal system dumps enormous amounts of adrenaline into our bloodstream, and — BOOM — suddenly we’re ready for action. That adrenaline serves a purpose: it elevates your heart rate, makes you much stronger, more pain tolerant, and able to ignore injury. If you ever have to lift a … [Read more...]
Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic (Hardcover, Kindle and Audiobook Format)
I've got something special for you today: a true adventure story set in the Far North that I underwent a few years ago after a kidney transplant. I ended up learning a LOT about mental toughness, resilience, and strategies for making progress when I was absolutely at the end of my rope, lessons that I think are universally applicable. Please check out the first three chapters of the … [Read more...]
Come and Hang Out at the Perseverance Book Tour
In March, 2025, I'm doing some free presentations and meet-and-greets in to promote my new book Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic. "Waitaminute," you might say, "I thought you were a jiu-jitsu guy? What's with this outdoor adventure rubbish?!?" Well, nominally, this book is about a 1000-mile solo trip I did in the Arctic after a kidney transplant, but there's a lot of overlap in … [Read more...]
Spartans, Samurai and Ninja with BJJ Black Belt Jeff Nelson
On episode 418 of The Strenuous Life Podcast, I was thrilled to chat with Jeff Nelson about Spartans, Samurai, Ninja, developing confidence through jiu-jitsu, fight scenes in movies that drive us crazy, and pro-training at some of the best BJJ schools in the world. You can check it out as Episode 418 of The Strenuous Life Podcast anywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts … [Read more...]
How to Get Your Black Belt Without Being Affiliated With Any One Specific School
Paul Kindzia describes himself as a "homeschooled, non-denominational, it takes a village black belt" and had a very unique route to getting his BJJ black belt. He was a ronin, training at different schools and did a lot of his training in his home dojo. This paid off because he was a top IBJJF Masters competitor at blue, purple, and brown belt, before being awarded his black belt by a … [Read more...]