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Mastering the Art of Longevity: Staying Fit and Enthusiastic for Decades

Strategies to Maintain Your Passion and Performance Over the Long Haul

Author

Tomas Loucky
October 17, 2024

Hello Producers,

What happens when several of my passions intersect at the same time? The latest episode with Kieren! He’s an experienced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/grappling practitioner, a talented content creator, and even a great podcaster. What’s more, this episode is genuinely valuable to everyone, as we discussed topics such as nutrition, exercise, and recovery.

Kieren Lefevre is a Jiu Jitsu YouTuber, BJJ strength and conditioning coach, certified fitness trainer, and ISSN-Sports Nutrition Specialist. As the co-host of the Beyond Jiu Jitsu Podcast and creator of the Longevity Course, Kieren has helped over 1,500 grapplers around the world get stronger, more mobile, and reduce injuries both on and off the mats. His passion for BJJ performance shines through his content, covering everything from strength and mobility to nutrition and competition tips. With over 2.6 million grapplers educated, Kieren's mission is to help athletes optimize their performance while staying injury-free.

Listen to our episode for a deep dive into the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling, as Kieren shares top tips and tricks from his experience as a professional strength and conditioning trainer. You’ll also find plenty of motivation to kickstart a healthy lifestyle and improve your overall health, both on the mats and beyond!

Links:

BJJ Strong Online:

Beyond Jiu Jitsu Podcast:

Lessons:

  • Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Recovery

  • How Mixing Passions Can Lead to Unique Success

  • The Key to Longevity in Sports and Life

  • Staying Ahead: Keep Up with Trends and Techniques

  • Addressing Pain Points for Better Content Creation

Lesson 1: Don’t Underestimate Recovery

How much do you sleep? We all enjoy sleeping and could spend whole days in bed, but if you also want to get things done during the day, you might not be getting enough sleep. I’ve experienced this myself. It might sound obvious, but just because you spend eight hours in bed doesn’t mean you’re actually getting eight hours of sleep. It’s usually less. Additionally, recovery isn’t just about sleep; it also involves taking breaks from physical activities, having rest days, and incorporating other forms of recovery such as saunas and massages. While recovery is quite obvious, it’s often underestimated. It’s definitely something I need to focus on more, and I was glad I asked Kieren about it.

Lesson 2: Mix Your Passions

I knew Kieren was passionate about Jiu-Jitsu/grappling and exercising, but I assumed he started his YouTube channel mainly to promote his business and share knowledge. I didn’t realize he also runs a production company. It makes sense! Looking at his content on YouTube and other social media channels, you can see the high production quality—top-notch video, excellent editing, and great visuals. By combining his passions for sports and video editing, he found his unique selling point. There are well-known resources for Jiu-Jitsu practitioners to watch videos and learn, but the production quality could often be improved. Kieren addressed this in his own videos. Smart, isn’t it?

Lesson 3: Aim for Longevity

In one of my last questions, I asked Kieren about his plans for Jiu-Jitsu/grappling. You might expect goals like dominating the competition, getting a black belt quickly, or learning fancy moves. While some of this may be true, his principal goal is longevity—being able to train even when he’s 60, 70, or 80. This is an important takeaway for me. No matter what sport you do, aiming for longevity is something we can all be inspired by. We strive for the best results possible, but what about the years ahead? Will our bodies still serve us? Will we still be interested in the sport? It’s worth thinking about.

Besides being a practitioner, Kieren is also a coach. Although I don’t have experience teaching an entire class from start to finish, I’ve done some “coaching” by guiding a new student through a lesson. The point I’m making is that coaching is challenging! It might seem simple and obvious to you, but explaining it to someone else is a different level. Kieren has clearly mastered this, and I loved how he structures his sessions. He keeps up with trends to teach his students the latest techniques and strategies. This way, his students can surprise others, avoid being caught off guard, and stay on top of their game. More coaches like this!

Lesson 5: Address the Pain Points

Returning to Kieren’s content creation, he mentioned traveling to Canada to film training videos with a fellow practitioner. Why travel so far for videos that might seem saturated? Yes, there are many videos already, but as I mentioned, they could be improved. Kieren addressed the pain points—existing videos were often long, low quality, and inefficient. By leveraging his video skills, connections, and business mindset, he created better videos that addressed these gaps. This approach not only provided content for his business but also helped him establish himself in the field and expand his network. So, what pain points can you address?

I hope we’ve teased and entertained you enough to make you consider signing up for your first BJJ/grappling class! Just kidding. But really, it’s a great sport, so don’t be afraid to give it a try. Kieren’s YouTube channel is full of valuable content, and I encourage you to check out his website as well.

Now, I’m curious to hear from you. Do you do any sports? If so, which ones and why? Let me know by replying to this email!

Keep producing,
Tomment