Canadian explorer Adam Shoalts is back to talk about some of his recent expeditions, including a search for a mythical beast in the wilds of Northern Labrador. We also discussed balancing family and adventure, the early explorers, his approach to selecting gear, food and travelling companions, and much more! Find out more about Adam at adamshoalts.com, follow him on Instagram at … [Read more...]
The Mental Aspect
Dr Hanan Bushkin on the Persistence of Conspiracy Theories
Dr Hanan Buskin is a clinical psychologist specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and he was my guest on episode 341 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. In this discussion we went deep into the benefits conspiracy theorist get from sharing their ideas, the influence of tribalism on belief, and the long, difficult process required to gently wean red-pilled people off of conspiratorial … [Read more...]
SMART Goals in Jiu-Jitsu
Most people training in the martial arts have goals. Goals like getting a black belt, winning a competition, or even becoming competent at a certain area of jiu-jitsu. The problem is that what most people consider goals are really just just vague dreams; their goals are too theoretical to ever have a serious chance of ever becoming true. It's kind of like a kid saying he wants to become an … [Read more...]
Unaddressed Little Problems with Your Training Quickly Become Big Problems
800 pounds is a LOT of weight. Put that weight onto the shoulders of an average man and it’ll crush him straight down into the ground. Now imagine loading 800 pounds onto your shoulders and squatting down until your thighs are parallel with the ground, and then fighting your way out of the hole back to standing. Squatting this much weight is an almost impossible achievement. At most … [Read more...]
The 2021 Seal River Expedition
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...]
The Limits of Human Endurance, with Endurance Athlete 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...]
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...]
Jiu-Jitsu: The Art of Facing Challenges
In episode 308 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with BJJ black belt and entrepreneur Elliott Bayev about using jiu-jitsu to face challenges, how to test new ideas, how the basics change over time, how to use jiu-jitsu in sales and running a business, and much more. Elliott has been featured in several Grapplearts instructionals including The Spider Guard Masterclass and The Self Defense … [Read more...]
7 Hacks for Maintaining Motivation
2020 was been a hell of a year, but better times are coming soon, so it's time to get our collective asses into gear. In today's podcast I'll take you through the 7 mental hacks I've successfully used to punch on through to the other side and that I'm going to develop and keep my momentum in 2021 as well! The second half of today's podcast was recorded during my 1000 mile solo in the arctic … [Read more...]
5 Principles For Evaluating Physical Risk
I've participated in a quite a few inherently risky activities in my life. Obviously there's the training, sparring and competing in a variety of martial arts including BJJ, Judo, Muay Thai and full contact stickfighting. But in addition to the martial arts stuff I've also been a firefighter since 1999, hazardous materials responder, a whitewater kayaker and solo expedition canoeist, all of … [Read more...]
An Interview with Frank Wolf – Explorer, Adventurer, Author, Filmmaker
In episode 295 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with Frank Wolf who exemplifies endurance, determination and perseverance. His first major expedition 25 years ago was an epic 8,000 kilometer paddle across Canada in a single season and he hasn't slowed down since. Whether it's cycling 2,000 km on the frozen Yukon River in winter or paddling the entire coast of British Columbia he's … [Read more...]
Training for High Level Competition, with Brandon ‘Wolverine’ Mullins
Today I chat with Black belt no gi world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins about how the most efficient training methods to master the highly complex world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Lots of great takeaways in this one!! 02:18 - Learning technique only vs learning technique and theory 05:42 - Fundamental movements in BJJ 09:24 - Advanced applications of fundamental movements 14:48 - … [Read more...]
BJJ Cults and Conspiracy Theories
Steve Kwan, a BJJ black belt known for cohosting the most excellent BJJ Mental Models podcast, joins me to discuss cult behaviour in BJJ, good and bad club cultures, and the big picture behind effective jiu-jitsu training. This is a really important topic given the long history of less than stellar behaviour of some of the big names in the jiu-jitsu community. To give you a taste, here are … [Read more...]
The Psychology of BJJ, with Dr David Ley
I talk with clinical psychologist and BJJ black belt David Ley about the psychology of jiu-jitsu, recent advances in psychology, the neurochemicals released when grappling, recovered memories, the prevalence of conspiracy theories in the martial arts, and much more. Jump to the 45 minute mark if you just want to listen to the portion of the podcast that deals with the psychology of BJJ. How to … [Read more...]
A Quick Podcast and Video About Deliberate Practice
Have you heard the saying, "Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect!" A big part of perfect practice is being deliberate about your practice. That means having a plan. Knowing why you're training that day, what you're going to be working on, and how long you're going to be working on it. The idea is to break down your training into chunks small enough so that you … [Read more...]
Jessica Cox, The Armless Pilot Who Flies Planes with Her Feet
Jessica Cox was born without arms but she didn't let that stop her from becoming the first woman to get her pilot's license using her feet to fly the plane. And she has a couple of black belts as well. Check out this episode; I'm sure you'll come away super-inspired and ready to smash your own limits! You can listen to the conversation below in the Youtube video player, or as episode 282 of … [Read more...]
Mental Practice In BJJ
How to Use It to Boost Your Learning and Performance, by Itamar Shatz Have you ever gone over a certain BJJ move in your head, because you felt that doing so can help you learn it? If so, then you’ve engaged in something called “mental practice”, which is the act of visualizing actions in your head in order to improve your ability to perform them in reality. Research on the topic suggests that … [Read more...]
An Interview with Adam Shoalts, Canadian Explorer
Adam Shoalts, author of "Alone Against the North" and "Beyond the Trees" is a professional adventurer and explorer. He has completed a 4,000 km solo trip across the Canadian Arctic, explored unknown rivers in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and is a fellow in the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. I was thrilled to have him on my podcast, and I hope you enjoy his tales of adventure as much as … [Read more...]
Disunity, Division and Conspiracy Theory in the BJJ Community During Covid 19 (Podcast)
Today I'm joined by Thomas Nadelhoffer an associate professor in the philosophy department at the College of Charleston, an affiliate faculty member in psychology and neuroscience, and a BJJ brown belt. We focus our conversation on the tribalism and rampant conspiracy theory acceptance in the BJJ community during the time of Covid-19. I found the discussion of 'My Risk, My Right' (the idea … [Read more...]
Life is Short – Use Your Hours Well!
I lost two of my four brothers by the time I was 24 years old. I've sat beside both my mother and my grandmother as they drew their last breaths. One minute they were alive, the next they were dead. As a firefighter I've seen and worked on hundreds of dead people. Some went peacefully into that good night, and others went kicking and screaming. Each one of those deaths was a tragedy, but … [Read more...]