
On this episode of Staying Alive, hosts Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally sit down with stuntwoman and American Ninja Warrior competitor Jessie Graff to talk about choosing superhero moves over acting accolades, why she doesn’t own a couch or any chairs, making sure to schedule time for fun, and they ooh and ahh over her stylish new invention. Plus, Adam doesn’t know how to measure anything and Jessie challenges the very way they sit. Follow Jessie @jessiegraffpwr, website JessieGraff.com This episode was recorded March 28, 2025 at Team Coco in Los Angeles Special thanks to Joanna Samuel and Team Coco Staying Alive is produced by Devon Torrey Bryant and Anne Harris Engineered and edited by Devon Torrey Bryant, who also wrote the music Associate producer and video editor is Maddie McCann Executive produced by Jon Gabrus, Adam Pally, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Bernie Kaminski, and Rich Korson Keywords for this episode: Eric Hörst, Training For Climbing, Game Theory...
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John Gabrus
Smart.
Adam Pally
Bless me.
John Gabrus
That is the biggest bottle of Colon Blow I've ever seen.
Jesse Graff
I don't. What is Colon Blow?
Adam Pally
I think you can guess.
Jesse Graff
I suppose that's true.
Adam Pally
Wait, so I know what suja green juice is. What do you have in there now? What'd you make a big batch of?
Jesse Graff
This is like, my circulation beet powder.
John Gabrus
Ooh.
Jesse Graff
It's a very delicious drink that I just reuse this bottle until it dies.
John Gabrus
Wow. Yeah. You're not concerned with microplastics?
Jesse Graff
I'm. I am slightly concerned, but there are so many things to be concerned with that.
John Gabrus
Right.
Jesse Graff
Like, pick your battles.
Adam Pally
I can go crazy about microplastics, but then when I have, like, six beers, I blast the cig, and I'm like, I can't really complain about microplastics anymore.
John Gabrus
It's tough. Yeah.
Adam Pally
I smoke a cigarette I found on the ground.
Jesse Graff
Ye.
John Gabrus
What a guest we have today.
Adam Pally
I'm so stoked. I'm on, like, I'm on. We flipped. I'm on, like, zero sleep today.
John Gabrus
You really.
Adam Pally
What?
John Gabrus
You were out last night.
Adam Pally
I was not out, but I was within.
John Gabrus
Oh, right, right, right. It was your appointment.
Adam Pally
Yeah.
John Gabrus
And how'd it go?
Adam Pally
It was fun. It was a good one. It was very chill. Very. Just, like, lying eyes closed kind of Visuals.
John Gabrus
No visuals.
Adam Pally
Some visuals. Lot of, like, thoughts and interesting, like, things appear. Me.
John Gabrus
But you come out of it with any new.
Adam Pally
I came out of it feeling like a. Like, I took a deep breath and a big exhale. Like, I truly felt like. It felt great.
John Gabrus
That's amazing that then. That's worth every second of it.
Adam Pally
Yeah, it was. It was really enjoyable.
John Gabrus
That was awesome.
Adam Pally
Yeah. And. But now I'm, like, free, basing coffee and eating a burrito in, like, eight seconds because I'm on, like, two hours sleep.
John Gabrus
Yeah. No. Cole, my son is still. Is still with me in. In la. We're on spring break. His spring break. And so last night you guys went to Senor Frogs? We went to. Yeah, we went to Senor Frogs, and we really ripped it up with a ton of beads. No. And I can't wait to find out how the rest of his nice night was. As soon as I find him.
Adam Pally
I put him in a Waymo.
John Gabrus
I put him in a Waymo. No, I did put him in a Waymo home yesterday from. Because we went out to breakfast. But then I had to come here, and I put him in a way my home. Because, honestly, I felt more comfortable about him being in a way more than an Uber. He's a 13, you know?
Adam Pally
Yeah.
John Gabrus
But the Waymo got stuck behind a fire truck and he couldn't get out. And it was like a whole ordeal.
Adam Pally
Now you can't leave like a whole.
John Gabrus
Ordeal at the hotel. And I knew it was bad and then I got, I got out of the first session we did and I text him, how was it? And he was like never taking away.
Adam Pally
That sounds like cool.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Adam Pally
I'm stoked to talk to our guest. For one of our few absolutely yoked guests, we've got a handful. But now it's exciting to.
John Gabrus
I just. And I also. I'm. I'm sure I'm going to gush about this, but like the. Anybody in stunts. I love stunt people.
Adam Pally
No, they're the coolest people on set. They're the only people cooler than actors.
John Gabrus
Always. And they're there. And not only are they cooler, they're like the movies don't get made unless someone is willing to hurt themselves for it. And. And it always. Actors have such hubris. They're like, I'll do my own stunt and it doesn't look as good. It's always better. No.
Adam Pally
Plus, you know, share the jobs. Let the stunt do what they do best. Make the money. Come on.
John Gabrus
We're all going to be AI too in two weeks.
Adam Pally
So as a matter of fact, as a matter of fact, as a matter.
John Gabrus
Of fact, as a matter of having like an Elon Musk.
Adam Pally
I have my little kid on my shoulder so no one could headshot me.
John Gabrus
That's not going to last much longer. Some country is going to be like, should throw the child please. Yeah.
Adam Pally
Do you think he doesn't have a weird body as much as he has a Kevlar vest underneath his skin?
John Gabrus
No, I think he has a weird body.
Adam Pally
He has a objective. He has objection body shame. But homeboy has like an inside out sternum.
John Gabrus
He is built. Elon Musk is built like a modern staircase.
Adam Pally
He looks like a fucking MC Escher painting.
John Gabrus
Yeah. He's the Cartier crash. He's dented all over with the Doge. It's so cool.
Adam Pally
X.
John Gabrus
It's so cool.
Adam Pally
Who. I am a. I am a gamer.
John Gabrus
Here you be. You be Elon Musk. I'll be Theo Vaugh.
Adam Pally
You ever.
John Gabrus
You. You were going a hot day. It's a hot day and you're like, there's a couple things that could quench my thirst. Like one of them is water. You know water. Cuz water's everywhere. You're like, I get that everywhere. Get that water. You know get that water. But there's always that one kid, Pedro, Right. And Pedro, Pedro's dad drives an ice cream truck. Right. So you hold out for the water. You know what I'm saying, Elon?
Adam Pally
Ice cream truck. Ice cream is a food that every, A lot of, A lot of people eat. Right. You know, a lot of people like it. And I, I, I, I, I too have become meme.
John Gabrus
Right? Right. You know what I'm saying?
Adam Pally
So there's like.
John Gabrus
You feel me? So there's like so in that, in that. And then in that ice cream truck.
Adam Pally
Yeah, the truck for the ice cream. Like sweet tooth from twisted metal in.
John Gabrus
That ice cream truck. In that ice cream truck when you so thirsty. Cause it's hot out. And Pedro, Pedro's in that truck.
Adam Pally
Consider your thirst trapped.
John Gabrus
Yep.
Adam Pally
Consider you got a thirst trap.
John Gabrus
You know exactly what I'm saying?
Adam Pally
I have become meme.
John Gabrus
You're in that. And it's thirsty. And it's thirsty. And boom.
Adam Pally
Son, check what's ticking in that backpack.
John Gabrus
Oh, that's it.
Adam Pally
Come on, Young extrapolation or whatever the fuck your name is. Come on. Pythagorean theorem. Go check what's in that.
John Gabrus
You got a lot of kids. It's like my hometown.
Adam Pally
I'm so tired of hearing of your hometown.
John Gabrus
Oh, well, you got to hear about my mom. She was a teacher for special ed.
Adam Pally
She raccoon me.
John Gabrus
She taught special ed kids, man. And there's always this one of them, you know, one of them real buck toothed one of them, you know?
Adam Pally
Yeah.
John Gabrus
Anyway, come back to our new podcast, Elon and Theo. Our guest this week is David Spade.
Adam Pally
I'll do anything.
John Gabrus
I got a feel for it. All right. I can't wait to talk to her.
Adam Pally
Jesse Graff.
John Gabrus
That is a large bottle.
Jesse Graff
It is a large bottle.
John Gabrus
Is that the amount of your drink that you need? Be fluids that you need to drink like that A human should be drinking?
Jesse Graff
Yeah, I would definitely get through that in the first couple hours.
Adam Pally
So it's a major part hydration, but then also with the beet powder in there, it's good for circulation. It brings all the other beetles elements in there.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, it's super healthy. It's. It's formulated by this rock climbing scientist. I started listening to his podcast. He's like super scientific about.
John Gabrus
We got to get him on. Who's he? Write this down.
Jesse Graff
He's a genius.
Adam Pally
We are. So we host a podcast and we're neither of those things.
John Gabrus
Yeah, Devin, I'm nowhere near. What's his name?
Jesse Graff
His Name is Eric Hurst, and the podcast is called Training for Climbing.
John Gabrus
Okay.
Jesse Graff
It's so cool because he talks about, like, a lot of people do energy system training with heart rates and running, and I love that stuff. I've been studying a ton of that.
John Gabrus
But like, Orange theory type deal, like.
Jesse Graff
When you're way more advanced than that.
John Gabrus
Okay, all right.
Adam Pally
So it's maintaining your zone two cardio.
John Gabrus
Right. But the idea is like, when is your body burning the most calories for in what?
Jesse Graff
No. So it's like. So I train at this place called Game Ready Performance, and they focus on. Orange Theory is kind of like targeting this one zone. We look at five different zones and we try to optimize all five of them. Because if you optimize all five of them, then your heart is going to be so much stronger, so much more functional. And then, of course, me as an athlete, I'm trying to be the best sprinter I can. And I didn't realize before how important aerobic training is. I've never done a sport where I had to be continuously going for more than, like, three minutes. And so I hadn't trained any aerobic.
John Gabrus
Because sprinting is a legit, like, race where you.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, yeah.
John Gabrus
Goes off.
Jesse Graff
I was a pole vaulter, so I was running 100ft, not 100 meters. So, like, for me, it was like, I do not.
John Gabrus
I just want to say I do not know the difference. I cannot picture one third a meter.
Adam Pally
Yeah.
John Gabrus
So that did nothing to clear anything up.
Adam Pally
100Ft is 30 yards.
John Gabrus
You're making it worse. I am literally in a dark room.
Adam Pally
I joined that. I joined that gym in the football field. They put me in the friend zone. They're like, train in the friend zone where we'll never hook up with you. I was like, what the fuck? No, I'm just kidding.
John Gabrus
You're like, that's okay. I love you and I'm. I just want you to be happy.
Adam Pally
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John Gabrus
So when you say, like, I'm training to. To sprint and optimize sprinting, you're an American ninja warrior. You. Is. Is that your primary. Primary sport? Sport Is that. It's like you. You are one of. You are a ninja. You go to these places, and you do those, like, the things you see on American Ninja Warrior, things you see on the Internet with these enormous tracks, with these. All these different levels. You compete on a timed race in those things.
Jesse Graff
That's what you're training for sometimes. My primary thing is actually stunts. I've been doing stunts for 20 years now. God bless it. Thank you.
John Gabrus
Seriously. God bless. The backbone of our industry.
Adam Pally
That literally the best people to get stuck talking to only on the only other department.
John Gabrus
The only other department I like to socialize with is stunts. They are. They are the most salt of the earth normal. Just so they love making movies the way that the actors and directors love making movies.
Jesse Graff
Oh, my gosh. I'm in love with it.
John Gabrus
Truly. You are the backbone of this town.
Adam Pally
You know, it's so awesome.
John Gabrus
And. Have we ever worked together before?
Jesse Graff
I don't think so.
John Gabrus
Yeah. Okay.
Adam Pally
She doubled for you inside.
John Gabrus
Yeah, I was gonna say.
Adam Pally
Lace stubble, beard on and, like, roller skating. Wipeout.
Jesse Graff
I did double someone with a beard once. It was. It was driving, so they were like, oh, we can't see you.
John Gabrus
What. What do you have?
Adam Pally
Can I. Do you have a stunt specialty? Are you like, oh, we got to bring Jesse in because it's a fall drive.
John Gabrus
What's your favorite stunt to do?
Jesse Graff
My favorite. I mean, I love being up in the air, flying, soaring. So, like, wire work, where I'm just really high and, like, swinging, swooping.
Adam Pally
That just made me so scared.
John Gabrus
I hate wire works.
Adam Pally
My stomach dropped. You acting?
John Gabrus
I hate wire works so bad. Oh, my God, a harness.
Adam Pally
I only wear a harness one night a week.
John Gabrus
I don't mind a swing. I don't mind a swing, but no.
Adam Pally
I mean, out of that thing is.
John Gabrus
A pain in the ass for. For a. For a chubby guy, or even not a chubby guy. Guy with. With not a ripped physique where. Where everything is tight. A harness is hell because you're just. Every part of your body that's not held in. And I'm not talking about, like, the crotch harness. I'm talking about, like, the jerk vest. Yeah, yeah, that out to. No. I looked like a zebra after that day of stunts.
Jesse Graff
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right.
Adam Pally
I need to own a jerk vest.
John Gabrus
I thought you did.
Adam Pally
It's like a thunder shirt. Like when it's. When it's. When there's, like, fireworks, they put a jerk vest on.
John Gabrus
But, yeah, that I. I hate hanging from thing.
Adam Pally
I mean, I'm £300. It's not. I'm not ideal to be. Like, when I went skydiving, I wasn't £300. But you hang from, like, your thigh meat.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Adam Pally
Little.
John Gabrus
Like, that's even easier than the vest, because the vest gives. What the vest does is it gives you the impression of flying without the full support. Full support of your bottom so that you can't tell that you're, like, you know, being held up by your. So you're literally just being held up by, like, your core.
Adam Pally
Oh, they wouldn't even do that to me. There's not, like, a set that would handle.
John Gabrus
There was a question of whether or not they should do it to me. And the director. He will remember name, remain nameless. Jormit Sakony. He. He was like, no, he can handle it without consulting. We were like old friends. So he, like. He was like, no, he'll handle it. Which is what I probably would have said, because I would never have been like, no, no, no, no.
Adam Pally
Yeah, yeah.
John Gabrus
And then as soon as I was up in the air, my voice went, like, five registers higher, and I was like, it's pitching me.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, yeah. No, I've had moments where, like, some. Some of the stunts, you got the harness, but then if you're on a 3D moving one, then you have three different points, and they can steer your body in every direction, which means that when they wind you up in a certain direction, you also have three wires just, like, boa constrictor cutting you, and they're each like, a quarter inch wide. How did that. And so I had this moment where it was like. I was just. I kind of felt like whining. I wasn't saying anything, but I'm just like, I'm so uncomfortable. And then I look around, I'm like, oh, I'm also 60ft high with, like, the most beautiful ocean on one side, desert on the other, and I'm about to do, like, the coolest stunt ever. And, like.
John Gabrus
And be paid.
Jesse Graff
And be paid for.
Adam Pally
Yeah. What was this stunt or. What movie or show was this?
Jesse Graff
It was for Wonder Woman.
Adam Pally
Oh, fun. Oh, sick. Are you also a martial artist? Like, a lot of stunt people? Do you also train martial arts?
Jesse Graff
Yeah, yeah. All of my martial arts training has been with the intention of doing stunts. So for choreographers, if I got. Yeah. So, like, I don't punch hard.
Adam Pally
I. Yeah, I'm like, that's, like, when you don't need Krav Maga to sell stunt fights. Like, you don't need like a full self defense course. Yeah, yeah, no, that's cool.
John Gabrus
That's truly like. You get to find out like where the camera is going to be even more information a lot of times than we get because there's so many more variables, you know, And I.
Adam Pally
Even as an actor, all you want to do is like the stunt adjacent stuff of. Yeah, I come, I kick this door down with a gun is like all you want to do. And then the stunts are always that, you know.
John Gabrus
Yeah, I know. It's great. You get to do that. You get to do the money shot. We had a time.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, I considered. I actually majored in theater because I wanted to be an action hero.
John Gabrus
This was always what you wanted to do?
Jesse Graff
Well, I thought I wanted to be an actor. My mom was a Broadway dancer and so when I told her I wanted to be Xena when I grew up.
John Gabrus
Did you grow up in New York City?
Jesse Graff
Until I was nine. And then we moved into the woods in Pennsylvania.
John Gabrus
Oh, yeah, that's usually what happens. Yeah, the woods.
Adam Pally
The woods are where stunt people are built.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, true, true.
John Gabrus
About nine years in New York City.
Adam Pally
You need the woods.
Jesse Graff
Yep, yep.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Jesse Graff
So, yeah, I was trying to be Xena running, like doing flips off of trees and on the rooftop. And.
Adam Pally
I might have watched a ton of Xena too. Probably for different reasons.
Jesse Graff
Perhaps.
John Gabrus
Perhaps you're both looking at different things.
Adam Pally
I met Lucy Lawless because she worked. She was married to a guy who worked on Ash vs Evil Dead in New Zealand. When I was there with my wife. And I was just like, hi. I was like fully like. I was like Tex Avery cartoon. Oh, no, roll my tongue back.
John Gabrus
She was like, I'll help you out, I'll sign you.
Adam Pally
She threw that little fucking chakra thing at me in the fucking.
John Gabrus
So how do you go from. So you, you, you get into Hollywood, you're doing stunts, you're working, and then you, you discover ninja.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, well, even before that. So I thought I would do stunts and acting and I was leaning towards like, I'll be an action actor and do my own stunts. And when I met more people, especially when I was getting into the industry, they were like, well, it's two totally different directions. You have to network in two different fields. You have to choose. And there was also like a stigma against like, oh, stunt people can't act and actors can't do stunts.
John Gabrus
I hope that's gone away a little.
Jesse Graff
I think it has faded a lot. There's way more crossover. But at the time when, when they told Me? Oh, you have to choose. I had to think about like, well, would I rather be doing all the feelings and getting the credit or doing the superhero moves and nobody knows who you are, but like, you get to feel like a hero. And I was like, I wanna do the moves.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Jesse Graff
I was like, what? I just wouldn't feel like I was getting to do. And it was just when I realized that it was like, oh, I'm stunts all the way.
John Gabrus
Yeah. I just want to say what you're.
Adam Pally
Not saying there either is. On one path you have to hang out with actors all the time, and on the other path you get to hang out with stunt people all the time. I can tell you as one of the people on this Pat, you don't want to be hanging out with actors all the time.
John Gabrus
And there is, as an actor too, there is always that feeling, you know, where it comes time for the stunt and you gotta switch and then. And the stunt goes great and everyone claps and they hold the set and they switch it back in. And you do have this little sinking feeling because you're like, I didn't do that. You know what I mean? And then you're like, I can't believe.
Adam Pally
I survived that fall.
John Gabrus
You gotta walk. And then you're like, get back up in a hard way and look around, you know, and it's like, you know, and no matter what, I don't care who, what actor it is, Tom Cruise to Jack Black to whatever. It's just like you feel both indebted to the stunt double and it is a real indictment of your own limits.
Adam Pally
Well, you're like, there's like a jealousy there. Tom Cruz probably has like a stack of dead stunt doubles. Something.
John Gabrus
Oh yeah.
Adam Pally
Cuz he just does everything himself. And then it's like the only things he won't do are like, I want to pass through helicopter blades while they're moving.
John Gabrus
Yeah, there's like that, there's that famous like Matt Damon story about Tom Cruise where they were, they were having dinner and talking and Matt Damon was like, what's the craziest stunt you've ever wanted to do? And Tom Cruise was like explaining how he wanted to like, he's like, I was going to jump from like the Burj Khalifa and get picked up by a helicopter right as the moment that I jumped off the ledge of the building. So you thought I was in, but they wouldn't let me. Stunt guy wouldn't let me do it. And Matt Damon's like, so what happened? He goes, we got a new stunt guy.
Adam Pally
And then he did it and.
John Gabrus
He did it in Mission Impossible.
Adam Pally
Yeah, that's so awesome.
Jesse Graff
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Adam Pally
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Jesse Graff
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Adam Pally
We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Get started at LinkedIn.com results terms and conditions apply. So I'm assuming you get a little banged up doing this profession. What do you do to stay alive? What else are you doing for yourself.
John Gabrus
Besides the beet juice?
Adam Pally
Besides the beet juice, I'm sure there's other recovery elements. And you know you got a so many.
Jesse Graff
So many.
Adam Pally
I mean theragun you got a ice bath. What are we doing for recovery?
Jesse Graff
It. You know, it depends on the day, the year, the month. So many things. I think my favorite is foam rolling.
Adam Pally
Yes.
John Gabrus
Really?
Adam Pally
Yes.
Jesse Graff
The vibrating foam rolling.
John Gabrus
The vibrating Foam, like the ball.
Jesse Graff
There's. There's a ball, there's a roller, there's three different sizes of ball.
Adam Pally
My wife takes that and disappears for hours. Foam rolling.
John Gabrus
Yeah. Well, you told me that the same thing was happening with your toothbrush.
Adam Pally
She's in the shower with the foam roller and the toothbrush. I don't know what she's doing in there.
John Gabrus
And a webcam.
Jesse Graff
Oh, goodness.
Adam Pally
Our checking accounts going. Finally going up. Foam rolling is, like, one of those things that is. Hurts so much but feels so good.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Adam Pally
But it always. It's one of those things that's difficult to make time for because you're like, I only have, like, an. I gotta do cardio or whatever.
John Gabrus
Can I ask you a question about foam rolling in your. In your expertise? Because it's something that always. Anytime I go to foam roll, I'm like, should I be doing this before the workout or after the workout? Because, yes, I've been great. No further questions, you, Honor.
Adam Pally
Whenever.
Jesse Graff
It depends. So, like, it's good to activate your muscles with a little bit of foam rolling. The vibrating is even better.
John Gabrus
What does that add to it? Like, why is the vibrating so. So much more beneficial?
Jesse Graff
I've heard mixed things. I think the most supported evidence just says that it makes it slightly more comfortable so that you're more likely to actually do it.
Adam Pally
It's kind of splitting the difference between foam rolling and theragunning, too, at that point. Yeah, it's like, both at the same time. That's cool.
Jesse Graff
For me. It definitely feels like it's doing more. I don't know.
John Gabrus
Can you take that on the plane? They take it out of your carry.
Jesse Graff
On, or occasionally they take it out of the carry on, but I've never had them take it away.
John Gabrus
Okay.
Adam Pally
Yeah. And by the way, you should start carrying it so that they take that and not your, like, collection of vapes.
John Gabrus
Yeah. I was gonna say, I don't need anyone going through my carry on.
Adam Pally
Take that. Not all my.
John Gabrus
Yeah, yeah.
Adam Pally
We don't do drug bugs.
John Gabrus
So. So you're. You're foam rolling consistently. You're all the time on a foam roller.
Jesse Graff
I don't have a couch. I have a variety of foam rollers.
John Gabrus
Right.
Jesse Graff
So I. Yeah.
John Gabrus
Is that true?
Jesse Graff
That's true. I don't own a chair either.
John Gabrus
Really? So what are you. Are you uncomfortable right now?
Jesse Graff
Yes.
Adam Pally
Is this crazy?
John Gabrus
Can we get her a foam roller or an. Well, what would be your optimal way to sit or should we stand?
Jesse Graff
So I. I stack foam rollers or balance pads? And I'll like. I've just moved positions every three minutes. Maybe I don't have. Instead of a table, I have plio. Boxes of various heights.
John Gabrus
Well, let's get comfortable. Let's get comfortable. Now, what's the best way? I have this. I have this. This is a. Like a thing of wood. It's like a circular thing of wood.
Adam Pally
This is probably.
John Gabrus
Would this be better than.
Jesse Graff
I do have one of those at home.
John Gabrus
Is this better, or should I turn it on its side?
Jesse Graff
Oh, my gosh. You know what we could do?
John Gabrus
Huh?
Jesse Graff
Right?
Adam Pally
Let's see.
John Gabrus
Turn it on its side and.
Jesse Graff
Oh, I love this.
John Gabrus
Okay, strad. So you want us to straddle the.
Adam Pally
You do that one. I'm not. I'm not prepared for that.
John Gabrus
All right, so I'm straddling the. The wooden ottoman. And. And I gotta tell you, I'm doing.
Adam Pally
A. I'm doing a paleo, heels down.
Jesse Graff
Add one of these.
John Gabrus
Guys, I was just gonna say this is not comfortable.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, this is hurting. It's not gonna last long, so. And I can see why this might be worse for guys, but Much about.
Adam Pally
Anatomy, but this is bad.
Jesse Graff
The thing that's nice here is that I can open my hip flexors. So a lot of people. When you sit in a chair, your hip flexors get really tight, and it causes you to get anterior pelvic tilt. So it's like your hips lean forward, your lower back reaches. Abc.
Adam Pally
Abc.
John Gabrus
The east coast family.
Jesse Graff
I don't know.
John Gabrus
Never skipped a beat.
Adam Pally
Now we're doing boys to men.
John Gabrus
Yeah. No. Anyway, sorry.
Adam Pally
We're actually technically mentioning Du Bois.
John Gabrus
All right, so we. So. All right, all right. I have a question.
Jesse Graff
This is excellent. Oh, I. I'm getting one of these. You're getting maybe.
John Gabrus
It's basically just a wood ottoman from, like, Crate and Barrel two.
Adam Pally
I'm guessing these are Team Coco. He's going to be furious when he sees that we flipped his ottomans on the side.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Jesse Graff
Sorry, Team Coco.
John Gabrus
It's fine. He'll be. Trust me, he'll be fine.
Jesse Graff
I'm so much more comfortable.
John Gabrus
Actually, you know what? Now that the cushion is on, I am. My hips. I am a lot more comfortable. Gabriel. I wish.
Adam Pally
Are you sure your hips aren't lying?
John Gabrus
No, they don't lie.
Adam Pally
Your hips don't lie? No, I'm just kneeling.
John Gabrus
My hips don't lie. But the dun, dun, dun.
Jesse Graff
Here, you need these under your knees.
Adam Pally
Oh, okay, perfect.
John Gabrus
Because now, is kneeling better than sitting?
Jesse Graff
It depends on how your knees are, I think basically, it keeps Your hips in better alignment, so you're less likely to get. Get the standard muscle imbalance that people get from sitting too much.
Adam Pally
Okay, but sitting is the new smoking is what I've heard.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Jesse Graff
I don't know if it's as bad.
Adam Pally
I can't imagine.
John Gabrus
I can't imagine it is.
Jesse Graff
Should I smoke?
Adam Pally
Well, if you're already sitting, you might as well grab flat darts.
John Gabrus
And you don't want to mess with big chair. But. But. So, okay, so you're sitting, you're foam rolling anything that I'm trying to picture your living room. Yeah.
Jesse Graff
Oh, my gosh. I have the best living room.
Adam Pally
Is it, like, terraformed to be more or less a ninja warriors? Like, do you have, like, rings that you. When you watch Severance, or does it.
John Gabrus
Look like where they keep Harley Quinn in Joker too?
Jesse Graff
I don't remember.
John Gabrus
Yeah, no one does. Anyway, keep going.
Adam Pally
This is so much fun.
John Gabrus
Are you listening on both testicles or just one?
Adam Pally
But you have two.
Jesse Graff
You want to be.
John Gabrus
No, I got the other one.
Adam Pally
We gotta have a testicle expert in here. Devin, book one.
John Gabrus
I got the second one on Facebook, Marketplace place. It just came in.
Adam Pally
I actually was only born with one. This is way too much information. But I had an undescended testicle, and I had to have surgery when I was a child to drop my ball from my abdomen into my scrotum. And this is again, another layer of too much information. You can tell which one was medically descended. Yeah, I'm a little uneven.
John Gabrus
I had a cousin.
Jesse Graff
I had a cousin I didn't notice standing here with you sitting at a table.
John Gabrus
I had a cousin who. There's, like, a thing where, like, you're really young sometimes, like, your penis doesn't descend, you know, it doesn't, like, come out of the thing. And I had a cousin like that, and. But we were able to scare it out of him.
Adam Pally
You scared his pecker straight.
John Gabrus
Yeah, no, it was just like that.
Adam Pally
Can I have my coffee?
John Gabrus
Yeah, sure. No, he. It just, like, popped out. You heard a sound, too.
Adam Pally
Yeah, so talk us. Talk us a little bit about what? Tell us what your apartment looks like. Because, like, we might. We already have photos of you getting in and out of your apartment at night. What is your. What is it?
John Gabrus
Tell us what the inside looks like.
Adam Pally
Like, what is that your apartment look like now? Because it's a. Like, it's always been a joke, but you're like, when. When you watch Ninja Warrior, they're like, here they are training at home, and it's like, you have this in your yard or in your basement. And so you have like a crazy, like.
Jesse Graff
Like you walk in the front door. And you know those houses that have, like, the split level where there's stairs that go up and down? Mine all have, like, a ledge so you can monkey bar really? Up the stairs.
John Gabrus
Oh, awesome. You have, like, one of those houses. Did you do that during COVID Because I saw a lot of people, like, turn their houses.
Jesse Graff
I started after Covid. No, I was in a different house.
John Gabrus
Okay.
Jesse Graff
I started in 2014, turning the living room into a gym. I moved in 2022, and now the whole house is a gym. Is a gym. So once you monkey bar up the stairs, the whole hallway is a climbing wall. So you can climb down the hall to get into the bathroom.
Adam Pally
I don't even like going down the stairs without coffee.
John Gabrus
Do you do that? Is that your part of your routine?
Jesse Graff
It depends on the day, because I'm targeting those energy systems.
John Gabrus
Oh, right. So it's like if. Because you don't want. That's interesting. So you're really, really monetizing your body's energy. You really, like, like economizing when to work out and when not to, which is, I think, something that I would never think of. It was just like, if I have time, get it in. Because if you don't, you're never gonna get it.
Adam Pally
I would always think about not working out. I'm constantly thinking about, but you know what I mean?
John Gabrus
Like, I feel like most people think if you get in, just get it in for sure.
Jesse Graff
I mean, top priority is move, do something. If you only have 20 minutes, then, like, ideally it's great if you can think about what's the most efficient 20 minutes I can do. But if your whole job is being as healthy as possible so that you can do, like, the coolest tricks and compete well, then you have more time to put focus on how to optimize.
Adam Pally
And with ninja warrior and stunts, you can't really. It's not like you can't be hyper specific in your training. Like, you can't be exclusively climbing because you'll need some. Some plyos, some jumping, you'll need some kicking, punching, that kind of stuff. But it could be easy to be, like, get trapped into one.
Jesse Graff
So easy.
Adam Pally
Yeah. Because runners are like, yeah, you're in great shape. But like, God forbid you have to, like, move laterally or do a chin up or something like that.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, yeah. And this is so funny to just.
Adam Pally
Say while I'm kneeling, I feel like I might as well. I might as well put my shoes on my knees. You could.
Jesse Graff
Yeah.
Adam Pally
Wellness.
John Gabrus
Do you want to. Do you want to switch?
Adam Pally
Yeah, you want to try? Let me try that. Should we keep our seats for.
John Gabrus
No, you can.
Adam Pally
Yeah. Let's see if this works.
Jesse Graff
Oh, thanks for playing this game with me, guys.
John Gabrus
It actually does kind of feel nice on my back. Like, I'm getting kind of a little stretch on my back here from.
Adam Pally
I remember when I was a PA at VH1 back in the day, a lot of the editors and engineer types, they all got into the Swiss balls. They all switched to the big blue balls instead of Swiss balls.
John Gabrus
Are light less hateful than standing desks? I wonder, just like, when. When I've walked into an office setting and someone's sitting on a ball, I can't tell if I hate them more or less than someone who's walking at a desk.
Adam Pally
Yeah. You have to stop walking. If I'm. If we're doing a general.
John Gabrus
Yeah. If it's. General meeting is going on and you're walking at your desk and it's.
Adam Pally
I would rather you say, like, let's walk around the lot together.
John Gabrus
Yes.
Adam Pally
But then I'm walking, and you sit there and drink, like, eat M and M's off my counter.
John Gabrus
Yeah, no, that's what I'm trying to figure out. Who I hate. But anyway, so you.
Adam Pally
By the way, this is not bad.
John Gabrus
Yeah, no, I'm glad we did this.
Jesse Graff
I like that you can also kind of dance.
Adam Pally
Yeah.
John Gabrus
Move a little bit.
Jesse Graff
But I'm staying centered on.
Adam Pally
I have restless leg syndrome. Looks like she's a pro.
John Gabrus
I have restless leg syndrome, and I really often wonder how many calories I'm burning by just, like, constantly, you know.
Jesse Graff
Going up and down.
Adam Pally
Yeah. The anxiety, calorie burn.
Jesse Graff
So important game to play with that is if you sit with your knee bent at 90 degrees, and you just do little really quick toe taps with your toes so your heels stay down, your toes tap. Then you strengthen your anterior tibialis. That's the muscle on the front of your shin. And that one is really good for preventing shin splints.
John Gabrus
Wow.
Adam Pally
Jesse, do you sleep or you're, like, upside down? Yeah, upside down on rainbows. I sleep in an iron cross.
Jesse Graff
I've been a little OCD about getting my sleep since high school. Oh, wow. I found out pretty quickly that if I get less than seven hours two nights in a row, I just feel terrible. So I have an alarm for myself to force myself to go to sleep because I'm a night owl. I would stay up and work till 3am all the time. But then I can't be functional in the morning.
Adam Pally
Especially if you're working on sets. It's like, call time is 5:30 in Carson.
Jesse Graff
My earliest was 1:45.
Adam Pally
Jesus.
Jesse Graff
Earliest call time I had.
John Gabrus
Who were you body dubbing? Jim Carrey and the Grinch.
Jesse Graff
I was a zombie.
Adam Pally
You need makeup.
John Gabrus
Was that one of those fun things where you're running and you get shot?
Jesse Graff
You have to like so many times.
John Gabrus
Fall in a fun way.
Jesse Graff
Oh, it was. It was so great because there's like an army of us. Army of the dead. And so the front line is all the stunt people, we just get plowed down with guns. We fall, and then they replace our bodies with extras wearing the same clothes. And then we go to the next line and die again.
Adam Pally
Again.
Jesse Graff
So we're just dying over and over.
John Gabrus
Awesome. I did not know how they did that.
Adam Pally
That is cool. You're like, hey, this one, I'm gonna go ass over tea kettle. It's like, let it rip, Jesse. Yeah, that's a great plan.
John Gabrus
Me, I'm going bullet through the dome.
Adam Pally
I love. I. I mean, I. I don't mean to infantilize this, but this is like what I did when I was a kid was like, for sure, get.
John Gabrus
Shoot.
Adam Pally
People get shot. You know, like, dive with your fake guns and shit.
John Gabrus
What's your. What's your favorite way to get shot? Like, do you. Do you do like a. Cause, like for me, anytime I would be in a scene getting shot, I'm always like, oh, you know, throwing my body back like that. Like, well, what's your. What's your getting shot way?
Jesse Graff
I guess I usually go with the. On most shows, they just want the realistic standard. Like, right. Head reaction, body goes limp. So my favorite one was on Hawaii 5o where I was playing a sex trafficker and had like. We ended with a.
Adam Pally
Constantly typecasting. You just.
Jesse Graff
I was supposed to be like the one they. Because they suspect that I'm getting that I've been kidnapped. And so they, as they're tracking me down, trying to rescue. They realize that I'm the actual bad guy. So I get chased and we go up this crane and then I'm over the water and then I get shot.
John Gabrus
Who shoots you?
Jesse Graff
Who.
John Gabrus
Who shot you from the cast?
Adam Pally
Because our friend Zach was who killed me that time. No, no, he's Magnum P.I.
John Gabrus
No, he's a wife.
Adam Pally
No, he was Magnum P.I.
John Gabrus
Scott Khan.
Jesse Graff
He tripped me with a cooler, took me out I had a bike.
John Gabrus
But what happened on set?
Adam Pally
He did that at Crafty.
John Gabrus
So you got shot. So you. So it's like.
Jesse Graff
Well, so the first time he took me out was I was playing a triathlete bank robber, of course.
Adam Pally
Wait, so you would, like, rob a bank and then dive in the water, swim to your bike, shift, and get on it?
Jesse Graff
Yes.
Adam Pally
I love a show that goes more than three seasons because you start fucking digging deep for ideas.
John Gabrus
It's like there's a. Someone was on their way to work and stopped while triathletes were running across. And they were like, I'm gonna be late for the room.
Adam Pally
Just cracked my outline. That's so awesome. Run, biking, swimming away from a crowd.
Jesse Graff
All right, so.
John Gabrus
And so then he takes you out, but when he shot you, so you're on the thing and he shoots you. Is it head? A headshot? Because I feel like I've only been. I've only been shot. Shot.
Jesse Graff
I want to say it was a shoulder.
John Gabrus
Maybe I was on a shoulder and on a harness in the middle. So it was, like, shot and yanked as if I was like.
Jesse Graff
So that was a big gun?
John Gabrus
It was a. Yeah, I guess so. It was a comedy. So, like, I don't know if the gun mattered.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, right.
John Gabrus
But. But it was all guns matter. Right? I know that's how you feel. I know that's how you feel. Don't worry. We're not coming for years now.
Adam Pally
Jesse, did you fall off the crane for this show?
Jesse Graff
Right, so the crane is over the water at that point, so they wanted it to not look like just a normal high fall. I had to take the reaction, hit the board that I was on, and then ricochet off of it. So it was like a spinny blast.
John Gabrus
What part of you hit the water? Like, how did you land in the water?
Jesse Graff
Gosh, it was so long ago.
John Gabrus
Did you get hurt?
Jesse Graff
I did not get hurt.
John Gabrus
Wow, that's impressive.
Jesse Graff
But then it's also like, the funny thing is you have to think about when you hit the water, if you're diving, jumping, you can't swim. You exhale, right? So you exhale all your air, and then you're like, oh, now I have to play dead and keep my face in the water. Don't look like you're trying to free.
John Gabrus
Oh, my God. Yeah. I've told Gabriel's the story. One of the worst times I've ever had to film anything was. Was underwater work, where I was playing someone who was paralyzed from the neck down, who lands from, like, 60ft. Up into water. And so we did this stunt outside, and it was scary, but it was fine. But then the next day, we had to go inside to, like, the water tank and order to get you in the frame, like, floating through. They have to, like, weigh you down with weights. And it is truly one of the scariest things ever when there's, like, a thing in your ear and they're. And they're telling you what to do, and they pull the tank away, and then the guy lets you go, and you have to pretend that you're paralyzed. And then you. You realize, oh, my God, I really am sinking to the bottom of this thing. And the. You're watching, like, the surface go further and further away.
Jesse Graff
Did you have to equalize your ears?
John Gabrus
Yes, it was. And it was just, like, really stressful. Really stressful.
Adam Pally
Day at work after that, falling into the water, having to exhale thing. Me and Justin, up at his lake house, did this thing where we took a hit of a bowl at the top of his cliff, held it in, dove off the cliff, 60ft, hit the water, and then you come back up and then exhale the weed smoke. We wrote it into a script, and someone was like, you got that actually can't be done. And then when we were up at Justin's house, they're like, I think I could do it, dude. He's like, all right. And the addendum to the story that's really funny is Justin's brother goes last, and we're on the boat waiting for him to jump off the cliff. He takes a rip from the bowl, and he's like, all right. Throws the lighter to us in the boat. Now, this is 60ft up and, like, 30ft out. It goes right into the guy driving the boat's hand. And he's like, holy shit. And he's like, now throw the bowl. And he just throws the bowl and goes like, 60ft over us. And it's like, wait, the lighter. We could have lost. The bowl just sails. We were like. We were so confident that the second one was going to go exactly that well. I'm like, all right, thanks, Johnny.
John Gabrus
You ever have something like that happening?
Jesse Graff
Did you. Did you do it? Did you succeed?
Adam Pally
I did it. I succeeded. Yeah. It was crazy.
Jesse Graff
60Ft is no joke.
Adam Pally
Yeah, it's terrifying. I did it in my 20s, hundreds of times, and then when I did it in my mid-30s at Justin's, we did it the morning of his wedding. All the groomsmen went to go do it, and I was like, this is scarier. Than I remember. I'm older and fatter now.
John Gabrus
Cliffs are never. Cliffs aren't like your middle school, you know. You know, when you go back to your middle school, you're like, this place was small.
Adam Pally
Cliffs.
John Gabrus
When you revisit a cliff, you're like, God, I was crazy.
Adam Pally
I was like, I used to dive off this. Today I'm only jumping. I can't believe I used to die. Yeah.
Jesse Graff
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Adam Pally
That's hometap.com Pacifico is a Mexican lager brood to be discovered. It's like fresh tracks on a powder day like that uncharted trail a stone's throw away like the perfect wave on a sunny day Pacifico, find your own way. 21 plus drink responsibly. Imported by Crown Import, Chicago, Illinois. Does it ever feel like you're a marketing professional just speaking into the void? Well, with LinkedIn ads, you can know you're reaching the right decision makers. You can even target buyers by job title, industry, company seniority, skills. Wait, did I say job title yet? Get started today and see how you can avoid the void and reach the right buyers with LinkedIn ads. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Get started at LinkedIn.com results, terms and conditions apply. I love when you're doing a comedy. This is my most common interaction with stunt teams is doing a comedy where there's like a gag, like you fall off the top bunk or something like that, and the stunt person's coming to do it and. And the level of seriousness they bring about this. And you're like, oh, I wrote this dumb idea that someone just falls off a bunk bed. And now they're like, all right, so do you imagine the head is at the foot of the over here? And you're like, I haven't imagined anything except for the idea that it's funny if someone falls.
John Gabrus
I thought it was the bunk bed.
Adam Pally
He's like, all right, so what do you want us to do? You want us to hit roll? You want to drop flop? And you're like, what are you talking about? And then when you real. And that's like the dream. When the department has thought about what you pitched, like, so much and you're like, oh, bring that expertise. And let's. This woman stunt doubled for Betsy falling off. Betsy Sadaro falling off a bunk bed. And she did it like four times. And I was crying. My eyes. Like, this woman just put like a little top mat in and rolled off the fucking. And she was just, boom land. I'm like, oh, so what do you do? Like, we just put a pad there. And I'm like, wait, so she does have to fall off the bed.
John Gabrus
That is something you forget. Is that. There it is. Another human who actually does the thing that hurts.
Adam Pally
Right? They're a professional. Don't worry. I'm like, oh, so you have a trick to do it. They're like, yeah, we put a half inch mat there. You just know how to land better than other people.
Jesse Graff
Yes. I mean, which doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.
Adam Pally
No. Yeah.
Jesse Graff
If we get a nice big squishy mat and it's like, oh, my gosh, this is the best day ever.
John Gabrus
What's the secret to landing?
Jesse Graff
A lot of it is just like, knowing how to roll. And actually, I teach that. I've been teaching ninja more often. And so the first thing we do in all my classes is work on how to fall safely. I had to do that with my mom because she started doing ninja when she. She was like 65, which is terrifying.
John Gabrus
How much did she leave you in the will?
Jesse Graff
I don't know, but she's crushing it. She competes now. She's 73.
Adam Pally
In Ninja.
Jesse Graff
In Ninja. It's unbelievable.
Adam Pally
I want to watch Senior citizen Ninja.
John Gabrus
Yeah, we need to pitch that to Peacock, please. American's America's top senior citizen ninja.
Adam Pally
What the.
Jesse Graff
Wait, it's.
Adam Pally
So your mom saw you. Did your. Did your mom have like a athletic background?
Jesse Graff
She was a dancer.
Adam Pally
Oh, right, right.
Jesse Graff
She had. And she swims.
John Gabrus
So genetically you're a little predisposed to.
Jesse Graff
I didn't realize how much until I saw, like, when she started working out and I saw, like, how shredded she got. I like, I mean, it is also hard work. We're both, like, kind of obsessively determined. It took her three years to get her first pull up. So I think a lot of women say, like, oh, I'm just a person who can't do pull ups.
John Gabrus
Which is a lot of men say that I can't do pull ups.
Jesse Graff
Well, it's a fair thing to Assume if you've tried consistently for a year and it's not working, then like I can see why someone would conclude that. But she just was too stubborn to accept that. So she tried for a year, didn't work. She got a personal trainer. She kept working on it for a year, still wasn't working. One year later she got her first strict form pull up.
Adam Pally
Damn.
Jesse Graff
And, and now she can do 15. It's insane.
Adam Pally
Jesus Christ.
John Gabrus
That would be so embarrassing for me.
Adam Pally
I'm having, I'm having like sense memory reaction to the presidential Physical fitness Test. It's giving me nausea.
John Gabrus
I'm just thinking about just, you can.
Adam Pally
Do the bent arm hang, you fat fuck. You know, I'm like, I'm still trying.
John Gabrus
Yeah. I feel like I'm in a hotel gym and I'm like thinking about doing it. Never really do pull ups. I walk over, grab the bar, look over next to me, there's like a Hasidic woman on her 90th rep with a kid on her back.
Adam Pally
That's like me. I go to grab the pull up bar and then I see the lat pull down machine. I'm like, that's actually more.
Jesse Graff
I do that too though. So that's a great. Yeah. So I have like, we were talking about those energy systems and the training for climbing I'll do on my aerobic day. I'm going to do 10 to 12 pounds per arm and just do like high rep. 10 to 20 minutes. Wow.
John Gabrus
Just 10 to 20 minutes.
Jesse Graff
Because I mean you go for a 10 to 20 minute jog, right?
John Gabrus
Like, I mean some do.
Jesse Graff
People do. People do.
Adam Pally
I think there's some fun.
Jesse Graff
But if you think about like when you're training your aerobic system, that's, that's normal.
Adam Pally
So then later on in life you find Ninja War. Granted, a sport is like literally invented in your lifetime that you can like.
Jesse Graff
That's exactly right. Yeah. I was like, oh shit.
Adam Pally
I like, I like gymnastics. I'm a pole vaulter. I'm yoked. I'm pretty fast. I could fucking, I could do the hand bike.
John Gabrus
I know how to fall and roll.
Adam Pally
Yeah. I got salmon ladder queen. Let's get the fuck out.
Jesse Graff
You know, the funny thing is I was not strong when I first did Ninja Warrior. I mean, not for me. I could do.
Adam Pally
You're much stronger now.
Jesse Graff
I'm much stronger now. I could do about six pull ups when I got on Ninja Warrior, but so I, I competed on a whim. It was way back before the show was really all that popular. I Thought it was pretty fun. And right before they accepted videos for the next year, I tore my acl.
John Gabrus
Ooh, that's a tough one.
Jesse Graff
It's a year recovery, so I knew I was gonna be on crutches for a while. I do not have the discipline to stay out of the gym when I'm injured.
Adam Pally
Well, you put it in your house.
John Gabrus
You can't even stay out of the gym when you're watching television.
Jesse Graff
I can't.
Adam Pally
It's like, why you don't. I put this C2 rower on my toilet.
John Gabrus
Oh, no, no, no.
Adam Pally
Would you tell her Jessie injured herself severely?
John Gabrus
Shit. Rowing number one or number two?
Jesse Graff
There's this. They invented this car where it's like you can add to the battery life by pedaling. Like, there's bicycle pedals. And I want this so badly.
John Gabrus
Wow. Because I want to buy my own Waymo.
Jesse Graff
I forget what that is.
John Gabrus
Waymo is the RO car where there's no one driving but you can order it like an Uber.
Jesse Graff
That does sound kind of.
John Gabrus
I want to buy my own.
Adam Pally
Now. Do you want to buy your own to be your driver or to make money just running around?
John Gabrus
No, no, no, no, no.
Adam Pally
Just like when you're out of town, you could be like, wh.
John Gabrus
Yeah, well, yeah, sure, if wayo can bring in a. A passive income, that'd be great. But like, no.
Adam Pally
Hey, call. You got to go clean. Wh.
John Gabrus
Yeah. So I want my own Wayo that's like, in my garage so I can get in it and be like, drive me here.
Jesse Graff
That sounds amazing.
John Gabrus
I know. We. I hope we all.
Jesse Graff
I would take out the seats and then have a little mat.
John Gabrus
Exactly. Have a little table in there. Yeah, I guess we different things to do.
Adam Pally
You would have a hash rolling table. She would have able to do green egg.
John Gabrus
A green egg smoker.
Adam Pally
Just making brisket. Super smoky in there. You like smoking weed and making brisket? In a way, Mom. You pull up to the function like Snoop Dogg.
John Gabrus
People are like, yeah, he's up. Like, nope, I have chicken.
Adam Pally
I got six more hours till the turkey's done. Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you. Weo. That'd be so crazy. Like your kids waiting to get picked up from football. And Wh pulls up and like, you're just on the screen. Just get in the wayo. I can't drive.
Jesse Graff
That would be really cool, though.
Adam Pally
Well, pedaling your car. What an insane. We've gone full circle and we are legitimately flint.
John Gabrus
How do you. How do you relax? How do you. How do you take care of yourself? How do you stay alive mentally so that it's not all. All weights and climbing, climbing. And, and do you. Do you, do you throw them? Do you like to get a drink? Do you like to. What do you like to do?
Jesse Graff
That is one of my biggest challenges, actually, because I love training. I love pursuing goals so much that it is hard to take a step back. But if I want to be the best I can be, it's important to include balance in that.
Adam Pally
Wow. This. That sounds like something that you've said to yourself in the mirror or someone told you, or like a therapist. That sounds like a quote from something where you're like, you if you want to be. And like, yes. Knowing your psycho, knowing your psychology based on just the hour of chatting with you, the fact that you have to go, like, actually, the way to be the best athlete is to have two beers on Friday with your friends.
John Gabrus
Yeah. You definitely turned into a different person when you answered that question back in your head.
Adam Pally
You had, like, an accent.
Jesse Graff
So hard.
John Gabrus
But, but do you. What? Do you like shows?
Adam Pally
Make yourself Cut loose is so interesting.
John Gabrus
Do you like music? Do you like art? What's the. What are your outside interests?
Jesse Graff
I do like playing the ukulele.
John Gabrus
There we go. There we go. Wait, wait. Let's not blow past that.
Adam Pally
Okay?
Jesse Graff
Okay.
John Gabrus
How did you get into the ukulele?
Jesse Graff
I was on a family vacation in Hawaii, and it just looked really fun. So I got myself a $10 ukulele and was like, if you learn to play a song before you leave, you can buy a better one. And I met this guy on the beach who taught me how to play seven songs.
John Gabrus
What songs? Like, what was the first song you learned how to play?
Jesse Graff
What was the first one?
John Gabrus
Because I feel like ukulele. It's usually the one from the Jerk. Right? That's the one that I would. I know, I know you belong. You know, that's like the famous ukulele song I Feel like.
Adam Pally
Or the Somewhere over the Rainbow.
John Gabrus
That was one of them.
Jesse Graff
That was maybe like, my eighth song.
John Gabrus
Oh, wow. Okay, cool. But, and so now you play it, like, do you listen to, like, Eddie Veter solo albums? Or, like, what do you.
Adam Pally
I only play the UK on the assault bike. You do that?
Jesse Graff
Not, not yet, no. But there will be some ukulele on my treadmill very soon. That's definitely happening.
John Gabrus
Yeah, I, I, I always thought of if I could do that, if I could play guitar while I walked on a treadmill. But one time I tried to, like, have hand weights on the treadmill. I Fell really bad. So I was like, I probably can't do anything.
Adam Pally
Smash an acoustic guitar.
John Gabrus
Yeah, exactly. I was like, I probably should just do nothing on a treadmill but walk the direction it's going against.
Adam Pally
Yeah, I. Sometimes I'll be like, on a treadmill and looking at my phone and I'll be like, this is just as bad.
John Gabrus
For me, like, as driving. Yeah. Yeah.
Jesse Graff
Oh, yeah. You have to. To. I found that if I'm going to be on my phone, it's better if I lie on my back with my head in a long. Tex neck is a serious thing. Is what the pts call it.
John Gabrus
Yeah, Tex neck.
Jesse Graff
Oh, yeah. It, like, it's terrible for your neck. It shortens your pecs, and then it gives you this posture that, like, it becomes hard to have good posture because your pecs are so tight that you're, like, resisting it all the time. So doing pec stretches is super important.
John Gabrus
Important.
Jesse Graff
But, yeah, I try. If I'm like, I've switched from video editing on my computer to doing it on my phone because then I can lie down and edit this way. And I very rarely drop the phone on my face.
Adam Pally
But very rarely is not zero.
John Gabrus
And when you say editing on your phone, that's your content. That's the content that you're creating for the web and for.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, cool.
John Gabrus
And what are those. What are those videos? Are they workout videos?
Jesse Graff
I do want to do more tutorial videos, but most of them are just, like, doing dumb stuff in the living room.
John Gabrus
Okay.
Adam Pally
Set up a camera, hit record, and be like, watch this.
John Gabrus
And then you, like, climb or.
Jesse Graff
I mean, actually, we usually end up editing something as we. Because we have monkey bars in the kitchen, so we like pancakes while monkey barring.
John Gabrus
Wow, that sounds dangerous. Like open flames.
Jesse Graff
Oh, you should have seen when we were chopping vegetables with swords in handstands.
Adam Pally
It was a disaster. Yes, we should have seen that.
John Gabrus
Yeah, you should have seen that. All right, so you do. But what kind of music do you listen to when you work out?
Jesse Graff
Whatever my training partners are playing.
John Gabrus
Really? There's nothing that pumps you up.
Jesse Graff
So many things. I'm not all that particular, though.
Adam Pally
Will you listen to music when you do your mild. Try trial time. Or will that be. Will you raw dog that.
Jesse Graff
That's a good idea. Yeah, probably should.
John Gabrus
Is it more meditative for you? Because, like, exercise. I feel like there's two modes I have where, like, I can go into a gym with no music and get my stuff done, and it becomes very meditative where, like, I'm thinking About anything else but working out. But I'm doing. Giving maximum effort with my body. And then sometimes I need, like, music to get me through the. The time that I'm in the gym.
Jesse Graff
Yeah. There's so many different energies. Like, if I'm doing sprint day for my upper body ends up being, like, max weighted hang for 10 seconds. So it's like I'll hang on a ledge with as many pounds bonus as I can for 10 seconds with, like.
John Gabrus
Gabris holding on to you.
Adam Pally
Yeah. Poor Jesse's arms are still on the stairs.
Jesse Graff
If we should try it, do you.
John Gabrus
Think these light rigs could hold it?
Adam Pally
I don't know. I don't even think that thing was able to hold me. So I'm.
John Gabrus
This thing. Great.
Adam Pally
This thing.
John Gabrus
Why don't try the light rig? It's fine. They got a big cone.
Adam Pally
It's got a big. Do not try that.
John Gabrus
No, it's fine.
Adam Pally
Fine.
John Gabrus
We're serious. All right, I'll do it.
Adam Pally
Yeah, you can go get her.
Jesse Graff
I know how to fall safely.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Adam Pally
I know how to bounce a light off my head safely.
Jesse Graff
I think. I think it's worth. You think you could.
John Gabrus
You think you could pull up with Gabriel's holding on to you?
Jesse Graff
No, no, but I mean, pull up.
Adam Pally
No, no, but dead hang.
Jesse Graff
Dead hang is a little different. I'm up to double my body weight on one arm.
John Gabrus
What?
Adam Pally
We hang one arm and have an extra £200 hanging from. From you.
Jesse Graff
No.
Adam Pally
Oh, my body weight plus.
Jesse Graff
Plus my body weight.
Adam Pally
Yeah.
John Gabrus
So what's your favorite type of client, if you don't mind me asking? Because there's. You're talking about who. Training partner. People that you're actually training. Are you getting anyone into shape for that? Must be also for you, like, setting a goal, Right? Like, someone's like, I need to get into Superman shape. And you're like, I got you.
Jesse Graff
I. Well, I always like to shift people's focus from how I want to look to what I want to be able to do. Do. Ooh, deep. Because you can always keep adding skills, adding strength, whereas with. With weight or appearance, there's kind of like an end goal. And once you get there, maintenance is so hard.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Jesse Graff
There's, like. When you're working towards the goal, then it's like you get this constant validation of, like, I'm working on it and I'm getting a result.
Adam Pally
Yeah. It's like, if you lose your 20 pounds, it's like, now, I can't lose another 20. Now I have to just stay here.
Jesse Graff
But if you were like, I get.
Adam Pally
Want to shaved minutes off my mile time or shave minutes off 5k or whatever. That's a goal you can work towards more quantifiable.
Jesse Graff
Do it. Yeah, it's quantifiable. And you. It keeps a little bit. I feel like it's a healthier focus to stay on. On a number that you can continue improving.
Adam Pally
Right? Yeah.
Jesse Graff
I think, like, eating disorder and body dysmorphia is so common in our society. And it's just like, I, I, for me, it's.
Adam Pally
And we might be in the capital of it, right. Los Angeles might be like the epicenter of American body dysmorphia.
Jesse Graff
Yeah.
John Gabrus
You want to switch back?
Adam Pally
Sure.
Jesse Graff
You guys can use chairs if you want. Like, I'm.
Adam Pally
No.
John Gabrus
Do you want to kneel? Do you want to kneel?
Jesse Graff
And then we'll both be on this roller.
John Gabrus
Okay. You like the roller?
Adam Pally
I'm. I'm enjoying. Neely. I'm doing a little, like, hip opener. Kind of like Samson.
John Gabrus
I was just checking.
Adam Pally
I just want.
John Gabrus
I wanted to be fair. I didn't want to hog.
Adam Pally
Yeah. No, no, no.
Jesse Graff
Do you guys need. Get another roller?
John Gabrus
I know. We'll never do this again.
Jesse Graff
Okay, that's fair.
John Gabrus
Don't worry about it. Yeah.
Adam Pally
No, I'm going to get the wally chair and lay down, have a microphone that hangs over me. I go. Thank you for coming in.
Jesse Graff
Oh, my gosh.
John Gabrus
It's like my nightmare. And I'm going to turn into a little robot that delivers Amazon packages.
Adam Pally
You're going to be. Become a wayo.
John Gabrus
No, Jesse, you are. You are, are just the greatest and truly a hero of our industry. We would not be making television shows without you.
Adam Pally
And I ended up being an actor, but it was because I grew up watching action movies, so I clearly, obviously liked stunts. I liked men's muscles and stunts. I think complicated. Let's figure out what the Q means.
John Gabrus
But truly, we, we are indebted to you and so thankful for you to come and talk to us and tell us a little bit about your, your hacks and ways that you're staying alive. Is there anything that you would like to plug or definitely your social so that we can catch those videos.
Adam Pally
Yeah. And we'll put that in the show notes and stuff, too. But if there's anything else you want people to be aware of that you're doing.
Jesse Graff
Sure. During the strike, I worked on an invention that I have been wanting since I was. Since my first year in stunts. Because, as you know, once we get on set, like we come in, we rehearse a fight, get it perfect, we have all these super cool moves, and then right when we're about to shoot, they hand us our high heels, and we're like, oh, cool. Let's take out all the most interesting moves or risk breaking my ankles. And so I asked the costume department, hey, guys, can we just, like, cut off the heel? Like, what if we just cut it off and I walk around on my tippy toes and they're. And they're like, that won't work. It's a rigid shoe. They don't bend that way. And I was like, oh, okay. What if we just cut off the whole bottom of the shoe and wear it like a spat? And they just looked at me like I was a lunatic. Cause that doesn't exist. So I made.
Adam Pally
Whoa.
Jesse Graff
Whoa. So awesome. The heel is just a sponge. We're working on. We're developing different technology so it'll be more durable. But the prototypes have spongebob, so I can walk around on my tippy toes and look like I'm in heels. But the second I want to do.
Adam Pally
A backflip or a sprint or anything.
John Gabrus
But also, how great for just the everyday woman that is walking to work or walking to.
Adam Pally
You don't even necessarily need it for stunts.
John Gabrus
Yeah.
Adam Pally
I mean, that chase down the Waymo.
John Gabrus
Yeah. I truly, like, that changes the game. I mean, heels are, like, the. One of the things that I never understand. How women walk in them after wearing them just a couple times. Like, it's like. Like wildly uncomfortable.
Jesse Graff
So bad. So bad. And like, they literally cause deformity in your feet over the years.
John Gabrus
Right.
Jesse Graff
Like, they cram your toes together. They can cause nerve problems like bunions.
Adam Pally
You gotta widen up that toe box, baby.
John Gabrus
And you're. And you're doing stunts in them. So that is an amazing invention. Well, we're no sharks, but we would buy it.
Adam Pally
Yeah. Let us know if you need us to do ads about, like.
John Gabrus
Yeah, we'll read ads for free for those.
Adam Pally
Yeah, I'll wait. Wear them. Yeah, we'll wear them in an episode for sure.
Jesse Graff
That would be amazing.
Adam Pally
By the way, we. We've done a few episodes of this show. You. You are a fantastic guest. We've never had a guest say, so, do you have anything you want to plug? And they said, well, I invented something that. You're the first person who has been. Most people are like, I made a movie. Check it out. Or I'm doing this. Check it out. You're like, well, I invented a product.
John Gabrus
For truly for the good of the industry.
Adam Pally
Yeah, yeah.
John Gabrus
And, and, and womankind, you know.
Jesse Graff
Exactly.
Adam Pally
And all our feet freak listeners get pumped.
John Gabrus
We are gonn. We are going to have to blur that part out because our listeners are disgusting. Disgusting.
Adam Pally
Make you feel so uncomfortable by the listeners as much as the host.
Jesse Graff
I'm like, I'm known for like the most wholesome, family friendly show. So all of my Instagram followers are like, my daughter looks up to you.
John Gabrus
So like, well, now they look down on you.
Jesse Graff
It's very different.
Adam Pally
Well, here's the thing you get to do is blame us for everything if anyone asks.
John Gabrus
But no, you, you're. You're fantastic and amazing and thank you so, so much for being here and I hope that that invention sweeps the nation.
Jesse Graff
Thank you so much.
Adam Pally
I'm going to put a walking treadmill underneath my toilet and I'm going to get a standing toilet.
Jesse Graff
Toilet.
Adam Pally
Yeah, yeah. Forget standing desk. Standing toilet.
John Gabrus
I don't know how it works. I'm going to get an incumbent toilet.
Jesse Graff
I don't know what that is.
John Gabrus
So I can just row my. I am a. We're done.
Adam Pally
We're done.
John Gabrus
We're done.
Adam Pally
I want to get a toilet that's already been elected to its position of toilet.
Jesse Graff
What do they call that kind of bike?
Adam Pally
Recumbent.
Jesse Graff
Recumbent. Okay. I was like, now I can't think of it.
John Gabrus
Cucumber. It's a cucumber.
Adam Pally
Cucumber at Melon Bath and Body Works.
John Gabrus
Oh, but thank you so much again.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, thank you.
Adam Pally
Man. That was an awesome chat. Again, another guest that, like, inspired me. Like, I, like, I'm like, I don't exercise enough. That's all I could take away was.
John Gabrus
Like, I kept, I kept thinking like, God, I, I exercise all the time and, and I don't do it right. Like, she's. There's so many factors that if you.
Adam Pally
Want to do like, shake up a little variety in your training.
John Gabrus
If you want to just like maybe talk to someone that knows what they're doing and instead of me being like, oh, yeah, I do arms on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I do legs on Wednesdays, it's like, I don't know what the hell I'm doing.
Adam Pally
Right.
John Gabrus
You know?
Adam Pally
Yeah. I mean, she was truly like, I'm like, I don't do at home. Like, I don't even do push ups. And this woman has like no furniture.
John Gabrus
She's watching White Lotus and getting in a superset.
Adam Pally
She's doing hang power cleans during Righteous Gemstones. Yeah, it's like, truly, she loves HBO Sundays.
John Gabrus
Who does it?
Adam Pally
We all do.
John Gabrus
I wish there were more. I wish there were more.
Jesse Graff
More.
John Gabrus
Appointment television.
Adam Pally
A truly informative guest. We're going to be investors in hero heels. We're going to be 100%.
John Gabrus
No, I love hero heels. I'm going to be investor and a client.
Adam Pally
We're going to show up at her house to train in her living room, rip her banister off the wall. I'm going to end up in the basement going through two floors.
John Gabrus
I think my favorite part of the episode was, could you do a hang with Gabriel on you? No. What about about me? No. Okay.
Adam Pally
Can you at least say out loud which one would be easier?
John Gabrus
No. She was like, you're the same thing. She looked at me, like, in my head. I was like, well, then I might be a little easier. But clearly, no, I'm not any easier than anybody.
Adam Pally
She can hang with double her body weight. So if, say, she weighs 100 pounds, she puts another 100 pounds on and hangs by one arm. Jesus Christ. I can't even wipe.
John Gabrus
All right, thank you. Thank you.
Adam Pally
Hey, do me a favor.
John Gabrus
Yeah. Stay alive.
Adam Pally
You have been listening to Staying Alive with John Gabris and Adam Pali. A Smartless Media production in association with Sirius xm.
John Gabrus
Produced by Devin Tory Bryant and Anne Harris. Engineered and edited by Devin Tory Bryant, who also wrote the music.
Adam Pally
Associate producer and video producer is Matty McCann. Social media producer Tommy Galgano.
John Gabrus
Assistant engineer, Kyle McGraw. Sponsor. Special thanks to Jared O' Connell at Sirius XM.
Adam Pally
Executive producers are John Gabris. Ooh, me. Adam Pally. Ooh, you, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Richard Corson and Bernie Kaminsky. Do us a favor. Just rate and review the podcast. It actually helps.
John Gabrus
Just so everyone knows, we do not have a discord.
Adam Pally
Don't reach out to us.
John Gabrus
See us on the street. Walk the other way or you'll catch hands.
Jesse Graff
I brought exercise bands in case you guys wanted to do some glute exercises.
Adam Pally
We were up late doing glutes last night.
Jesse Graff
Yeah, yeah.
Adam Pally
Smart plus Medium Pacifico is a Mexican lager brood to be discovered. It's like fresh tracks on a powder day like that uncharted trail a stone's throw away like the perfect wave on a sunny day Pacifico. Find your own way. 21 plus drink responsibly. Imported by Crown Import, Chicago, Illinois.
Release Date: June 19, 2025
Guest: Jesse Graff – Professional Stunt Performer and Ninja Warrior Competitor
The episode kicks off with Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally introducing their guest, Jesse Graff, a seasoned stunt professional with over two decades of experience in the industry. Jesse brings a unique perspective to the conversation, blending her expertise in stunts with her passion for health and wellness.
Notable Quote:
Adam Pally [03:02]: "Anybody in stunts. I love stunt people. They are the coolest people on set."
Jesse delves into the intricacies of the stunt profession, highlighting the essential role stunt performers play in filmmaking. She emphasizes the collaboration between actors and stunt doubles, shedding light on the mutual respect and dependency that exists on set.
Notable Quote:
Jesse Graff [10:27]: "Stunts are the backbone of our industry. Without us, many action sequences in films wouldn't be as thrilling or safe."
Jon and Adam express their admiration for the stunt community, discussing how stunt professionals often go unnoticed despite their significant contributions to the success of action-packed scenes.
Notable Quote:
Jon Gabrus [10:04]: "Seriously. God bless. The backbone of our industry."
The conversation transitions to the rigorous training routines required for stunt work and competitions like Ninja Warrior. Jesse shares insights into her training at Game Ready Performance, contrasting it with mainstream programs like Orange Theory by focusing on optimizing multiple heart rate zones to enhance overall cardiovascular health.
Notable Quote:
Jesse Graff [08:22]: "We focus on five different zones and try to optimize all of them to make the heart so much stronger and more functional."
Jesse discusses the importance of both aerobic and anaerobic training, especially for a sport that demands continuous physical exertion and explosive movements.
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to recovery strategies essential for preventing injuries and maintaining peak physical condition. Jesse advocates for foam rolling, particularly the vibrating varieties, as a favorite recovery method.
Notable Quote:
Jesse Graff [21:20]: "My favorite is foam rolling. The vibrating foam rolling feels like it's doing more for my muscles."
Jon and Adam engage in a humorous yet informative demonstration of foam rolling techniques, highlighting its benefits in improving flexibility and reducing muscle tension.
Jesse recounts her experiences performing complex stunts, including her work on "Wonder Woman," where she executed high-altitude wire work. She discusses the meticulous safety measures and the mental fortitude required to perform safely under pressure.
Notable Quote:
Jesse Graff [13:49]: "I had a moment where I felt intensely uncomfortable, but then I realized I was 60ft high with the most beautiful ocean on one side and desert on the other, about to do the coolest stunt ever."
Jon shares his own harrowing experience filming underwater work, drawing parallels to the challenges faced by stunt performers in high-risk scenarios.
Towards the end of the episode, Jesse introduces her groundbreaking invention aimed at reducing foot deformities caused by traditional high heels, a common issue among performers who frequently wear them for close-up shots. Her creation involves modifying heels to incorporate sponge-like materials, allowing for more natural foot movement and reducing long-term damage.
Notable Quote:
Jesse Graff [57:55]: "The heel is just a sponge. We're developing technology to make them more durable, so I can walk around on tippy toes without damaging my feet."
Jon and Adam enthusiastically respond, recognizing the potential impact of Jesse's invention not only for stunt professionals but also for everyday women who endure the discomfort of high heels.
Notable Quote:
Adam Pally [58:54]: "That would be so crazy. Your kids waiting to get picked up from football, and you pull up and you're just in your Waymo. I can't drive."
Jesse touches upon the mental challenges of maintaining a rigorous training schedule while pursuing ambitious goals. She underscores the necessity of balance, advocating for leisure activities and social interactions as vital components of overall wellness.
Notable Quote:
Jesse Graff [48:05]: "I love training and pursuing goals so much that it’s hard to take a step back. But balance is essential to be the best I can be."
Jon and Adam reflect on their own approaches to balancing intense professional commitments with personal well-being, drawing inspiration from Jesse's disciplined yet balanced lifestyle.
The episode wraps up with Jesse encouraging listeners to focus on functional fitness rather than purely aesthetic goals. She emphasizes the importance of setting quantifiable and continuously challenging objectives to foster sustained motivation and prevent burnout.
Notable Quote:
Jesse Graff [54:36]: "Shifting focus from how I want to look to what I want to be able to do is a healthier approach to fitness."
Jon and Adam express their appreciation for Jesse's insights, highlighting the episode's dual focus on the physical and mental aspects of staying healthy and performing at peak levels.
"Stunts & Pumps" offers a compelling blend of humor, expert advice, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the stunts industry. Jesse Graff's expertise provides valuable lessons on physical training, injury prevention, and the mental resilience required to excel in high-risk professions. The hosts' engaging banter and genuine admiration for their guest create an informative and entertaining episode that resonates with both fitness enthusiasts and fans of stunt performance.
[Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or via SiriusXM Podcasts+ to dive deeper into the world of stunts and discover more about staying healthy and alive with Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally.]