The Art of Performance Podcast

Dean Hammond & Acos Ashioti
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  • Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Weekly interviews and talks on fitness, self-improvement, marketing, business and well-being topics with exciting and influential guests.

  1. 3d ago

    Ep 88: Is Fitness Becoming Health Anxiety?

    *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-6a05e87f-f904-83ea-94e7-9ff998b81ad5-0" data-turn-id-container= "request-6a05e87f-f904-83ea-94e7-9ff998b81ad5-0" data-testid= "conversation-turn-12" data-turn="assistant"> We've never had more information about our own bodies. Sleep scores. HRV. Resting heart rate. VO₂ max. Blood glucose. Calories. Steps. Blood tests. Recovery scores. Training readiness. We can measure almost everything. But here's the question we wanted to ask: has knowing more actually made us healthier or just more worried about being unhealthy? This episode starts with Dean wearing an analogue watch that does something revolutionary: it tells the f*****g time. From there, we get into our own relationships with health data, training and ageing, and ask whether we've reached a point where some people trust the number on their wrist more than how they actually feel. We talk about the difference between useful monitoring and obsessive checking, why perfectly normal changes in sleep, fatigue and performance can suddenly feel like problems that need fixing, and whether the fitness and wellness industry has helped create a generation of people who are physically healthy but permanently concerned that something is wrong with them. There's also a bigger contradiction at the heart of the conversation: we have more health technology, information and access to expertise than any generation before us, yet at population level we still face enormous problems with obesity, inactivity and chronic disease. So maybe the problem isn't that we need more information. Maybe we need to get better at knowing what actually f*****g matters. A conversation about health anxiety, wearables, blood tests, control, uncertainty, ageing, fitness and learning when to stop measuring everything and just get on with your life. But it goes deeper on many levels for all our listeners to question things. Come join us in this weeks episode _:empty]:hidden">

    Ep 88: Is Fitness Becoming Health Anxiety?

  2. Sep 4

    Ep 87: Turns Out, We're Just Normal Blokes

    After a long summer away from the podcast we didn't really have a script for this one! So we just caught up. What started as a conversation about what we'd been doing over the summer quickly turned into something a bit bigger - family, training, coaching, business, ageing, community, being present and the strange pressure we all put on ourselves to constantly be doing more. We talk about building businesses while trying to actually spend time with our kids, why even coaches don't train perfectly all year round, the people we work with who continually remind us what humans are capable of and why some of the most meaningful moments this summer had absolutely nothing to do with PBs, body composition or performance metrics. There's also 90km running, questionable hotel gyms, fitness retreats, phone addiction, darkness retreats, AI, getting back to pen-and-paper coaching and a completely unplanned argument about whose clients would win in a team competition. Essentially, this is 3 coaches admitting that despite what social media might suggest, none of us have completely got our shit together. And maybe that's not such a bad thing. No big lesson. No 7-step framework. Just an honest conversation about training, work, family and trying to be a bit more present while we're actually living it.

    Ep 87: Turns Out, We're Just Normal Blokes

  3. Aug 7

    Ep 86: Has AI Become a Dangerous Place?

    AI hasn't invented dishonesty. It has just made it quicker, cheaper and much harder to spot. We recorded our first episode on artificial intelligence back in October 2024. Less than 2 years later, the conversation has completely changed. AI is now being used to write opinions people have never formed, manufacture expertise they haven't earned, create images of events that never happened, imitate genuine care and produce entire versions of people that do not exist. In this episode, we're not pretending AI is the enemy. We actually use it ourselves and openly discuss how we've leveraged it within coaching, research, content, education and business. But there is a difference between using AI as an assistant and using it as a disguise. We get into competence laundering, fake personalisation, synthetic empathy, client privacy, AI-written content, fabricated social proof, deepfakes, cognitive dependence and the growing problem of no longer knowing whether the things we see online are real. We also explore what this means for coaching, business, personal responsibility and the future of trust. AI should make your real work better. It should never be used to manufacture a fake version of you. Use the tool. Just don't become an arsehole with it!

    Ep 86: Has AI Become a Dangerous Place?

  4. Jul 31

    Ep 85: 3 Dads, 6 Daughters and No F**king Clue

    Between the 3 of us, we have 6 daughters ranging from 4 to 15 years old and absolutely none of us really know what on earth we're doing. In this episode, Marco, Acos and I talk about the side of being a dad that parenting books, scientific studies and Instagram experts can't properly explain. The ridiculous arguments. The emotional blackmail. The bedtime negotiations. The things we swore we would never say. The constant fear that we're getting it wrong And the fact our daughters can make us feel like the strongest men alive and completely useless within the same 5-minute window. We also talk about raising daughters at completely different stages of life, learning when to protect them and when to let them find their own way and the responsibility we have to show them what a good man should actually look like. There was no research for this one. Just 3 dads chewing the fat, taking the piss out of each other and attempting to make sense of the most rewarding, exhausting and important job we'll ever have.

    Ep 85: 3 Dads, 6 Daughters and No F**king Clue

  5. Jul 3

    Ep 84: The Health Industry Has Lost the Plot

    Wearables. Ice baths. Red light therapy. Mouth taping. Morning routines that take longer than a full workout. Somewhere along the way, being healthy stopped being simple. In this episode, we dive head first into the growing culture of over-optimisation and ask a simple question: are we actually becoming healthier, or are we just becoming better consumers? We discuss why so many people are chasing the latest health hacks while ignoring the fundamentals that genuinely move the needle. From wearables and recovery gadgets to supplements, social media gurus and the business of biohacking, we separate what has evidence behind it from what has become marketing dressed up as science. We also talk about why men are becoming increasingly disconnected despite having more technology than ever, how health anxiety is being fuelled by constant optimisation, and why the basics—sleep, movement, strength, aerobic fitness, nutrition and meaningful relationships—still outperform almost every shiny new trend. If you've ever felt like you're falling behind because you don't own an ice bath, track every metric or follow a three-hour morning routine, this episode is for you. Sometimes the biggest upgrade to your health isn't doing more. It's getting really good at the things that have always worked.

    Ep 84: The Health Industry Has Lost the Plot

  6. Jun 19

    Ep 83: Strong BUT Unfit

    People think conditioning is about running further, suffering a lot or preparing for endurance events. They're wrong! In this episode of The Art of Performance, Dean, Marco and Acos dive into the science of VO₂ max, aerobic development and conditioning to explore why cardiorespiratory fitness may be one of the most important health and performance metrics we have. The conversation covers: What VO₂ max actually is and why it matters Why low cardiorespiratory fitness is linked to increased mortality risk The biggest mistakes people make with conditioning Zone 2, threshold training and high-intensity intervals The "grey zone" where most people get stuck How conditioning affects recovery, performance and resilience Why strength athletes should care about aerobic development Conditioning for HYROX, ATHX, combat sports and team sports The role of aerobic fitness in longevity, cognition and metabolic health Whether you're an athlete, coach, military professional, parent or simply someone who wants to stay capable for life, this episode will change the way you think about conditioning. Because the goal isn't just to live longer. It's to maintain the physical capacity to actually enjoy the years you've got.

    Ep 83: Strong BUT Unfit

  7. Jun 12

    Ep 82: Your Sperm Is Listening To You

    *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-6a05e87f-f904-83ea-94e7-9ff998b81ad5-0" data-turn-id-container= "request-6a05e87f-f904-83ea-94e7-9ff998b81ad5-0" data-testid= "conversation-turn-10" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn= "assistant"> What if your lifestyle was influencing more than just your own health? In this episode, we dive into the fascinating and controversial world of epigenetics, exploring whether exercise, nutrition, stress, sleep, obesity, and overall lifestyle can leave biological signals that may influence future generations. Before anyone panics, no we're not suggesting your sperm has ears. But emerging research suggests that the environment you create within your body may alter how genes are expressed, potentially affecting offspring through mechanisms such as DNA methylation, RNA signalling, mitochondrial function, and metabolic regulation. We break down: What epigenetics actually is (without the PhD lecture) The difference between genetics and gene expression How exercise may influence biological signals passed to offspring Why paternal health before conception may matter more than people realise The role of sperm RNA, DNA methylation, and mitochondrial health Whether obesity, inactivity, poor sleep, and chronic stress can create downstream consequences The fascinating studies looking at exercise and offspring metabolism Why this area of science is both exciting and heavily misunderstood The dangers of biohacking gurus overselling preliminary research What this really means for parents, future parents, coaches, and everyday people Along the way, we discuss responsibility, legacy, modern lifestyle, and whether health is about more than just looking good in the mirror. This isn't an episode about creating super babies or chasing the latest optimisation trend. It's a conversation about how the life you live today may be shaping far more than you think. Because maybe the most important question isn't: "What genes did I inherit?" It's: "What signals am I teaching my biology every single day?" 🧬💪🏻 Tune in for one of the most thought-provoking conversations we've had on the podcast.

    Ep 82: Your Sperm Is Listening To You

  8. May 16

    Ep 81: Is Soft Tissue a SCAM?

    *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="384aec3f-a214-4d43-82c0-62bee5cf7486" data-turn-id-container="384aec3f-a214-4d43-82c0-62bee5cf7486" data-testid="conversation-turn-8" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn="assistant"> Most people think they're tight. Tight hips. Tight hamstrings. "Toxic" fascia. Bad posture. Pelvis out of alignment. A weak glute that apparently "doesn't fire." So they stretch more. Foam roll more. Book another massage. Another adjustment. Another treatment session. But what if the problem isn't actually what they think it is? In this episode, we dive deep into the world of soft tissue therapy, mobility culture, chiropractic claims, sports massage, dry needling, cupping, scraping tools, and the modern obsession with being "fixed." We unpack: What soft tissue work is ACTUALLY doing physiologically Nervous system modulation & mechanoreceptors explained simply Why relief does not equal adaptation The difference between symptom reduction and solving root causes How fear-based narratives keep people dependent on treatment Why many movement restrictions are actually protection responses The role of stress, deconditioning & inactivity in "tightness" When manual therapy genuinely helps When it becomes theatre, reassurance, or expensive dependency Why intelligent strength & conditioning often solves what passive treatment cannot This isn't an anti-treatment episode. It's a conversation about nuance, evidence, critical thinking, and helping people stop outsourcing responsibility for their body. Because the goal shouldn't be becoming dependent on treatment forever. The goal should be becoming more capable.

    Ep 81: Is Soft Tissue a SCAM?
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Weekly interviews and talks on fitness, self-improvement, marketing, business and well-being topics with exciting and influential guests.

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