Ramsey Dewey is an MMA coach now based in Shanghai, China.  I really enjoyed our conversation which included...

• How wearing headgear in sparring actually makes things WORSE for your brain
• His controversey with Master Wong
• Why China could take over MMA
• What self defense 'experts' get wrong
• What happens to martial arts that don't spar
• Ramsey's experience on The Ultimate Self Defense Championship

Check out Ramsey's very popular Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@RamseyDewey

Find out more about the FREE Grapplearts BJJ Master App at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp 

And please check out my brand new book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic, available on Amazon and all other online book retailers https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612

Thank you,
Stephan Kesting

I just did a 19-day solo canoe trip in the Canadian Arctic, and here are the 3 big lessons I learned!

If you want to see photos and a day-by-day description of the trip please go here: https://essentialwilderness.com/lost-in-the-barrens-a-solo-canoe-trip-on-a-remote-arctic-river/

Order my book "Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic" at the following places:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perseverance-stephan-kesting/1145682384

Indigo/Chapters:  https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/perseverance-life-and-death-in-the-subarctic/9781639368617.html

If you'd like to subscribe to audio-only form this podcast please find it at the links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5NTGdrtMZv8JcxpUBcdREx

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/strenuous-life-podcast-stephan-kesting-grapplearts/id320705565?mt=2

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stephan-kesting/grapplearts-radio-podcast

Cheers,
Stephan Kesting

From war-torn Africa to climbing remote peaks in Greenland with Alex Honnold, Matt Pycroft has built a very impressive career working as a journalist and filmmaker.  In our conversation he goes into detail how he gradually acquired the skills to achieve his goals and the lessons he's learned working with extreme athletes in inhospitable settings all over the globe.

Follow Matt on Instagram @mattpycroft and check out his latest film, Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold, on Disney, Amazon, and National Geographic.

The traditional class structure of doing a warmup, learning a couple of new techniques, and followed by sparring is NOT an efficient way to learn jiu-jitsu.  We can do much better if we use insights from research on coaching and learning.

Today's guest is Cal MacDonald, a BJJ black belt and  competitor who has dedicated himself to developing his teaching and coaching skills to the highest possible level.  

Cal is a longtime blackbelt under Rob Biernacki at Island Top Team. Rob and his team are at the cutting edge of teaching and training methodologies that make people amazingly good incredibly fast. Cal coached full time at Island Top Team for five years and is also a fierce competitor, having won Gold at NAGA, Pacific Northwest Open, and many other tournaments. He has travelled to top academies for Worlds and ADCC camps, training with top athletes like Yuri Simões, Mason Fowler, and Caio Terra, so he knows what works at the highest levels.

His proudest accomplishments are the successes of his students, and he has spent thousands of hours coaching and cornering competitors as they fight their way to the podium.

Cal stays abreast of advances in sports science and cognitive science, and blended that with experience and experimentation to create the BJJ Foundations program - more info about that at https://www.grapplearts.com/foundations

Good luck with your training,

Stephan Kesting

In this episode I talk BJJ longevity, weight training, home gyms and training methods with BJJ old-timer Mike Mahaffey. I think there are a TON of valuable takehome lessons here for anyone who trains jiu-jitsu, and ESPECIALLY the over-40 crowd! 

Also check out BJJ Foundations, the brand new Grapplearts instructional that gives you the best jiu-jitsu technique and training method curriculum I've ever seen at https://www.grapplearts.com/foundations

Cheers,
Stephan Kesting

Did you know that the England had many different wrestling systems including Cornish, Lancashire, Devonshire, Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling and catchwrestling? In this conversation Oz Austwick and I go into the history of these arts including the influence of Japanese Judo and Jiu-Jitsu on English Wrestling... the great Billy Robinson and his influence on Kazushi Sakuraba... Satoro Sayama and the birth of Shootwrestling... American vs British catchwrestling... the blending of jiu-jitsu with catchwrestling... leglocks and traditional BJJ... and much more.

Follow Oz Austwick here: https://www.youtube.com/@EnglishMartialArts

Subscribe to The Strenuous Life Podcast on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK-c9Vxqx-I

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 this episode we talk about designing an effective training camp, dividing your conditioning and skills training, detaching emotionally from the outcome of the competition, why sharktanking and competition-style rolls are overused, 80/20 analyses of different rule sets, training athletes to think strategically while in matches, the central role of games and drills in his competition training, and strategies that work in ADCC that will lose you the match in IBJJF

Check out his latest instructional, BJJ GAMES, at https://www.grapplearts.com/bjj-games.  It features 25 different games and drills Rob uses at his school to get his students ready for competition.

In episode 393 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk to Oz Austwick, who has extensively studied armed and unarmed combat systems in Europe. Topics we cover include the origins of boxing in England, historical training and conditioning methods, reconstructing and testing techniques shown in swordfighting manuals, fighting with live blades, the role of wrestling in real swordfighting, and much more.  I think you'll really like this one!

Oz Austwick runs the English Martial Arts channel on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/englishmartialarts and publishes at https://www.patreon.com/englishmartialarts

Today I pick the brain of the amazing Jost Kobusch is a German mountaineer who spent two seasons on Everest trying to ascend the legendarily difficult West Ridge route and the Hornbein Couloir alone. And did I mention that he wasn't using supplemental oxygen and attempting this in the middle of the brutal Himalayan winter? 

We covered a TON of interesting topics, including

• Why do things the hardest way?
• His closest call in the mountains
• The dangers of the Khumbu Icefall
• Getting hit by an avalanche at Everest Base Camp
• His preferred diet for performance at high altitude
• Training for high altitude
• Dealing with injuries
• And more

I hope you enjoy this!  Share it with a friend if you do!

Stephan Kesting

P.S. In 2015 Jost was about to climb Everest when an earthquake triggered an avalanche that destroyed Everest Base Camp.  Here's the footage he filmed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JC_wIWUC2U

P.P.S. At age 21 Jost became the youngest person to solo Ama Dablam, a 6812 meter mountain in the Himalayas.  Here's a documentary about that climb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVG9U8UoT2I

P.P.P.S. Follow Jost on Instagram @Jostkobusch or get coached by him at JostKobusch.com

Today I'm joined by Steve Kwan, the host and creator of the wildly popular BJJ Mental Models podcast.  We discuss the most important mental models in the art and how they can improve your ability to perform on the mat!

Check out https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/ for Steve's podcast and https://www.grapplearts.com/rollingbacktakes for my newest BJJ instructional.

And, as always, please send today's episode to someone you think would benefit from it.

Thanks, Stephan Kesting

This podcast episode covers all the details and preparations for a long solo trip in the Arctic that I'm starting today! After 30 hours of driving and a 2 hour bush plane flight to Nueltin Lake I'll be heading north of the treeline direct into the Barren Lands of the Arctic.

Once there, I'll be completely alone and out of touch for 30 days. The only written description of the river is a few pages in a book written by a missionary in the late 1800's.

The trip spans the Thlewiaza, The-Tinne, Kognak and Tha-Anne rivers and will probably include caribou and bear encounters, whitewater and giant ice-covered lakes, and insanely complex navigational challenges.

Once the trip is underway, I'll be sharing a few photos from the field a small satellite device So if you're interested in adventure and how well jiu-jitsu works against giant Hudson Bay Polar Bears then follow along!

The best place to stay current is probably on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/essentialwilderness/), although this page on Essential Wilderness (https://tinyurl.com/nunavutsolo) should have a map that updates with my location once I'm on the water 

I believe that pictures from this trip will also get cross-posted on

Threads (https://www.threads.net/@stephan_kesting)

Tiktok (https://www.tiktok.com/@essentialwilderness), and

 Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@essentialwilderness/community)

I'll be back to the world and jiu-jitsu in late July. Hopefully!

Cheers, Stephan

P.S. I'm telling my publisher that this is my official book tour, so if you haven't yet pre-ordered Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic (the story of another trip I did up there) then please help me out!

You can grab it at Amazon 

https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612/

https://www.amazon.ca/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612/

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perseverance-stephan-kesting/1145682384

And Indigo. https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/perseverance-life-and-death-in-the-subarctic/9781639368617.html 

The Ultimate Self-Defense Championship was a competition in which six martial arts YouTubers competed against each other in seven self-defense challenges to find out what works, what doesn't and who would become the ultimate self-defense champion. 

The organizer of this event was Rokas Leo who trained Aikido for 14 years and eventually realised that that art didn't live up to what to the promises. He made the switch to MMA training and has had several amateur MMA fights since.  

My previous interview with Rokas about his evolution from Aikido to MMA: https://www.grapplearts.com/aikido-vs-mma-rokas/

Watch the first season of the Ultimate Self Defense Championship on Youtube for free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU3nOrEfN70&list=PL4FJXg8RNp-mqVhFpncyMk4rANel-TRa9

Contribute to The Ultimate Self Defense Championship Season 2 here and get early access and extra footage: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ultimate-self-defense-championship-season-2#/

Find out more about Rokas on his site: https://www.martialartsjourney.com/

Not only is Robert Drysdale a BJJ and ADCC World Champion, he has also conducted extensive research into the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In this interview, he reveals some of what he's discovered, including...

01:54 - The first wave of jiu-jitsu in Brazil - Helio Gracie and Carlos Gracie 
04:35 - Exhibition and carnival fighting in Brazil
06:55 - Traditional jiu-jitsu style vs modified judo
12:14 - Training methods of the Gracie Academy in the '30s, 40s and '50s
18:43 - The second wave practitioners
19:47 - Waldemar Santana
22:49 - Carlson Gracie and the Rua Figueiredo Magalhães school
33:19 - How BJJ rule changes changed the sport
42:31 - Rolls Gracie
48:51 - Self-defense and Vale Tudo training
55:28 - Rolls Gracie death
1:00:55 - The Carlson Gracie tragedy
1:13:54 - Carlos Gracie Jr.
1:21:03 - Future rule changes, luta livre, and the sportification of jiu-jitsu
1:35:10 - The Rise and Evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the book

You can grab Robert's book, The Rise and Evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which goes into MUCH more detail on these topics at https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Evolution-Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu-Democratization/dp/B0C1JCNQ1P

 Note that today's episode was also on my Youtube channel at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ThcGhAlvs

If you found this episode interesting then a rating or a review to help get the word out would be SUPER appreciated.

Thanks,

Stephan Kesting

Carlson Gracie fought in 18 Vale Tudo matches, brought jiu-jitsu to the masses, and innovated many of the MMA training practices we now take for granted. He innovated many seemingly radical ideas at the time, like training without the gi, group classes, and being a well rounded fighter.

These points come from Robert Drysdale's excellent book, The Rise and Evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Evolution-Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu-Democratization/dp/B0C1JCNQ1P

I'll be talking to Robert Drysdale about Carlson Gracie and this era of jiu-jitsu in the very next episode (#387) of The Strenuous Life Podcast, so don't miss it!!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

The jiu-jitsu world was shaken recently when Jack Greener, severely injured in 2018 while sparring at a San Diego gym, was awarded $46,475,112 dollars by a jury. Rener Gracie testified for the plaintiff, and Clark Gracie testified for the defence.

In this episode, I get together with Dan Lukeheart (Brea Jiu-Jitsu) and Alex Kask (Barrister and Solicitor) to discuss the specific technique that caused this injury (the 'Leo Viera Backtake'), training methods used in jiu-jitsu, who gets to set industry standards in jiu-jitsu, whether white belts should spar, and how teachers and club owners can protect themselves from being wiped out by similar lawsuits.  

More information about this lawsuit is available here...

Developments in Martial Arts Practice Liability: Greener v. Del Mar Jiu Jitsu Club

Rener Gracie's Deposition

Video of the accident

Take care of your training partners!!

Stephan Kesting

Jesse Bryant is doing his PhD on the politics of nature, and has come across some amazing examples of both far left and far right groups wrapping themselves in the mantle of nature and what is deemed 'natural'.  From the Artaman League to the Wolves of Vinland and Alex Jone's fantasies about moving back to the country sometimes what he's found is hilarious, and sometimes it's terrifying.  I really enjoyed today's homage to the Naturalistic Fallacy and I hope you do too...

Check out Jesse's great Tiktok channel where  he goes by @jessecallahanbryant.

And check out the latest Grapplearts instructional, Cutting Edge Leglocks, at https://www.grapplearts.com/cutting-edge-leglocks.  It's an amazing deal and will definitely help you tap out a LOT more people!

Amanda Bruse took home Gold as a black belt in her weight division at No Gi Pans in 2022, and also a Silver in the open division facing much heavier opponents. She's also done amazingly well at ADCC Trials, No Gi Worlds, and is now competing in Combat Jiu-jitsu as well. It's remarkable that she's only been training for 6 years; clearly, she's doing something right, and in this conversation I try to find out what it is!!

Tune in to find out about learning how to train (02:48), her favorite submission competing against bigger opponents in the open division (09:12), how to structure multiple training sessions per day (14:38), strength and conditioning for jiu-jitsu (18:06), balancing training and university studies (28:57), wrestling for no gi jiu-jitsu (35:34), starting a clothing brand (41:01), visualisation for competition (47:11), and her best advice for new people starting jiu-jitsu (53:06).

Follow Amanda on Instagram at @amandabruse.bjj.

To say that Greg Souders is a huge believer in drilling and gamification is actually an understatement; he believes that BJJ training methods have not kept up with the science of learning, and runs Standard Jiu-Jitsu in Rockville, Maryland without teaching any techniques. And black belt medalist students at the Pan Ams and the World Championships suggest that he's onto something! 

I really enjoyed this conversation and did my best to ask the questions you'll be hearing in your own head as you listen to this! 

As always, if you enjoyed this episode I would REALLY appreciated a review and a rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listened to it!

Cheers,
Stephan Kesting

Brooke Binowski is a journalist specialising in debunking disinformation and misinformation.  She has worked for Snopes and is now the managing editor at TruthOrFiction.com. In this episode we talk about Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, how disinformation campaigns are structured, white supremacists, why the wellness space is so prone to believing conspiracy theories, and how we can know what's actually true and what's not.

BJJ black belt Elliott Bayev and I discuss the minimum knowledge set required to be a competent blue belt, including...

• The 8 basic positions in jiu-jitsu
• A 3 phase strategy for beating a bigger person 
• The real purpose of the guard
• The 2 types of submissions
• The hierarchy of positions
• How to stay safe in bad positions...and what to do next.
• The importance of getting high up on your opponent's body
• How do throws and takedowns fit into training
• Competition vs self defense tactics
• How many techniques do you actually need
• Why sparring against real resistance makes jiu-jitsu special
• When to begin sparring in your progression
• How long does it take to make bluebelt
• And more!

Click here to get the Roadmap for BJJ, my free PDF breakdown of the basic positions and strategies in jiu-jitsu.

Elliott runs the Openmat school in Toronto Ontario and also the BJJ101.tv learning site. 

Check out Elliott's Spider Guard Masterclass, and/or his Self Defense Guard, and/or his 30 Second Fight Finishes instructionals. I've personally worked with him on all 3 of these products and I can say without hesitation that they are incredibly detailed and directly applicable to your training.

Stephan Kesting

In episode 379 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with podcaster, martial artist, and history professor Daniele Bolelli about the characteristics of fascism.

This is a loaded topic for both of us, because both of our families lived in fascist states during World War 2 (mine in Germany, his in Italy).  Which is why I almost went with an alternate title, namely A German and an Italian Walk Into a Bar...

The terms 'fascism' sure gets thrown around a lot these days. But words have meaning, and so you can't just use it as an insult to describe anything you don't like. S0 what is it?

As Daniele explains, there isn't a single definition of fascism; instead it's a checklist and the more items an ideology checks off then the closer they are to fascism.  Here are some of the major items for Daniele...

• Nostalgia for a mythic past
• Reliance on an authority figure who will fix everything
• Nationalism
• A cult of masculinity and cracking down on anyone who doesn't embody traditional values
• A hawkish desire for war against internal and external enemies
• Strong alliances with traditional power structures like industry and religion
• Anti-intellectualism and a distrust of expertise
• Conservative values,
• Subordination of women, anti-abortion, anti-birth control
• Anti-democratic values
• Emphasis on law and order

Other things we discuss are Giorgia Meloni (the Prime Minister of Italy), economic situations before the rise of fascism, horseshoe theory and the eventual convergence of extreme left and extreme right, and the danger of fascism in the world right now.

Here are some places you can get more Daniele Bolelli...

• His History on Fire Podcast (highly recommended)
• His History on Fire Patreon if you want more content and support good work
• He's on Instagram @daniele_bolelli

Fascism is a tricky word, and many different people have taken stabs at defining it.  Here are a few of my favorites...

I found Jason Stanley's 10 traits of a fascist movement a very useful starting point.

Umberto Eco's essay Ur-Fascism, originally published in the New York Review, included a 14 point list of the features of fascism. He identified that, for fascists, the enemy must simultaneously be very weak and very strong, which I found fascinating because I see it so often in the discourse these days.

British political scientist Roger Griffin has defined the fascistic core as an ultranationalism focused on the idea of rebirth of a people or a nation (or palingenetic ultranationalism).  

As is so often the case, the Wikipedia article on the definitions of fascism is a useful starting point if you want to go deeper into this topic.

Short episode today with my friend Denis Kang sharing three ways that fighters have improved their training methods to get ready for MMA fights.

Denis fought for the first time in 1998 (in an event without gloves) and went on to fight a total of 55 times in events like the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Impact FC, M-1 Global, K-1 HERO'S, ROAD FC, and Pancrase.

Denis currently teaches MMA at Pinnacle Martial Arts in Richmond, BC.

John Will trained in Southern California in the late 80's, was one of the first 12 non-Brazilians to get a BJJ black belt, and then went on to create the largest jiu-jitsu association in Australasia.  

We talked about how the art has changed, how to be 'centrist' in the sport vs self defense debate, teaching elite military personnel, how to create a curriculum, and much more.

I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation

Stephan Kesting

P.S. Check out the latest Grapplearts Instructional, Guard Passing for Old F***s, at https://www.grapplearts.com/oldpass

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 physical preparations for the journey of a lifetime.

Follow James on instagram @bensonthebikingviking, his youtube channel, and/or his site at bensonthebikingviking.co.uk.

Explorer Adam Shoalts is fresh off a 3 month, 3,400 km solo trip to the Arctic. It's an amazing story, and he shares a TON of tips for travelling in the wilderness

00:32 Adam's 3 month, 3,400 km solo journey to the Arctic
31:20 On Staying Safe in the Wilderness
38:42 On Food and Calories in the Wilderness
50:57 How to Run Whitewater Safely on an Expedition
53:07 Medical Emergencies and Safe Drinking Water
1:05:41 Dealing with Black Flies and Mosquitoes
1:11:57 Dealing with Bears in the Wilderness
1:20:51 Staying Warm in Wet and Cold Weather
1:27:45 Intuitive Navigation vs GPS Navigation
1:34:45 Trip Planning
1:39:10 Dealing with Loneliness on a Solo Trip
1:43:41 Adam's Books

Follow Adam at Instagram @adam_shoalts and check out his website at adamshoalts.com

Please share this episode with a friend or two if you liked it - it's how we grow! And check out the video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/m3srgJEDZH0 on the Strenuous Life Podcast channel on Youtube!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

Derek Beres is an author and co-host at the Conspirituality Podcast.  He joined me today to talk about the recent Alex Jones verdict, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theories, conspirituality and his predictions for the future.

Check out Conspirituality on every podcast platform, hosted by Derek Beres, Julian Walker and Mathew Remski.  It's amazing!

And if you want more of Derek and I check out Cults and Conspiracies in the Yoga, Wellness, and BJJ Communities which was episode 291 of The Strenuous Life Podcast and/or Conspiracy Dojo, episode 106 of Conspirituality.

Keep on fighting the good fight my friends!

Stephan

0:37 Why layoffs are inevitable
1:39 Loss of endurance
3:36 Loss of sport-specific strength
5:46 Loss of timing
7:19 How to minimize the loss
7:40 How long does it take to come back

Please share this episode with a friend or two if you liked it - it's how we grow! And check out the video version of this podcast on the Strenuous Life Podcast channel on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxFCWZJbnlRyhw3vmDx0Rlg/videos

Cheers,
Stephan Kesting

From Steven Segal getting choked out on set to health influencers and how to develop information literacy I think you'll like this conversation with Phrost.

Follow Bullshido on Twitter @bullshido, Phrost @@Phrost, and/or the original Bullshido site at Bullshido.net.

Please share this episode with a friend or two if you liked it - it's how we grow! And check out the video version of this episode at  https://youtu.be/fwLPR7VJ8O8 on the Strenuous Life Podcast channel on Youtube!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

Erin teaches jiu-jitsu in Appleton Jiu-Jitsu. In this episode we have a great discussion of trans athetes in jiu-jitsu and a little bit of polite debate about trans athletes competing in elite sport.  I found this a very informative conversation and gained some valuable perspective on the science of transition.

More about Erin at metricsbjj.com

Chris Round is a Judo black belt under Jimmy Pedro.  In this episode we talk about how to add Judo throws to your BJJ arsenal, old school vs new school Judo training methods, Kosen Judo which focuses very heavily on groundwork, gripfighting, leg grabs, belt grabs, crazy Eastern European throws, and more!

Luke Thomas is one of the most influential MMA analysts in the game and the host of The Morning Kombat Podcast. I was delighted to talk to him today about

• How the sport of MMA has changed
• The rise of Eastern European fighters
• Why is terrible behaviour of MMA fighters tolerated
• Can other MMA organisations ever rival the UFC
• Drug testing in the UFC
• Fighter unions and the Ali Expansion Act
• What Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson means for combat sports
• And more!

Check out Luke Thomas's Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/ @LukeThomas  

And, if you have a second, please follow my two outdoor adventure accounts to make my book publisher happy! https://www.youtube.com/@essentialwilderness and https://www.instagram.com/essentialwilderness should do the trick!

Thanks ever so much,

Stephan Kesting

• Large civilizations that disappeared (12:22)
• The human evolutionary family tree and paleogentics (17:41)
• The explosion of agriculture on different continents (28:16)
• Different species of hominids (40:20)
• 40 years that shook the world (43:57)
• The pivotal role of the printing press (48:30)
• Patrick's involvement in the MMA world (52:27)
• Why nerds lift weights (1:01:37)
• And more!

Follow Patrick on Twitter @patrick_wyman

Please like and subscribe - that stuff REALLY helps!

And check out the Strenuous Life Podcast channel on Youtube while you're at it! 

Cheers!

Stephan Kesting

Covid is Airborne, So What Can We Do About It?

No, the answer is NOT lockdowns. In this interview University of Toronto epidemiologist Dr Colin Furness, PhD, goes into detail about Covid transmission, the debilitating (and mostly denied) effects of Long Covid, and simple mitigation measures that don't require billions of dollars.  Specific topics include…

- The evidence for Covid being airborne

- How common is Long Covid, what are the three types of Long Covid, which organ systems are affected, whether vaccination helps, and whether mild cases initial respiratory Covid can lead to severe long covid

- Other viruses with long term effects that don't become evident for decades

- The real reason that first responders should be vaccinated

- Why we're seeing so many new variants

- What is wastewater testing, and why is it one of the most useful leading indicators for strain on the healthcare system

- What governments have done to take Covid off of everyone's mind.

- Why the only lockdown that made sense was the first one, and why every lockdown since then has been the result of a failure to act earlier with less severe measures.  

- Why you should put away the hand sanitiser and the plexiglass.

- A simple 3 step approach to keeping public spaces safe (ventilation, filtration, and CO2 detectors)

- When is masking appropriate?

- How the removal of masks on planes led to many thousands of cancelled flights and a synchronisation of Covid waves across the entire USA.  

- How vaccination keeps other people safe

- Arguments for and against mandatory vaccination for first responders, and strategies that don't involve mandates

- The death of expertise and moving forward in a post-truth world

- Monkeypox - should we take it seriously?

- How we might successfully deal with the next big plague

Dr Furness works in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at University of Toronto. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FurnessColin

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

P.S. You can also catch the video version of this conversation on Youtube at  https://youtu.be/fHa0akoLDPQ

Today's episode is also available in video form at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drqVrn6L6hI

Finally, if you found this useful then please share it with a friend and give me a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

Julie Kedzie is a retired MMA fighter who now works as a fight commentator, interviewer and matchmaker for Invicta Fighting Championships.

In this episode she shares her experience of meeting Vladimir Putin, unaffiliating yourself from bad people (like Vladimir Putin), the importance of role models, what drove her to start MMA and how she finally made the decision to retire.

As a special bonus you'll learn why from this point forward I want to be referred to as Reverend, Master, Saint, Professor Kesting!

"The richer your life is outside of fighting the more meaningful the fighting can become" - Julie Kedzie

To celebrate the launch of the new BJJ for Old F***s instructional (available at grapplearts.com/oldguard) here are some of the most important takeaways for the older grappler.

In this episode Rob Biernacki (age 46) and I (age 52) discuss...

• The two things that change most about your training as you get older
• How to improve as fast as possible by limiting your training
• Why base, posture and structure are even more important for older grapplers
• How to select for techniques that are high percentage at the high level but still work on young whippersnappers
• How to stay safe on the mat and not get injured
• Reducing unnecessary movement so you don't get tired
• How gripfighting and range management will dramatically improve your abilities on the mat 
• And much more.

Honestly, if you're beginning to creep up on the wrong side of 40 then this is a must-listen.

If you're interested in the actual BJJ for Old F***s instructional you can check that out at grapplearts.com/oldguard

Kevin Bass has a background in medical anthropology, is both a medical and a PhD student, a grappler, and a weightlifter who has been deep in the trenches of the diet wars.  In this episode we discuss the evidence for keto and carnivore diets, the seed oil controversy, and a tentative protocol to help minimize brain damage from concussive trauma.  

Follow Kevin on Twitter at @kevinnbass and check out his informative site at thedietwars.com.

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

Multiple time World and European champion Margot Ciccarelli joins us take us through travelling and training at different gyms while competing at the highest level, how to feel invincible on the mats, tempo changes, transitioning through different guards, and learning faster vs staying in your comfort zone.

Follow Margot on Instagram @thenomadicmars

And check out my latest instructional, Omoplata 2.0. It's your step-by-step system for adding the most versatile submission in jiu-jitsu to your game!

Cheers,
Stephan Kesting

In this episode I put on my adventurer hat and use my biology background to look at four studies and 352 aggressive bear encounters in Alaska to see whether bear spray or firearms was more effective at deterring aggressive black, grizzly and polar bear behaviour. The results may surprise you, but data doesn't care about your feelings! 

TIMESTAMPS

01:28 - Introduction to bears spray vs guns

04:08 - Analysis of the first report, Bear Spray vs Bullets, Which Offers Better Protection, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

04:30 - Analysis of second report, Bear Spray or Bullets, by Lynn Dickerson 

08:57 - Analysis of third report, Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska, by Smith et al.

16:48 Analysis of fourth report, Efficacy of Firearms for Bear Deterrence in Alaska, by Smith et al. 

23:27 Summary and personal opinions 

MORE OUTDOOR STUFF BY STEPHAN KESTING

Please like this video and subscribe to my Essential Wilderness Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCujEWgySgpTa76dw__i_UAw

Check out my Essential Wilderness site at https://www.essentialwilderness.com

Follow my outdoors Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/essentialwilderness/

Sign up to get notified about my upcoming book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic at https://www.essentialwilderness.com/book

Thanks so much,

Stephan Kesting

Check out the Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu book published by Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins and myself, now available on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Non-Stop-Jiu-Jitsu-Champions-Aggressive/dp/B08CPNPNDD/

Stephan

Paul Mason is one of Canada's foremost whitewater instructors and the son of Paul Mason, the man who introduced canoeing to the world with the "Path of the Paddle" films and book. I was thrilled to talk to him about  extreme bigwater canoeing, steep creeking, quantifiable repeated practice, the most common whitewater hazards, and how to get better at difficult sports as fast as possible.  

Find out more about Paul (including the courses he teaches) at https://www.canoeinstruction.co/

And sign up for free jiu-jitsu tips, tricks, and training methods at https://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter

Cheers,
Stephan Kesting